The Secret Toll

  CHAPTER VII--SPIRIT CLUES

  While driving down from the North Shore, Forrester decided to ascertainas soon as possible if either Green or the detective bureau had everheard of the strange rumors regarding the oak tree, for it seemed to himthat to the trained detective mind this might offer some suggestion.Forrester did not believe in the supernatural. Such occurrences must bebacked by a human agency of some sort, and the knowledge of theexistence of these occult manifestations, if carefully analyzed, mightlead to the formation of a definite clue.

  It was late in the afternoon when Forrester reached the city, but he didnot delay his inquiries. He went first to Green's office, finding, ofcourse, that the detective had already left to carry out his plan ofnight observation, although Green's office girl, trained to secrecy,said that she did not know anything about the detective's movements.Forrester then went to the detective bureau and related his story. Farfrom attaching any importance to the matter, the men there simplylaughed at and ridiculed the story of a haunted tree, ascribing itsolely to the well-known superstitious nature of colored people. Theyassured Forrester that it could have no bearing whatsoever upon thecase, and he left the detective bureau more impressed than ever with theidea that the solution of the problem was entirely in his hands.Humphrey's general analysis now assumed greater importance inForrester's eyes, for the reporter had predicted that Forrester woulddiscover clues unnoticed or disregarded by the detectives. Here was aquick fulfilment of Humphrey's prophecy!

  As Forrester closed the front door, after reaching home, his mother andsister hurried out into the hall to meet him. Mrs. Forrester threw herarms around his neck, while Josephine sympathetically took one of hishands in both her own.

  "My poor boy!" exclaimed Mrs. Forrester. "Why didn't you tell us youwere worried to death?"

  "Worried!" echoed Forrester. "Where did you get the idea that I wasworried?"

  "Oh, Bob," explained Josephine, "we read that article in the _Times_this morning, and people have been calling us up all day."

  "Why didn't you tell us you received one of those dreadful notices?"queried Mrs. Forrester.

  "Because I didn't think it amounted to anything," answered Forrester."There was no use upsetting you with a little thing like that."

  "A little thing like that!" exclaimed Josephine. "Why they _killed_ poorMr. Nevins! When we didn't hear anything from you all day we were sureyou had met with an accident."

  "And the paper said you were so frightened, Bob," added his mother,"that we thought perhaps you had run away and hidden somewhere withoutletting us know."

  "Damn!" exploded Forrester. "Wait until I get my hands on thatreporter!"

  "Arn't you really frightened?" asked Josephine.

  "Do I look frightened?" retorted Forrester. "You mustn't believe all therubbish you see in the newspapers. Those reporters have to invent halfthe stuff they write."

  "But you _did_ get a notice, didn't you, Son?" asked Mrs. Forrester.

  "Certainly, but it's nothing to get excited about," grumbled Forrester."I'll just put the money in that tree Saturday night and the whole thingwill be forgotten. Prentice told me he had had the same experience once,and you see nothing ever happened to him."

  "Oh, don't wait until Saturday," protested Mrs. Forrester. "Take it upright now and get the thing off our minds. The decorators are throughand before we saw that newspaper article I had made all arrangements tomove out to 'Woodmere' Saturday morning."

  "Yes," added Josephine, "fix it up right now as Mother suggests, Bob. Wewould never dare move out into the country with this threat hanging overyou, and I do so want to leave the hot city. Practically all our friendsare up in the country now."

  "Now look here, folks," protested Forrester, releasing himself from theembraces of his mother and sister, and throwing back his shoulders. "I'mthe head of this house, and I command you to say nothing more about thismatter. Let your arrangements for moving Saturday morning go ahead justas you had planned. I cannot do anything about delivering this moneybefore Saturday night, as these men would not be expecting it until thattime. Now, mind what I say and forget about it. It's all nonsense,coddling and worrying about a man who has come safely through the war.The police are working on the case right now and you have absolutely nocause for worry or fear."

  "But Mr. Nevins...." began Josephine.

