“But if the murderer had him under the influence of the drug, why did he not permit the drug to do the work? This stabbing seems brutal and unnecessary.”
“I can’t understand that part of it myself,” said Nick. “However, we shall know more of the details before long.”
“What sort of a weapon was it?” asked Maynard. “The cut is a tiny one.”
“It might have been made with a hatpin,” said Nick.
“Men don’t carry hatpins about with them,” said Maynard.
“This murder,” replied Nick, “was committed by a woman.”
“A woman!” echoed Maynard.
“Exactly, by a woman disguised as a man. That may be why the young man was dazed with a spray of chloroform before the fatal blow was struck. The woman was not strong or daring enough to take the risk of determined resistance.”
“But how do you know that it was a woman who was here? The clerk said nothing about that.”
“The clerk was deceived. See here! This blue ribbon comes from the front of a woman’s undervest. In the haste of dressing in Townsend’s clothes, the ribbon broke and she tossed it aside. There are other things that tell me it was a woman, sure enough.”