“Yes, about five o’clock.”
“Did he say for what reason?”
“He said that he was riding out this way and thought he would call and see if I had entirely recovered. He did all he could to revive me this morning, you know.”
Nick’s brows knit a little closer.
“Yes, I remember,” he replied. “Did he say anything about the crime, or concerning Clayton?”
“No, nothing of any consequence, Mr. Carter. He mentioned you, however, just before he left.”
“Mentioned me, eh? What did he say?”
“Only that you were very kind to stand up for Clayton under such circumstances. He asked, too, whether you had been out here to see me.”
“H’m, is that so?” thought Nick. “I was right, then, in thinking that he deduced something from this woman’s impulsive words and her sudden collapse. He suspected that I did, also, and he evidently fears that I may learn something from her. Where there is cause for fear, there are grounds for suspicion. He may be the very man, the very hotel guest whom I[Pg 31]——”
Nick ended his shrewd deductions by glancing quickly around the room. He discovered what he wanted—a telephone on a stand in one corner.