The detective hesitated before he answered. His smile cleared the air as he said. “Once—for about an hour. That was when I found out that you were partly German. I got over it, though.”
“So did I,” declared Nichols. “I got over the German part in no time. I enlisted!”
“That’s a good answer! The best one I know!”
Delaney turned to his chief. He drew in his legs. “There’s a question I’d like to ask,” he said.
“What is it?”
“That magpie?”
Drew eyed Loris. “It’s her bird now,” he said. “She may not want it dragged back here again. I shouldn’t think she would.”
“I don’t!” exclaimed Loris. “I wish that you would explain how you followed the clew, though. It talks so seldom, and then when it does talk it says such nonsense it’s a perfect enigma.”
“That bird,” said Drew, “was the fine turning point of the case. Before it was brought into the office, downtown, I had no clew to start from. There was no indication to show from whence the blow had fallen. Your father was slain for a motive. He was talking to Morphy when he died. Cuthbert had connected the two men.”
“Through the two booths?” asked Loris.