“Oh, no. She is not supposed to be suspected. I was looking after a long-lost sister.”
“Can you ascertain where she put in her extra time while out at service?”
“I have already done so. She was infatuated with the stage. She went to the theatres, and sought the companionship of actors and actresses. She informed the servants at the Burns house that she was in training for the stage.”
“She may be behind the footlights now.”
“I can’t find her at any of the theatres.”
“Well,” said the detective, “about ten o’clock to-night I may be able to point her out to you. Remain here for the present.”
In an hour a call from Chick came over the phone. He was in a room opposite a private parlor at the Cumberland.
“Our parties are across the hall,” he said, “and they seem to be holding a reception. About a dozen people in there now, and more coming.”
“What sort of people?”