  "His case has nothing to do with mine," interrupted Forrester. "He wasan old man in the first place; and in the second, he didn't take anyprecautions."

  "But there have been others...." started Mrs. Forrester.

  "Now, _now_, NOW!" exclaimed Forrester. "Don't say another word! You cansafely leave this whole matter to me. Now then, Mother, have dinnerserved at once. I didn't have any luncheon and I'm hungry as a bear."

  During dinner Mrs. Forrester referred to the fact that Mr. Nevins'funeral would take place on Thursday afternoon at three o'clock, andafter promising to attend, Forrester did not again allow them to referto the matter in any way. Dinner over, Forrester retired to a corner ofthe library, ostensibly to read, but though he occasionally turned apage of his book to keep up the pretense, his mind was absorbed in theproblem of the "Friends of the Poor" and the working out of a plan ofaction for the following day.

  ----

  At eight o'clock Thursday morning Forrester left home in his roadsterand went straight to Green's office. The detective had had two nightsand a day for investigation, and Forrester was anxious to know whatfacts he might have in his possession before continuing his ownresearches.

  Green was at his desk when Forrester entered the office, and the youngman noted the detective's dusty clothes, sickly pallor and the shadowsunder his eyes. Green must have been working hard, Forrester thought,and therefore would have information of importance.

  "How-do," grunted Green, without rising.

  "Good morning," returned Forrester, drawing a chair up to Green's desk."I have an idea that you are going to give me some news."

  "My God!" gasped Green, with such vehemence that the usual unlightedcigar dropped from his mouth and remained unnoticed on the floor.

  "Well," queried Forrester, "what are you so upset about? Did you get anotice, too?"

  "I've been through hell," groaned Green. "Ain't been to bed all night.Couldn't eat any breakfast. Damn Prohibition anyway! What I need rightnow is a whole goblet o' whiskey!"

  Forrester laughed. "I can get that for you if I decide you need it formedicinal purposes, Green. But I should like to hear your story first."

  "Couldn't you arrange the drink first, Mr. Forrester?" pleaded Green.

  "No," returned Forrester, "I'd have to take you up to our country house,'Woodmere', to get that for you, and I'm afraid you couldn't stand thetrip until you get this trouble off your mind. Come on, pull yourselftogether and tell me what has happened."

  "I hate to repeat it, Mr. Forrester. God knows, I don't even like tothink about it!"

  "You make me curious, Green. I'll bet you have got a clue--for it beginsto look like you'd had a real fight with those men."

  Forrester glanced down at Green's dusty clothes.

  "Men?" snorted Green. "There ain't no men!"

  Forrester gave a startled exclamation and looked at Green in amazementfor a moment. The reply was curiously like that which the negro had madeto him the day before.

  "Mr. Forrester," continued Green, "I've been doin' police and detectivework for twenty years. I ain't afraid o' no man livin'. Just show me abunch o' tough mugs and I'll jump right in and clean 'em up. But I'mdamned if I'll ever sit out in the woods at night again with rustlin'leaves, bodiless voices and burnin' hands! No, _sir_--never again! Youdon't want no detective to solve this case, Mr. Forrester--you want aspiritualist, or somethin' like that!"

  "Look here, Green!" exclaimed Forrester. "You're too old and experienceda man--you've got too much common sense--to believe in stuff like that.Who has been telling you all these things?"

  "Tellin' me?" gasped Green. "My God!
I seen 'em myself, with my owneyes; heard 'em with my own ears. Nobody don't have to _tell_ menothin'. _I seen it!_"

  "Mere trickery!" scoffed Forrester. "Someone was playing a joke on you."

