"Um," murmured Mr. Larkin and then fell into a silence in which he appeared to be digesting this last item. When he spoke again it was to propound a question that ruffled Suzanne's composure and caused her blue eyes to give out a sudden spark:
"Do you happen to know if she has any admirer—lover or fiancé or anything of that sort?"
"I know nothing whatever about it, but I should say not. Certainly I never heard of such a person. I never saw any man in the least attracted by her and I should imagine she was a girl who had no charm for the other sex."
Mr. Larkin stirred in a slow, large way and said:
"Such a robbery is a pretty big thing for a girl like that to attempt. She must know—any one would—that jewels like Mrs. Janney's are hard to dispose of without detection."
Suzanne shrugged, her tone showing an edge of irritation:
"That may be the case, I suppose it is. But couldn't she have been employed by some one—aren't there gangs who put people on the spot to rob for them?"
"Certainly there are. And that would be the most plausible explanation. Not necessarily a gang, however, an individual might be behind her. At this stage, knowing what I do, that would be my idea. But, of course, I can say nothing until I'm better informed. What I'll do now will be to look up her record and then I think I'll take a run down to Berkeley and see if I can pick up anything there."
Suzanne looked uneasy:
"But you'll be careful, and not let any one guess what you're doing or that you have any business with me?"