Chapter 44

"You see, my friend," remarked Peterson affably, "it is necessary to get you out of the hotel without arousing suspicion. A simple little matter, but it is often the case that one trips up more over simple matters than over complicated ones." He was carefully inserting a pin into his victim's leg as he spoke, and watching intently for any sign of feeling. "Why, I remember once," he continued conversationally, "that I was so incredibly foolish as to replace the cork in a bottle of prussic acid after I had--er--comp…