XX
THE SPEED DEMON
There seemed to be no use in staying longer in our room observing the behavior of the wireless detector, when the very neighborhood still bristled with mystery and perhaps danger.
Accordingly, we went down-stairs again with Burke, just in time to meet Hastings, who had come down on the late afternoon train from the city.
“Has anything happened since we left?” inquired Kennedy of the lawyer, before he could begin to quiz us.
“Very little,” he replied. “The man was still watching that little office where the detectaphone wire led, when I left. Not a soul has been near it. I think you can assume that it has been left abandoned.”
“I thought as much,” agreed Craig. “Have you heard anything more about the activity of Shelby? He was here at the funeral this afternoon. He’s out on the Sybarite now, and has been very quiet, at least down here.”
“I’ve been making some inquiries,” replied Hastings, slowly. “As nearly as any of the brokers I know can tell, I should say that Shelby must be doing something. There have been several large blocks of stock unloaded and they have all been taken up. In spite of it the price has been maintained. But it’s all underground. I haven’t decided which side Shelby is on, bear or bull. He never was on either side before, so I don’t know what he is up to. You can reason it out either way—and, after all, it is a matter of fact, not reason.”
“It won’t take long to find that out to-morrow, if we want to,” remarked Kennedy. “The trouble to-day was that there were more pressing things that had to be done.”
We had scarcely finished outlining to Hastings what we had discovered at Westport when Riley edged up to report to Burke.