"That will do," said Inspector Val. "When Mr. Duff returns, tell him to come in."
Mr. England withdrew, and recommenced his sightseeing on the opposite side of the street.
"Mr. England and Mr. Duff," explained Inspector Val, "came down with me.
I shall use them to shadow Storri, as that kind of work is their specialty. It is difficult work, too, and demands a man who has talents for seeing without being seen. Also, he must be sharp to think and act, and full of enterprise. To keep at the heels of a gentleman who may take a cab, or a street-car, or enter a building by one door for the purpose of leaving it by another, is no simple task; so I brought with me the best in the business."
"How did your men come to be outside the door?" asked Richard, whose curiosity concerning metropolitan detective methods had been sensibly aroused.
"To save delay," returned Inspector Val, "which is the great rule in detective work. They were within ten feet of us when I met you; they saw us drive away, called a coupe, and followed. I should have given them a jacketing if they hadn"t."
Inspector Val asked Richard to slowly translate the note, while he made a copy in English. This Richard did; at the close, being interested in the workings of the man-hunting mind, he asked Inspector Val for his theory of its truth and origin.
"Why, then," observed Inspector Val, pausing over Richard"s translation as he had written it down, "this would be my surmise. The note tells the truth. It was written by a Frenchwoman who probably came from Ottawa.
She is in love with Storri, and jealous of Miss Harley, whom she thinks Storri aims to marry. You said nothing about Storri seeing Miss Harley, but he does. Miss Marklin was afraid to tell you and Miss Harley was afraid to write you that feature of the situation, fearing you would pitch in rough. It shows they have sense."
This was the first time Richard had heard how Storri enjoyed the privilege of Dorothy"s society while he was warned from the door. The thought was fire. He sprang to his feet, growling an oath under his breath.
"Take it easy," said Inspector Val, with a manner full of warning.
"Don"t spoil a game just as the cards begin to run your way. After we get our hands upon those French shares you may raise what row you like.
But take it easy now; try another cigar."
The prudent sagacity of Inspector Val was not thrown away, and Richard saw the force of that gentleman"s arguments.
"Tell me how you arrive at those beliefs about the note," said Richard.
"That"s not so simple," returned Inspector Val. "It"s like asking a pointer to tell you how he scents a partridge. My argument takes somewhat this route: I think the note tells the truth, as there"s no reason why it should lie. Moreover, it is a reasonable explanation of Storri"s command over Mr. Harley. I know a woman wrote it because she"s at such pains to call herself a man. Another thing, a man wouldn"t have marked this note "Important!" It"s important, but it gains no advantage from being labeled. A woman, who acts from feeling, marks it "important"
because she feels its importance. Now a man might feel its importance, but he acts from reason rather than feeling, and in that respect is the ant.i.thesis of a woman. It would never occur to a man to mark the note "important," because it would never occur to him that by so doing anything would be gained. Then a man would have sent this through the post office. A man is more cunning than a woman. The mails would have served as well, and a messenger might be recognized and followed. To send messengers is essentially a trick of the feminine. Your District Messenger Service will tell you that nine-tenths of its calls are from women."
"You have read Edgar Allan Poe, I take it," observed Richard, smiling over the processes of Inspector Val.
"I"ve read Poe, Gaboriau, and Conan Doyle," returned Inspector Val; "all detectives have. They are amusing if not instructive. But to resume: There is another reason why I"m certain a woman wrote this note. All the writer knows the writer got from Storri. It"s a long yarn; it must cover in its transaction a dozen interviews between Storri and Mr. Harley. And they were not interviews at which a third party was present. You will see the truth of that the instant I mention it. No; Storri told the whole tale to the writer of the note. Mr. Harley wouldn"t tell it for obvious reasons. Neither would he write it to you or anybody else; it is the publication of it that he fears. Storri was the only one besides Mr.
Harley who knew of those French shares; or of Mr. Harley"s imitation of Storri"s signature and the threats of arrest for forgery which Storri made. It"s as plain as the stars at night that Storri furnished the information upon which this letter is based. Now whom would he tell? Not a man; there would be nothing to gain and much to risk in that. A woman, then? Sure; this fellow has been strutting and bragging to a woman. It is the commonest weakness of the congenital criminal. It is his way of swaggering and seeming powerful. But mark you: he never takes a woman into dangerous confidences unless he thinks she loves him. Do you follow? Storri has told this to a woman in whose love he believes."
