PREPARATIONS OF WAR.
"Bathurst," my Chief said, settling back in his chair, and eyeing me
with great good humor, "I don't see but that you are getting on
swimmingly, and I don't feel inclined to dictate much. Your Groveland
affair is looking up. You may have as many men as you need to look after
that business. As for Trafton, I think you and Carnes have made good use
of your holiday. I think you have struck something rich, and that you
had better remain there, and work it up; or, if you prefer to go to
Groveland yourself, return there as soon as possible."
"I am glad to hear you talk as I think," I replied. "I believe that
Trafton is ripe for an explosion, and I confess that, just at present, I
am more interested in Trafton than in Groveland, besides----. In my
report from Groveland, you may remember that I mentioned going to the
station to fetch Miss Amy Holmes?"
"Yes."
"And that this young lady was accompanied on that day by a handsome
young gentleman?"
"Yes."
"Well, I have since made the acquaintance of this young man."
"Ah!"
"At first I thought it only a coincidence, and dismissed the matter from
my mind. Since I have heard Mrs. Ballou's story, a queer thought has
entered my head."
"Explain."
"This young gallant, whom I first saw in the company of the runaway Miss
Holmes, is Mr. Arch, or Archibald Brookhouse, of Trafton."
"I see," thoughtfully.
"And the initials following that album verse are A. B."
"A. B.! Archibald Brookhouse! There _may_ be something in it, but should
you feel justified in suspecting this young man as the possible author
of _your_ anonymous letter?"
"If he is the writer of the album lines, yes."
"What do you propose to do?"
"First," said I, "we must call in the dummy."
"Yes."
"Then I want a good man to go to Groveland in search of information. I
want him to find out all that he can concerning the character of this
Johnny La Porte, who attended school at Amora, and was a fellow-student
with Nellie Ewing, Mamie Rutger, and Grace Ballou."
"Good."
"Then he must learn if any of the Groveland youths have become _lame_
since last Sunday, and if any of these same gentry was missing, or
absent from home, during the night of the 17th, for, of course, Miss Amy
Holmes being on his hands, the driver of the carriage which Mrs. Ballou
routed that night must have been absent sometime, _if_ he belonged in
the community. He surely had to dispose of Miss Holmes in some way."
"Do you think it probable that some Groveland Lothario was mixed up in
this elopement business?"
"I think it not improbable. The first search was made, seemingly, upon
the supposition that all Groveland was above suspicion, and that search
failed. I intend to hold all Groveland Lotharios upon my list of
suspected criminals until they are individually and collectively proven
innocent."
"Quite right."
"On second thought we had better let the dummy remain until we have put
a new man in the field; by this time he must know something about the
people he is among. Who can you send to Groveland?"
"Wyman, I think."
"Capital; Wyman is good at this sort of thing. He had better present
himself in person to our dummy, hear all that he can tell, and then
deliver your letter of recall, and see him safely on his way to the city
before he has time to open his mouth for the benefit of any one else."
"Very good; Wyman is at your disposal."
I drew toward me a large portfolio containing State and county maps. It
lay at all times upon the office table, convenient for reference.
While I was tracing the eccentric course of a certain railroad, I could
feel my Chief's eyes searching my countenance.
"Bathurst," he said, after some moments of silence, and leaning toward
me as he spoke, "I believe you have a theory, or a suspicion, that is
not entirely based upon Mrs. Ballou's revelation."
"You are right," I replied, "and it is a suspicion of so strange a sort
that I almost hesitate to give it utterance, and yet I think it worthy
of attention. I want to shadow this cavalier, Arch Brookhouse."
"Yes."
"I find by this map that the town of Amora is situated twenty-five miles
from Groveland, and thirty miles from Trafton. Sharon, the nearest
railroad communication with Groveland, is thirty miles from Amora, so
that the distance from Trafton to Sharon is sixty miles, and the
seminary town is midway between."
My Chief made a sign which meant "I comprehend; go on."
"Now, it is possible that accident or business brought Mr. Arch
Brookhouse to Sharon, and that his meeting with Miss Holmes was quite
accidental, and his attendance upon Miss Holmes and Grace Ballou merely
a chance bit of gallantry. But when you consider that he seemed equally
well known to both young ladies, that Sharon is a small town, and a dull
one, and that Miss Holmes came from Amora that morning, is it not just
as probable that Mr. Brookhouse traveled from Trafton to Amora for the
purpose of escorting Miss Holmes to Sharon? Now, young men of our day
are not much given to acts of courtesy extending over sixty miles of
railroad; therefore, if Arch Brookhouse visited Sharon for the sole
purpose of meeting these two young ladies, and basking in their society
for a brief half hour, it is fair to presume that he is more than
ordinarily interested in one of them."
"You are right, Bathurst; at least it would seem so."
"Now let me tell you all that I know concerning the Brookhouses."
