Nick had listened to the story with intense interest. It fitted well into a little niche in his mind.
“And what have you done toward finding this burglar?” he asked the lawyer.
“Nothing yet. The will, as I tell you, has disappeared.”
“What were the conditions of the will to which you referred?”
“Mr. Peters had an idea that nothing would shake that this man would reform and lead an honest life. I was to locate him, and, if he had mended his ways, or if I could induce him to do so without offering the tempting bait of the fortune, I was to pay over to him the money left by old man Peters. Now I have no legal authority to act on, even if I should find the man. It is possible, of course, that Peters destroyed the will in the short time between its execution and his death, but I do not believe it.”
“Nor do I,” said Nick emphatically.
“And, certainly, no one had any interest in stealing it, even if its contents were known.”
“Can we get into the house?”
“When?”
“Now—to-night.”