Hawthorne closed the door, then opened it again. There was something wrong. He took out a pen and inserted it into the strike plate, the rectangular opening into which the latch bolt should have slid. There was something blocking it – a little ball of newspaper. He let it fall into his hand, examined it, then showed it to me. The writing was in French. He folded it carefully and slipped it into his pocket. He sat back at the table.
Another clue. The lock for the door was a slide bolt. A small piece of paper with French writing was balled up and blocking where the bolt would have gone. Hawthorne put it in his pocket.
