“Possibly to make sure of his death in case he only[Pg 12] wounded himself. Or, perhaps, the fire was caused by the flash of the revolver. There was a lot of gasoline in the building. It may have caught from the flash of the weapon. It certainly caused a very intense fire. The house and all it contained were completely consumed.”
“I was told that you still have the revolver and the articles mentioned.”
“That is true.”
“May I take them temporarily? I will guarantee to return them.”
“Certainly,” Doctor Lyons readily consented. “If the matter were a less solemn one, however, I would wager a big round roll, Nick, that you are wasting your energies on a fog bank. There’s nothing in it. Cyrus Darling killed himself, as sure as death and taxes.”
“We’ll let it go at that, then, for the present,” said the detective, with a smile. “I will return these articles in a few days.”
“Whenever convenient, Nick,” replied the physician.
He had taken them from a drawer in his desk while speaking, a parcel wrapped in thick brown paper and securely tied with a string.
Nick thanked him and departed.
Half an hour later he entered the New York office of Clayton & Craige, attorneys, and was received in the private office of the senior partner.