"You reason well, at any rate," observed Richard.
"Yes, sir, I reason well," returned Inspector Val. "I have reasoned like this a thousand times, and a thousand times I was right. To go on: I agree with Storri; the woman does love him. Why does she write this letter? Because she wants to break Storri"s grip on Mr. Harley. On Mr.
Harley"s account? No, she cares nothing for Mr. Harley. In a clash between the two her sympathies would be with Storri, whom she loves. Now the woman in telling a lie--the only one in the letter--has also told an important truth. It is in her last sentence. She was thinking to throw you off as to her s.e.x, and went out of her way to do it. She was hunting a chance to write "man" and "his" and at the same time not advise you of her purpose. The "man" and the "his" were to be by way of incident. With her mind on fooling you as to her s.e.x, she was so wholly engaged that she told an unwitting truth; she did write this letter in her own service. One step further: The object of the lady, as I"ve said, is to break Storri"s hold on Mr. Harley. Now how could the lady who writes you benefit by that? What could there be about Storri"s ascendency over Mr.
Harley to which a woman who loves Storri would object? I will tell you.
That ascendency gives him not only a hold on Mr. Harley, but a hold through him on some woman whom the writer fears as a rival. And there you are; I"ve brought the argument to Miss Harley. Storri threatens Mr.
Harley. What does he demand? That you be excluded from the Harley house.
Why? Because you see Miss Harley. Why should Storri object to that?
Because he desires to court the lady himself, and would do away with dangerous compet.i.tion. His simple hatred of you, and nothing more, would not set Storri to talking forgery charges to Mr. Harley; that would sound too much like burning a barn to boil an egg."
Richard growled an acquiescence.
"Very well; the woman who wrote the note would have you get possession of those French shares. Storri has described you to her as Miss Harley"s lover; that sets her to writing you--you who have an interest as strong as her own. Storri has never told her that he loves Miss Harley. She has guessed it and accused him of it, being jealous; and he in reply and denial has laid especial emphasis upon you as Miss Harley"s lover. It"s more than a chance he told her the whole story as part of a jealous row.
As to the woman being French, I infer that from the note. She couldn"t trust her English or she would not have written in French. That note, being in French, would narrow any search for its author; and that, too, whether the author were English or French. Certainly there are fewer people in Washington who can write French than English. You see the point?"
"But you said a Frenchwoman from Ottawa."
"The note is on paper that was made and sold in Ottawa, as you see by the raised mark in the corner. We"ve no trade with Canada for note-paper; besides, our stores wouldn"t handle such as this. It"s not of fashionable shape and size as Americans understand fashions in note-paper. It"s scented, too; and that"s vulgar from American standpoints. Also, it"s feminine. No, my word for it, the woman who wrote that note bought the paper in Ottawa and brought it here. She did the typewriting herself, which was but natural; and she is not an adept, as anyone may tell by the clumsy, irregular way in which she begins her lines. Now take----"
Matzai came in and announced Mr. Duff.
"Bring him up," said Inspector Val, and then, turning apologetically to Richard, he added: "Pardon the liberty of giving commands in your house.
I"m so eager to hear whether Mr. Duff"s investigation corroborates my theory that for a moment I thought I was back in Mulberry Street. Well, Mr. Duff," as that worthy was ushered in, "what did you learn? This gentleman is Mr. Storms."
Mr. Duff seemed to know all about Richard; probably his partner sightseeing over the way had told him. He nodded blandly as Inspector Val gave his name, and then proceeded to answer that superior officer.
"The man is a laborer in the Treasury Department. He went to the Treasury Building from here, and made a straight wake for a woman who works at drawing plans and that sort of thing in the office of the Supervising Architect. He whispered something to her, and she nodded.
When he got about ten feet away, he turned like a man who has overlooked a point, and said: "I rang the bell; they"ll get it right off." Then he went away. The woman"s name is San Reve--Sara San Reve. She"s a Frenchwoman, and came from Ottawa. She has had her place only a short time, and was appointed on the recommendation of a member of the Senate--Senator Hanway."
"Senator Hanway!" repeated Inspector Val, looking dubiously at Richard.
"He"s a brother-in-law, you say, of Mr. Harley?"
"Your deductions were none the less right," returned Richard, who saw the doubts which the name of Hanway bred in the other"s mind. "I"d wager my life on it. I never heard of this Miss San Reve, but she is from Ottawa, Mr. Duff says. I ought to have told you that Storri came to Washington from Ottawa."
"Oh, I see!" exclaimed Inspector Val, his brow clearing. "Storri came from Ottawa, and brought his sweetheart. Storri worked Senator Hanway through our friend Mr. Harley, and Senator Hanway found her a place."
"Yes," returned Richard, "I think you"ve hit it off. The next thing is to get hold of those French shares."
"Right there," said Inspector Val, "let me say a word. I"ll first go and put my people on the track of Storri; they"ll run him, turn and turn about, until further orders, and report each morning. That done, you and I will take the Limited, and run over and talk with Mr. Bayard. It will require his help to get those French shares. I"ll meet you at the station then at four."
"I shall be there," responded Richard. "Before you go, let me give you this by way of antic.i.p.ated expense," and Richard tendered Inspector Val a check for one thousand dollars.
"That wasn"t necessary," said Inspector Val, as he calmly pocketed the check.
When Richard arrived at the station he found Inspector Val already there. "I"ve taken a drawing-room," said the latter. "It may be a weakness, but my inclination runs heavily towards concealment. I have a horror of being seen."
"I have horrors of much the same color," returned Richard.
Richard showed Mr. Bayard the note he had received, and told of its appearance, and the construction of the note as given by Inspector Val.
"And the question is," concluded Richard, "can we by any chance get hold of those French shares?"
"Can we get those French shares?" repeated Mr. Bayard, as though revolving the question in his thoughts. "I should say we might; yes, I"m quite sure. I think it will offer no more of difficulty than just finding out where this Storri negotiates his loans. I know where to go for the information and, if I ask it in person, it will be forthcoming."
While Mr. Bayard spoke, his wits were working like a flashlight, displaying for his consideration every possibility presented by the situation. His confidence must have been strengthened by the survey, for he closed with emphasis, saying: "I am a false prophet if I do not place those French shares in your hands, your own property and bought with your own money, within a fortnight."
"Within a fortnight!" exclaimed Richard, his face brightening with the satisfaction the promise gave him.
There was that in Mr. Bayard"s manner which invested his utterance with all the credit granted his signature at the banks. Richard felt as though the French certificates, which meant so much to Dorothy and to him, were as good as in his hands.
"When I say a fortnight," observed Mr. Bayard, "I ought to add my reasons. The source of my news is unimportant, but you may accept it as settled that Tuesday next has been secretly pitched upon by our worthy President for divers warlike declarations, founded on the Monroe Doctrine, and pointed at Germany, whose cruisers are just now nosing about on a debt-collecting errand against one of the South American states. The President will resent the nosing, call German attention to our Monroe Doctrine as the line fence between the hemispheres, and then mount guard over the sacred rails of that venerated barrier with a gun.
All of which might excite but little interest were it not, as a demonstration, sure to send the market tumbling like a shot pigeon. I"m not certain that the whole affair hasn"t some such commercial purpose.
Be that as it may, the day following that valorous manifesto will be a time of panic, and the bottom will fall out of stocks. You remember what I told you as to the plans of our friends to "bear" Northern Consolidated? This will bring their opportunity. When the markets begin to toss and heave and fall with those White House antics touching Germany and the Monroe Doctrine, Senator Hanway"s report will be sprung in the Senate. He will give it to the press the night before, so that the morning papers may ring an alarm to the "bulls." This will be the procession of affairs: The President will threaten Germany on Tuesday; Senator Hanway"s report will be in the papers and the Senate on Wednesday; by Wednesday night our "bear" pool will have been clamorously selling Northern Consolidated all day. Per incident, we will have been buying Northern Consolidated all day. By Friday evening--I give them three selling days in which to work their ruin--I shall wire you that they are caught in the trap by all their feet at once. It is then I shall mail you those French shares."
"No letter will ever mean so much to me, be sure," said Richard.