The morning papers a.s.sured the interested city that the son of their money king was still missing. To make sure that this report was correct, Curlie called up the mansion and inquired about it. When he learned that it was indeed true, he requested the servant who answered the telephone to inform the millionaire that a representative of the Secret Service of the Air would arrive at his residence with copies of certain radiophone messages sent out by his son previous to his mysterious disappearance, which might shed some light on the subject.
Shortly after that he leaped into the driver"s seat on the Humming Bird and motored away to the west.
Arrived at the Forest Preserve, he backed the car into the deserted roadway in the forest at the very spot where he and Joe had concealed themselves the night of the race.
"Have to leave you here, old thing," he whispered. "If a fellow were to pull up that driveway in such a rakish craft as you are, they might think him crazy and throw him out.
"Well here goes," he whispered to himself, as, having rounded the last clump of decorative shrubbery, he came in sight of the red stone mansion.
"Whew! What a stunner!" whispered Curlie to himself.
The sun was tipping the parapets of that mansion with gold; the dew sparkled on the perfectly kept green. It was indeed a beautiful picture.
Tiptoeing up the steps, he was about to lift the heavy bronze knocker when a porter opened the door and motioned him to enter.
"Are you the man?" he asked in a low tone.
"I"m the boy who wired about the messages."
"Step right this way. He"s waiting."
Curlie"s heart beat fast. Was he to be ushered at once into the august presence of the magnate? He had pictured to himself hours of waiting, interviews by private secretaries and all that.
And yet here he was. In a large room furnished in rich mahogany, seemingly the rich man"s home office, he was being greeted by a stout, broad-shouldered, brisk and healthy-looking man who was a.s.suring him that he was speaking to J. Anson Ardmore himself and inviting him to sit down.
With his head in a whirl, he managed to get himself into a chair. And all this while he was telling himself things; things like this: "Curlie, old boy, this is going to be strenuous. This man is powerful, magnetic, almost hypnotizing. He will find out as much as he can from you. He will tell as little as is necessary to attain his end. To him all life is a game, a game in which he conceals much and discovers all that lies in his opponent"s hand. He probably knows you have the goods on his son. Perhaps he is merely playing a game about this vanishing son. He may know where he is all the time. If so, he"ll want to know what you know, and what you are going to do. You must be wise--wise as a serpent."
"Well?" the magnate spoke in a brisk way. "My butler tells me you have some messages."
"Yes, sir."
"Sent by my missing son?"
"Yes, sir."
"And may I ask," the magnate"s face was a mask, not a muscle moved, "how you happened to be in possession of these messages?"
Curlie could hear his own heart beat, but he held his ground. "Since I am attached to the government radiophone staff, it is my duty to catch and record all unfair and illegally sent messages, to record them as evidence and for future reference."
Curlie fancied he saw the man start. The words that followed were spoken still in a cold, collected tone.
"These messages you say were unfair?"
"Unfair and illegally sent."
"How illegal?"
"They were sent with exceedingly high power and on 600 meter wave lengths. Such high power is unlawful for all amateurs and the use of 600 is granted to ships and ship stations alone.
"Ah!"
For a second the man appeared to reflect. Then suddenly:
"We are wasting time. My son has mysteriously disappeared. I have reason to fear foul play. Let me a.s.sure you that I know nothing about his whereabouts and, previous to this moment, that I have known nothing regarding these illegally sent messages."
"But--" began Curlie.
"You doubt my word," his voice grew stern and hard as he read the incredulity in Curlie"s eyes. "Young man," he fairly thundered, "fix this in your mind: No man ever has risen or ever will rise to my present position through treachery or deceit. When I say a thing is so, by thunder it _is_ so!"
He struck his desk a terrific blow.
"But a--"
Curlie caught himself just in time. He had been about to reveal the fact that he was aware of the presence of the wireless set in the auto the night the millionaire"s son disappeared.
"I can"t see just how your messages could aid us in finding my son." The magnate spoke more calmly. "However, all things are possible. May I see the copies?"
"Of course," said Curlie, hesitatingly, "this is a private matter. Few persons know of our service. It is the desire of the government that they should not know. These are not for publication. Do you understand that?"
"You have my word."
Curlie pa.s.sed the sheath of papers over the desk.
Slowly, one by one, the great man read them. His movement was not hurried. He digested every word. Like many another great man he had formed the habit of gathering, as far as possible, the full meaning of any set of facts by his own careful research, before allowing his opinion to be influenced by others.
He had gone half through the pack when a door over at the right opened and a girl, dressed in some filmy stuff which brought out the smoothness of her neck and arms and the beauty of her complexion, entered the room.
Curlie caught his breath. It was the girl he had seen on the horse that morning, the magnate"s daughter.
She had advanced halfway to her father"s desk before she became aware of Curlie"s presence. Then she started back with a stammered: "I--I beg your pardon."
"It"s all right." The first smile Curlie had seen on the great man"s face now curved about his mouth. "You may remain. This is no secret chamber."
"Fa--father," she faltered, gripping at her throat, "does he know--know anything--about--about Vincent?"
"I can"t tell yet. I am going over the messages. Please be seated."
The girl sank into a deep leather-cushioned chair. Without looking at her Curlie was aware of the fact that she was studying him, perhaps trying to make up her mind where she had seen him before. This made him exceedingly uncomfortable. He was greatly relieved when at last the magnate spoke.
"Gladys," he addressed the girl, "did you say you found some sort of map in Vincent"s room?"
"Oh, yes," she sprang to her feet. "A photograph of a very strange looking map and also one of some queer foreign writing."
"Will you run and get those photographs?"
"Yes, father."
"It"s strange," the older man mused after she had gone. "I don"t understand it at all. These messages, they are--"