The Attorney General put his hand on the beveled front of his massive, flat-topped desk.
“This looks like a solid piece of mahogany,” he said, “but in fact it is a secret drawer. To unlock it you open this upper left hand drawer as far as it will go. There is a round hole in its back partition, and by putting your hand through it you can touch the spring.” He illustrated his words as he spoke, and the small secret drawer slid noiselessly open. Dick examined the mechanism with care.
“How many people can open this drawer besides yourself?” he asked.
The Attorney General considered a moment before replying.
“I am positive only Mrs. Trevor, my daughter, and myself can do so,” he declared, finally. “My daughter bought the desk at an auction in New York, and gave it to me shortly after we moved here.”
“Did you go immediately upstairs after Madame de Berriot’s departure?” asked Dick, continuing his inquiries.
“I did; going straight to my room. Everything upstairs was perfectly quiet. I went to bed at once, and fell sound asleep shortly after my head touched the pillow.” Then, as Dick rose, he added quickly: “Tell the Secretary everything. Now that I know I may be suspected of murder, I withdraw my resignation. I will stay here and fight it out. Tell him, also—” his voice rang out clearly, impressively—“that, as God is my witness, I know nothing of my wife’s murder!”
CHAPTER XII
BLIND CLEWS
“And what is your opinion, Tillinghast?” asked the Secretary. They were sitting alone the next morning in his private office. He had listened attentively to Dick’s detailed account of his interview with the Attorney General.
“I believe Mr. Trevor’s statement,” he answered, looking squarely at Secretary Bowers.