Once more I gave a minute description of my first meeting with Arch
Brookhouse, and of the second, when I recognized him at Trafton. Then I
told him of my interview with the telegraph operator, of the telegram
sent by Fred Brookhouse from New Orleans, and of the reply sent by Arch,
and last I told him how Louis Brookhouse had come home, accompanied by
another young man, _on the day after the attempted flight of Grace
Ballou_, and how Dr. Bethel had been called upon to attend him, he
having met with an accident.
My Chief stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"I see," he said, slowly, "you have some nice points of circumstantial
evidence against these young gentlemen. How do you propose to use them?"
"First, I must know what motive took Arch Brookhouse to Sharon, and find
out if either of the Brookhouse brothers have been students at Amora. I
want therefore to send a second man to Amora."
"Very good."
"If I find that either, or both, of the younger brothers have been
fellow-students with Grace Ballou, and the missing girls, then I shall
wish to extend my search."
"To New Orleans?"
"To New Orleans."
"Is there anything more?"
"Yes; one thing. If Carnes goes to New Orleans I shall want a telegraph
operator in Trafton."
"Then you wish to remain in Trafton?"
"Yes, and this takes me back to the other matter. I quite expected that
a man like 'Squire Brookhouse would have called upon you for help. If he
has employed men from either of the other offices, we can easily find
out who they are."
"Easily."
"I shall wish to inform myself on this point, and if possible, return to
Trafton to-morrow night. I am to see Mrs. Ballou again to-night; now I
think I will have some supper."
I arose, but stood, for a moment, waiting for any word of command or
suggestion my Chief might have to offer.
He sat for many seconds, seemingly oblivious of my presence. Then he
looked up.
"I shall make no suggestions," he said, waving his hand as if to dismiss
both the subject and myself. "I will instruct Wyman and Earle at once.
When you come in after seeing Mrs. Ballou, you will find them at your
disposal, and give yourself no trouble about those other detectives. I
will attend to that."
I thanked him and withdrew. This curt sentence from the lips of my Chief
was worth more to me than volumes of praise from any other source, for
it convinced me that he not only trusted me, but that he approved my
course and could see none better.
I saw Mrs. Ballou again that evening, and put to her some questions that
not only amazed her, but seemed to her most irrelevant, but while she
answered without fully comprehending my meaning or purpose, some of her
replies were, to me, most satisfactory.
After I had heard all that she could tell me concerning Mr. Johnny La
Porte, I gave her a minute description of Arch Brookhouse, and ended by
asking if she had ever seen any one who answered to that description.
I was puzzled, but scarcely surprised, at her answer, which came slowly
and after considerable reflection.
Yes, she had seen such a young man; I had described him exactly. She
had seen him twice. He came to her house in company with Ed. Dwight.
Dwight was an agent for various sewing machines; he was a jolly,
good-natured fellow, very much liked by all the young Grovelanders; he
had traveled the Groveland route for two years, perhaps three. He was
quite at home at Mrs. Ballou's, and, in fact, anywhere where he had made
one or two visits. The young man I had described had been over the
Groveland route twice with Ed. Dwight, each time stopping for dinner at
Mrs. Ballou's. His name, she believed, was _Brooks_, and he had talked
of setting up as an agent on his own responsibility.
Did she know Mr. Dwight's place of residence?
He lived on the C. & L. road, somewhere between Sharon and Amora. Mrs.
Ballou could not recall the name of the town.
I did not need that she should; a sewing machine agent whose name I
knew, and who lived somewhere between Amora and Sharon, would not be
difficult to find.
"How did Mr. Dwight travel?"
"In a very nice covered wagon, and with a splendid team."
"How long since Mr. Brooks and Mr. Dwight paid a visit to Groveland?"
Mrs. Ballou thought it was fully six months since their last visit.
"That would be nearly two months before Mamie Rutger and Nellie Ewing
disappeared?"
"Yes."
"Have you seen Dwight since?"
"Oh, yes; he comes at stated times, as usual."
It was growing late, and I was more than satisfied with my interview
with Mrs. Ballou. I advised her to keep Grace for the present under her
own eye and, promising that she should see or hear from me soon, took my
leave.
Mrs. Ballou had announced her intention to return by the morning train.
We could not be traveling companions, as I was not to leave the city
until afternoon.
Reaching my room I sat into the small hours looking over my notes,
jotting down new ones, smoking and thinking.
The next morning I saw Wyman and Earle, gave them full instructions, and
arranged to receive their reports at the earliest possible moment, by
express, at Trafton.
At noon I was in possession of all that could be learned concerning the
identity of the detectives employed by 'Squire Brookhouse. No officer of
any of the regular forces had been employed. Mr. Brookhouse had probably
obtained the services of private detectives.
Private detectives, of more or less ability, are numerous in the city,
and I was personally known to but few of these independent experts. Most
of those could be satisfactorily accounted for, and I turned my face
toward Trafton, feeling that there was little danger of being "spotted"
by a too knowing brother officer.