McLane nodded his head thoughtfully. “I presume it’s about John Meredith’s murder and”—he hesitated—“Anne.”
“It is what every one is doing,” said McLane. He noticed the harassed lines in Curtis’ face and his expression grew more serious. “Coroner Penfield told me what transpired at the inquest and that you insisted that Anne be represented by a lawyer. How,” he glanced keenly at his companion, “how did you happen to pick on Sam Hollister?”
“Anne asked for him,” replied Curtis. “Isn’t he a good lawyer?”
“W-why, yes; so I understand.” McLane’s tone did not convey conviction. “But he is not a criminal lawyer.”
Curtis hitched his chair closer to McLane. “You think it will come to that?” he asked, with unconcealed anxiety.
McLane nodded his head somberly. “It appears to me that Anne knows more than she has told,” he said. “Why she is withholding information which may aid the police in detecting her uncle’s murderer is one of the mysteries of the case.”
“But there is no criminal action in that,” protested Curtis.
“Unless it comprises being an accessory after the act,” McLane pointed out. He paused a moment before asking, “What are the _known_ facts connecting Anne with the murder?”
Curtis sat back in his chair and checked off each point as he spoke. “First, Herman, the butler, testified that he overheard John Meredith quarreling with a ‘female’ in his bedroom that night. He took her to be Anne because he thought he recognized her dress. Secondly, Gretchen, the chambermaid, said that she overheard a conversation between a man and a woman after midnight under her window. The woman said, ‘I will do it to-night,’ and the man replied, ‘Don’t lose your nerve.’”
“Well, did Gretchen identify the woman?” asked McLane as Curtis paused.
“Indirectly, yes. She declined, as she put it, ‘to tell on her young mees.’” Curtis hesitated. “Her statement satisfied the coroner and she was excused.”
“I see!” McLane stroked his chin reflectively. “Well, what next?”
“I overheard Mrs. Meredith speak to Anne in the hall just after I found Meredith’s body.” Curtis spoke with growing reluctance, and McLane nodded his head in silent understanding. “Mrs. Meredith said nothing to connect Anne with the crime, but it did prove that Anne was up and about at the time of her uncle’s murder.”