“Of course we start down town immediately,” declared Dorothy, “I know the address.”
“Well Dorothy,” said Tavia, mysteriously, “Mr. Akerson may be a shrewd business man, and be playing a skillful game, but I am not one whit afraid to go directly to his office, and see the whole thing through to the end!”
“It’s exactly what I intend to do,” said Dorothy, decidedly. “This, I rather feel, may be our unexpected opportunity to quickly squelch the well-laid plans of this man. But, Tavia, aren’t you just a little bit dubious about going alone? Hadn’t we better return home first?”
“No, we’ll take the next car downtown, and we must work together to lay bare the real facts!” declared Tavia as they ran for a downtown Broadway car.
CHAPTER XXI
FRIGHT AND COURAGE
With unhesitating steps, Tavia led Dorothy, without any of the confusion of her own first visit, directly to Mr. Akerson’s offices.
The same switchboard operator sat sleepy-eyed at the telephone, and the same young person conducted the girls through the office suite, the only difference was that the hour was near twelve, and most of the desks were empty, as the clerks had left the building for lunch.
The offices seemed strangely quiet, as the girls sat, with their hearts beating wildly, waiting for the door marked “Private” to open. When it did, Mr. Akerson came forth with a genial smile.
“I arrived a little ahead of you,” said he, and he led the girls into his private office.
“But where is Mrs. White?” demanded Dorothy.