"The man who took him to the hospital would give no account of
himself, and the circumstances are suspicious. The Baron thinks that
the man may be your servant."
"Yes, he is my servant," Malipieri said. "Signor Sassi was trying to
follow me into the excavations--"
"Yes, yes--that is of no importance," interrupted Volterra.
"I think it is," retorted Malipieri. "I will not let any man remain in
prison suspected of having tried to murder poor old Sassi! I went on,"
he continued, explaining to the detective, "leaving the two together.
The old gentleman must have fallen and hurt himself so badly that my
man thought it necessary to carry him out at once. When I tried to get
back, I found that the water had risen in the excavations and that the
passage was entirely closed, and I had to work all night with a
crowbar and pickaxe to break another way for myself. As for my man, if
he refused to give any explanations, it was because he had express
orders to preserve the utmost secrecy about the excavations. He is a
faithful fellow, and he obeyed. That is all."
"A very connected account, sir, from your point of view," said the
detective. "If you will allow me, I will write it down. You see, the
service requires us to note everything."
"Write it down by all means," Malipieri answered quietly.
Pages:
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286