“You should not have said recognize it, Mr. Carter, for that implies ownership. I never saw that vial before. I admit, however, that I have one precisely like it.”
“And that it contained the antidote you used?”
“Yes.”
“What was it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t know?” Nick echoed incredulously. “Do you mean to assert, Doctor Devoll, that you blindly used——”
“Oh, I admit that it sounds incredible,” Doctor Devoll interrupted. “It is true, sir, nevertheless. The vial and its contents were given to me by a friend, a chemist in whom I have absolute confidence, with directions how and in what cases to use it. I tried it successfully on the first of the four girls, and I since have repeatedly used it. I have not yet learned, however, what ingredients the fluid contained or how it is compounded.”
“Speaking plainly, Doctor Devoll, that story——”
“Oh, I see you are still incredulous,” the physician again interrupted. “It is not surprising, Mr. Carter, under the circumstances. But there is one way to settle it. You can easily verify my statements. Go with me to my friend and he will corroborate——”
“Where must we go?” the detective cut in.