“Sit down and tell me all about it.”
Pat Maguire took a seat.
“This morning,” he said, “I reported at the station house and I heard about the murder. The instant I heard a description of the man read I concluded it was the poor, forlorn, down-and-out old chap with whom I had talked last night while on my beat.
“I came around here, took a look at the body, and I saw that it was the old man. Then I instantly told the captain about the conversation I had with him, and he brought me here to see you.”
“Tell me about that conversation, Maguire.”
Policeman Maguire gave Carter a clear account of the conversation which he had held with the old man and described how he had acted.
When he concluded, Mr. Wright ejaculated:
“You see, Mr. Carter, that corroborates what I told you. There are no reasonable doubts now about the man being Alfred Lawrence.”
“Why did he try to enter that house on Beach Street?”
“I cannot tell.”