Miss Maitland Private Secretary Part 32

CHAPTER XXV-MOLLY'S STORY

The morning after that talk with Ferguson I rose up "loaded for bar." At breakfast I led Dixon round to the old subject-we were good friends now and he'd drop his professional manner when we were alone and talk like a human being. Of course he remembered everything, and opened up as fluent as a gramophone. Willitts hadn't found them at the movies till nearly ten-been delayed on his way in from Cedar Brook, his landlady's little girl had been took bad with croup and he'd gone for the doctor-Dr.

Bernard, who was off on a side road half way between Cedar Brook and Berkeley.

That ought to have been enough for me, but having started I thought I'd clear it all up, so I borrowed a bike off Ellen and set out on the double quick for Dr. Bernard's. I saw Mrs. Bernard and heard all I wanted. Willitts had been there on the night of July seventh, came on a bicycle, saw the doctor and gave his message about the sick child. She thought it was somewhere between eight and half-past-the storm was just stopping. I lit out for home; I'd got it all now. He'd gone straight from the doctor's to Gra.s.slands, taken the jewels, and made a short cut back to the main road through the woods to where he'd hidden his wheel.

When you get this far on a case there comes over you a sort of terror that you may slip up. You have it all in your hand, your fingers are stretched to lay hold on the criminal, and an awful fear takes possession of you that right on the threshold of success you may lose.

The cup and the lip-that's the idea.

This seized me on the ride back to Gra.s.slands. Why was the cigar band gone if he wasn't wise to what it meant? It was a powerful hot day, smothering on the wood roads, but the way I made that machine shoot you'd suppose it was a hard frost and I was peddling to get up my circulation. He might be gone already, taken fright and skipped! I had a vision of telling the Chief and what he'd say, and the perspiration came out on me like the beads on a mint julep gla.s.s. I'd go to town right now-there was an express at eleven-but before I left I'd call up Council Oaks and find out if he was there.

As I ran up the piazza steps the hall clock chimed out a single note, half-past ten-I had plenty of time. I called to Dixon to order the motor-I was going to town-whisked into the telephone closet, and made the connection. The voice that answered lifted me up out of the depths-for I guessed it was Willitts by the dialect, English, with the "H's" hanging on sort of loose and wobbly. To make sure I asked, and it answered, smooth as a summer sea-yes, I was talking to Mr. Ferguson's valet, Willitts. Mr. Ferguson was not at 'ome, 'ed gone to the city to be away a day or two. Was there any message? There wasn't-you could bet on that-and I eased off in a high-cla.s.s society drawl.

With a deep breath I dropped back to normal, smoothed my feathers, powdered my nose, and when the motor came round looked like a shy little nursery governess, snitching a day off in town.

It was at the station that something happened which ended my peaceful state and gave me an experience I'll remember as long as I live.

Just as I was stepping on the train I took a glance back along the platform and there, close behind me, dressed as neat as a tailor's dummy, was Willitts with a bag in his hand. He didn't notice me, and if he had he wouldn't have known me, for I'd only pa.s.sed him once in the village and then he wasn't looking my way. I mounted up the steps and went into the car. From the tail of my eye I saw him in the doorway and when he'd taken the seat in front of me, I dropped against the back of mine, saying to myself: "Hully Gee, he's _going_!"

All the way into town, I sat with my eyes on his hat, thinking what I'd better do. There was one thing certain-that stood out like the writing on the wall-I mustn't let him out of my sight. Where he went I'd have to go, tight as a barnacle I'd have to stick to that desperado. I tried to think how I could get a message to the Whitneys' office, but I didn't see how I was going to find the time or the opportunity. If the worst came to the worst I could call a cop, but if I knew anything of men like Willitts, he'd keep a watch out like a wars.h.i.+p for periscopes, for anything that wore bra.s.s b.u.t.tons and connected with the law.

The "Penn" station was as hot as a Turkish bath and through it you can imagine me, trying to trip light and airy, and keeping both eyes as tight as steel rivets on that man's back. I've never shadowed anybody-it's not been included in my college course-all I knew was I mustn't lose him and I mustn't get him suspicious, and if you're making away with a fortune in a handbag, suspicion ought to be your natural state. So I trailed after him as far in the rear as I dared, sometimes, a gang rus.h.i.+ng for a train coming in between us, sometimes the s.p.a.ce clear with him hurrying to the exit and me sort of loitering and gawking up at the maps on the ceiling.

Out in the street he turned and shot a glance like a searchlight round behind him. It swept over me and took no notice, which was considerable of an encouragement. If it was warm in the station, it was sizzling outside. Men were carrying their coats on their arms, some of them using palm leaf fans, careful ones keeping to the edge of shade along the house fronts. But Willitts didn't mind the sun; I guess when you're making off with a fortune you're indifferent to temperature-it's another proof of mind over matter.

After walking down Seventh Avenue for a few minutes he turned to the left and struck across a side street to Sixth. Half way down the block he went into a men's furnis.h.i.+ng store, and sauntering slow past the window, I saw him looking at collars. There was a stationer's just beyond and I cast anchor there, by a counter near the door set out with magazines. A sales girl lounged up, chewing her gum like the heat had made her languid, and looking interested over my clothes.

"Awful warm, ain't it?" she said, and I answered, picking up a magazine:

"It's something fierce. I'll take this one."

