He wasn’t sure just what he ought to do, and decided that before he tried to form a plan he would explore the house.
Nothing attracted his attention in the rooms of the ground floor, and it was the same on the next floor.
They were ordinary rooms, furnished cheaply.
The detective looked into bureau drawers, not because he was expecting to find anything, but to see if there was any evidence that the house was regularly occupied.
There was none. All the drawers were empty.
Opening a door, he found himself at the foot of the stairs to the attic.
“Might as well take it all in,” he thought, and he started up.
The third step was loose, and came up when he put his foot on it.
At once he pulled the board away.
He saw something that made his eyes bulge.