### Clue: Starts to suspect thief is hiding in loft, in fact (9)
### Answer: STATISTIC 
 ### Explanation: Definition: fact
 **1st letters, respectively, of**(Starts to) "suspect thief" + [IS **contained in**(hiding in) ATTIC(loft/a room directly under the roof of a house).
Defn: … or piece of data.