“Nothing is impossible,” commented Lance O’Leary gravely. “But those lights may have belonged to another car. One driven by Jim Gainsay.”
I may have imagined it, but it seemed to me, in view of my guilty knowledge of that cigarette case, that he eyed me rather closely as he spoke. However, if so he gained nothing by it, for I was honestly surprised.
“Jim Gainsay!” I cried.
“Yes,” he answered, going on to explain. “The sedan owned by Dr. Letheny was seen standing in front of the Western Union office at about two o’clock that night. This information was brought to my ears and upon investigation I found that Gainsay took the Doctor’s car—Huldah, in fact, saw him leave—and drove into the city, starting shortly before the storm began. He sent a message, of which I shall have a copy before the day is over. We also know that Gainsay frankly said he intended to get hold of fifty thousand dollars—wasn’t it that?” I nodded dumbly and he went on. “And he intended to go to New York this morning but is still here, work or no work. Also, as with the others, he knew something of the circumstances, and while his being able to obtain and administer morphine is a point to consider, still I understand that engineers almost have to have a practical working knowledge of medicine. But even if we could safely exonerate him from causing Jackson’s death there is still the death of Dr. Letheny, for which somebody is responsible. And this Gainsay is a strong young fellow who looks as if he would stick at little.”
“But he looks honest, too,” I protested.
“They all look honest. Everyone of you.”
“It seems terrible to consider people one knows in such a sordid connection. Why not all the other people in and around the hospital?”
He looked at me as if he were amused.
“But, Miss Keate, is it possible that you do not know that we immediately accounted for every soul in St. Ann’s? And that every nurse and every patient has a perfect alibi, save you and Miss Day, Dr. Balman and Dr. Hajek? In a hospital run with such efficient routine as this one, it is a simple matter. The only person besides those I have mentioned, for whom we can’t be absolutely certain, is Higgins, and that because he sleeps in the basement next to the furnace room and no one saw or heard of him during that night, since no one else sleeps in the basement. Of course, we shall have to include him in our list of suspects, but so far there is nothing but opportunity with which to suspect him.”
“Then Maida and I are the only nurses who cannot prove just where we were between twelve-thirty and two o’clock that night?” I asked uneasily.