Part 16 (1/2)
Quest raised the cotton-wool. Beneath lay Mrs. Rheinholdt's necklace!
CHAPTER V
AN OLD GRUDGE
1.
Sanford Quest was smoking his after breakfast cigar with a relish somewhat affected by the measure of his perplexities. Early though it was, Lenora was already in her place, bending over her desk, and Laura, who had just arrived, was busy divesting herself of her coat and hat. Quest watched the latter impatiently.
”Well?” he asked.
Laura came forward, straightening her hair with her hands.
”No go,” she answered. ”I spent the evening in the club and I talked with two men who knew Craig, but I couldn't get on to anything. From all I could hear of the man, respectability is his middle name.”
”That's the Professor's own idea,” Quest remarked grimly. ”I merely ventured to drop a hint that Craig might not be quite so immaculate as he seemed, and I never saw a man so horrified in my life. He a.s.sured me that Craig was seldom out of his sight, that he hadn't a friend in the world nor a single vicious taste.”
”We're fairly up against it, boss,” Laura sighed. ”The best thing we can do is to get on to another job. The Rheinholdt woman has got her jewels back, or will have at noon to-day. I bet she won't worry about the thief.
Then the Professor's mouldy old skeleton was returned to him, even if it was burnt up afterwards. I should take on something fresh.”
”Can't be done,” Quest replied shortly. ”Look here, girls, your average intellects are often apt to hit upon the truth, when a man who sees too far ahead goes wrong. Rule Craig out. Any other possible person occur to you?--Speak out, Lenora. You've something on your mind, I can see.”
The girl swung around in her chair. There was a vague look of trouble upon her face.
”I'm afraid you'll laugh at me,” she began tentatively.
”Won't hurt you if I do,” Quest replied.
”I can't help thinking of Macdougal,” Lenora continued falteringly. ”He has never been recaptured, and I don't know whether he's dead or alive. He had a perfect pa.s.sion for jewels. If he is alive, he would be desperate and would attempt anything.”
Quest smoked in silence for a moment.
”I guess the return of the jewels squelches the Macdougal theory,” he remarked. ”He wouldn't be likely to part with the stuff when he'd once got his hands on it. However, I always meant, when we had a moment's spare time, to look into that fellow's whereabouts. We'll take it on straight away. Can't do any harm.”
”I know the section boss on the railway at the spot where he disappeared,”
Laura announced.
”Then just take the train down to Mountways--that's the nearest spot--and get busy with him,” Quest directed. ”Try and persuade him to loan us the gang's hand-car to go down the line. Lenora and I will come on in the automobile.”
”Take you longer,” Lenora remarked, as she moved off to put on her jacket.
”The cars do it in half an hour.”
”Can't help that,” Quest replied. ”Mrs. Rheinholdt's coming here to identify her jewels at twelve o'clock, and I can't run any risk of there being no train back. You'd better be making good with the section boss.
Take plenty of bills with you.”
”Sure! That's easy enough,” Laura promised him. ”I'll be waiting for you.”
She hurried off and Quest commenced his own preparations. From his safe he took one of the small black lumps of explosive to which he had once before owed his life, and fitted it carefully in a small case with a coil of wire and an electric lighter. He looked at his revolver and recharged it.