Part 21 (1/2)

Ashton-Kirk nodded; placing the sheets of paper in his coat pocket he closed the desk.

”The police will have little use for these,” he said. ”Nevertheless, I suppose I had better call Osborne's attention to them.”

He spent another half hour in the upper part of the house, but nothing of interest met his eye. Then they descended to the first floor; and as they did so, met Miss Corbin upon the stairs. As she saw them, a startled look came into her face.

”Good-morning,” said Ashton-Kirk.

”I did not know that you were here,” she said.

”There were a few trifles which I knew only daylight would show us,” he returned. ”We came more than an hour ago.”

”I did not see you go up-stairs,” she said; and to Fuller there was a sort of confused resentment in her voice.

”We took the liberty of using the back stairway, that being the nearest,” explained the secret agent.

There was a pause. The slim, girlish figure blocked their way; the great dark eyes were fixed upon them observantly. ”You were in my uncle's room?” she asked.

”Yes. We fancied that there might be something there of interest.”

”Ah, no doubt,” she replied; and again Fuller's attention was called to a peculiar something in her voice. However, she said nothing more; and then as they stood politely aside, she pa.s.sed on up the stairs.

The telephone bell was ringing furiously as they reached the hall; Osborne hastened from somewhere in the rear to answer it.

There followed the usual one-sided and enigmatic telephone conversation; but this one was interspersed with high-pitched questions, amazed e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n and wondering adjectives upon the part of the headquarters man. At last he hung up and turned to Ashton-Kirk.

”Well, what do you think of that?” he cried.

”What is it?”

”That was the chief. He's just had a wire from New York. They got on Warwick's track an hour after hearing from us, and traced him to an up-town hotel.”

”Ah! And have they taken him?”

”Two plain clothes men went in and a couple more stood outside. The clerk said yes, he was in his room. Was registered under the name of Gordon. They went up and knocked. No answer. Knocked again. Still no answer. They broke down the door, and found----”

”What?” asked Fuller.

”That Warwick was gone. On the floor lay a traveling bag like the one he took from here, slashed open and empty, and beside it lay an unknown j.a.panese--stabbed through the heart.

CHAPTER XI

A RAY OF LIGHT

The late editions of the evening-papers ran riot with this latest feature of the Morse case. The New York police, by happy chance, had pounced upon the warm trail as soon as the young Englishman stepped from the train. What followed was so totally unexpected by the authorities that it set them into a violent state of agitation. This they at once communicated to the ever receptive ”yellows,” and then the public received more than its due share of the developments as served upon scores of front pages.

”Who the j.a.panese is is a mystery to the police and the hotel people,”

declared the _Star_ in triple-leaded feature type. ”How he got into the hotel and up to Warwick's room is, as yet, a thing which, so they claim, has baffled the best efforts of all concerned. But what he meant to do when he reached the room is in the opinion of this journal a matter that will prove infinitely more taxing upon the wit of the detective department.”