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Show 7 SERIAL f jz story I ELUSIVE I iSABEL By . JACQUES FUTRELLE ss 2? Illtijlrallona by M. KTTTNER CopyrlKtu, 1WB. by Tb Associated Sunday M&C&Klnea. Copyright 1909- bj The Bobba-Herrll! Oompiuijr. 8 SYNOPSIS. Count dl Roslnl, the Italian ambassador, ambas-sador, la at dinner with diplomats In the national capital when a messenger brings a note directing him to come to the embassy at once. Here a beautiful yonni wonifn asks that she be given a ticket to the embassy ball. The tlck-hi tlck-hi Is made out in the name of Miss Isabel Is-abel Thorne. Chief Campbell of the v secret service, and Mr. Grimm, his head f detective, are warned that a plot of the I latin races against the English speak - Ins: races is brewing In Washington. and Grimm goes to the state ball for Information. In a conservatory ills at tentlon Is called to Miss Isabel Thorne. s who with her companion, soon disap pears. A revolver shot is heard and tV.mpbell and Grimm hasten down the hall to find that Senor Alvarez of the Mexican legation, has been shot. A woman wo-man did It, and Grimm is assured It was Miss Thorne. He visits her, demanding knowledge of the affair, and there arrests a man named Pietro Petrozinni. Miss 'Thorne visits an old man, Luigi, apparently appar-ently a bomb maker, and they speak of a wonderful experiment. Fifty thousand dollnrs in gold is stolen from the office of Senor Rodriguez, the minister from Venezuela. While detectives are Investigating Investi-gating the robbery Miss Thorne appears 1 fta a guest of the legation. CHAPTER X. A S2fe Opening. Together they entered the adjoining room, which was small compared to the one they had just left Senor Rodriguez used it as a private office. His desk was on their right between two windows overlooking the same pleasant little garden which was visible vis-ible from the suite of tiny drawing- rooms farther along. The safe, a (formidable looking receptacle of black enameled steel, stood at their left, closed and locked. The remaining wall space of the room was given over to oak cabinets, evidently a storage place for the less important legation papers. "Has any one besides yourself been in this room today?" Mr. Grimm inquired. in-quired. "Not a soul, Senor," was the reply. Mr. Grimm went over and examined I the windows. They were both locked inside; and there were no marks of any sort on the sills. "They are just as I left them last night," explained Senor Rodriguez. "I have not touched them to-day." "And there's only one door," mused Mr. Grimm, meaning that by which they had entered. "So it would appear ap-pear that whoever was here last night entered through that room. Very well." He walked around the room once, opening and shutting the doors of the cabinets as he passed, and finally paused In front of the safe. A brief i examination of the nickeled dial and handle and of the -enameled edges of the heavy doors satisfied him that no force had been employed the safe had merely been unlocked. Whereupon Where-upon he sat himself down, cross-legged on the floor, in front of it. ,t licit. QIC Luc 11131. IIUU ftCLUUU Ug- jures of the combination?" he asked. "Thirty-six, then back to ten." Mr. Grimm set the dial at thirty-six, and then, with his ear pressed closely against the polished door, turned the dial s!o"wIy back, finor Rodriguez stood looking on help'essly, but none The less intently. The pointer read !;en, then nine, eight, seven,' five. Mr. jOrimm gazed at it thoughtfully, after '.which lie did it all over again, placidly iand without haste. "Now, we'll look inside, please," he (requested, rising. Senor Rodriguez unlocked the safe ;the while Mr. Grimm respectfully turned his eyes away, then pulled the 'door wide open. The books had been 'piled one on top of another and thrust into various pigeon holes at the top. iMr. Grimm understood that this disorder disor-der was the result of making room at ithe bottom for the bulk of gold, and iasked no questions. Instead, he sat (down upon the floor again. : , "The lock on this private com-tpartment com-tpartment at the top is broken." he remarked re-marked after a moment. "Si, Senor," the diplomatist agreed. ''Evidently the robbers were not con-Sent con-Sent with only fifty thousand dollars En gold they imagined that something some-thing else of value was hidden there." I "Was there?" asked Mr. Grimm naivety. He didn't look around. "Nothing of monetary value." the tencr explained. "There were some Important slate papers in there they l. re there yet but no money." "None of the papers wr-s stolen?" "No. Senor. There were only nine packets they are there yet." "Contents all right?" "Yes. 1 personally looked them Over." I Mr. Grimm drew out. the packets of papers, one by one. They were all