“By the receipt of a telegram from Elmwood, announcing the death of Mackenzie.”
“Who sent the telegram?”
“It was signed ‘John A. Abbott.’”
“Do you know him?”
“No; never heard of him.”
“You thought it strange that the death should thus be announced to your company?”
“Yes. It is quite unusual. But there are other strange features about the case. A similar telegram was received by each of the other four companies. What is more suspicious still, the premiums on three of the other policies would have been due to-day, and the remaining one next week. The first insurance was secured in our company. Nine days later he took out policies in three more companies, and a week later still, in the fifth.”
“This is all you have upon which to base your suspicions that something is wrong in the case?”
“No. After these telegrams were received yesterday, our general manager, during my absence from the city, secretly sent an agent of the company to Elmwood for a little private investigation. This morning we received a message from him. Here it is.”
The president handed a telegram to Nick, which the detective read: