Part 12 (2/2)

He felt that he was running every risk of discovery by the doctor.

Encountering no one in the upper hall, he knocked lightly on the door.

There was no answer.

Producing his skeleton keys, he easily mastered the lock.

It was only a bedroom. There was but little furniture.

On the top of a chiffonier was Alice's picture in an elaborate gilt frame, which did not bear out the doctor's a.s.surance that he had got over being love-sick.

Without losing an instant the old detective opened the drawers of this chiffonier and began disturbing things as little as possible.

It was not until the lower drawer was reached that he found anything to interest him.

The first was a bunch of three letters fastened by a rubber band.

There were other letters, some in j.a.panese and some in Chinese.

These, however, were in English, and when Old King Brady caught the signature, ”R. Volckman,” he knew that he had made a discovery.

This letter was brief enough. It read:

”DEAR SIR: Yours receipted. I shall be ready for you at 2 thirty.

All serene. R. VOLCKMAN.”

”This settles it,” muttered the old detective. ”Volckman has been standing in with these opium smugglers all right, and the doctor is in the deal. I shall arrest the man on sight.”

He ran over the other letters.

All related to the landing of the smuggled opium.

In one Volckman agreed to furnish boats to the Chinese smugglers, with men to take charge of them.

The other was a demand to know when and where he could meet Dr.

Garshaski.

There was no mention of the Chinese princess nor of Alice.

Old King Brady pocketed the letters and proceeded to examine a trunk, which he opened with a skeleton key.

Here he found other letters and photographs of several Chinese and j.a.panese women.

All the letters appeared to be in these languages, as the old detective hastily ran over them.

There was one photograph of a very peculiar looking young woman who was not altogether unhandsome.

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