CHAPTER XV. A CONFAB
Next morning Mr. Gryce and I met in serious consultation. How, and inwhat direction should we extend the inquiries necessary to a discoveryof these Schoenmakers?
"I advise a thorough overhauling of the German quarter," said mysuperior. "Schmidt, and Rosenthal will help us and the result ought tobe satisfactory."
But I shook my head at this. "I don't believe," said I, "that they willhide among their own people. You must remember they are not alone, buthave with them a young woman of a somewhat distinguished appearance,whose presence in a crowded district, like that, would be sure to awakengossip; something which above all else they must want to avoid."
"That is true; the Germans are a dreadful race for gossip."
"If they dared to ill-dress her or ill-treat her, it would be different.But she is a valuable piece of property to them you see, a choice lotof goods which it is for their interest to preserve in first-classcondition till the day comes for its disposal. For I presume you have nodoubt that it is for the purpose of extorting money from Mr. Blake thatthey have carried off his young wife."
"For that reason or one similar. He is a man of resources, they may havehoped he would help them to escape the country."
"If they don't hide in the German quarter they certainly won't in theItalian, French or Irish. What they want is too keep close and rouseno questions. I think they will be found to have gone up the riversomewhere, or over to Jersey. Hoboken would'nt be a bad place to sendSchmidt to."
"You forget what it is they've got on their minds; besides noconspicuous party such as they could live in a rural district withoutattracting more attention than in the most crowded tenement house in thecity."
"Where do you think, then, they would be liable to go?"
"Well my most matured thought on the subject," returned Mr. Gryce, aftera moment's deliberation, "is this,--you say, and I agree, that theyhave hampered themselves with this woman at this time for the purpose ofusing her hereafter in a scheme of black-mail upon Mr. Blake. He, then,must be the object about which their thoughts revolve and toward whichwhatever operations or plans they may be engaged upon must tend. Whatfollows? When a company of men have made up their minds to rob a bank,what is the first thing they do? They hire, if possible, a house next tothe especial building they intend to enter, and for months work uponthe secret passage through which they hope to reach the safe andits contents; or they make friends with the watchman that guards itstreasures, and the janitor who opens and shuts the doors. In short theyhang about their prey before they pounce upon it. And so will theseSchoenmakers do in the somewhat different robbery which they plan sooneror later to effect. Whatever may keep them close at this moment, Mr.Blake and Mr. Blake's house is the point toward which their eyes areturned, and if we had time--"
"But we have'nt," I broke in impetuously. "It is horrible to think ofthat grand woman languishing away in the power of such rascals."
"If we had time," Mr. Gryce persisted, "all it would be necessary to dowould be to wait, they would come into our hands as easily and naturallyas a hawk into the snare of the fowler. But as you say we have not, andtherefore, I would recommend a little beating of the bush directly aboutMr. Blake's house; for if all my experience is not at fault, those menare already within eye-shot of the prey they intend to run down."
"But," said I, "I have been living myself in that very neighborhood andknow by this time the ways of every house in the vicinity. There is nota spot up and down the Avenue for ten blocks where they could hide awayfor two days much less two weeks. And as for the side streets,--whyI could tell you the names of those who live in each house for aconsiderable distance. Yet if you say so I will go to work--"
"Do, and meanwhile Schmidt and Rosenthal shall rummage the Germanquarter and even go through Williamsburgh and Hoboken. The end justifiesany amount of labor that can be spent upon this matter."
"And you," I asked.
"Will do my part when you have done yours."