“This morning,” said Mortimer. “Commander Rich sent it to me by special messenger when Tompkins was called away.”
“Tompkins called away? Where?”
“Commander Rich said he had been wired for because his wife was very sick; he had barely time to catch his train; so the Commander delivered the message for him.”
“His wife sick!” echoed Rand. “He’s not married.”
“Then perhaps it was his mother, I forget which,” said Mortimer.
“But he’s been working in the Bureau all day. I saw him walk out of the office not half an hour ago.”
When Commander Rich planned his trick, he knew nothing of Rand’s part in the system. His only intimations were the message of warning from Long and the report of the spies he had posted in consequence of that warning, to the effect that Tompkins had been seen trying to find the Secretary. He had taken a gambler’s chance, and not an unreasonable one, that Mortimer would hear nothing of an obscure employee in the Bureau between the time of his alleged departure and the time when his kidnapers should get him away from the city. But his gambler’s luck had failed him.
Mortimer was thunderstruck. The message Rand had brought him took on a new meaning. A council of war was held to guard against interception or leakage in the exchange of messages with Evans which must now proceed as rapidly as possible till the mystery should be cleared up. Rand was told to repeat back to Evans the message about Fraser at once.
In half an hour Evans in the radio station at Punta Delgada received it, with difficulty containing his feelings lest the operators about him should be started speculating about what did not concern them. Without waiting to tell Barton what had happened, he sent back the following:
Message as repeated was never sent from here. True message was this: “We have evidence suggesting that the man I warned you against last spring is involved in treason. Watch him closely.” To-day more evidence has appeared in confirmation. Fraser sorely needed in fleet; is already on board cruiser bound for States.