“And what is that?” Rand was smiling.
“That Burnnel and Emery killed Frischette, afterward making it appear that the road-house keeper took his own life.”
Corporal Rand moved over to where Dick stood and patted that young man on the back good-naturedly.
“Splendid! You’ve both shown that you know how to use your heads. And now, I’ll make an admission: That was exactly my own estimate of the case up to a few hours ago. To use a well known expression, the thing looked like a ‘frame-up,’ very carefully planned by Monsieurs Burnnel and Emery. I could have sworn that they were guilty. I was absolutely sure—as sure as I am that I’m standing here—that Frischette had not committed suicide at all, but had been murdered. There was pretty strong circumstantial evidence to bear out this belief. The two men had gone to Creel to obtain the poke, and had secured it, only to lose it again through your intervention.”
The corporal paused, clearing his throat.
“Then Frischette got it from you. Now, I ask you, what would be more likely than that the two prospectors and Frischette should meet each other, that Emery and Burnnel should learn that the Frenchman had come into possession of the poke and eventually murder him in order to get it. As I have said, that was the reasonable and logical deduction, and you can imagine my astonishment to discover, almost beyond the shadow of a doubt, that such a deduction was entirely wrong. Motive or no motive, the Frenchman took his own life. I have proof of that.”
“What is your proof?” asked Sandy.
“Well, I made a search of the body and found something that both Burnnel and Emery had overlooked, a note in the inner pocket of Frischette’s coat. I know his handwriting and I am positive that the note is not a forgery.”
“What did it say?” Dick asked breathlessly.
By way of answering, Corporal Rand produced a wallet and extracted from it a small, soiled slip of paper, handing it over to the boys to read. For a moment they found difficulty in deciphering the sprawling, almost illegible script. But presently Dick read aloud: