"No. Mrs. Mountford, whom I have seen, told me that Captain Kyles was with Maud Tedder on the night of the murder. He could not be in two places at once, could he? But then that kidnapping--the crew of the 'Tarabacca' certainly kidnapped Armour under the impression that he was some spy,--that looks as though their mistress was in the hotel at the time, and they were removing danger from her path. And again, Señora Guzman could easily swarm up those light trellis spars under the window of the bedroom."
"In petticoats?"
"Pooh. A daring woman like that is quite capable of assuming a sailor's dress to carry out her object."
"Then you think she was there--that she is guilty?"
"I think, on the authority of the cigarette stump, that she was in the hotel, but I don't say that she is guilty. She did not kill Sir Simon, for I can see no motive for her committing the crime."
"Nevertheless," urged Elspeth, "as the cigarette stump was found in my husband's bedroom she must have been there."
"Well," drawled the Cheap-jack, with his eyes on the ground, "as I said, other people may have smoked such a brand;--one of the officers on board, for instance. Kyles is innocent, and I am not prepared to say that Señora Guzman is guilty. But she certainly might have implicated your husband in the crime by placing the razor on his bed and hiding the pocket-book under it. The best thing to do will be to question her, and inform her of Miss Tedder's accusation. I thought she was coming to see you?"
"So she was,--yesterday, and I expected to see her about the time Maud called. However, she never came."
"Humph. She will be at the trial, no doubt. You will see her to-day. Then I'll question her. Oh, by the way," Kind came back after taking a few steps towards the door, "I have found out from Trent, who is a fool and can't keep his own counsel, that Sir Simon drew two thousand pounds from his bank the day previous to his death--that is, two hundred in gold and the rest in notes. Trent learned this from Ritson, who should have told me by the way, and he heard it from the bank manager. So you see that the money which the landlady and her son saw Sir Simon handling and which filled the blue pocket-book amounted to that sum. Now, if we can trace the notes we'll lay hands on the criminal."
"Have any of the notes been presented?"