Monsieur Matthieu nodded. "But you will not blame us for not accepting, with some reserve, the testimony of a person in your position."
"Who has testified, Monsieur?"
"Madame Horton."
And in a few words he described the line of procedure which had resulted in the discovery of the part the lay figure had played in the tragedy.
Moira had come to the rescue! Moira—whose eyes, it seemed, had been keener than his own, keener even than those of this veteran detective. And amazement at the simplicity of the device, and the ease with which it had been put into practice, made him dumb.
"It is always so, Monsieur. The mysteries which seem most difficult to solve are always the simplest in conception."
"But Tricot did not invent this crime, Monsieur. The apache is shrewd, but the brain that conceived this plan——"
"I believe you now, Monsieur. But I'm afraid that he will not be easy to catch. He was at Fontainebleau last night and this morning. It was his alibi. When my men reached there, he had gone."
"And Tricot?"
"It is as to Tricot that I wished to see you. We have watched the house in the Rue Charron. Every haunt of men of his type is under observation. I thought perhaps that you might give us a further clue."