“Hm,” the lawyer mused. “ Mrs. Willoughby, when you ran to the window, what did Mrs. Potter do?”
“What did she do?” Mrs. Willoughby asked a trifle impatiently. “Why, I don’t remember exactly. She screamed and rushed to the window too, I believe.”
“Then she was beside you every moment.”
“N‑o,” Mrs. Willoughby admitted slowly. “We weren’t at the same window. Really, I can’t see the sense of these questions. Mrs. Potter had nothing to do with the loss of the handbag.”
“Probably not,” Mr. Drew agreed soothingly. “But I am trying to get at the bottom of the affair, and to do that I must investigate every clue.”
“ Mrs. Potter is my best friend. She would have no reason for stealing the jewels.”
Seeing that Mrs. Willoughby was becoming agitated again, Mr. Drew decided to terminate the interview.
“I believe I have nothing more to ask you,” he told her.
“You’ll get the jewels back for me?”
“My dear Mrs. Willoughby, I can’t make rash promises. As I told you before, the case is complicated. I will do my best to help you, though at the present time I am busy with other work. It seems to me that it might be wise for you to turn the affair over to a detective.”
Mrs. Willoughby shook her head as she arose to leave.
“No, I’ve heard a great deal about your work, Mr. Drew, and I want you to take the case.”