Playing up Darcy’s story, Daley and some of the other reporters speculated on whether or not a burglar might have entered the store, leaving no trace of his uncanny skill, and, in his wanderings about the place, have entered Darcy’s room.  He might even have attempted to chloroform the jewelry worker, it was suggested, and perhaps did, slightly.  Then, descending to the store, the intruder might have started to loot the safe when he was disturbed by Mrs. Darcy, who may have come down to see what the unusual noise was.

Such, at least, was a theory, and one several took stock in.  At any rate Darcy, after having been aroused, by what he knew not, had gone to sleep again, only to awaken to hurry down to do the repair work on the watch of the East Indian—­the watch that was found so uncannily ticking in the otherwise silent jewelry store, clasped in the hand of the dead woman.  It was mentioned that Singa Phut was being kept under observation, though no suspicion attached to him.

Darcy had at first nervously, and then indignantly, protested his innocence, King continually doing the latter.  Naturally there followed, even with the faint suspicions so far engendered, the question as to what the possible object for the crime could have been, presuming either man had been involved.

It was known that King was constantly in debt, in spite of his allowance and the more substantial advances he received from time to time.  He had patronized the jewelry store, and he admitted owing Mrs. Darcy quite a large sum for a brooch he had purchased for his wife some time before.  It was, of course, possible, that he had, in his drunken state, gone to the store to get the paper cutter, which some peculiar kink or twist in his drink-inflamed brain had caused him to remember at an odd time.  Or perhaps he had run short of money when playing cards, and have gone to Mrs. Darcy’s store to borrow or see if he could not get something on which he might raise cash.

Harry King was known to have been gambling the night before, the game lasting until nearly morning, and at one stage, when King was “broke,” he had excused himself, gone out into the night alone, and had come back well supplied with funds.  Asked jokingly by his cronies where he had got the money, he had said “a lady” gave it to him.  He resumed play, only to lose, and had staggered out into the gray dawn, which was the last his companions had seen of him.  He next appeared at the jewelry store after the murder.

Sobered, King’s explanation was that “a lady” had really given him the money, but who she was, or why she gave him funds at two o’clock in the morning, he would not say.  He admitted calling at the jewelry store somewhere around eleven o’clock at night for the purpose of seeing if the engraving on the paper cutter had been finished.  King was not so very drunk then, he said.  He was just “starting in.”

The store was closed, he said, but he added a bit of testimony that caused Colonel Ashley, and others, to think a bit.