Part 12 (2/2)
”How do you feel now, Miss Atwood?” asked Marsh, catching the drift of the questioning.
”Just a little bewildered,” she replied, ”and slightly nauseated, but I think I shall be all right presently.”
”Do you feel equal to looking over that room now?” Marsh inquired.
”I think so,” she said, and with Marsh's a.s.sistance, she arose from her chair.
Morgan led the way and the girl, leaning on Marsh's arm, followed.
”You see,” said Morgan, when they had reached the maid's room, ”somebody has pulled everything off the shelf. Is there anything missing as far as you know?”
Miss Atwood looked over the articles on the floor, glanced at the empty shelf, and at the bottom of the closet. Then she turned to Morgan. ”My father had a suitcase on that shelf,” she said. ”I do not see it there now.”
”Oh,” murmured Morgan. ”Was it an empty suitcase?”
”I really couldn't tell you. I never examined it, as it was always pretty well hidden under a lot of other things.”
”I see,” said Morgan. ”The burglar evidently stole only the suitcase, thinking perhaps there was something of value in it. We'd better go now,” he added, turning to the others. ”Miss Atwood will want to lie down and rest after her exciting day.”
When they reached the front door, Morgan turned to her. ”Do you expect your father home soon, Miss Atwood?” he inquired.
”Oh,” she exclaimed, ”I haven't read my letter yet. You see, I had just reached the dining room when that burglar attacked me.”
”You need not worry about any further disturbances or attacks, Miss Atwood,” Morgan a.s.sured her. ”There will be a policeman at the front and back of this house inside of an hour, and they will stay here until we clear up this case.”
”And remember that I live close at hand, on the floor below, Miss Atwood,” reminded Marsh. ”If there is anything I can do to help you at any time, don't fail to call upon me.”
”Thank you,” she replied, and closed the door as the men went down the stairs.
CHAPTER XI
THE TRAIL GROWS CLEARER
”I want to use your telephone for a minute,” Morgan said to Marsh, as they went down the stairs. ”I want to have men put on duty here as soon as possible, and I think it would be well to send out that description you have of Atwood. We might catch him at one of the railway stations, trying to leave the city.”
Marsh unlocked the door of his apartment and Morgan immediately went to the telephone. He gave the Detective Bureau a description of Atwood, added that the man would probably be carrying a suitcase, and suggested that all outgoing trains be watched. Then he got the captain of the precinct on the telephone, and after explaining the attacks that had taken place, was a.s.sured that two men would be placed on duty to watch the house within a few minutes.
”Good Lord, I'm starving to death!” cried Tierney, as Morgan left the telephone. ”What time is it, anyway?”
Morgan glanced at his watch.
”Three-thirty,” he replied. ”Now you speak of it, Tierney, I feel kind of hungry, myself. How about you, Marsh?”
”It was on my mind to suggest a little luncheon,” returned Marsh.
”Suppose we run down to Sally's Waffle Shop. It's only a block south, and it would be a quiet place to talk things over while we are eating. It is a good place to eat, too. I've had nearly all of my meals there since I took this apartment.”
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