“What puzzles me is as to who was in cahoots with him,” mused Joe. “He couldn’t have put a thing like that through alone. Think of the wires that had to be pulled to carry out the plan.”
“I suppose the big fellow that Anderson heard talking with Fleming was at the bottom of that,” conjectured Jim. “It surely was smooth work.”
“Oh, it was all prearranged carefully enough,” agreed Joe. “There wasn’t anything left to chance.”
“It was pretty slick, using McRae’s name to get you there, too,” commented Jim. “They knew you’d do anything he asked that was reasonable. What beats me is how they could counterfeit his voice so that you were taken in by it.”
“Well, you know how it is,” Joe replied. “When any one at the telephone gives you his name you take it for granted. It sounded a little strange, but it was a pretty good imitation at that. Probably they’ve rung in some actor who’s accustomed to mimic voices. He could easily have hung around the hotel and listened to Mac talking, till he got a pretty good line on his voice. Where I blame myself is that I hadn’t kept Anderson’s warning in mind. But I was thinking of other things——”
“Yes,” interrupted Jim dryly. “You’d just been walking with a charming young lady. I understand.”
He grinned quizzically, and Joe made a friendly thrust toward him which he adroitly ducked.
“Well, ‘all’s well that ends well,’” Joe quoted.
“If it is ended,” said Jim seriously. “They may cook up something else, now that this has failed.”
“I guess they’ve shot their bolt,” replied Joe lightly. “This will probably discourage them, and they’ll give it up. But it gives me the cold shivers to think how nearly they put this scheme of theirs across.”