"A lady friend of mine, sir?" echoed the man, puzzled.
"Yes--Miss Shirley Green, the author," replied the financier, enjoying the detective"s embarra.s.sment. "That suggestion of yours worked out all right. She"s coming here to-day."
"I"m glad you"ve found her, sir."
"It was a tough job," answered Ryder with a grimace. "We wrote her half a dozen times before she was satisfied with the wording of the invitation. But, finally, we landed her and I expect her at three o"clock. Now what about that Rossmore girl? Did you go down to Ma.s.sapequa?"
"Yes, sir, I have been there half a dozen times. In fact, I"ve just come from there. Judge Rossmore is there, all right, but his daughter has left for parts unknown."
"Gone away--where?" exclaimed the financier.
This was what he dreaded. As long as he could keep his eye on the girl there was little danger of Jefferson making a fool of himself; with her disappeared everything was possible.
"I could not find out, sir. Their neighbours don"t know much about them. They say they"re haughty and stuck up. The only one I could get anything out of was a parson named Deetle. He said it was a sad case, that they had reverses and a daughter who was in Paris--"
"Yes, yes," said Ryder impatiently, "we know all that. But where"s the daughter now?"
"Search me, sir. I even tried to pump the Irish slavey. Gee, what a vixen! She almost flew at me. She said she didn"t know and didn"t care."
Ryder brought his fist down with force on his desk, a trick he had when he wished to emphasize a point.
"Sergeant, I don"t like the mysterious disappearance of that girl.
You must find her, do you hear, you must find her if it takes all the sleuths in the country. Had my son been seen there?"
"The parson said he saw a young fellow answering his description sitting on the porch of the Rossmore cottage the evening before the girl disappeared, but he didn"t know who he was and hasn"t seen him since."
"That was my son, I"ll wager. He knows where the girl is. Perhaps he"s with her now. Maybe he"s going to marry her. That must be prevented at any cost. Sergeant, find that Rossmore girl and I"ll give you $1,000."
The detective"s face flushed with pleasure at the prospect of so liberal a reward. Rising he said:
"I"ll find her, sir. I"ll find her."
Mr. Bagley entered, wearing the solemn, important air he always affected when he had to announce a visitor of consequence. But before he could open his mouth Mr. Ryder said:
"Bagley, when did you see my son, Jefferson, last?"
"To-day, sir. He wanted to see you to say good-bye. He said he would be back."
Ryder gave a sigh of relief and addressing the detective said:
"It"s not so bad as I thought." Then turning again to his secretary he asked:
"Well, Bagley, what is it?"
"There"s a lady downstairs, sir--Miss Shirley Green."
The financier half sprang from his seat.
"Oh, yes. Show her up at once. Good-bye, sergeant, good-bye. Find that Rossmore woman and the $1,000 is yours."
The detective went out and a few moments later Mr. Bagley reappeared ushering in Shirley.
The mouse was in the den of the lion.
CHAPTER XII
Mr. Ryder remained at his desk and did not even look up when his visitor entered. He pretended to be busily preoccupied with his papers, which was a favourite pose of his when receiving strangers. This frigid reception invariably served its purpose, for it led visitors not to expect more than they got, which usually was little enough. For several minutes Shirley stood still, not knowing whether to advance or to take a seat. She gave a little conventional cough, and Ryder looked up. What he saw so astonished him that he at once took from his mouth the cigar he was smoking and rose from his seat. He had expected a gaunt old maid with spectacles, and here was a stylish, good-looking young woman, who could not possibly be over twenty-five. There was surely some mistake. This slip of a girl could not have written "The American Octopus." He advanced to greet Shirley.
"You wish to see me, Madame?" he asked courteously. There were times when even John Burkett Ryder could be polite.
"Yes," replied Shirley, her voice trembling a little; in spite of her efforts to keep cool. "I am here by appointment. Three o"clock, Mrs. Ryder"s note said. I am Miss Green."
"_You_--Miss Green?" echoed the financier dubiously.
"Yes, I am Miss Green--Shirley Green, author of "The American Octopus." You asked me to call. Here I am."
For the first time in his life, John Ryder was nonplussed. He coughed and stammered and looked round for a place where he could throw his cigar. Shirley, who enjoyed his embarra.s.sment, put him at his ease.
"Oh, please go on smoking," she said; "I don"t mind it in the least."
Ryder threw the cigar into a receptacle and looked closely at his visitor.
"So you are Shirley Green, eh?"
"That is my _nom-de-plume_--yes," replied the girl nervously. She was already wishing herself back at Ma.s.sapequa. The financier eyed her for a moment in silence as if trying to gauge the strength of the personality of this audacious young woman, who had dared to criticise his business methods in public print; then, waving her to a seat near his desk, he said:
"Won"t you sit down?"
"Thank you," murmured Shirley. She sat down, and he took his seat at the other side of the desk, which brought them face to face.
Again inspecting the girl with a close scrutiny that made her cheeks burn, Ryder said:
"I rather expected--" He stopped for a moment as if uncertain what to say, then he added: "You"re younger than I thought you were, Miss Green, much younger."
"Time will remedy that," smiled Shirley. Then, mischievously, she added: "I rather expected to see Mrs. Ryder."
There was the faintest suspicion of a smile playing around the corners of the plutocrat"s mouth as he picked up a book lying on his desk and replied:
"Yes--she wrote you, but I--wanted to see you about this."
Shirley"s pulse throbbed faster, but she tried hard to appear unconcerned as she answered:
"Oh, my book--have you read it?"
"I have," replied Ryder slowly and, fixing her with a stare that was beginning to make her uncomfortable, he went on: "No doubt your time is valuable, so I"ll come right to the point. I want to ask you, Miss Green, where you got the character of your central figure--the Octopus, as you call him--John Broderick?"