“Real policemen! Oh, Gerard, who—who were they? Who were they?”
“They were members of the gang you told me about, the gang that’s controlled by that rascal Candover, I’ve no doubt,” said Gerard in her ear. “They thought you were all alone here, and that they could frighten you away, frighten you into giving up possession of this place which is yours.”
“Oh, Gerard, do you really think that?”
“I do indeed. They never meant to take you away—at least, if they had, they would have taken care to drop you at the first convenient halting-place. Probably they would have left you at some door which they would have represented to you was the door of your solicitor’s. And then they would have driven off. That they merely meant to work upon your woman’s fears to make you give up these premises I feel certain.”
“But how do you know all this? Surely you’re only guessing!” objected Audrey, who could not understand her husband’s confident yet excited manner.
He looked earnestly into her face.
“Can you keep a secret, a dead secret?” he whispered into her ear.
“Your secret! Yes, oh, yes!” panted she.
He put his lips close to her ear once more.
“The second man—the one who disguised his voice—who didn’t want to speak—was——”