“All right. We’ll take it for granted that he had on other clothes.... Did he say anything about the granddaughter?”
“Yes. I think he was disappointed not to find her here.”
The leader gave me a quick wink.
“But if he and the girl aren’t mixed up together, as I told you last night, how did he know she was coming here? You say it’s a secret.”
“Why!...” the woman stared. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“You say he was disappointed not to find the granddaughter here,” Poppy went on. “Do you mean he was surprised?”
“Ye-es. He acted both surprised and disappointed—almost troubled, in fact. And from words that he dropped offhand I got the impression that he wanted to talk with her about something important. I told him that so far as we knew she was hiding in Pardyville. And thinking I might corner him, and thus prove the truth of your theory, I says: ‘Possibly, Doctor, you know where she is hiding.’ But all I got was a stare of surprise. ‘I wish,’ says he earnestly, ‘that I did know where she is. For it is very important that we find her to-day. And taking your tip, I shall drive over to Pardyville myself and see if I can locate her.’ Then we put up the quarantine sign and he drove away.”
Poppy wasn’t so sure of himself now.
“And you really believe, Mrs. Doane,” says he, puzzled, “that the doctor is dumb on where the girl is?”
“Remembering his earnest words and actions, I cannot doubt it for a moment.”