“No.”
Trafford nodded his satisfaction and proceeded to elucidate:
“When the object was removed and the watcher knew it, he would repeat the search only to cover his identity. Shrewd as he was, he either wasn’t shrewd enough for that or was indifferent. He gave away the fact that he was some one who knew of the removal of the papers.”
“Then you think these papers were what he was after?”
“Most assuredly.”
“And that the removal of them——”
“Became Wing’s death warrant,” Trafford completed the sentence. McManus hesitated and grew pale.
“My God, Trafford; do you see what that leads to?”
“I see what you think it leads to. You think it leads to the conclusion that Wing was murdered by somebody in your office, somebody who has been there at least two years. I think that’s what you lawyers call a non sequitur.”
“At the office, the papers might be stolen; here they could be stolen only after the murder of Wing. Why shouldn’t the thief be one and the same in both cases?”