"Do you think she is telling the truth?"
"I really can't say," murmured Kind, nursing his chin. "Of course she is jealous of Señora Guzman, and would do anything to get her out of the way. It seems to me that Captain Bruce Kyles is trifling with both these women. Tell me again exactly what Miss Tedder said."
Elspeth thought for a moment.
"She said that her father wrote the letter, which Mr. Ritson mentioned to you, to Señora Guzman, asking her to come to the 'Marsh Inn.' She came, and Sir Simon proposed to pay her enough money to fit out some expedition, on condition that she,--the Señora that is,--took Captain Bruce Kyles away from England,--removed him from Maud's path in fact."
"Humph. I remember Señora Guzman's reference to an expedition in search of some treasure. It might be, that her real reason in coming to England was to get funds. But if this Mexican lady loves Kyles, and Sir Simon was willing to pay her for loving him, why did she murder him?"
"To get the money, Maud says."
"But she could have got the money in any case," argued Kind, who was much perplexed by the present aspect of the affair. "Why commit a useless crime? I don't believe she did it."
"But you remember," Elspeth reminded him, "you remember that you found the stump of a Tangerian cigarette on the floor of----"
"Yes, yes,--and Señora Guzman smokes that brand. But other people may smoke the same sort of cigarettes,--for instance Captain Kyles," and Sweetlips looked keenly at Elspeth.
"Do you think that he----?"