He liked to be talked about.

It gave him a certain reputation for character amongst his friends." "Who is the criminal ?" asked Tarling.
"He is a man named Stay, a petty larcenist, and in my opinion a much more dangerous character than the police have realised." "Is he----" began Tarling.

But the Commissioner shook his head.
"I think we can rule him out from the list of people who may be suspected of this murder," he said.

"Sam Stay has very few qualities that would commend themselves to the average man, but there can be no doubt at all that he was devoted to Lyne, body and soul.

When the detective temporarily in charge of the case went down to Lambeth to interview Stay, he found him lying on his bed prostrate with grief, with a newspaper containing the particulars of the murder by his side.