Most significant of all, the Eurasian proposed
that Sir Marcus should put up _here_!"
"At the Abbey Inn?"
"Exactly. Now the 'best room' of the inn is that which you have been
occupying--and it is that which Sir Marcus would have occupied had he
accepted the doctor's invitation. Listen then: all these clews seemed
to point to Friar's Park, but the receipt of your message mentioning
one Damar Greefe as being a suspicious party, and asking me to look up
his record, quite tipped the scales. I saw, frankly, that you had made
a false move, but nevertheless it served my purpose, and I determined
to look into the Crossleys end of the inquiry personally, without
giving Dr. Damar Greefe reason to suspect that I was in any way
associated with the matter.
"I picked up one or two hints from the county police as to the
geography as well as the 'notables' of the neighborhood; and the plan
which you put into execution to-night, I had adopted last night!"
"What! You visited Friar's Park?"
"I did. But I did not enter through the French window. It never
occurred to me that it would be unfastened! I had come provided with a
neat set of burglars' tools (_and_ a warrant for use if necessary) and
I broke into the kitchen! _I_ found, as you afterwards found, that
the place had obviously been deserted for a long time. I was badly
puzzled. But my search was more detailed than yours. I climbed up to
the top of the tower!"
"To the top of the tower!"
"Yes.
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