I will say for her that I am certain she did
not realise that all these things were calculated to cast suspicion
on me. The poor girl is too unused to the ways of police courts, to
the devious ways of the law, to realise what she was doing. The
sight of my revolver broke her down completely and she acknowledged
that it was mine. That is all. Except that I was arrested and
brought here as you see. I told the commissioner the story of my
visit to John Siders exactly as I told it to you, but it was plain
to be seen that he did not believe me. It is plain to be seen also,
that he is firmly convinced of my guilt and that he is greatly
satisfied with himself at having traced the criminal so soon."
"And yet he was not quite satisfied," said Muller gently. "You see
that he has sent to the Capital for assistance on the case." Muller
felt this little untruth to be justified for the sake of the honour
of the police force.
"Yes, I'm surprised at that," said Graumann in his former tone of
weariness. "What do you think you will be able to do about it?"
"I must ask questions here and there before I can form a plan of
campaign," replied Muller. "What do you think about it yourself?
Who do you think killed Siders?"
"How can I know who it was? I only know it is not I," answered
Graumann.
"Did he have any enemies?"
"No, none that I knew of, and he had few friends either."
"You knew there was a sum of money missing from his rooms?"
"Yes, the sum they named to me was just about the price that he
had received for the sale of his property here.
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