“I see. The student nurse...?”
“Don’t go into her,” Mr. Higgins ordered. “Take her with an open mind. You and Smooty tell us about her tomorrow.”
Higgins leaned forward and asked:
“Any way to enter the ward, except by the corridor?”
Dr. MacArthur hesitated a moment; his eyes narrowed suddenly.
“I hadn’t thought of it, sir, but there is. In the rebuilding, the porch of each floor, upon which the convalescent patients are rolled, is connected with the porch of the floor below by a narrow concrete stairway. Wide enough to permit a stretcher, as a matter of fact. Satisfies fire regulations and does away with fire-escapes.”
Higgins nodded.
MacArthur continued:
“But the door to that porch is always locked at night. The key is on the inside. All of our combined evidence points to an entry via the ward corridor.”
Higgins nodded again.