"I'm afraid he is. Now, Mr. Hammond, could either Corbut or this man Gaspard have got into room B without your knowing it?"
"Easily. Great heavens, I never thought of that! One of them may be the murderer!"
Gaspard, at these words, turned as white as a sheet.
He was so frightened that his English—which was usually very fluent—deserted him, and he mumbled protestations of innocence in his mother tongue.
"Thank you, Mr. Hammond," said Nick, without appearing to notice Gaspard's distress. "I have no more questions to ask, but I would be obliged to you if you would wait here a few minutes for me."
Nick went into another room, where he knew that Patsy was waiting.
A set of signals is arranged in Nick's house, by which he always knows when one of his staff gets in.
"Patsy," said Nick, "there's a fellow up stairs whom you'll have to shadow."
"Gaspard?"
"No; a man who calls himself Hammond. Gaspard has identified him as the man who was in room A."