X
THE X-RAY READER
"I think I'll pay another visit to Whitney, in spite of all that Nortonand Lockwood say about him," remarked Kennedy, considering the nextstep he would take in his investigation.
Accordingly, half an hour later we entered his Wall Street office,where we were met by a clerk, who seemed to remember us.
"Mr. Whitney is out just at present," he said, "but if you will beseated I think I can reach him by telephone."
As we sat in the outer office while the clerk telephoned from Whitney'sown room the door opened and the postman entered and laid some letterson a table near us. Kennedy could not help seeing the letter on top ofthe pile, and noticed that it bore a stamp from Peru. He picked it upand read the postmark, "Lima," and the date some weeks previous. In thelower corner, underscored, were the words "Personal--Urgent."
"I'd like to know what is in that," remarked Craig, turning it over andover.
He appeared to be considering something, for he rose suddenly, and witha nod of his head to himself, as though settling some qualm ofconscience, shoved the letter into his pocket.
A moment later the clerk returned. "I've just had Mr. Whitney on thewire," he reported. "I don't think he'll be back at least for an hour."
"Is he at the Prince Edward Albert?" asked Craig.
"I don't know," returned the clerk, oblivious to the fact that we musthave seen that in order to know the telephone number he must have knownwhether Mr. Whitney was there or elsewhere.
"I shall come in again," rejoined Kennedy, as we bowed ourselves out.Then to me he added, "If he is with Senora de Moche and they are at theEdward Albert, I think I can beat him back with this letter if wehurry."
A few minutes later, in his laboratory, Kennedy set to work quicklyover an X-ray apparatus. As I watched him, I saw that he had placed theletter in it.
"These are what are known as 'low tubes,'" he explained. "They give out'soft rays.'"
He continued to work for several minutes, then took the letter out andhanded it to me.
"Now, Walter," he said brusquely, "if you will just hurry back downthere to Whitney's office and replace that letter, I think I will havesomething that will astonish you--though whether it will have anybearing on the case remains to be seen. At least I can postpone seeingWhitney himself for a while."
I made the trip down again as rapidly as I could. Whitney was not backwhen I arrived, but the clerk was there, and I could not very well justleave the letter on the table again.
"Mr. Kennedy would like to know when he can see Mr. Whitney," I said,on the spur of the moment. "Can't you call him up again?"
The clerk, as I had anticipated, went into Whitney's office totelephone. Instead of laying the letter on the table, which might haveexcited suspicion, I stuck it in the letter slot of the door, thinkingthat perhaps they might imagine that it had caught there when thepostman made his rounds.
A moment later the clerk returned. "Mr. Whitney is on his way downnow," he reported.
I thanked him, and said that Kennedy would call him up when he arrived,congratulating myself on the good luck I had had in returning theletter.
"What is it?" I asked, a few minutes later, when I had rejoined Craigin the laboratory.
He was poring intently over what looked like a negative.
"The possibility of reading the contents of documents inclosed in asealed envelope," he replied, still studying the shadowgraph closely,"has already been established by the well-known English scientist, Dr.Hall Edwards. He has been experimenting with the method of using X-raysrecently discovered by a German scientist, by which radiographs of verythin substances, such as a sheet of paper, a leaf, an insect's body,may be obtained. These thin substances, through which the rays usedformerly to pass without leaving an impression, can now be easilyradiographed."
I looked carefully as he traced out something on the queer negative. Onit, it was easily possible, following his guidance, to read the wordsinscribed on the sheet of paper inside. So admirably defined were allthe details that even the gum on the envelope and the edges of thesheet of paper inside the envelope could be distinguished.
"It seems incredible," I exclaimed, scarcely believing what I actuallysaw. "It is almost like second sight."
Kennedy smiled. "Any letter written with ink having a mineral base canbe radiographed," he added. "Even when the sheet is folded in the usualway, it is possible, by taking a radiograph, as I have done,stereoscopically. Then every detail can be seen standing out in relief.Besides, it can be greatly magnified, which aids in deciphering it ifit is indistinct or jumbled up. Some of it looks like mirror-writing.Ah," he continued, "here's something interesting."
Together we managed to trace out the contents of several paragraphslaboriously, the gist of which I give here:
"LIMA, PERU.
"DEAR WHITNEY:
"Matters are progressing very favorably here, considering the stoppageof business due to the war. I am doing everything in my power toconserve our interests, and now and then, owing to the scarcity ofmoney, am able to pick up a concession cheaply, which will be ofimmense value to us later.
"However, it is not so much of business that I wish to write you at thepresent time. You know that my friend Senora de Moche, with her son,Alfonso, is at present in New York. Doubtless she has already called onyou and tried to interest you in her own properties here. I need notadvise you to be very careful in dealing with her.
"The other day I heard a rumour that may prove interesting to you,regarding Norton and his work here on his last trip. As we know, he hassucceeded in finding and getting out of the country an Inca daggerwhich, I believe, bears a very important inscription. I do not knowanything definite about it, as these people are very reticent. But nodoubt he has told you all about it by this time. If it should prove ofvalue, I depend on you to let me know, so that I may act at this endaccordingly.
"What I am getting at is this: I understand that from rumours andremarks of the Senora she believes that Norton took an unfair advantageduring her absence. What the inscription is I don't know, but from theway these people down here act one would think that they all had aproprietary interest in the relic. What it is all about I don't know.But you will find the Senora both a keen business woman and anaccomplished antiquarian, if you have not already discovered it.
"In regard to Lockwood and Mendoza, if we can get them in on our side,it ought to prove a winning combination. There are stories here of howde Moche has been playing on Mendoza's passions--she's thoroughlyunscrupulous and Don Luis is somewhat of a Don Juan. I write this toput you on guard. Her son, Alfonso, whom you perhaps have met also, isof another type, though I have heard it said that he laid siege to InezMendoza in the hope of becoming allied with one of the oldest families.
"Such, at least, is the gossip down here. I cannot presume to keep youposted at such a distance, but thought I had better write what is inevery one's mouth. As for the inscribed dagger which Norton has takenwith him, I rely on you to inform me. There seems to be a great deal ofmystery connected with it, and I am unable even to hazard a guess as toits nature. Fortunately, you are on the spot
"Very sincerely yours,
"HAGGERTY."
"So," remarked Kennedy, as he read over the translation of theskiagraph which he had jotted down as we picked out the letters andwords, "that's how the land lies. Everybody seems to have appreciatedthe importance of the dagger."
"Except Norton," I could not help putting in in disgust.
"And now it's gone," he continued, "just as though some one had droppedit overboard. I believe I will keep that appointment you made for mewith Whitney, after all."
Thus it happened that I found myself a third time entering Whitney'sbuilding. I was about to step into the elevator, when Kennedy tugged atmy arm and pulled me back.
"Hello, Norton," I heard him say, as I turned and caught sight of thearchaeologist just leaving an elevator that had come down.
Norton's face plainly showed th
at he was worried.
"What the matter?" asked Kennedy, putting the circumstances together."What has Whitney been doing?"
Norton seemed reluctant to talk, but having no alternative motioned tous to step aside in the corridor.
"It's the first time I've talked with him since the dagger wasstolen--that is, about the loss," he said nervously. "He called me uphalf an hour ago and asked me to come down."
I looked at Kennedy significantly. Evidently it must have been justafter his return to the office and receipt of the letter which I hadstuck in the letter slot.
"He was very angry over something," continued Norton. "I'm sure it wasnot my fault if the dagger was stolen, and I'm sure that managing anexpedition in that God-forsaken country doesn't give you time to readevery inscription, especially when it is almost illegible, right on thespot. There was work enough for months that I brought back, along withthat. Sometimes Whitney's unreasonable."
"You don't think he could have known something about the dagger allalong?" ventured Craig.
Norton puckered his eyes. "He never said anything," he replied. "If hehad asked me to drop other things for that, why, of course, I wouldhave done so. We can't afford to lose him as a contributor to theexploration fund. Confound it--I'm afraid I've put my foot in it thistime."
Kennedy said nothing, and Norton continued, growing more excited:"Everybody's been talking to Whitney, telling him all kinds ofthings--Lockwood, the de Moches, heaven knows who else. Why don't theycome out and face me? I've a notion to try to carry on my workindependently. Nothing plays hob with scholarship like money. You'dthink he owned me body and soul, and the collection, too, if you heardhim talk. Why, he accused me of carelessness in running the Museum, andheaven knows I'm not the curator--I'm not even the janitor!"
Norton was excited, but I could not help feeling that he was alsorelieved. "I've been preparing for the time when I'd have to cutloose," he went on finally. "Now, I suppose it is coming. Ah, well,perhaps it will be better--who can tell? I may not do so much, but itwill all be mine, with no strings attached. Perhaps, after all, it isfor the best."
Talking over his troubles seemed to do Norton some good, for I am surethat he left us in a better frame of mind than we had found him.
