The Diamond Cross Mystery Part 35

Another period of waiting, and again the announcement of the girl, though the colonel had not manifested any impatience.

"Very well," he responded. "There may be no one at home."

It was evident, a little later, that at least no one intended to answer the telephone, and the colonel hung up he receiver.

"Well, Kettridge can wait," he murmured, as he carefully put away the watch, thinking, with a sigh of regret, of poor little Chet. The dog was a friendly animal and had made many friends in the hotel.

"And so Miss Ratchford--to use her maiden name--has the diamond cross back again," mused the colonel. "But how in the world could she get it, when Spotty had it, and the police that are holding him have that, and he's resisting extradition? Say, I wish I could go fishing!" and the colonel shook his head in dogged impatience at the tangle into which the affair had snarled itself.

"Spotty must have robbed the jewelry store in spite of what he says about it," mused the Colonel. "But if he did, and got the cross, even if he didn't kill Mrs. Darcy, how in the world could he get the cross back to her when the police took it away from him and when the last I saw of it it was in the police headquarters safe?

"This certainly gets me! Oh s.h.a.g! is that you?" called the colonel as he heard some one moving out in the hall near his door.

"Yes, sah, Colonel!"

"You stay here until I come back. I'm going out, and I don't know what time I'll be in. Be careful to get straight any messages that come in over the wire, and if Jack Young calls up get the 'phone number of the place where he is so I can call him."

"Yes, sah, Colonel."

"And, s.h.a.g!"

"Yes, sah, Colonel!"

"Hand me that little green book. I may have to be up all night, and I want something to read that will keep me awake," and the colonel slipped into his coat pocket the green volume. He was taking his fishing by a sort of "correspondence school method" it will be observed.

The detective busied himself about his apartment getting ready to go out, and from a suitcase which was closed with a complicated lock he took a number of articles which he stowed away in various pockets of his garments.

"Is yo' gwine be out all night, Colonel?" asked s.h.a.g.

"I can't say. I'm going to do a bit of shadow work and it may take me until sunrise. But you stay right here."

"Yes, sah, Colonel. I will."

"And now we'll see, Mr. Aaron Grafton," said the detective to himself, as he prepared to leave, "whether you're telling the truth or not. I think my one best bet is to follow you when you go to see Miss Cynthia!"

But before the colonel could leave the room there sounded the insistent ringing of his telephone bell.

"I wonder if that can be Kettridge," he mused. "And yet he wouldn't know that I had called him. Answer it, s.h.a.g," he directed. "It may be some one I don't care to talk to now. Don't say I'm here until you find out who it is."

"Yes, sah, Colonel!"

The colored servant unhooked the receiver and listened a moment. Then, carefully covering the mouthpiece with his hand, he announced:

"It's Mr. Young, Colonel!"

"Is it! Good! Hold him! I'll talk with him!"

Quickly crossing the room the detective spoke rapidly into the instrument.

"h.e.l.lo, Jack! This is the colonel. Yes--what is it? He is? That's unusual--for him. Guess he's going down and out by the wrong route!

Yes, I'll come right away! You follow King and I'll take the trail after Larch. So he's boasting that-- Well, all sorts of things may happen now. Yes, I'm on my way now. You follow King!"

The detective remained motionless for a few seconds after he had slipped the receiver into its hook. Then he said to s.h.a.g:

"Do you know where I ought to be now?"

The colored man paused a moment before replying. Then he played a safety shot by answering:

"No, sah, Colonel, I jest doesn't--zactly."

"Well, I ought to be getting ready to go fishing. I'm sick of this whole business. I'm going to quit! I never ought to have gone into it. I'm too old. I told 'em that, but they wouldn't believe me."

"Too old to go _fishin'_, sah, Colonel? No sah! You'll never be dat!

Never!"

"Oh, I don't mean fishing, s.h.a.g! I mean I never ought to have been mixed up with this affair--this detective business. I'm going to quit now, s.h.a.g!"

"Yes, sah, Colonel!"

"Get me Kedge on the long distance."

"Mr. Kedge, in N' York, sah?"

"Yes. I'm going to turn this over to him. It's getting on my nerves.

I want to go fishing. I'll let him work out the rest of the problems.

Get Kedge on the wire."

"Yes, sah, Colonel."

The colored man went to the instrument, but before he had engaged the attention of central his master called:

"Oh, s.h.a.g!"

"Yes, sah, Colonel."

"Wait a minute. I suppose Kedge is very busy now?"

"Well, yes, sah, I s'pects so. He had dat ar' animal case."

"Oh, you mean Mr. Campbell's?"

"Yes, sah! Dat's it. I knowed it was a camel or a elephant."

"Yes, I suppose he's busy on that. So don't bother him. Anyhow, it would take him as long to get here, pick up the loose ends, and start out right, as it would take me to finish."

"Mo' so, Colonel," voiced s.h.a.g. "A whole lot mo'."

"Oh, well, hang it all! That's the way it is. I never can get a little vacation. But now I'm in this game I suppose I might as well stick! Never mind that call, s.h.a.g! I'll finish this."