But this is only a pretext, as the stenographer stated twice that Chadwick never came into the office before noon, and that sometimes he did not come in at all.
The one point that filled Rutledge Mann with perplexity was the situation that existed between Denby Chadwick and his uncle at the time of the old man's death. It was obvious that the two had disagreed about something, although it could not have been extremely serious.
Denby Chadwick had lived at the old house for several years. Grant Chadwick was his only relation. The old man was eccentric, and his frugality must have been annoying to Denby.
The uncle, in turn, had evidently regarded Denby as a ne'er-do-well up until the time when the young man had obtained his position with the Mayo Safe Lock Co.
It was after that time that Denby Chadwick had abandoned his uncle's home. Perhaps the young man had felt an independence in his new position, and had taken advantage of his new circumstances to depart from an environment that had always been distasteful to him.
Whatever the situation, it could not have been serious, for Denby Chadwick was sole legatee to his uncle's estate. This announcement had been made by Egbert Cromwell, the Philadelphia attorney who managed the affairs of Grant Chadwick.
The estate was now in the course of settlement, and Denby Chadwick had come into considerable wealth — the exact amount unknown.
Rutledge Mann sat back in his swivel chair and smiled languidly as he looked toward the ceiling. It was not his business to deal in theory. His duty was to assemble facts.
At the same time, The Shadow placed no restrictions on his agent's reports. They were allowed to express themselves in any way they chose. Hence, Mann, as a matter of custom, was indulging in speculation on these strange connections.
He was convinced that blackmail was at the bottom of the whole matter. Herbert Brockley had gone abroad to escape some threat or menace.