OCR Text |
Show Hi I: I fsERIAL I V? STORY CJ I! I ELUSIVE 1 I isabel' H By I H JACQUES FUTRELLE I I W Hfl lllajtratlonj JoM. KCTTNCR H CXipirliUt, l, br Th Aoclt.l HunUr MkiIoc B UHjrlM IK bTk,UobllltrtUICMiui. H 8YNOP3I8. )H Count ai llojlnl, the Itnllnn timbm- H sador. Is at dlnnpr with tllplomnt In H the national cntiltnl when n messenger H tiring a not directing htm to come to H tlir rmbnsny at onco. Hern a beautiful H fomm wnmnn axhii that she tin Klvi-n H A ticket to fha cmhniiiy ball. Tim tlrk- H rt In inuilu out III tlin nnmn of .Mia I- H nbol Thornp, Chirr Cnmiiholl of tlio H Fccrot xirvlce, nntl Mr. (Irlmin, his hi-ud H detective, nrn wnrnod thnt a pint nf thn H Ivitln rncrs nnnln.it the ICnKlltlt twk- H Inir mens Is lire wing; In WashltiKtun, H nml (Irlmm iwra to tha Btnto ball fur H Information. In a conservatory his at- H trntlnn la catlnl to Mlaa Isabel Thorni', H who with her companion, soon dlap- H penr. A revolver shot Is heard ami H . Cumpbell and arlmm hasten down the M hall to find that Honor Alvarez or the. PJH Mexican legation, bus been Bitot. A wo. H man did It, and Orlmin Is assured It was PJH Miss Tlmrne. Ho visits her, demanding PPPJ VnonrledKo nf the affair, nnd thorn urrests gjgH n man named l'letro I'olnnlnnl. Miss H Thorno visits an old man, I.ulifl. nppar- gggl enlly u bomb maker, nnd they spenk nf ggM ii wonderful experiment. Klfty thounnnd ggH dollars In Kold Is stolen from thn office m of Benor ltodrlcucz. (tin minister from m Venezuela. Wldlti itetoctlves Arn Investl- ijgH KUtlnic thn robbery Miss Thorno appears B s truest of tho location. H CHAPTER X. H A Safe Opening, H Together the J- entered tlio adjoining 1 room, which was email compared to H , Jho ono thoy bad Just loft. . Honor H Jlodrlguoz used It an a prlvnto olllco. H His desk was on tholr rlcht between 1 two windows overlooking tho tnmo J plonsnnt llttlo gnrdon which wns vis- H Iblo from tho nulto of tluy drawing- 1 rooms farther nlong, Tlio snfo, a M formldnblo looking recoptnelo of black H enameled steel, stood nt their left, H closed nnd locked. Tho remaining M wall spaco of tha room was glvon over 1 to oak cabinets, evidently a storago H !1aco for tho less Important legation H i 'papers. "Has any ono besides yoursolt been H k-H "v .- ln u,,s room llny?" Air. arlmm In- M ulred. H "Not n soul, Senor," was tho roply. j Mr. arlmm went ovor nnd examined ,tfio windows. Thoy wcro both locltod H Insldo; and thoro wero no marks of H nny sort on tho sills. H "They nro just nn I left thorn last H night," explained Honor Ilodrlguoz. "I H havo not touched them today." H I "And thcro's only ono door," mused H i J'r. Orlmtn, mennlng that by which H thoy' had entered. "So It would up- H poar that whoovor was horn last night H entered through that room. Very 1 lie walked nround tho room once, H opening nnd shutting tho doors of tho H cnhlnots as ho pnsaid, nml finally H paused In front or tho Bnfo. A brief H ftxamlnntlon of tho nickeled dial nnd 1 hnndlo ami of tho ennmolod odgtrn of H tho heavy doors satisfied him that no H I force had been employed tlio snfo H hnd merely bean - unlocked. Wbcro- 1 upon ho snt himself down, cross-legged M on tho floor, In front of It. H , wnnt nro tho first nnd Bccond fig. H lures of tho combination?" ho naked. H "Thlrtyslx.l then bn'ck to ten." H Mr. arlmm sot tho dial nt thirty-six, B nnd then, with his onr pressed clnsoly H ngalnst tho pollshod door, turned tho H dial slowly back, pnor Ilodrlguox H ntood looking on helplessly, but nono H kho loss Intently. Tho pointer read H ken, then nlno, olght, sovon, flvo. Mr. H jflrlmm gazed at It thouglAfully, aftor