tirisenlr-ri save the last. When lie J reached for that, Senor Rodriguez ; trnade a quick, involuntary motion to-Hvnrd to-Hvnrd It with his hand. "This one's sealed," commented Mr. ' Grimm. "It doesn't happen that you opened It and sealed It again?" Senor Rodriguez stood staring at him blankly for a moment, then some sudden apprehension was aroused, for a startled look came into his eyes, and again he reached fr the packet. "Dios mio!" he exclaimed, "let me see, Senor." "Going to open it?" asked Mr. Grimm. "Yes, Senor. I had not thought of It before." Mr. Grimm rose and walked over to the window where the light was better. bet-ter. He scrutinized the sealed packet closely. There were three red splotches of wax upon it, each impressed im-pressed with the legation seal; the envelope en-velope was without marks otherwise. He turned and twisted it aimlessly, and peered curiously at the various seals, after which he handed it to the frankly impatient diplomatist. Senor Rodriguez opened it, with nervous, twitching fingers. Mr. Grimm had turned toward the safe again, but he heard the crackle of parchment as some document was drawn out of the envelope, and then came a deep sigh of relief. Having satisfied hiB sudden fears for the safety of the paper, whatever what-ever it was, the senor placed It in another an-other envelope and sealed it again with elaborate care. Mr. Grimm dropped into the swivel chair at the desk. "Senor," he inquired pleasantly, "your daughter and Miss Thorne were in this room yesterday afternoon?" "Yes," replied the diplomatist as if surprised at the question. "What time, please?" "About three o'clock. They were going out driving. Why?" "And just where, please, did you find that handkerchief?" continued Mr. Grimm. "Handkerchief?" repeated the diplomatist. dip-lomatist. "You mean Miss Thome's handkerchief?" He paused and regarded re-garded Mr. Grimm keenly. "Senor, what am I to understand from that question?" "It was plain enough," replied Mr. Grimm. , "Where did you find that handkerchief?" There was silence for an instant. "In this room?" "Yes," replied Senor Rodriguez at last. "Near the safe?" Mr. Grimm persisted. per-sisted. "Yes," came the slow reply, again. "Just here," and he indicated a spot a little to the left of the safe. "And when did yon find it? Yesterday Yester-day afternoon? Last night? This morning?" morn-ing?" "This morning," and without any apparent reason the diplomatist's face turned deathly white. "But, Senor Senor, you are mistaken! mis-taken! There can be nothing ! A woman! Two hundred pounds of gold! Senor!" Mr. Grimm was still pleasant about it; his curiosity was absolutely impersonal; imper-sonal; his eyes, grown listless again, were turned straight into the other's face. "If that handkerchief had been ft "The Lock on This Private Compartment Compart-ment at the Top Is Broken." there last night, Senor," he resumed quietly, "wouldn't you have noticed it when you placed the gold in the safe?" Senor Rodriguez stared at him a long time. "I don't know," he said, at last. He dropped back into a chair with his face in his hands. "Senor," he burst out suddenly, impetuously, after a moment, mo-ment, "if the gold Is not recovered I am ruined. You understand that better bet-ter than I can tell you. It's the kind of thing that could not be explained to my government." He rose suddenly and faced the impassive young man, with merciless determination in his face. "You must find that gold, Senor," Se-nor," he said. "No matter who may be who may suffer?" inquired Mr. Grimm. "Find the gold, Senor!" "Very well." commentr 1 Mr Grimm without moving. "Do me the favor, please, to regain possession of the handkerchief you just returned to Miss Thorne. and to send to me here your secretary, Senor Diaz, and your servants, one by one. I shall question them alone. No, don't be alarmed. Unless they know of the robbery they shall get no inkling of it from me. First, be good enough to replace the packet in the safe, and lock It." Senor Rodriguez replaced the packet pack-et without question, afterward locking the door, then went out. A moment later Senor Diaz appeared. He remained re-mained with Mr. Grimm for just eight minutes. Senor Rodriguez entered again as his secretary passed on, and h-.id a lace handkerchief on the desk. Mr. Grimm stared at it curiously for a long time. "It's the same handkerchief?" "Si. Senor. " "There's no doubt whatever about It?" "No. Senor. 