“Well, she might have done that,” Virginia Trent said. “I never thought of looking in that bag of hers. It’s a regular suitcase. She carries all kinds of stuff in it.”
“She didn’t have it with her in the department store, did she?” Mason asked.
“No, not this noon. She left it in the automobile.”
“She’d hardly have done that if it had five big diamonds in it, would she?”
“Well, you can’t tell... After all, if Auntie had intended to do any shoplifting, it might have been the safest place for them.”
“Yes,” Mason said slowly, “I can see that... It’s a thought. What’s behind that door, Virginia, the shop?”
She nodded.
Mason opened the door, looked into the dark interior. “You seem to have quite a lot of space here,” he said.
“Yes,” she admitted, “it’s more than Uncle George really had use for, but he needs more room than he could get in an office building”.”
“Where’s the light switch?” Mason asked.