Samuel Hopkins Adams

“ Bain, is the mainspring of the sheriff’s action?”
“Money,” said the lawyer with conviction. “He’s as crooked as a snake with the colic.”
“Would it require much money to influence him?”
“As much as he could get. If the case was in the line of blackmail, he’d hold out strong. He’s shrewd.”
“Doctor Breed must be getting some of it.”
“Oh, Tim Breed is Len’s little dog. He takes orders. Of course he’ll take money too, if it comes his way. Like master, like man.”
“Those two,” said Kent slowly, “know the identity of the body. ”

“ But that presupposes that the sheriff found something on the body which led him to the murderer, which isn’t likely. How improbable it is that a murderer—allowing, for argument, that there has been murder—who would go as far as to cover his trail and the nature of the crime by binding the body on a grating, would overlook anything like a letter incriminating himself! ”

“ The only thing that worries me more than the stupidity of professional detectives is the shrewdness of trained reporters. At least we can work this out in our own way.”
“We don’t seem to be getting much of anywhere,” complained Sedgwick.
“Complicated cases don’t clear themselves up in a day,” remarked Kent. “In this one we’ve got opponents who know more than we do.” ”