Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 112: what you’re looking at

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

742 “‘ Hello, you too!” Phil Howe sank into a chair, pulling his cuffs down carefully over his wrists. “‘ Where’s Rex? I’ve been in touch with both George and Luce, and I got the office to report here as quick as I could. What happened to Ethel?” ‘* You’ve heard, then?” Cliff handed over her note. ‘ We’re going to trace her this time, but tell us what happened to you? Yow look rather as though you’d been through the mill!” “Tl say I have!” Phil’s eyes twinkled. “I’m not the only one! J have a message for you from George about the man Rad- wick.” Starting with that unexpected meeting in the grounds of the Manor on the previous night, Phil told of Wick’s disclosure as to his own identity and that of the maid. Henry sat back with a grunt of half in- credulous belief. “Lucy Regnier! That’s the woman Galli talked about—said she’d be worth watching. I never ran into the Dobson gang, guess they didn’t operate in the Mid- dle West. Where’s the Regnier woman now?” Phil reddened. “Well, I suppose if I don’t tell you Lucian will!” He gave them an account of his morning’s adventure, Henry chuckled with huge enjoyment but Cliff remarked very seriously: “You must find her again and don’t lose her trail day or night! She called up a number beginning with 609—” “Ves, but when I taxed her with calling 6099, she laughed at me as if she was re- lieved; it would be a funny coincidence if she hadn’t been asking for that number after all, wouldn’t it?” Cliff Nichols discreetly ignored the ques- tion, but asked one in his turn. ‘Have you any idea how you can pick her up again?” “Ves, if she’s still trailing with what's left of the old gang. I think I know where I can find one or two of them and I'll be in right, for they’ll remember a few tricks I turned and accept me as one of them. You can bet I won’t rest till I’ve evened the score with Lucy! Coming, Henry?” The two had been gone more than an ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. hour when George appeared. He was close- ly followed by Lucian Baynes, who listened attentively with Cliff to further details of the encounter with Wicks. “He isn’t associated with Lucy, that’s clear.” George finished. ‘‘ The meeting was a surprise to both of them, and though she remembered him as the man who called three times last summer, according to Phil, I don’t think she knew who he was. Now, if he was employed by Monckton to watch his son he certainly couldn’t have been in- strumental in bringing him to the verge of ruin. And what did he go sneaking up to the Manor for as soon as he thought he had lost me?” “I don’t know.” Cliff shook his head. ‘* He’s got a pretty big name and his agency is one of the best. He would have sent one of his operatives to shadow Richard unless there was more important work connected™ with it than that alone. get him to tell us. at the Manor?” “No. A man answering his description tock the early train from the Pocantico Hills station. When I reached the city I called him up at his office. He’s there, all Perhaps we can Did he re-appear to-day right, and I have an appointment to see him in an hour. If he tries to hedge I'll put it to him straight. He couldn’t afford to have the press get wind of that nocturnal visit of his.” George Roper paused and added reflectively: ‘‘ What do you suppose Lucy Regnier’s game was?” “J don’ think there can be any doubt about that.” Cliff smiled slightly. ‘‘ There were no women in the Monckton family with jewels that would have attracted Lucy’s crowd, but many of the house guests last summer and this spring had a lot of valuables, and I know of three robberies in the last month alone among them. Judge Abner Francis lost a rich collection of stickpins, Dr. Kibbe a set of studs and waistcoat buttons worth over five thousand, and Mrs. Waldron Ingram a diamond neck- lace that has been famous more than two generations. “Lucy is still in the old game, but play- ing it safe—none of the thefts took place at the Manor but while the victims were travelling about. Phil is hot on the wom- EOmichbooks.;co