Then he recoiled with an oath.
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The drawer of the bed-table was empty.
V
"Satisfied?" asked Lombard.
He had stripped to the skin and he and his room had been meticulously searched by the other three men. Vera Claythorne was outside in the corridor.
The search proceeded methodically. In turn, Armstrong, the judge and Blore submitted to the same test.
The four men emerged from Blore's room and approached Vera. It was the judge who spoke.
"I hope you will understand. Miss Claythorne, that we can make no exceptions. That revolver must be found. You have, I presume, a bathing dress with you?"
Vera nodded.
"Then I will ask you to go into your room and put it on and then come out to us here."
Vera went into her room and shut the door. She reappeared in under a minute dressed in a tight-fitting silk rucked bathing dress.
Wargrave nodded approval.
"Thank you, Miss Claythorne. Now if you will remain here, we will search your room."
Vera waited patiently in the corridor until they emerged. Then she went in, dressed, and came out to where they were waiting.
The judge said:
"We are now assured of one thing. There are no lethal weapons or drugs in the possession of any of us five. That is one point to the good. We will now place the drugs in a safe place. There is, I think, a silver chest, is there not, in the pantry?"
Blore said:
"That's all very well, but who's to have the key? You, I suppose."
Mr. Justice Wargrave made no reply.
He went down to the pantry and the others followed him. There was a small case there designed for the purpose of holding silver and plate. By the judge's directions, the various drugs were placed in this and it was locked. Then, still on Wargrave's instructions, the chest was lifted into the plate cupboard and this in turn was locked. The judge then gave the key of the chest to Philip Lombard and the key of the cupboard to Blore.
He said:
"You two are the strongest physically. It would be difficult for either of you to get the key from the other. It would be impossible for any of us three to do so. To break open the cupboard - or the plate chest - would be a noisy and cumbrous proceeding and one which could hardly be carried out without attention being attracted to what was going on."
He paused, then went on:
"We are still faced by one very grave problem. What has become of Mr. Lombard's revolver?"
Blore said:
"Seems to me its owner is the most likely person to know that."
