And Jennings swore that he would capture her, for he truly
believed that she had killed Miss Loach, and was the prime
mover in the whole business. Hitherto she had baffled him by
her dexterity, but when they next met he hoped to get the
upper hand.
His underling returned and, resting on his arm, Jennings with
some difficulty managed to get down the stairs. The whole
house now blazed with light. Formerly the detective had
wondered why Miss Loach had been so fond of electric lamps,
thinking that as an old lady she would have preferred a softer
glow. But now he knew that she required the electricity for
the illumination of the factory, and for manipulating the
metals required in the manufacture of coins. There was no
doubt that she was one of the gang also, but Jennings could
not conceive why she should take to such a business. However,
the woman was dead and the gang captured, so the detective
moved along the narrow passage with a sense of triumph. He
never thought that he would be so lucky as to make this
discovery, and he knew well that such a triumph meant praise
and reward. "I'll be able to marry Peggy now," he thought.
The coiners had been removed to the Rexton cells, and only
Hale remained under the charge of Mrs. Barnes and Dr. Slane.
The body of Twining lay in the dining-room of the villa. A
policeman was on guard at the door of the villa, and two
remained at the forked passage. When Jennings arrived here he
felt inclined to turn off to the right and explore the other
passage, but he was also anxious to see the factory and assure
himself of the value of his discovery.
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