“You could find no one else who saw him?”
“No, sir. I have made exhaustive inquiries.”
“Did Mr. Gordon bring in a suit case yesterday, or was there one here that you know of?” Chick questioned.
“I don’t think he has brought one in recently,” said Beckwith, shaking his head. “There may have been one here, however, in that closet,” he added, pointing to a door in one corner of the private office.
Chick arose and looked into the small wardrobe closet, but it contained nothing of special significance. He turned back, closing the door and remarking:
“You must do nothing about this matter, nor give it further publicity, until you hear from me again, or from Nick. I do not wish to question you further, but I will have a look at the vault.”
Beckwith arose to conduct him to it.
Chick made only a brief inspection of the vault, however, finding nothing further on which to base an opinion, and he then repeated his instructions to Beckwith and the other clerks and departed.
He did not immediately leave the building. He went, instead, to verify Beckwith’s statements by having a brief interview with the one man said to have seen Gordon departing the previous afternoon.
Chick found his office door a little farther down the corridor. It bore a neatly printed sign: