"This is an outrage," she exclaimed, her eyes flashing and her breast rising and falling with suppressed emotion, "an outrage.
When my husband returns I intend to have him place the whole matter in the hands of the best attorney in the city.Not only will Ihave the full amount of the insurance, but I will have damages and costs and everything the law allows.Spying on my every movement in this way - it is an outrage! One would think we were in St.
Petersburg instead of New York."
"One moment, Mrs.Branford," put in Kennedy, as politely as he could.
"Suppose - "
"Suppose nothing," she cried angrily."I shall explain nothing, say nothing.What if I do choose to close up that lonely big house in the suburbs and come to the city to live for a few days - is it anybody's business except mine?""And your husband's?" added Kennedy, nettled at her treatment of him.
She shot him a scornful glance."I suppose Mr.Branford went out to Arizona for the express purpose of collecting insurance on my jewels,"she added sarcastically with eyes that snapped fire.
"I was about to say," remarked Kennedy as imperturbably as if he were an automaton, "that supposing some one took advantage of your absence to rob your safe, don't you think the wisest course would be to be perfectly frank about it?""And give just one plausible reason why you wished so much to have it known that you were going to Palm Beach when in reality you were in New York?" pursued Maloney, while Kennedy frowned at his tactless attempt at a third degree.
If she had resented Kennedy, she positively flew up in the air and commenced to aviate at Maloney's questioning.Tossing her head, she said icily: "I do not know that you have been appointed my guardian, sir.Let us consider this interview at an end.Good-night," and with that she swept out of the room, ignoring Maloney and bestowing one biting glance on Blake, who actually winced, so little relish did he have for this ticklish part of the proceedings.
I think we all felt like schoolboys who had been detected robbing a melon-patch or in some other heinous offence, as we slowly filed down the hall to the elevator.A woman of Mrs.Branford's stamp so readily and successfully puts one in the wrong that I could easily comprehend why Blake wanted to call on Kennedy for help in what otherwise seemed a plain case.
Blake and Maloney were some distance ahead of us, as Craig leaned over to me and whispered: "That Maloney is impossible.I'll have to shake him loose in some way.Either we handle this case alone or we quit."Right-o," I agreed emphatically."He's put his foot in it badly at the very start.Only, be decent about it, Craig.The case is too big for you to let it slip by.""Trust me, Walter.I'll do it tactfully," he whispered, then to Blake he added as we overtook them: "Maloney is right.The case is simple enough, after all.But we must find out some way to fasten the thing more closely on Mrs.Branford.Let me think out a scheme to-night.I'll see you to-morrow."As Blake and Maloney disappeared down the street in the car, Kennedy wheeled about and walked deliberately back into the Grattan Inn again.
It was quite late.People were coming in from the theatres, laughing and chatting gaily.Kennedy selected a table that commanded a view of the parlour as well as of the dining-room itself.
"She was dressed to receive some one - did you notice?" he remarked as we sat down and cast our eyes over the dizzy array of inedibles on the card before us."I think it is worth waiting a while to see who it is."Having ordered what I did not want, I glanced about until my eye rested on a large pier-glass at the other end of the dining-room.
"Craig," I whispered excitedly, "Mrs.B.is in the writing-room - Ican see her in that glass at the end of the room, behind you.""Get up and change places with me as quietly as you can, Walter,"he said quickly."I want to see her when she can't see me."Kennedy was staring in rapt attention at the mirror."There's a man with her, Walter," he said under his breath."He came in while we were changing places - a fine-looking chap.By Jove, I've seen him before somewhere.His face and his manner are familiar to me.
But I simply can't place him.Did you see her wraps in the chair?
No? Well, he's helping her on with them.They're going out.Garcon, l'addition - vite."We were too late, however, for just as we reached the door we caught a fleeting glimpse of a huge new limousine.
"Who was that man who just went out with the lady?" asked Craig of the negro who turned the revolving-door at the carriage entrance.
"Jack Delarue, sah - in 'The Grass Widower,' sah," replied the doorman."Yes, sah, he stays here once in a while.Thank you, sah,"as Kennedy dropped a quarter into the man's hand.
"That complicates things considerably," he mused as we walked slowly down to the subway station."Jack Delarue - I wonder if he is mixed up in this thing also.""I've heard that 'The Grass Widower' isn't such a howling success as a money-maker," I volunteered."Delarue has a host of creditors, no doubt.By the way, Craig," I exclaimed, "don't you think it would be a good plan to drop down and see O'Connor? The police will have to be informed in a few hours now, anyhow.Maybe Delarue has a criminal record.""A good idea, Walter," agreed Craig, turning into a drug-store which had a telephone booth."I'll just call O'Connor up, and we'll see if he does know anything about it.
O'Connor was not at headquarters, but we finally found him at his home, and it was well into the small hours when we arrived there.
Trusting to the first deputy's honour, which had stood many a test, Craig began to unfold the story.He had scarcely got as far as describing the work of the suspected hired yeggman, when O'Connor raised both hands and brought them down hard on the arms of his chair.
"Say," he ejaculated, "that explains it!""What?" we asked in chorus.