1 got it by !" "l;'s ol no consequence," Interrupt ed Mr. Grimm. "Now the servants. please the men first." The first of the men servants wa in the room two minutes; the second the butler was there five tninweSj one of the women was not questionec at all; the other remained Sen minutes. min-utes. Mr. Grimm followed her into the hall; Senor Rodriguez stood there helpless, Impatient. "Well?" be demanded eagerly. "I'm going out a little while," replied re-plied Mr. Grimm placidly. "No one has even an intimation of the affair please keep the matter absolutely to yourself until I return." That was all. The door opened and closed, and he was gone. At the end of an hour he returned, passed on through to the diplomatist's private office, sat down in front of the locked safe again, and set the dial at thlrty-slx. Senor Rodriguez looked on, astonished, as Mr. Grimm pressed the soft rubber sounder of a stethoscope stetho-scope against the safe door and began turning the dial back toward ten, slowly, slowly. Thirty-five minutes later the lock clicked. Mr. Grimm rose, turned the handle, and pulled the safe door open. "That's how it was done," he ,ex plained to the amazed diplomatist. "And now, please, have a servant hand my card to Miss Thorne." CHAPTER XI. The Lace Handkerrhef. Still wearing the gleeful, filmy morning gown, with an added touch of scarlet in her hair a single red rose Miss Thorne came into the drawing-room where Mr. Grimm sat waiting. There was curiosity in her manner, thinly veiled, but the haunting haunt-ing smile still lingered about her lips. Mr. Grimm bowed low, and placed a chair for her, after which he stood for a time staring down at one slim, white hand at rest on the arm of the seat. At last, he, too sat down. "I believe," he said slowly, without preliminaries,, "this is your handkerchief?" handker-chief?" He offered the lacy trifle, odd in design, de-sign, unique in workmanship, obviously obvious-ly of foreign texture, and she accepted ac-cepted it. "Yes," she agreed readily, "I must have dropped it again." "That is the one handed to you by Senor Rodriguez, Mr. Grimm told her. "I think you said you lost it in his office yesterday afternoon?" "Yes?" She nodded inquiringly. "It may interest you to know that Senor Rodriguez's butler positively Identifies it as one he restored to you twice at dinner last evening, between seven and nine o'clock," Mr. Grimm went on dispassionately. "Indeed!" exclaimed Miss Thorne. "The senor identifies it as one he found this morning in his office." Mr. Grimm explained obligingly. "During the night fifty thousand dollars in gold were stolen from his safe." Miss Thorne sat motionless, waiting. wait-ing. "All this means what?" she inquired, inquir-ed, at length. "I'll trouble you, please, to return the money," requested Mr. Grimm courteously. "No reason Appears why you should have taken it. But I'm not seeking reasons, nor am I seeking disagreeable dis-agreeable publicity only the money." "It seems to me you attach undue importance to the handkerchief," she objected. "That's a matter of opinion," Mr. Grimm remarked. "It would be useless, use-less, even tedious, to attempt to disprove dis-prove a burglar theory, but against it is the difficulty of entrance, the weight of the gold, the ingenious method meth-od of opening the- safe, and the assumption as-sumption that not more than six persons per-sons knew the money was in the safe; while a person in the house might have learned it in any of a dozen ways. And, in addition, is the fact that the handkerchief is odd, therefore there-fore noticeable. A lace expert assures me there's probably not another like it in the world." He stopped. Miss Thome's eyes sparkled and a smile seemed to be tugging at the corners of her mouth. She spread out the handkerchief on her knees. "You could identify this again, oi course?" she queried. "Yes." She thoughtfully crumpled up the bit' of lace in both hands, then opened them. There were two handkerchiefs now they were identical. "Which is it, please?" she asked. If Mr. Grimm was disappointed there was not a trace of it on his face. She laughed outright, gleefully, mock-in-, "then, demurely. "Pardon me! You see, it's absurd. The handkerchief the butler restored to me at dinner, after I lost one in the senor's office, might have been either of these, or one of ten other duplicates dupli-cates in my room, all given to me by her Maj I mean," she corrected quickly, "by a friend in Europe." She was silent for a moment. "Is that all?" "No," replied Mr. Grimm gravely, decisively. "I'm not satisfied. 1 shall insist upon the return of the money, and if it is not forthcoming I dare say Count di Rosini, the Italian ambassador, ambassa-dor, would be pleased to give his personal per-sonal check rather than have the matter mat-ter become public." She started to interrupt; but he went on. "In any event you will be requested to leave the country." Then, and not until then, a decided change came over Miss Thome's face. A deeper color leaped to her cheeks, (he smile faded from her lips, and aere was a flash of uneasiness in her eyes. (TO BE CONTINUED.) |