H whlcli ho did It all ovor again, placidly M land without hasto. H "Now, wo'll look Inside, ploaso," he H fnquested, rising, H Honor Uo1rlguoz unlocked tho safo H itho while Mr. arlmm respectfully H Iturned his oyei awny, thon pulled tho H door wldo open, Tho hooks had been B Vllod one on top of another and thrust H jlntu various pigeon holos nt tho top. H tMr. arlmm understood thnt this dlsor- for was tho rosult of making room nt hp bottom for tho bulk of gold, nnd H hiked no questions. Instoad, he sat H Mown upon tho floor ngaln. LiaH "Tho lock on this private, com- tiartmcnt at tho top Is brokon," ho rc- narked aftor a moment, H' "Bl, Senor," tha diplomatist ngreed. H ''Kvldontly tho robbors wcro not con- H, nt with only fifty thousand dollars H n gold they Imagined thnt some- 1 thing cIbo of valuo wns hidden there." H "Wni there?" naked Mr. arlmm i bnlvely. lie ijldn't look nround. H "Nothing of monetary value," tho H nor explained. "There woro somo m Importunt stato papors In thoro thoy H ira thero yet but no munoy." H "Nona of the papors was stolen?" H "No. Senor. Thoro wcro only nine H' packets they nro there yet' i "Contents nil right?" M "Yea. I personnlly looked thorn H orer." m Mr. arlmmsdrow out the packets of M papers, one by one. They woro nil j unsealed aavo the last. When ho B reached for that; Senor Uodrlguoz H made a quick", Involuntary motion to- H hrard It with bis bond'. H "This one's sealed," commented Mr, Orlmm. "It doesn't happen that you opened It and sealed It again?" Scnor Itodrlguez stood Rtnrlng at him blankly for a inomont, thon somo Btidden apprehension was nrouscd, for n stnrtlcd look camo Into his oyes, and ngaln ho reached tor tho packet. "Dloa mlo!" ho exclaimed, "let mo sec, Senor " "Oolng to open It?" askod Mr. Orlmm "Yes, Senor. I hnd not thought of It before" Mr Orlmm rose nnd wnlkcd ovor to tho window whero tho light wns better. bet-ter. He scrutinized tho sealed pnekot closoly. Thero wcro throo red splotches of wax upon It, each Impressed Im-pressed with tho legation seal; tho en-valopo en-valopo wns without marks otherwise.. Ho turned nnd twisted It nlmlcsBly, nnd peered curiously nt tho vnrlous seals, after which ho handed It to tho frankly Impatient diplomatist. Honor Rodriguez openod It, with nervous, twitching fingers. Mr. arlmm hnd turned toward tho snfo ngnln, but ho hoard the crackle of parchment us somo document wns drnwn out of tho envelope, nnd then rnmo n deep sigh of rollof. Having satisfied his sudden fears for tho safety of tho paper, whatever what-ever It was, tho senor placed It ln another an-other envelope and sealed It again with claborato caro. Mr arlmm dropped Into tho swivel chnlr at tho desk. "Sonor," ho Inquired pleasantly, "your daughter nnd Miss Thorno wero In this room ycstordy afternoon?" "Yes," replied tho diplomatist aa If surprised at tho question. "Whnt tlmo, pjense7" "About throo o'clock. Thoy wero going out driving. "Why?"' "And Just whero, please, did you find thnt handkerchief?" continued Mr. arlmm. "Hnndkerchlcf?" repented tho dip-lomntlst. dip-lomntlst. "You mean Miss Thorno's hnndkerchlof?" Ho paused nnd ro-gnrdod ro-gnrdod Mr. arlmm keenly. "Sonor, whnt nm 1 to understand from thnt question?" "It wns plnln enough," replied Mr. arlmm. "Whero did you Hnd thnt hnndkorchlef?" Thoro wns slloncofor nn Instnnt. "In this room?" "Yes," roplled Scnor llodrlgucz nt lant. "Near tho safi?" Mr. Orlmm persisted. per-sisted. "Yes," enmo tho slow reply, 'ngnln. "Just hore," nnd ho Indlcntod n spot n llttlo to tho left of tho snfo. "And when did yon find It? Yesterday Yester-day nftcrnoon? last night? This