“I was at the Windermere last night,” Follansbee declared coolly, “but not for the reason you think. James Stone is my patient, and that’s why I consented to go through with that rather questionable farce. I can hardly blame you for misinterpreting it, but the fact remains——”
“Drop it!” Nick broke in. “I can guess what you’re going to say. You’re going to tell me that you were merely ‘humoring’ Stone in an attempt to draw him out and get to the root of his disease. I suppose you think I’m green enough to believe that there was nothing harmful in that syringe.”
“Nothing worse than glycerine,” the physician assured him.
Nick’s laugh was harsh.
“You’re a fool, Follansbee,” he declared. “You think you’re so clever that you can’t make yourself believe the other fellow has any brains at all.”
“Do you think a man of my standing would deliberately lie?”
The detective might have said that he knew Follansbee was lying, but he did not choose to do so for the very good reason that he did not wish the doctor to learn just then what he had done.
“Standing hasn’t anything to do with it,” he answered. “It’s your personality I don’t trust, Follansbee.”
The physician’s lips curled cynically. “That’s my misfortune—or yours,” he said. “You played the spy last night and heard some things which could easily be twisted. Your interpretation is wide of the mark, however, and even if it were not, more than one witness would be required to give any weight to the evidence. You couldn’t prove anything against me if you tried, and I’m sure you’re too sensible to try. I have no personal knowledge of the matter, but I’ll wager that your friend is perfectly well and sound to-day. If he isn’t, it’s no fault of mine.”
“What’s the good of this fencing?” demanded the detective. “Of course Crawford is all right—so far as you know. That’s understood, and was provided for in your instructions to your tool. The stuff isn’t supposed to act at once, and that’s why you chose it. We’ll come back to that later on. What I want to make clear now is that I know exactly what you’ve done and that I also know you have already realized on your crime.”