"Well, Eddie Morse is taking me out on the links this afternoon. He
says it ain't so hard if a guy is willing to practice for fifteen or
twenty years. Think of me swinging a golf club. I'll feel like a sap.
But anyway I like this bird Morse. Feel like I and he was buddies even
though I never met him until late last night." Jim blinked slowly as
he toyed with the gold toothpick which rested against his vest. "He's
interested in joolry, too, Tommy. Me and him had a long talk about
pearls and things. He knew all about the Vanduyn robbery; remembered
the whole thing the minute I reminded him of it. Uh-huh, me and Eddie
Morse got along fine together."
Tommy Braden sought to readjust his battered scheme of things. Above
everything, he was a game loser. A thin, twisted smile appeared on his
lips.
"I'm a fool, Jim."
"How so, Son?"
"For thinking that you are the idiot you appear to be."
"Gosh! I couldn't be that, could I?"
"Hardly. I take it, Jim, that you knew the person to whom Mickey Donley
sold the Vanduyn pearls. You located him at this place and followed him
here. You discovered that there was considerable mystery about him and
also that Edgar Morse was his only intimate acquaintance. You presumed,
of course, that Morse was the goat--and so you went straight to that
gentleman and warned him against buying any pearls which might be
offered. Is that correct?"
Jim grinned in pleased surprise. "Golly! Son, you're clever. How'd you
know all that?"
"Just guessing, Jim." He rose heavily. "I'd better travel along, I
suppose. I'm mighty glad you're not going to nab the poor fish who
tried to pull the deal. You're a white man, Jim Hanvey."
"Shuh! We don't care nothing for that feller. It was just a bit of a
business deal with him. Hmm! So you're running up to Chicago, eh?"
"Yes." And then--"Why?"
"Oh! nothin' special. Except that if you should happen to be thinking
of cashing a check which somebody might have given you on--well, say
the Loop National Bank; I think you'd better change your mind. You see,
the feller which gave you that check happens to be a friend of mine
and just to avoid embarrassment I suggested to him last night that he
should make out the check on a bank where he hasn't got any money. And
he kind of seemed to think it was a good idea."