Adventure, December 1914 — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

12 Kennedy. ‘Surely not from the Govern- ment itself in Washington?” “No,”’? answered Burke. ‘“They were _ stolen out on Long Island, at Westport. Colonel Sinclair, the retired army engineer, had a model fe “Colonel Sinclair?” broke in Kennedy, in turn surprised. “Yes. You know him?” Burke looked at Craig for a moment as if he were positively uncanny, and perhaps knew all about what the Secret Service man was about to say, even before he had said it. Kennedy smiled. ‘‘Not personally,” he replied. “But I have run across him in connection with a case which I am interested in. I understood that he was a friend of a Madame Valcour who has just been discovered dead up at the Vanderveer. It is a most mysterious case. She—’”’ : ‘““Madame Valcour?”’ interrupted Burke, now in turn himself surprised. ‘‘What sort of looking woman was she?”’ Kennedy described her briefly, and ran over as much of the case as he felt it prudent to talk about at present. ‘‘She’s one of the very persons I’m trying to get a line on!” ejaculated Burke. “There’s a sort of colony of Latin-Ameri- cans out there, across the bay from Sin- clair’s. Sinclair knew her—had been auto- mobiling and motor-boating with her. And she’s dead, you say?” Kennedy nodded. “Only my old friend the coroner, Dr. Leslie, stands in the way of saying how and by what,” he confirmed impatiently. ‘‘What do you know about her?”’ Burke had fallen into a study. “T suspected some of those people out there at Seaville,’’ he resumed slowly. “I found out that when they are in the city they usually drop in at that Mexican cab- aret down the street.” ‘““We have just come from it,’’ interjected Kennedy. ‘There seemed to be hardly any of them left out at Seaville,” went on Burke. “If any of them has pulled off anything, they have all come to New York for cover. My people at Washington hurried me up to Westport first, and after I looked over the ground I saw nothing to do but come back to New York to watch these Mexicans. I am told they make a sort of rendezvous out of this cabaret.” Adventure “That’s strange,’ considered Kennedy thoughtfully. ‘Whom did you meet in the cabaret?” asked Burke. ‘“‘We just went in, like any other sight- seers,” replied Craig. ‘“There was a Sefiora Ruiz, dancing there——” “Yes,’’ put in Burke. ‘She lives out there at Seaville. Has a cottage on the hill back of the hotel which she had leased for the season. Any one else?” ‘There was a man named Sanchez.” “Another one,” added Burke excitedly. “He stayed at the hotel—jealous as the the deuce of Valcour, too, they say. She was stopping at the hotel. You can imag- ine that Sanchez and Sinclair are not—well —Just exactly pals,” finished Burke. ‘Any one else?”’ “Oh, several others,” said Kennedy. “We were introduced and sat next to a Mrs. Hawley.” “She’s a peculiar woman, as nearly as I can learn,” remarked Burke. “I don’t think she liked Valcour much. I haven’t been able to make out yet whether it was just because her interests were similar to those of Sinclair or whether there was some- thing more to it, but if the Colonel would only say the word, I guess she wouldn’t stop long in saying ‘Yes.’ You see, I’ve only started on the case—just got into New York and haven’t had a chance to see any of these people yet. I’m giving you only the. impressions I got out there from the people I talked to. Sinclair, as nearly as I can make out, ‘loves the ladies,’ to quote the cabaret song to that effect, but I don’t think there is any particular lady.” “It’s a peculiar situation,”? chimed in Craig. ‘“‘Sefiora Ruiz, it seemed to me, thinks that Sanchez is just about right. And he is a rather striking-looking fellow, too. There’s one person, though, Burke, that I didn’t see or hear about, who inter- ests me. Did you hear anything about a chap named Morelos?”’ ‘“Morelos—Morelos,”’ “The name is familiar. No—lI didn’t hear anything about him, in this case. But— why, yes. He wouldn’t be with these peo- ple. He’s one of the Revolutionist junta, here in the city. These people are all Gov- ernment supporters.” “T thought as much,” agreed Kennedy. “But you know him?” “T never had anything to do with him,” repeated Burke. MICLOOOK C@