“Are you sure of that?” she inquired.
“We can’t deny it. The regular officers of the law discovered it, where it was hidden. We can, and shall, deny that the accused placed it there, and—”
“And also we shall deny that it was Mrs. Ritchie’s box,” she added.
He stared at her, not understanding.
“I will give you a hint, to assist you,” she continued. “Ask them to prove it was Mrs. Ritchie’s box they found.”
“Why, it had her name painted on the end,” said Holbrook.
“I know that. I believe I could myself paint a name on a tin box, such as the hardware store keeps in stock for Judge Ferguson and Mr. Kellogg to use when they required them.”
“Kellogg?” he asked thoughtfully.
“Yes; he uses the same kind of boxes for valuable papers that Judge Ferguson did. But none of the locks of those boxes are ever duplicated; the keys are all different. At the trial, if you ask Mrs. Ritchie to produce her key, which must match the key kept by Judge Ferguson and now in the possession of Mr. Spaythe, you will find it will not fit the lock of the box discovered in Toby Clark’s back yard.”
Mr. Holbrook leaped from his chair and paced up and down the room, evidently excited.