]
"The man has gone off his head!" Laura declared angrily.
"It will be all right directly he comes back," Lenora whispered, laying
her hand upon Quest's arm.
"If only some one would give me my jewels and let me go!" Mrs. Rheinholdt
moaned.
The door opened and the Inspector reappeared. He was looking graver than
ever.
"Quest," he announced, "your alibi is useless--in fact a little worse than
useless. The operator at Number 10 has been found murdered at the back of
his tower!"
Quest started.
"I ought not to have left him to those thugs," he murmured regretfully.
"There is no automobile of yours in the vicinity," the Inspector
continued, "nor any news of it. I think it will be as well now, Quest, for
this matter to take its obvious course. Will you, first of all, hand over
her jewels to Mrs. Rheinholdt?"
Quest drew the keys of the safe from his pocket, crossed the room and
swung open the safe door. For a moment afterwards he stood transfixed. His
arm, half outstretched, remained motionless. Then he turned slowly around.
"The jewels have been stolen," he announced with unnatural calm.
Mrs. Rheinholdt pushed her way forward, wringing her hands.
"Stolen again?" she said. "Mr. Quest! Inspector!"
"They were there," Quest declared, "when I left the house this morning. It
seems probable," he added, "that the same person who is responsible for
this double tragedy has also taken the jewels."
The Inspector laid his hand heavily upon Quest's shoulder.
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