Kennedy wished him good-luck, and we again entered the lift.
We found Whitney in an even greater state of excitement than Norton hadbeen. I am sure that if it had been any one else than Kennedy he wouldhave thrown him out, but he seemed to feel that he must control himselfin our presence.
"What do you know about that fellow Norton, up at your place?" hedemanded, almost before we had seated ourselves.
"A very hard-working, ambitious man his colleagues tell me," returnedKennedy, purposely I thought, as if it had been a red rag flauntedbefore a bull.
"Hard-working--yes," bellowed Whitney. "He has worked me hard. I sendhim down to Peru--yes, I put up most of the money. Then what does hedo? Just kids me along, makes me think he's accomplishing a wholelot--when he's actually so careless as to let himself be robbed of whathe gets with my money. I tell you, you can't trust anybody. They alldouble-cross you. I swear, I think Lockwood and I ought to go it alone.I'm glad I found that fellow out. Let himself be robbed--a fine pieceof work! Why, that fellow couldn't see through a barn door--after thehorse was stolen," he concluded, mixing his metaphors in his anger.
"Evidently some one has been telling you something," remarked Kennedy."We tried to see you twice this morning, but couldn't find you."
His tone was one calculated to impress Whitney with the fact that hehad been watching and had some idea of where he really was. Whitneyshot a sharp glance at Craig, whose face betrayed nothing.
"Ambitious--I should say so," repeated Whitney, reverting to Norton tocover up this new change of the subject. "Well--let him be ambitious.We can get along without him. I tell you, Kennedy, no one isindispensable. There is always some way to get along--if you can't getover an obstacle, you can get around it. I'll dispense with Mr. Norton.He's an expensive luxury, anyhow. I'm just as well satisfied."
There was real vexation in Whitney's voice, yet as he talked he, too,seemed to cool down. I could not help thinking that both Norton andWhitney were perhaps just a bit glad at the break. Had both of them gotout of each other all that they wanted--Norton his reputation andWhitney--what?
He cooled down so rapidly now that almost I began to wonder whether hisanger had been genuine. Did he know more about the dagger thanappeared? Was this his cover--to disown Norton?
"It seems to me that Senora de Moche is ambitious for her son, too,"remarked Kennedy, tenaciously trying to force the conversation into thechannel he chose.
"How's that?" demanded Whitney, narrowing his eyes down into a squintat Kennedy's face, a proceeding that served by contrast to emphasizethe abnormal condition of the pupils which I had already noticed bothin his eyes and Lockwood's.
"I don't think she'd object to having him marry into one of the leadingfamilies in Peru," ventured Kennedy, paraphrasing what we had alreadyread in the letter.
"Perhaps Senorita Mendoza herself can be trusted to see to that,"Whitney replied with a quick laugh.
"To say nothing of Mr. Lockwood," suggested Craig.
Whitney looked at him quizzically, as though in doubt just how muchthis man knew.
"Senora de Moche puzzles me," went on Kennedy. "I often wonder whethersuperstition or greed would rule her if it came to the point in thismatter of the Gold of the Gods, as they all seem to call the buriedtreasure at Truxillo. She's a fascinating woman, but I can't helpfeeling that with her one is always playing with fire."
Whitney eyed us knowingly. I had long ago taken his measure as a manquite susceptible to a pretty face, especially if accompanied by awell-turned ankle.
"I never discuss politics during business hours," he laughed, with aself-satisfied air. "You will excuse me? I have some rather importantletters that I must get off."
Kennedy rose, and Whitney walked to the door with us, to call hisstenographer.
We had scarcely said good-bye and were about to open the outer doorwhen it was pushed open from outside, and Lockwood bustled in.
"No more anonymous letters, I hope?" he queried, in a tone which Icould not determine whether serious or sarcastic.
Kennedy answered in the negative. "Not unless you have one."
"I? I rather think the ready letter-writers know better than to wastetime on me. That little billet doux seems to have quite upset theSenorita, though. I don't know how many times she has called me up tosee if I was all right. I begin to think that whoever wrote it has doneme a good turn, after all."
Lockwood did not say it in a boastful way, but one could see that hewas greatly pleased at the solicitude of Inez.
"She thinks it referred to you, then?" asked Kennedy.
"Evidently," he replied; then added, "I won't say but that I have takenit seriously, too."
He slapped his hip pocket. Under the tail of his coat bulged ablue-steel automatic.
"You still have no idea who could have sent it, or why?"
Lockwood shook his head. "Whoever he is, I'm ready," he replied grimly,bowing us out.