There was silence for a moment. Then Moore’s voice came more slowly over the wire. “Damn it, Clayton, I can’t be sure. Of course he seems perfectly friendly now. But he did change a bit suddenly. However, that’s probably only my imagination.” Moore hesitated. “He certainly wouldn’t loosen up at all at first.”
“Well then, listen. I don’t believe that it’s worth while your taking a chance of running foul of him. Did he tell you of his own free will that he was going out of town to-morrow?”
“Yes, made quite a point of it. But, of course, I was disappointed at not going to the party sooner.”
“Well, if he’s at all suspicious of you and he’s as clever as you say he is, maybe he’s counting on your doing that very thing!”
“What? Searching his rooms? Clayton, you’ve got a head on you!”
“It’s just possible,” I answered. “So I think it would be better if I go. Then if I’m caught, he’ll take me for a burglar and not suspect you necessarily. I’ll take Larry with me, and if they’re planning to surprise me, maybe I’ll give them a surprise in return. Besides, if he does try to ambush me, we’ll know that he is suspicious of you.”
So Moore agreed to this plan, if rather reluctantly, and gave me Vining’s address. He told me something else, too, that strengthened my conviction that it would be unwise for him to go. He was pretty sure, though not certain, that he was being followed. We discussed this rather disturbing news for a while, I told him my own news and we rang off.
Some of this I explained to Larry. And then and there Larry made a suggestion which I was convinced would be of great value to me.
“Sure, sor,” said Larry, “I’d burgle Dublin Castle itself wid the loikes of yerself. But I hate to burgle a house where they mebbe know you’re comin’.”
“Can’t be helped, Larry. We’ve got to take that chance!”