“I am positive that the radium was concealed in the loud speaker,” he continued after a short pause. “There was no place else for it to be and it must have been in Room 18, for otherwise we would not have had such a series of disturbances in and about that room. Yes, it is evident that several people were convinced that the radium was still in the room and were searching for it. The thing that bothers me is the failure of the—er—original thief to return and remove the radium before anyone else found it.”
“Perhaps it was he last night,” I suggested.
O’Leary did not appear to hear me.
“There is only one reason and that—if true—is amazing.” He reached absently for the shabby little stub of pencil and began twisting it in his fingers, which convinced me that he was on his feet again, so to speak.
Whatever the “amazing” speculation was that had occurred to him, he said nothing more of it.
“I have eliminated certain factors. The first thing to do, you know is to narrow the field of investigation. I find that Mr. Jackson’s relatives, who might be supposed to have an interest in his death, have iron-clad alibis.”
“Oh.” I spoke none too brightly as I had never given a thought to Mr. Jackson’s relatives.
“Likewise I am gradually eliminating the unknown factor—I mean by that the possibility of an outsider, a hobo, perhaps, or professional thief acting on the spur of the moment, or following out a planned course of action. It seems more and more certain that those guilty of these crimes are people who are in and about St. Ann’s. But since that phase of the matter is so distasteful to you. . . .” His voice trailed away into nothing, he dropped the pencil, adjusted his tie, looked at his watch, ran a hand through his hair and reached for the pencil again.
“There are a few matters of which I’ve been wanting to talk with you, Miss Keate. This—” he lowered his voice—“this Hajek. Somehow I have got the impression that he and Miss Letheny see a good deal of each other. Different people have mentioned seeing them together. Huldah says he is a frequent caller. What do you think?”
“Why, yes—now that I think of it, it does seem to me that they have a sort of——” At loss for a word I stopped. O’Leary completed the sentence.