VI
The journey from Cobalt to North Bay was made on one of those skeleton motor trolleys railway men use to get from place to place. It was the only means of making the journey.
It was swift and thoroughly uncomfortable. They had to cling tight to the center handrail as they rocked and swung through a primitive country of bare rocks and skeleton like, burnt-out forests. Clement, bone-tired from his heavy and sleepless night, was saved from pitching onto the ballast several times by the grip of the motorman or Gatineau.
At North Bay, they had to walk across goods yards through groups of men to get to the station offices. This walk, slight though it was, seemed to have so curious an effect on Clement that he behaved entirely out of the normal. He refused to go on with Xavier Gatineau.
The little detective hesitated for a moment, puzzled, and Clement said quietly, “Go in—I must stay outside, for a reason.” In a louder voice he cried, “I’ll put these suitcases in the baggage room, and make inquiries there.”
Mystified at this strange behavior, Xavier Gatineau went into the station superintendent alone. When he came out half an hour later he expected Clement to be missing from the platform, but he was still there. His eye that caught Gatineau’s said, “Well?”
“The ladies have gone south,” said the little detective. “They’ve gone to a place called Orillia. It’s a junction town. They can break off from there anywhere—back to Montreal, or to the West, or even down to the States.”
He gave his information in a matter-of-fact tone. He was astonished, in fact, horrified, when Clement Seadon said in a loud voice, “Orillia! I see it; it’s like them. They are banking on us rushing straight west to Sicamous, the dogs! While we scamper west, the meeting between Miss Reys and Gunning will happen at Orillia, or near it. Good God, it’s a neat blind. But, thank heaven, we have your organization behind us; that’s saved us; well steal a march on them to Orillia.”
Xavier Gatineau was completely mystified as well as aghast at this attitude. He was aghast that this stupid fellow should talk so that all the world could hear. He was mystified, because, unless Clement Seadon had suddenly lost his senses, this dash to Orillia was obviously not at all the thing to do.
“I also found out——” he began.
“You found out the next train to Orillia?” said Clement loudly.
Gatineau named the time of the train, trying not to feel that this young man was a fool. The young man exploded.
“Absurd! We can’t wait all that time. We must find a quicker way of getting there.”
“There isn’t a quicker way,” said the detective tartly.
“We’ve got to find one. We must take another of those motor trolleys.”
“No good. There isn’t one.”
“But, my dear man, we can’t wait hours,” shouted Clement, showing his anxiety with his waving hands. “Do you realize what may happen in those hours?” He began to stamp up the platform in his agitation.
“It can’t be helped,” snapped Gatineau, forced to follow him. “We’ve just got to wait.”
Waving his hands, arguing, Clement reached the end of the platform. He turned and shot a glance along it. He still waved his arms angrily, but in an even tone he said,:
“Think I’m acting like a looney, Gatineau? There’s a reason. Tell me anything more you’ve found out, quick.”
“I’ve found out that Neuburg and Gunning pulled out from here to the west. That means the meeting place won’t be in Orillia, but somewhere west, in Sicamous, likely.”
“Of course,” said the astonishing Clement.
“But you said....”
“More than that, I howled it,” said Clement still making wild gestures. “I wanted somebody to hear it. That thick-set man over there. He’s been shadowing me ever since we left the motor-trolley. Now play up, my lad....” He made a gesture of resignation, and said aloud, “All right, then, I suppose there is nothing more for it but to wait. But it’s awful—ghastly.... What shall we do?”
“There is a hotel here, we might get a sleep.”
“Ah! And a bath. I want one. We’d better get reservations to Orillia first, though,—save the rush at the end. Come along.”
As they went to their hotel, Gatineau made a point of crossing the road in front of a great shop window. He chuckled.
“Yes, he’s following us, that attentive friend of yours. It’s probably that Joe Wandersun. He’s the only one unaccounted for.”
“What’s his game?”
“Easy. He’ll sleuth us to our rooms, then he’ll wire brother Neuburg somewhere west that we’re here and following hotly the blind trail to Orillia. You played him princely, Mr. Seadon. We’ll settle him.”
“How?”
“Leave it to me. All I ask you to do is to dawdle about in the lobby of the hotel for five minutes before going to your room. I want to get out of the back to be ready when he comes out of the front door again.”