"You got that one already," says she, pointing to the magazine I'd bought at Berkeley and was still clinging to. "Don't you wanna try something new?"

"Oh-it's the heat; the sun gets my head woozy." I picked out another and gave her a dollar, the smallest change I had. As she was walking to the cash register, Willitts pa.s.sed the door and I was out on the sill, moving cautious to the sidewalk.

"Say," comes the girl's voice from behind me, "what are you doin'? You ain't got your change yet. You'd oughtn't to be let out in this sun."

"Keep it," I called back. "I was a working girl once myself."

At the corner of Fifth Avenue he stopped and, a bus coming along, he haled it. "Lord," thought I, "if he gets into that without me I'll have to run after it and they'll arrest me for a lunatic." Being quite a ways behind, I had to make a dash for it, waving my magazine and hollering like the rubes from the country. He was up on the roof, and the bus was moving when I lit on the step, and was hauled in friendly by the conductor.

We jolted downtown, me sitting sideways in a rear seat watching the stairs for Willitts' legs. It wasn't until we were below Twenty-third Street that they came into view, stepping lightly down. The bus heaved up against the curb and he swung off, me behind him. I was terribly scared that he'd begin to suspect me, and all I could think of that would look natural was to roll my eyes flirtatious at the conductor, who seemed to like it so much I was afraid he wouldn't let me off.

When I got down on the pavement Willitts was walking along the cross street back toward Sixth Avenue. Midway down the block, he stopped and disappeared through a doorway. I was quite a piece behind him and when I saw him fade out of sight I forgot everything and ran. At the door I came up short, panting and purple in the face-the place was a restaurant. It had a large plate gla.s.s window with white letters on it and a man making pancakes where he'd show plainest. Inside I could see Willitts seating himself at a littered up table.

"Lunch!" I said to myself. "He's going to eat, the cool devil. Now's my chance!"

Almost directly opposite was a drug store with telephone booths close to the window. I could get a message to the office, and if I caught the chief or Mr. George, I could have a man up in twenty minutes. If they weren't there I'd try headquarters, but I was afraid of that-they'd ask questions, waste time, want to know who I was and what it was all about.

If only Willitts was hungry, if he'd only eat enough to last till I got some one, if he'd only order pancakes. As I waited for the connection I found myself sort of praying "Pancakes-make him order pancakes. They're made in the window and they take quite a while. _Please_ make him eat pancakes!"

Right in the midst of my prayer came the voice of Miss Quinn, the switchboard girl in the office, and for me it was:

"Quick, Miss Quinn-it's Mrs. Babbitts. Is Mr. Whitney or Mr. George there? Give 'em to me-on the jump-if they are."

She didn't waste a word, and in a minute Mr. George's voice came sharp:

"h.e.l.lo, who is it?"

"Molly, Mr. George. And I've got Willitts-and I've got enough on him to know he's the thief-I can't tell you now but-"

He cut in with:

"I know, I know, Ferguson's told us. O'Malley's here now going to Council Oaks for him."

I almost screamed:

"Send him _here_. Willitts is off; he's left and I've trailed him. I'm waiting at the door and he's inside."

"Inside _what_, where the devil are you?"

I gave him the directions and then:

"It's a restaurant; he's eating. But it may only be a doughnut and a gla.s.s of milk. If it's pancakes we're safe, but a man lighting out with a fortune in a handbag don't generally want anything so filling. I'll follow him until I drop, but I don't want to travel round with a jewel thief unless I have to."

"I'll send O'Malley now. You stay right there and if Willitts finishes before he comes, hold him any way you can. Get a cop. I'll 'phone to headquarters for a warrant. So long."

Of course I thought of the cop, but spying out from the doorway, there wasn't one in sight. And by this time I was considerably worked up, afraid to move in any direction, afraid to take my eyes from the restaurant entrance. I pulled up one of the chairs they have for people getting prescriptions filled, and sat down by the doorway, watching the place opposite, like a cat camped in front of a mouse hole.

Ten minutes had pa.s.sed. If the traffic wasn't too thick on Broadway O'Malley could make it in less than twenty. But the traffic _was_ thick-it was the middle of the day; if he was stalled or had to make a detour it might run toward half an hour. He might be-The door of the restaurant opened and out crept the mouse.

The cat rose up, soft and stealthy, with her claws ready. As I crossed the street I sent a look both ways-not a taxi in sight, not a cop, only the whole thoroughfare tangled up with drays and delivery wagons. There was nothing for it but to stop him, first put out the velvet paw and then shoot the claws. Jumping quick on the curb I came up alongside of him, a smile on my face that felt like the grin you get when you make a joke that no one sees.

"Why, _hullo_," I said, going at him with my hand out, "I couldn't at first believe it-but it _is_ you."

He drew up quick, all on the alert, looking at me with hard, ferret eyes.

"Who are you?" he said, fierce and forbidding. "What do you want?"

I put my head sideways, and tried to take the curse off the smile, changing it to a sort of trembly sweetness.

"Why, _don't_ you know me? I can't be changed that bad. It's Rosie."

I didn't know what his Christian name was and anyway, if I had it wouldn't have helped-a man like Willitts changes his name as often as he does his address. But I had to call him something, so when I saw the anger rising in his eyes, I said, all broken and tender like the deserted wife in the last act:

"Dearie, don't pretend you don't remember me-it's Rosie from the old country."