And Ralph--but let that
wait for the moment."
"Got any real proof that it was Sprague who stayed here and not the
Hammond boy?" Strawn interrupted shrewdly.
"I'm coming to the proof," Dundee assured him, "or rather, the rest of
the proof that I haven't already given you. You're damned hard to
convince, chief! But let me go on with my theory, which I think covers
the facts.... At luncheon, when Nita received that note from Sprague, I
imagine she got a hunch that he hadn't taken her seriously, that he had
not removed his belongings. You remember Penny Crain said Nita had Lydia
follow her into her bedroom, as soon as Nita got home from the
luncheon?... Well, it's my hunch that Nita asked Lydia if Sprague's
things were gone when she cleaned these rooms this morning, and that
Lydia said no. Nita then probably told Lydia to pack them herself, and I
feel positive that Lydia did so, for she must have felt safe when she
protested to me that Sprague was not Nita's lover. I also feel sure that
Sprague arrived at least half an hour before he said he did, by some
back path across the meadow; that he came up to these rooms that he
considered his, found his things packed, but went about shaving and
changing his shirt and collar, regardless.
Pages:
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184