"One of them was called Dave, and it may have been Dave Kilgore himself.
In which case, by Jove! I was right in thinking that this diamond
robbery only masks some deeper and bigger game.
"I wonder if they suspect my identity. If not, what sort of a game have
they been playing here to-night?"
Nick very quickly measured the various possibilities of the unusual
situation.
If the man whose name he had heard was indeed David Kilgore, then Rufus
Venner, as well as Cervera, might be in league with the diamond gang,
and the pretended robbery only a move made with some secret design.
On the other hand, Venner might be entirely ignorant of Kilgore's
identity, and without any serious suspicions of Cervera, being himself a
blind victim of these notorious criminals.
"If the latter is the case," reasoned Nick, "the gang may stand in fear
of me, and perhaps are afraid that I shall foil some scheme they have in
operation, or are about to undertake. Then they to-night may have aimed
only to discover the extent and nature of my suspicions.
"If that is the case, plainly it will become me to be a little foxy. I
will see if I can contrive to overhear anything from out yonder."
Bent upon wriggling nearer the closed door revealed by the thread of
light near the floor, Nick quietly turned upon his side and cautiously
worked his way over the carpet.
Pages:
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69