"Why not?" he said lightly, "she is dead, and we want to find out who killed her--looking at her papers cannot do any harm and may save the life of an innocent man."
Lydia Fenny hesitated no longer, but leading the detective to the end of the drawing-room showed him a recess wherein was placed a very handsome desk of the ordinary office character. Dowker tried some of the drawers.
"Locked," he said quietly. "Have you the keys?"
"No, she had them with her."
Dowker made up his mind to commit a burglary.
"Bring me a chisel."
"At once," replied Lydia Fenny, going, "and I'll also send for Anne Lifford."
She left the room, and Dowker sitting down in front of the desk examined it carefully. It was one of those table desks with a knee-hole in the centre and a row of drawers on each side. At the back were a number of pigeon holes containing papers, and these Dowker examined, but found nothing more than bills and blank sheets of paper.
"Whatever private papers she's had," said Dowker, on discovering this, "are in these drawers."
Lydia Fenny arrived with the chisel and a small hammer, both of which she handed to Dowker, telling him at the same time she had sent for Anne Lifford. Dowker nodded carelessly and began to force open the drawers.