“You don’t think he waited outside the club at all?” he said.
“I don’t, sir!” rapped Kerry.
The Assistant Commissioner rested his head upon his hand again.
“It doesn’t seem to be germane to your case, Chief Inspector, in any event. There is no question of an alibi. Sir Lucien’s wrist-watch was broken at seven-fifteen—evidently at the time of his death; and this man Mareno does not claim to have left the flat until after that hour.”
“I know it, sir,” said Kerry. “He took out the car at half-past seven. What I want to know is where he went to!”
The Assistant Commissioner glanced rapidly into the speaker’s fierce eyes.
“From what you have gathered respecting the appearance of Kazmah, does it seem possible that Mareno may be Kazmah?”
“It does not, sir. Kazmah has been described to me, at first hand and at second hand. All descriptions tally in one respect: Kazmah has remarkably large eyes. In Miss Halley’s evidence you will note that she refers to them as ‘larger than any human eyes I have ever seen.’ Now, Mareno has eyes like a pig!”
“Then I take it you are charging him as accessory?”
“Exactly, sir. Somebody got Kazmah and Mrs. Irvin away, and it can only have been Mareno. Sir Lucien had no other resident servant; he was a man who lived almost entirely at restaurants and clubs. Again, somebody cleaned up his papers, and it was somebody who knew where to look for them.”