“Yes, I’ve heard something of it,” said the other indifferently. “I took it to be mostly gossip.”
“Before the death there was a struggle. This star was found at the scene of the struggle.”
“It looks like the star from the collar of an officer. I should say positively that it was from an army or navy uniform.”
“Positiveness is the greatest temptation and snare that I have to fight against,” remarked Chester Kent. “Otherwise I should say positively that no officer, going to a dubious rendezvous, would wear a uniform which would be certain to make him conspicuous. Are you yourself an expert in woolen fabrics, Mr. Blair?”
“I have been.”
“Could you tell from that tiny fragment whether or not the whole cloth is all wool?”
Without replying, Blair gave the steering handle a quick sweep, and the car drew up before a drug store. He took the star and was gone a few minutes.
“Not all wool,” he announced on his return.
“Exit the army or navy officer,” remarked Kent.
“Why so?”