“What I like about you,” said Bundle sarcastically, “is your cheerful and optimistic disposition.”

“Never mind her, Jimmy,” said Loraine softly. “Go on.”

“Don’t be so impatient,” said Jimmy to Bundle. “All the best sleuths approach a case this way, by eliminating unnecessary and unprofitable investigation. I’m coming now to the third alternative⁠—Gerald’s death. Now that we know it was murder⁠—by the way, you do both believe that, don’t you?”

“Yes,” said Loraine.

“Yes,” said Bundle.

“Good. So do I. Well, it seems to me that there we do stand some faint chance. After all, if Gerry didn’t take the chloral himself, someone must have got into his room and put it there⁠—dissolved it in the glass of water, so that when he woke up he drank it off. And of course left the empty box or bottle or whatever it was. You agree with that?”