“Did old man Boyd ever see Rodman leave the Matteawan by way of that elevator?”
“He says he never did, but sometimes I think Rodman has fixed him.”
“And Jenny, too, maybe.”
“Maybe. And here’s another thing. There’s somebody called ‘The Link,’ who figures largely in the whole affair, but figures secretly. I won’t say how I found this little joker, but if I can dig up who ‘The Link’ is, I’ve made a great stride toward success.”
Naturally, I said nothing about Pennington Wise to the Chief of Police, but I made a mental note of “The Link” to report to the detective.
“Reward’s offered,” we were suddenly informed, as Foxy Jim Hudson burst into the room.
“For what?” asked the Chief, a little absent-mindedly.
“For information leading to the whereabouts of Amory Manning.”
Martin wheeled round in his chair to look at his subordinate. “Who offered it? How much?”
“That’s the queer part, Chief. Not the amount,—that’s five thousand dollars, but it’s a person or persons unknown who will put up the kale. It’s done through the firm of Kellogg and Kellogg,—about the whitest bunch of lawyers in town. I mean whoever offers that reward is somebody worthwhile. No shyster business. I’m for it,—the money, I mean. Do you know, Chief, the disappearance of that Manning chap is in some way connected with the Gately murder? I’ve got a hunch on that. And here’s how I dope it out. Manning saw Rodman,—well, perhaps he didn’t see him shoot, but he saw something that incriminated Rodman, and so he,—Rodman, had to get Manning out of the way. And did! You see, Friend Rodman is not only a deep-dyed scoundrel,—but the dye was ‘made in Germany’!”