"Ah! you saw him then?"
"No! he wrote me a letter defying me to do my worst. Of course he thought that I was one of those appointed to kill him. That was why he lived in the Tower, and arranged that his body should be watched after his death. Dead or alive you see he was determined that I should get nothing."
"You came down to Saxham to break into the vault?" suggested Herrick. "No, I should have done so, had I not hit upon this other plan--what you call the conspiracy. But I thought that through this little fool I might get the money. I deserve it more than Stephen Marsh."
There was silence for a few minutes. Santiago was regretting the downfall of his hopes. Robin was wondering about his own future, and Dr. Jim reflected on the strange story which had been told to him. "Did you never go down to Saxham?" he asked. "Oh, yes, Señor," replied the Mexican airily "on the night when Colonel Carr was murdered, I was at the rectory."
"With Pentland Corn," said Herrick, "then you knew him before?"
"I know him better than anyone in his parish knows him," said Santiago, "he is a gambler. Often he leaves his Church to come to the Pimlico Club and gamble. It was there that I met him. He was the friend I spoke of when I first saw you, Señor Herrick--the friend who told me about Colonel Carr. As I had the secret of this padre I used him as an intermediator between myself and Carr."
Herrick was surprised to hear this about Corn, and could easily see how the unfortunate man had been kept under the thumb of this adventurer. "You are certainly skilful in finding tools," said he dryly and with a glance at the silent Joyce. "So you were at the rectory on that night? How can I be sure that you were not at 'The Pines?'"
"Oh! You want to accuse me of the murder!" said Don Manuel rather amused. "I assure you I did not kill Carr. It was not my aim to do so. I wished to get the money without danger from your laws. To be plain Señor, I went to Pentland Corn, to see if he could bribe or force Frisco into betraying Carr into my hands. I came to Beorminster by a late train, and went to Saxham by the public coach. About nine I came to the rectory. The Reverend Corn was out, but I waited for him."
"He could not have been out," said Herrick. "Mrs. Marsh was with him, and her son had come to fetch her."
"You are right except as to the time, Señor. Mrs. Marsh had gone by nine, and her son also. Corn came back and said that he had taken them to the public conveyance. He was pale, and looked haggard. I told him he lied. He lost his nerve and threw on the table a pistol--"