“Well, here’s an idea! Did anybody ever get you to sign a paper written in pencil? Then, he could rub out the pencil marks and type in the letter?”
“No, smarty! Why, that has been suggested by some one. But the expert said that the pencil marks would show, even if carefully erased.”
“You mean the erasure would leave its traces. That’s right, it would. And if ever there was a genuine looking letter that’s one.”
“On the surface, yes. But if I were a detective, I would note at once that the letter itself is not in a phraseology that I would use——”
“And if I were a detective, I should note that, too, and set it down as a further proof of your cleverness!”
“Hello, Lane, are you convinced of my guilt?”
“Not a bit of it, but I am frankly puzzled about that letter. It’s so positively Club paper, Club typewriter, your signature—what’s the answer?”
“I’ll find out—I swear I will!”
“If you don’t, old chap, it’ll go hard with you, I fear.”
“As a starter, I’m going to see that Hayes girl. No, I don’t think she’s implicated, but I may be able to get something new.”