“Safe in a nice tight cell, each of them,” said the detective, smiling. “And far enough apart so they can’t tap out any messages to each other. We went through their luggage, of course, and found all sorts of things. Sulphuric acid, and caps and fuses, and what not, and you should have seen the diamonds the woman had! All sorts of pins and bracelets in boxes in her trunk and a chamois bag fastened in her dress with ten or twelve rings, all worth at least five hundred dollars apiece. I suppose she was afraid of going broke somewhere. You can always get cash out of perfect stones. Either that, or else she was going to make a getaway to South America or Mexico after the thirteenth.”
“It is pretty tough for you, youngster,” said the detective, laying a sympathetic hand on Dee’s shoulder, “pretty tough to have this happen to the man you have always thought was your own father.”
“I don’t know,” said Dee. “I am glad you mentioned it. There has always been something funny about that. I have never liked him. I hated it when he leaned on my arm when we walked around the Park. I always distrusted him, and yet I didn’t. He walked feebly and leaned on me hard, but his touch felt strong.
“I used to hate myself for feeling the way I did, because of course I thought he was my own father. And I was sort of afraid of him. I suppose that sounds as though I was an awful coward, but it was so. He used to look at me so hard through those dark glasses, and lots of times I have waked up in the night and have found him standing by my bed staring at me.”
“He probably wanted to see how sound a sleeper you were,” said Frank. “Suppose he had croaked you?”
“Frank, dear!” said Mrs. Wolfe in shocked tones. “Where do you pick up such awful slang? You should think of Willie.”
“I know some worse than that,” crowed Bill. “Want to hear it, mom?”
“Certainly not!” said Mrs. Wolfe.
“Well, what are you going to do, Dee?” asked Mr. Wolfe.
“I don’t know, sir,” said Dee. “I have an Aunt down in the Blue Grass but of course I don’t know whether she wants me or not, and I feel sort of queer about going down to see her before she knows about me. It would make her feel as though she had to take me in.”