“Because if he had I am sure he would have made an attempt to communicate with me.” She sank into a chair and fumbled in her bag for her handkerchief, her eyes blinded by sudden tears. “He—I—you see, we—we were very good friends! I know that he is honorable to a fault, and something dreadful must have happened if he cannot be found! You are the head of this bureau, are you not?”
“I am Captain Nairn,” the official nodded gravely. “Have you any reason for thinking that he met with foul play other than the fact of his disappearance, Miss Saulsbury? Do you know of any enemies——?”
“A hundred thousand dollars in cash would invite the enmity of a great many people if they knew it was in your possession, wouldn’t it?” she observed, with unconscious cynicism. “Jack was always armed when he had the company’s payroll in charge, but I warned him that he was too confident, too sure of his ability to protect it. You see, Captain Nairn, he would never believe any evil of anybody; that was one of the strongest traits in his character. He has had some narrow escapes before, but they were from rough characters down in the mountains. If he took that train at Poughkeepsie, as they say, he must be somewhere between there and here, and if he is not dead, he is badly hurt and unable to communicate with his friends. Please, please lose no time in finding him!”
“If what you think proves to be the case he will undoubtedly be discovered,” the Captain began soothingly, but the girl interrupted, wringing her hands.
“Every hour, every minute counts, not only if he is hurt physically, but to save him from mental torture! If he is lying injured and helpless somewhere and thinking that people may consider him dishonest, he will be suffering more from that than from what may have been done to him, and the thought is driving me mad! It would be better, almost, to know the—the worst!”
The telephone shrilled once at the Captain’s elbow and he picked up the receiver and listened. His face, which Storm had thought mobile, had become a mere expressionless mask. The girl was dabbing at her eyes, but her tears had ceased and her small chin came out indomitably.
Captain Nairn uttered the one word “Right!” in reply to the communication which had come to him, then hung up the receiver and turned once more to his visitor. —
“Miss Saulsbury, no effort will be spared to find your friend, you may be sure of that.”
“But you—you believe he hasn’t taken that money, don’t you? You’ll find out if he has been hurt or imprisoned somewhere?” She had taken his assurance as a dismissal and, rising, held out her hand in appeal.
The Captain shook it gravely.