"That's true enough," said Merry, puzzled; "but in any case I don't see how the police can suspect you. It is true that you live near the house where Mrs. Brand was murdered. But you no doubt can account for your actions on that night."
"No," said Bocaros unhesitatingly; "that's just where the difficulty comes in. I live alone, and from five o'clock on that day I saw no one. So far as the police are concerned, it would have been perfectly easy for me to have killed Mrs. Brand, and have returned to my lonely house without raising suspicion."
"There's no need to incriminate yourself," said the lawyer, thinking Bocaros was slightly touched. "I am quite sure that the police will think as I do."
"What is that?"
"That if you were guilty, you would not be in such a hurry to put yourself in the wrong."
"I am not in the wrong; I am innocent."
"Quite so. Well, there is no good discussing the matter. I suppose you can throw no light on this strange death?"
"None. I have told you all I know. But I trust that Mr. Calvert, seeing he has inherited the money, will take up the matter, and hunt down the assassin. Thinking I would inherit, I decided to do so myself."
"What do you mean?" asked the lawyer coldly, and jealous that the man should trench upon his province.
Bocaros looked surprised. "Can't you understand?" he said. "It is my desire that the assassin of my poor cousin should be caught. I saw the advertisement of a private inquiry office in the paper, and I went there before coming to you."