"Yes, I think so," agreed Drillford. "Well, we brought 'em all here, and
charged 'em, and examined 'em. Nothing much on Cave, who, of course, is
precisely what Hyde said he was--a man named Nugent Starr, an old
actor--if he was as good a performer on the stage as he is in private
life, he ought to have done well. But on Mrs. Killenhall we found ten
thousand pounds in Bank of England notes, and one or two letters from
Cortelyon, which she was a fool for keeping, for they clearly prove that
she was an accessory. And on Cortelyon we'd a big find! That diamond that
Ashton used to carry about, the other ring that Ashton was wearing when
he was murdered, and--perhaps most important of all--certain papers which
he'd no doubt taken from Ashton's body."
"What are they?" demanded Viner.
Drillford glanced at Miss Wickham.
"Well," he said, "I've only just had time to glance at them, but I should
say that they affect Miss Wickham in a very surprising fashion, and I
shall be glad to hand them over to her solicitors as soon as they come
for them. They're birth certificates, burial certificates, marriage
certificates, and a complete memorandum of a certain case, evidently
written out with great care by Ashton himself.
Pages:
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347