Desmond was thinking despairingly
of the seeming hopelessness of untangling this intricate webwork
of tangled threads.
"And this murder, sir," he began.
The Chief shrugged his shoulders.
"The motive, Okewood, I am searching for the motive. I can see
none except the highly improbable one of Miss Mackwayte being my
confidential secretary. In that case why murder the father, a
harmless old man who didn't even know that his daughter is in my
service, why kill him, I ask you, and spare the girl? On the
other hand, I believe the man Barney's story, and can see that
Marigold does, too. When I first heard the news of the murder
over the telephone this morning, I had a kind of intuition that
we should discover in it a thread leading back to this mesh of
espionage. Is it merely a coincidence that a hair, resembling
Nur-el-Din's, is found adhering to the straps with which Barbara
Mackwayte was bound? I can't think so... and yet..."
"But do you believe then, that Nur-el-Din murdered-old Mackwayte?
My dear Chief, the idea is preposterous..."
The Chief rose from his chair with a sigh.
"Nothing is preposterous in our work, Okewood," he replied. "But
it's 3.25, and my French colleague hates to be kept waiting."
"I thought you were seeing Strangwise, at two?" asked Desmond.
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