  "Damn it all!" cried Green, jumping up and pounding a huge fist on hisdesk. "Don't tell me I didn't see what I seen. I never had nosuperstition till last night, but believe me! You can tell me any kindo' a ghost story now and I'll _swear_ to it. Take it from me, Sir OliverLodge and all them people ain't so cracked as we thought they was. Ithought them city detectives was a bunch o' boneheads, but I apologizeto 'em now--every one. I tell you, Mr. Forrester, here's a case that'llnever be solved. It's some imp o' hell that leaves those notices atpeople's doors. No wonder they're found asphyxiated when they don't pay.It's coal-gas straight from hell that comes out and suffocates 'em.You'll never catch nobody takin' that money out o' that tree, 'cause youcan take my word for it, when you put it in there, a ghostly, flamin'hand reaches over your shoulder and pulls it out again. Believe me, nohuman eyes is goin' to see the people that gets that money."

  "Now look here, Green!" exclaimed Forrester. "I'm willing to admit thatsomething or other has given you a bad scare, and that you've lost yourgrip. What you need is a good breakfast and some hot coffee. Come on outwith me and get your breakfast. You can tell me the whole story whileyou're eating."

  Green mumbled objections, but Forrester continued to urge him until theman put on his hat and accompanied Forrester to a nearby restaurant.There, between gulps of food and the consuming of several cups of hotcoffee, Green told his story across the table to Forrester.

  At its close, Forrester lit a cigarette and sat in deep thought. ToForrester, Green's original theory that some or all of the "Friends ofthe Poor" lived near the tree, seemed extremely plausible. Crude as thedetective might be, his reasoning in this regard apparently had a soundbasis in the weird happenings as related by Joshua, and now confirmed byGreen's experience. Combining the theories of both Green and Humphrey,and fitting them in with the negro's story and Green's tale, threwseveral hitherto unnoticed figures into the limelight. Forrester did notdoubt for a minute that the woman revealed by Green's light was the girlreferred to by Joshua. If so, then the man who had attacked Green wasprobably the big negro himself. A third person to be considered was thepeculiar negress, said to live in the woods near the tree. Forresterremembered with a start Humphrey's triangulation theory. Here were threeprominent figures with which to lay down a triangle. Surely he wasmaking more progress in the quest than any of the detectives. Theseoccurrences might only be indefinite spirit clues, but they pointedaccusing fingers at several very definite people.

  Though he had little faith in Green's ability as a detective, it waspossible that the man's very stupidity might force him to stumble uponworth while clues, as in this instance; clues which Forrester latercould make use of in his own deliberations. Thinking along these lines,Forrester decided that he would not allow Green to leave the case, asthe man had intimated he would do.

  "Green," said Forrester, at length, "you spoke in your office as if youwished to drop this case."

  "You bet I do!" returned Green, emphatically.

  "That would be foolish," remonstrated Forrester. "There's a good deal ofmoney in it for you, and your reputation won't lose anything if you areon the ground when the case is solved."

  "It'll never be solved," affirmed Green, positively.

  "Yes, it will," declared Forrester. "I'm going to do it, with yourhelp."

  Green stared. "You ain't seen nothin' yet," he protested.

  "Now, listen to me," went on Forrester. "On Saturday morning we open ourcountry house. I want you to come up on the noon train with enoughbaggage to last you all summer, or until we settle this case. You are tobe my body-guard when I am home, and watch the house while I am away.Occasionally I may want you to look up certain things for me, but I willpromise you right now that I won't ask you to go near that tree againunless I am with you. Our chauffeur has a nice place over the garage andI'll have him give you a room there, so you can be close at hand. Now,that's settled. The noon train, remember. And here's the address."

  Forrester tore off a corner of a menu and wrote out directions forreaching "Woodmere."

  Green wavered. "Well, I dunno," he said, hesitatingly.

  Forrester leaned across the table.

  "Green," he said, smiling, "we have a little private stock left in thecellar up there. Our guests are permitted to use it."

  Green's eyes twinkled. "That might help to keep them ghosts away. Onepoison sometimes counteracts another, so I guess one kind o' spirits_might_ chase away the other kind."

  "Then the matter is settled?" asked Forrester.

  "Sure thing," grinned the mollified detective. "But remember--I've gotto have regular protection against ghosts."