“Did it ever occur to you, Mr. Brice,”—Zizi’s face grew very serious,—“that those two quests will lead you to the same man?”
I looked at her,—stunned to silence.
Then, as suddenly shocked into speech, “No!” I fairly shouted, “it never did!”
CHAPTER XV
Wise’s Pipe Dream
The mystery was a baffling one. I learned from Pennington Wise that he had a pipe dream that Amory Manning had killed Amos Gately.
But, save for the faithful Zizi, he could find no one to share his suspicion. It was too absurd. In the first place, had Manning done the deed, he never would have hung around the scene of the crime as he did, for nearly an hour. I remembered perfectly his demeanor and expression, as I saw him, with Olive Raynor that afternoon. He was deeply concerned, greatly shocked, and most considerate and thoughtful of Olive, but there was no shadow of guilt on his fine, strong face.
I had looked at him closely both during the excitement of the tragedy itself, and later, as we were in the street-car, and I noted his grave, serious countenance, but though he seemed puzzled and anxious, there was no mark of Cain on his brow.
I told Wise this, and he listened, duly impressed, but, as he finally owned up, he saw no other way to look.
“It wasn’t Rodman,” he asserted; “that chap is a traitor and a spy, but he’s no murderer. And, too, he was in cahoots with Gately, and the last thing he wanted was to lose his patron. It wasn’t Sadie, of course; she too, wanted Gately alive, not dead. I know the unwillingness of Olive’s guardian to listen to Manning’s suit, seems a slight motive,—yet where can we find a suspect with a stronger one?”
“We haven’t as yet,” I returned, “but there must be people implicated in that spy business,—if that’s a true bill against Gately——”