“Kent’s a market speculator. Evidently he had been hit and needed money. Apparently he didn’t want to have the necklace appraised in New York where he was fairly well known—such things leak out and sometimes affect a man’s credit. After he learned what the necklace would bring in the market he must have done some thinking. If he sold it, he’d realize $15,000. If it were stolen he’d collect $25,000 from the insurance company. The reason he had shaved and waited two hours to call the police took on significance. It began to look as though Kent had staged a convenient robbery. Collect for the jewels and still have them. Later he might break up the necklace and sell the pearls separately. It’s been done before.”
“Why didn’t you tell Captain Tucker, Uncle David?”
“Oh, no. Tucker would have immediately searched the tree, and Kent could have got the incriminating suit out of the way and made the charge that Donovan had hidden the necklace in the pine. There was only one way. Scare Kent. Send him out into the tree in a panic. And then catch him in the act.
“So tonight we called upon Kent. I was searching for a way to alarm him, and he opened the door himself by mentioning birds. The moment I spoke of a search of a tree he froze. After that it was merely a matter of waiting for him to come forth to remove the proof of his guilt.”
They were almost at Joe’s house. The boy turned a puzzled thought in his mind.
“But, Uncle David——”
“Yes.”
“Even if there was pine on his coat it wouldn’t be proof he’d been in a pine tree.”
“True,” Dr. Stone agreed. “That’s what sent me searching for the absolute proof.”
Light broke upon the boy. “I see it now. You found something?”