“You may be able to learn from whom the camera was obtained and where it was delivered. Garland has stated that it was too large for one to have carried away by hand. It may have been sent by express, or taken away in an automobile by the rascal himself. Follow up the thread, if possible, wherever it leads.”
“Trust me for that, chief,” said Patsy expressively.
“In the meantime, Chick, you must see Lottie Trent’s brother, in prison, and find out from him whether the girl is acquainted with Margate, and, if possible, where he has been living since he slipped through our fingers a month ago. If you tell Larry Trent what has befallen[{28}] his sister and of what Margate is guilty, I think he will state all he knows about the rascal.”
“Very likely,” Chick agreed. “You have no doubt, I infer, that Margate is the man who killed the priest.”
“Not the slightest,” said Nick confidently.
“But for what reason?”
“Because, unless I am much mistaken, Lottie Trent has been friendly with Margate for some little time, not knowing his true name and character, nor anything about his relations with her convict brother,” Nick explained. “I think she in some way discovered, however, that Margate was plotting with confederates against Garland, and that she went to Father Cleary and confided in him.”
“Confided what?”
“One fact on which hinges the whole business and which further confirms my suspicions.”
“Namely?”