Jim put the pipe away carefully.
"For brevity," he admitted. "It's perfect. But it will do."
"So?"
"From what I saw of that diamond last night," Drake continued, "it must have weighed at least two pounds. Perfectly cut and yet by no one in this country. Puffy, we've a perfectly swell mystery on our hands."
"And the fox?" Adams added, with a suspicious look at the drowsy animal on the bed. "What in hell's bells made you bring it here?"
"George Lardner," Drake said slowly.
"What?"
"Lardner was at the zoo this afternoon," Jim explained. "He paid a large sum of money to make sure he could steal the fox tonight. If Lardner wanted it that bad, what could I lose?"
He didn't mention the sudden vision of Sylvia Fanton he had seen, haunting and lovely in the cage.
"So he thinks Sylvia had the rock?" Puffy's face awakened with new angles.