He knew her too well to imagine for a moment that she was merely upset by the whole situation and wanted the investigation to be stopped.
He knew she had some definite and imperative reason for begging him to quit searching and also that she meant something when she said her own name could not be cleared.
That remark, of course, could not be taken at its face value, but all the same, it meant something—and he must find out what.
Manning Pollard was confronted with the same question.
Apparently unable to control her nervous fear, Phyllis said, at once:
“Oh, Mr Pollard, can’t you help me? I’m in such trouble. That Miss Hayes says I was at Mr Gleason’s the day of the murder!”
“And were you?”
“No!—or, well, maybe I was. But that has nothing to do with it. Can’t you hush up the Hayes girl? Must she tell of it, if I was there?”
“It would be a pretty difficult matter to stop her mouth.”
“But if I paid her?”