Clement was shrouded in bath towels when the little detective came back to the hotel. He was all smiles, and sat beaming at Clement as he fanned his young bald head with his hat.
“It was easy as fallin’ off a wall,” he grinned. “That feller went straight to the station telegraph and filled in a blank. He didn’t even look round. Here’s the blank.”
“Good Lord!” cried Clement. “How did you get that?”
“Our work, we have the pull there.”
“What an ass,” said Clement. “He ought to have known better than to use the C.P.R. lines.”
“Couldn’t help himself. Look at the address, Banff in the Rockies; we’re the only cable company to serve it. Also, he thinks he’s well covered. Read it.”
The wire read:
“Banff Springs Hotel.
“Arthur Newman,
“Our party reached North Bay from Cobalt. Learned of business in Orillia. We go there next train.
“Nimmo Bates.”
“Nimmo Bates,” said Clement. “I’ll swear that’s Joe Wandersun.”
“Why not,” smiled Gatineau, “since Arthur Newman is Adolf Neuburg?”
“That’s true,” agreed Clement. “Well, this bears things out. The meeting place is in the west, at Banff probably instead of Sicamous. In fact it’s lovely. Banff and its beauty will be idyllic for a—a lovers’ reunion. Also it is near Sicamous, and they can get away from it, as they can get into it, easily. The ladies will be able to work round behind us and reach there?”
“Easy,” said Gatineau.
“Then we go to Banff. Meanwhile there is this fellow Nimmo, or Joe.”
“I’ll fix Joe,” said Gatineau grimly.
“But there’s this telegram. Neuburg will expect reports from Orillia....”
“Nope!” said Gatineau.
“But of course he will, this telegram....”
“That telegram isn’t the one that was sent.”
“Eh?” gasped Clement.
“This is the one I sent.”
He handed Clement a carbon duplicate which went:
“Banff Springs Hotel.
“Arthur Newman,
“Our party reached North Bay from Cobalt. Think business better done Montreal. We go there next train.
“Nimmo Bates.”
“That quiets brother Neuburg, see?” grinned Gatineau in the face of Clement’s perplexity. “It tells brother Neuburg we’ve muddled the trail and cut back to headquarters at Montreal. Quite natural. You see, like you, I figured Neuburg’d want reports, and he can get them from Montreal.”
“Can he? How?”
“The Chief will see to that. I’ve sent all facts to him, he’ll send reports to Arthur Newman that will keep Neuburg purring. Trust The Chief, he’s a bear. Of course Nimmo Bates will sign ’em. Meanwhile we go comfortably to Banff.”
Clement roared with laughter.
“Well, of all the calm, foreseeing, clever little devils.... It’s a dazzling idea, Gatineau. Neuburg will be certain we’re at a loss in Montreal, will think he has plenty of time, while all the time we are overhauling him.”
“That’s it,” agreed the little detective. “The only thing that worries me is will the girl—Miss Reys—figure according to plan. I mean if she has any sense she’ll be suspicious at all this roundabout traveling, this chopping and changing of plans.”
“I hope she will be,” said Clement. “But I’m afraid she won’t. She doesn’t know the country; her companion does. She’s bound to follow blindly. And then anything can be put down to the erratic movements of Gunning.”
“She’ll find him too erratic, I’m thinking,” said Gatineau wisely.
“I’m hoping that, too,” said Clement.
Both had the sleep they needed, and a meal, and went to the railway station in good fettle. Under Gatineau’s instructions, Clement suddenly turned from the platform and entered the booking hall as though making for the street.
The man who had shadowed him from the hotel did not hesitate for a moment, but trailed after him. In the middle of the booking hall the hand of Xavier Gatineau came down on his shoulder, and he swung round to find the muzzle of an automatic within six inches of his solar plexus. He started to put up his hands.
“What’s the game?” he snarled.
“I want you, Nimmo Bates,” said Gatineau. “I want you in connection with the jewel robbery on the Empress of Prague. Cut out the rough stuff, Joe, and go quietly.”
As Joe Wandersun stared amazed, three large railway policemen slipped out of the office.
“Take him along, boys,” said Gatineau. “The Chief will give you instructions in Montreal.”
As the police hustled the half-dazed rogue away, Gatineau went to the booking window.
“Say, Jim, got those reservations for Banff on the next westbound? Good.... She’s on time, I hope.”