Barker plunged a hand into his pocket.  “Can I smoke, Mr. Carroll?”

“Certainly.  And sit down.”

They drew up their chairs before the fire.  Carroll did not look at Barker, but Leverage’s steady gaze was fixed on the man’s crafty face.

“I’m going to come clean with you, Mr. Carroll.  I’m going to tell you everythin’ I know—­and everythin’ I think.  I didn’t want to do it—­and I don’t want to now.  But I’d a heap rather have the job of convincin’ you that I ain’t mixed up in this murder than I would of makin’ a jury believe the same thing.  I reckon you’ll give me a square deal.”

“I will,” snapped Carroll.  “Go ahead.”

“In the first place,” started Barker slowly, “it’s my personal opinion that Mr. Warren never had no idea of marryin’ Miss Gresham.  Maybe I’m all wrong there—­but it’s what I think.  I can’t prove that, of course—­an’ no one else can’t either.

“Also I happen to know that he’s been crazy about Mrs. Lawrence for a long time.  He’s been hangin’ around the house a good deal—­an’ doin’ little things like a man will when he’s nuts about a woman.  For instance, Mr. Warren wasn’t no investing man:  s’far’s I know he had all his money in gover’ment bonds and such like investments.  But he sank some money into them woolen mills that Mr. Lawrence owns.  And also he pretended that he liked that kid sister of Mrs. Lawrence’s—­Evelyn Rogers.  But there ain’t hardly a doubt in my mind, Mr. Carroll—­an’ I’m handin’ it to you straight—­that he was crazy about Mrs. Lawrence.  And, not meanin’ no impertinence, sir—­I ain’t blamin’ him a bit.

“Also, I reckon she wasn’t exactly indifferent to him.  She’s been up in his apartment twice—­which is a terrible risky thing, an’ somethin’ no woman will do unless she’s wild about a feller.  Oh! everything was proper while she was there.  I was at home all the time and I know.  But she was—­what you call, indiscreet—­that is, in comin’ up there at all—­no matter how decent she acted when she was there.  An’ also, sir, she used to write him notes—­most every day.”

“You have some of those notes?”

“No, sir.  I had one—­if you want the truth—­but when I saw you was watchin’ me—­sure, I know you’ve had a couple of dicks shadowing me—­I destroyed it.”

“Where are the rest of her letters?”

“Mr. Warren used to burn ’em up careful.  He wasn’t takin’ no chances of someone findin’ ’em and he bein’ caught in a scandal—­which is why I think he really cared about her serious.  His other lady friends he used to joke about—­but never Mrs. Lawrence.  An’ the one letter of her’s that I had—­I’m betting that he looked for three days without stopping before he gave it up as a bad job.