Whispering Wires Part 32

Drew backed away and turned toward the telephone. He eyed it with cold calculation. He took one step further, then wheeled and glanced at Nichols.

"I want to trace that call if it is humanly possible," he said with decision. "We can find out, at least, from where it came. Suppose you leave me here with Miss Stockbridge, and you go down stairs and around to the drug-store?"

Loris rested her weight on one elbow. She sat erect, with slowly widening eyes. Her hands strayed to her hair and pressed it back from her ears. She gained command of herself after a shudder had pa.s.sed through her slender body. She half rose.

"I've heard that voice before!" she exclaimed, pointing toward the 'phone. "It was familiar, Mr. Drew. Now where have I heard it?"

"Some friend of your father's?"

"No, I don't think it was. But I've heard it in this house."

"A servant--the valet?"

"No! No, Mr. Drew, it wasn't the valet's voice. It was whispering and consumptive. It squeaked. It sounded like a little boy's voice."

"How about that trouble-man?" Drew advanced with keen steps. He felt that he was very close to the truth.

"It might have been. Only--only, Mr. Drew, it was younger--thinner--squeakier. It was a terrible voice. It rings and rings in my ears. It was so sure!"

"Ump!" declared Drew with clenched fists. "It won't be so sure," he said, squaring his jaw. "It won't be near so sure, next time. I think it was that trouble-man you heard. Don't you remember anything he said when he was in the house, for comparison?"

"I just heard him say--I heard him say that the connections, I think he called them, were all right. Then he went away, Mr. Drew."

"Did his voice squeak then?"

"It was rather low--like a boy's or a girl's. He seemed too polite. He had his cap in his hand." Loris stopped speaking and stood erect. She arranged her gown and glanced down at Nichols. "I feel stronger," she said bravely. "I wonder what became of that tea?"

Drew stepped into the writing-room and found the tea-pot upon its side.

He poured from this a cup of tea which he carried to Nichols. "Just taste it," he ordered. "I want to be sure it isn't doped or anything like that. That's it. Just a small swallow. It's all right, isn't it?

It isn't bitter?"

Nichols handed the cup to Loris. "Drink it," he said with confidence.

"That's good tea--only a little cold."

Drew took the empty cup and set it down on a small table. "You'll go for me?" he asked Nichols. "I want it traced without using the wires of this house. They might be tapped."

"Be back in ten minutes!" said the captain at the tapestries, after Loris had nodded. "Whom shall I ask for at Gramercy Hill?"

"The superintendent--Jack Nefe! If he isn't there, get the chief operator. Delaney will attend to that. Find out from what number the call came. We might get that whispering devil right away."

"I believe it was the trouble-man," said Loris, as Drew returned after locking the door to the hallway. "Now that I think of it--I'm almost sure it was. He just tried to change and lower his voice--that was all."

"Lower it?"

"Yes, Mr. Drew. It was so faint that I hardly heard it at first. He seemed afraid of something. Perhaps somebody was in the room where he was telephoning."

"That might have been. Well--he can't hurt or harm you that way. The thing is for you to keep up your courage. Fear is a terrible thing if you would let yourself be mastered by it. It might be their game to break you down by a series of threats."

"I won't do that. I've Harry and you to stand by me!"

Drew pulled out his watch. "It's getting toward midnight," he said. "No word yet from Delaney or any of the others on watch. I think that the storm will clear soon. You can go to bed. Harry--Mr. Nichols and I'll get a deck of cards and keep watch out here. We'll do sentry duty. He's used to that!"

Loris glided about the room. She stopped at the cheval gla.s.s and arranged her hair with a series of twists that formed a turban secured by loops. She swished around and glanced archly toward Drew. Their eyes met bravely. Hers dropped under shading lashes.

"I'm all right," she whispered with a half laugh. "I did look awful. It was the shock of hearing that terrible man. How childish to call me up and say what he did. He didn't mean it!"

"Ah," said Drew, reaching in his pocket and bringing out a key. "Ah, he did mean it, I think. He has overreached himself by telephoning.

Gramercy Hill Exchange is on the alert. There's Mr. Nichols with good news, at the door. Now for his report."

The captain came in, brushing snow from his olive-drab uniform. He glanced at Loris as he strode across the room and took her hand with a firm grip. "Delaney," he said confidentially, "was right at the booth.

He was sitting on a chair, propped up and talking with the prescription clerk. He did the telephoning to Gramercy Hill. I don't know who he got there, but they already knew about the call."

Nichols turned toward Drew for confirmation.

"That's right!" the detective exclaimed. "They should know! The vice-president, Westlake, has left orders to record all calls to this house. Where was that whispering voice from, Mr. Nichols?"

"From Forty-second Street and Broadway."

"Close!" exclaimed Drew, rubbing his hands. "The fellow took chances."

"It came from a slot-booth in a cigar store in a big building. It only lasted two minutes. The operator at Gramercy Hill says the first voice she heard, asking for Gramercy Hill 9764, was harsh and loud. I don't understand that."

"Harsh and loud," repeated Drew, toying with his watch chain. "That's odd. Was it the same man that Miss Stockbridge heard?"

"The operator don't know. Delaney says maybe there were two of them.

One, who called up, and one who talked to this room." Nichols turned and nodded toward the silver-plated telephone.

"Hardly possible," mused Drew. "I think he changed his voice after he got the connection. He didn't want Miss Stockbridge to recognize him."

Loris glanced at the two men. "What will they do?" she asked anxiously.

"Will Mr. Delaney and the other detectives catch him by that call?"

"Hardly," said Drew. "He was in and out within three minutes. The bird has flown from there!"

"But where will he go?"

"I don't know, Miss Stockbridge. I wish that I did know. There are over a hundred thousand telephones in New York he could use. It's impossible to guess which one. The booths at the Grand Central are covered by one of my operatives. The telephone company is on the alert for all calls to this house. All they can do is to record them and tell us what happens after it happens. We are trying now to get this whispering dog when he is compelled to wait at a booth. If Morphy 'phones him from the prison to-night we have him. The telephone company is going to delay the call after getting the number. It would look natural. Then, we can strike at the booth or place where the call is directed in time to catch the man Morphy is telephoning to. Up to now, Morphy has not 'phoned or Delaney would have said something about it."

"But can't you stop these calls?" asked Loris.

"Very easy. We could order the wires disconnected. But then we wouldn't catch our man. He would be suspicious and wait for another time."

"The whole thing seems so strange, Mr. Drew. We're locked in here. The house is so well guarded. All they can do is 'phone and yet we--at least I am nervous. Why have I got that strange feeling?"

"From experience!" declared Drew. "If we knew how your poor father was killed there wouldn't be cause for worry. We don't know. It was so subtle that we are confronted with the unknown in terrible form. You feel a shadow and so do I. A reaching shadow about this splendid house of yours. It isn't anything we can grasp and say, 'Come here! You're under arrest.' It's the uncanny mystery of the entire case that holds us three on the ragged-edge. I confess I have not been myself since last night. The powers of darkness and Lucifer, himself, have nothing on the people we are fighting."

"How about running Morphy in the guard house, or whatever they have up there?" asked Nichols. "Why not lay the case before the warden and have him put out of harm's way? That's what they'd do in the Army!"