“Good,” said Rich, and lit a cigarette.
“I wonder how many more of these secret messengers there are knocking round the works,” he continued; then, scowling, added, “We haven’t got to the bottom of all this business yet. I’d give anything to know where that man Heringham disappeared to, and what he’s up to. Why in hell didn’t you get the dope on him while you were there in London?”
“I couldn’t shadow both him and Evans when they separated,” was the answer; “and I thought Evans was the more important.”
“Remember, hereafter,” muttered Rich savagely, “that I like results a whole lot better than excuses.”
And with that he sat down at his desk and waved the sallow man away.
At Punta Delgada, Evans, having sent his message of warning about Rich, proceeded to examine all the apparatus which the information of the operators led him to suspect that Long had molested. Considerable damage had been done, always of the same sort as that which he found in the receiver. The man certainly was ingenious. Inaccessible parts had been broken or damaged in a manner calculated to do the maximum harm with the minimum symptoms, so that it would be a long time before the operators suspected that anything was wrong, and longer still before they could trace the trouble to its cause. He was relieved to find that, troublesome as was the breakage, the worst of it could be repaired within a week. What bothered him most now was the question—what and to whom had Long been signaling in his half-hour’s test? His worst fear was that Long might have discovered some clue to the secret of Wellman’s stolen code book, and passed it on to his confederates.
CHAPTER XII
THE VICTIM
At Intelligence Headquarters in Punta Delgada there was an expert psychologist, versed in all the latest and most scientific methods of probing a man’s veracity. With a sensitive galvanometer connected to the hands of the subject, he could detect the slightest emotional disturbance when no other evidence would reveal it. The morning after Long was taken ashore with the understanding that his skill as an electrician was to be utilized at Headquarters, Barton explained to him that the task they wanted him for was one requiring presence of mind and other faculties for which they wished to give him a psychological test. Barton was well aware that as likely as not Long knew he was caught, and was not to be fooled; but what if he did? They had him, and he would have to submit to their test in any case. And in any case their tests would reveal what they wanted. Since uncertainty as to whether he was a prisoner or not was apt to increase Long’s emotional instability, it seemed best to keep up the bluff of a bona-fide test of his fitness.
Long was placed in a comfortable chair with his hands in contact with electrodes connected with the galvanometer whose mirror threw a spot of light on a screen which the psychologist could watch, but which Long could not. The psychologist then asked him questions or analyzed his association processes with test words, observing the motion of the spot of light on the screen. Some questions were calculated to test his knowledge of electricity; others were apparently frivolous and pointless. Whenever a question or word aroused an emotional response, the spot would make a quick excursion across the screen. After a series of idle-seeming questions, the psychologist made a remark which was not calculated to ruffle the composure of any one, except that it contained the name Wellman. Long continued to present an imperturbable exterior, but the spot of light made the largest excursion that had yet appeared. Some more unimportant patter followed which permitted the spot of light to come to rest again. Another insignificant remark was made containing a casual reference to the name of Rich. The spot of light moved quickly on the screen and registered an even larger excursion than had followed the name of Wellman. At this juncture Evans quietly entered the room through a door behind Long’s back. At a signal from the psychologist, he addressed a casual remark to Barton. At the sound of his voice the spot of light shot off the scale on the screen. When it had steadied again somewhat, Barton said to Evans, “By the way, you said you had some repairs to make on that small transmitter; have you got it working all right this morning?” Again the spot of light went off the scale; a pulse-recording device showed Long’s heart beating rapidly, and now beads of sweat stood out on his forehead. His agitated state was completely ignored, and the test went on, more innocuous talk being used to steady the spot of light. Barton then dropped a harmless remark to Evans about Commander Rich, and once again the spot jumped in a way that could never have been due to instrumental error or chance. Long was then formally made prisoner.
Scarcely had this job been completed when Barton and Evans were fairly stunned by the news that a dispatch had been received at Communication Headquarters ordering Captain Fraser detached from duty as chief of staff and to proceed immediately to Washington on whatever cruiser could best be spared from the fleet. What on earth could this mean? With the momentous preparations for action in progress, Fraser was never needed in the fleet as much as now. The obvious inference was that some crucial question had arisen in Washington, and he was wanted for a conference. Yet Evans could not escape the feeling that something was wrong; he could not help associating this new development with the activities of Long and Rich. As head of the Radio Division of the important Bureau of Engineering, Rich had the means at his hand of wielding vast power for evil. Very likely he had created a situation for recalling Fraser, knowing his to be the controlling mind in the fleet; and quite possibly he would contrive to have a swarm of enemy submarines lurking in the path of the cruiser that was to take him home; or perhaps a mine-field would be laid across her path as she approached home waters; perhaps some intrigue was on foot to get Fraser discredited and put on the shelf when he reached Washington. As a matter of fact, Rich was at the moment considering all these possibilities of turning to account the removal of Fraser from the fleet.