morning?" morn-ing?" "This morning," nnd without nny nppnrcnt reason tho dlplomntlst'n face turned deathly whlto. "Hut, Senor Sonor, you nro mis-tnkon! mis-tnkon! Thero enn bo nothing 1 A woman I Two hundred pounds of goldl Scnorl" Mr. arlmm was still plcnsnnt nbout It; his curiosity was absolutely Impersonal; Imper-sonal; his eyos, grown listless again, ware, turned straight Into tho othcr'n fnco. "If thnt handkerchief hnd been "Tho Lock on This Private Compartment Compart-ment at the Top Is Broken." thero last night, 8onor," ho resumed quietly, "wouldn't you hnvo noticed It when you placed tho gold In tho safo?" Senor llodrlgucz stared nt him n long tlmo, "1 don't know," ho said, nt Inst Ho dropped back Into a chnlr with his fnco In his bunds, "Sonor," ho burst out suddenly, Impetuously, after n mo-mont, mo-mont, "If tho gold Is not rocovored I am ruined. You understand that better bet-ter than I can toll you. It's tho hind of thing thnt could not bo explained to my government." Ho rosu suddenly nnd fnred tho Impassive young mnn, with merciless determination In his fpco. "You must find that gold, Sonor," So-nor," ho said. "No mntter who mny bo who may 8uffor?" Inquired Mr. Orlmm. "Hnd the gold. Senor!" "Very well," commentr Mr. arlmm. without moving. "Do mo tho fnvor. pleaso, to regain possession of tho handkerchief you Just roturned to Miss Thorno. nnd to sond to mo horo your socretury, Senor Dlnz, and your servants, ono by ono. 1 shall question them nlono. No. don't bo alarmed. Unless thoy know of tho robbery thoy shall get no Inkling of It from mo. First, bo good enough to replnco tho pnekot In tho safe, nnd lock It." Scnor Itodrlguiis replaced tho packet pack-et without question, nfterwnrd locking tho door, then wont out. A moment later Sonor Dlnz nppenred Ho remained re-mained with Mr, Orlmm for Just olght minutes. Sonor Hodrlguoz entered ngnln ns his socrotnry passed on, nnd laid a lace hnndkorchlof on tho desk, Mr. Orlmm stared nt It curiously for a long time. "It's the same hnndkorchlef?" "SI, Senor." "Thoro's no doubt whatever about It?" "No, Senor, I got It by I" "It's 6f no consequence" Interrupt- 1 ed Mr. Orlmm. "Now the servants, please tho men first," Tho first of the mon servants wna In tho room two minutes; tho second tho butler was tboro flto minute ono of tho women was not questioned nt nil; tho other remained ten minutes. min-utes. Mr Orlmm followed her Into tho hall, Scnor Itodrlguez stood thero helpless, Impatient. "Well?" ho demanded eagerly. "I'm going out n llttlo while," roplled ro-plled Mr. Orlmm placidly. "No ono lias even nn Intimation of tho affair pleaso keep tho matter absolutely to yourself until 1 return." Thnt wis all. Tho door opened nnd closed, nnd ho wns gono. At tho end of nn hour ho returned, passed on through to tho diplomatist's prlvnto ofllco. snt down In front of tho locked snfo ngnln, and set tho dlnl at thirty-six. Senor llodrlgucz looked on, nstonlsjied, ns Mr. Orlmm pressed tho soft rubber sounder of a steHio-sropo steHio-sropo ngnlnst tho snfo door nnd began turning tho dlnl bnck toward ten, slowly, slowly. Thlrty-flvo minutes Inter tho lock clicked. Mr. Orlmm rose, turned tho handle, nnd pulled tho snfo door opou. "That's how It wns done," ho ox plained to tho nmnzod dlplorantlst. "And now, please, havo n servant band my card to Miss Thome," CHAPTER XI. The Lace Handkerchof. Still wearing the grucoful, filmy morning gown, with nn uddod touch of Bcnrlet In hoy hair n single red ioso Miss Thorno enmo Into tho drnwlmj-room whero Mr. Orlmm snt wnltltu;. Thero was curiosity In her i mnnnts-. thinly veiled, but tho haunting