This was the day following the discovery of the suicide of the East Indian in his cell, and any intentions Colonel Ashley may have had of subjecting to a close examination the queer watch had to be postponed.
He had ventured to keep it after Donovan had shown it to him, ready to make some plausible excuse if it was called for, but the arrest of the East Indian, and the preparation of the case for trial, in connection with the prosecutor's office, evidently made Donovan forget, for the time being, that the watch was not among other criminal relics in his closet.
As a matter of fact, Colonel Ashley had had it in his possession since that night Donovan went out with his friend, the stool pigeon. And now, carrying out a plan he had made, the colonel, one bright May morning, put the odd timepiece in his pocket and started for the Darcy jewelry store, intending to have Kettridge look at the mechanism and other parts of the watch.
But when the detective reached the establishment he saw, to his surprise, a great crowd gathered out in front—a crowd that needed the services of several policemen to keep it from stopping traffic in the roadway.
"Hello! More trouble at the place," mused the colonel, quickening his steps. "I wonder what's up this time?"
He inquired casually from those on the outskirts of the throng, and received enough information to justify the getting out of several extra newspapers.
"Burglar tried to blow up the safe and got blowed up himself."
"Hold-up man shot three of the girls behind the diamond counter and then killed himself."
"Naw! Somebody tried to set fire to the place!"
"Aw, only one of the girls fainted; that's all."