haunt-ing nrillo still lingered about her lips. I Mr. Orlmm bowed low, nnd plnced n chnlr "or her, nftor which ho stood ' for n tlmo Htnrlng down nt .ono slim, ! whlto hand nt rest on tho arm of tho seat. At laBt, lie, too snt down, "I believe," ho said slowly, without ) preliminaries, "this Is your hnndkorchlef?" hnndkor-chlef?" ' Ho offorcd tho lacy trifle, odd ln do-sign, do-sign, uulquo In workmunshlp, olnlous-ly olnlous-ly of foreign toxturc, nnd sho uc-copied uc-copied It. "Yes," sho ugreed readily, "I must hnvo dropped It nguln," "Thnt Is tho ono handed to ybu by Senor Itodrlguez," Mr. Orlmm told her "I think you said you lost It In his ofllco J'cstcrdny nftornoon?" "Yes?" Sho nodded Inquiringly. "It mny Interest you to know that Senor Rodriguez's butler positively Identifies It ns ono ho restored to you twlco nt dlnnor last evening, botwecn seven and nlno o'clock," Mr. Orlmm wont on dispassionately. "Indeed!" exclaimed Miss Thorno. "Tho scnor Identifies It hr one ha found this morning ln his ofllco." Mr. Orlmm explained obligingly, "During tho night fifty thousand dollars In gold -voro stolon from hla snfiW i Miss Thorno snt motionless, waiting. wait-ing. "All thin means whnt?" sho Inquired, Inquir-ed, nt length. "I'll trouble you, plense, to return tho money," requested Mr. Orlmm courteously. "No reason appears why you should hnvo tnkon It. Hut I'm not seeking roanons, nor nm I seeking disagreeable dis-agreeable publicity only the mpney." "It seems to mo you nttnch undue i Importnnco to tho hnndkorchlef." she objected. "Thnt'8 n mnttor of opinion," Mr. Orlmm remarked. "It would bo use-loss, use-loss, even tedious, to nttompt to disprove dis-prove n burglar theory, but ngnlnst It Is tho dlillcully of entrance, tho wolght of tho gold, tho Ingonlous method meth-od of opening tho safe, nnd tho assumption as-sumption thnt not moro than six pop sons knew tho money wns la tho safe; while u person In tho hnuso might hnvo lenrncd it In nny of n dozen wnys. And, In nddltlon, Is tho fnct thnt tho hnndkorchlef Is odd. thoro- foro noticeable. A Inco export nssures mo thero'ii probably not nnother like It In tho world." Ho stopped. Miss Thorno's eyes sparkled nnd n smllo seemed to bo tugging at tho corners of her mouth. Sho sprend out tho hnudkerchlof ou her knees. "You could Identify this ngnlh, ol courso?", sho queried. "Yes." 8hp thoughtfully crumpled up thn bit of lnro In both hnnds, then openod ihoin. Thero were two hnndkerchlofA now they wero Idontlcnl. "Which Is It, pleaso?" sho asked. If Mr. Orlmm was dlsnppolntod thoro wuh not n trneo of It on his fnro. Hho laughed outright, gleefully, mock-Ing'y. mock-Ing'y. then, demurely Tnnlon mo' You see. It's nhsunl. Tho hnndkerchlof the butler restored to mo nt dinner, nftor I lost one in tin. senor's olllco, might hnvo been either of these or ono of ton other dupll cntea In my room, till given to me by her MnJ I menn," sho corrctrd quickly. "By n friend In Kuropo ' She wns silent for n momont. "Fj Hint all?" "No." roplled Mr. Orlmm grnvely, decisively "I'm not satisfied I shall Insist upon tho return of thn money, nnd if It Is not forthcoming I ditto say Count, (11 RohIiiI, tho Itnllnn ambassador, ambassa-dor, would bo pleased to give his personal per-sonal check rather thitn huve the mat-tor mat-tor become public." She started to Interrupt; but ho wont on. "In ahf ovont you will bo requestod to leave tho country." Thon, and not until then, a decided change camo over Miss Thome's fnco. A deeper color leaped to her cheeks, tho smile faded from her lips, and thoro was a flash of uneasiness Id her eyos. (TO UK CONTINUED.) |