“There’s only one Bowman here,” she said, penciling a circle around the name. “A Mrs. Maud Bowman.”
“The name Maud Bowman doesn’t appear on the abstract,” Mr. Parker declared, as he studied the document once more. “There’s something funny about this.”
“Mr. Blake seemed rather eager to dispose of the land, didn’t he?”
“His price was a bit low, which surprised me,” Mr. Parker said, thinking aloud. “Probably everything can be explained satisfactorily.”
“Then why not ask Mr. Blake to do it?” Penny proposed. “He should be able to tell you something about his client.”
“That’s really a first-class idea,” Mr. Parker agreed and he reached for a telephone. “I’ll ask Mr. Blake to come here at once.”
CHAPTER
17
FALSE RECORDS
Mr. Blake, suave, completely at ease, sat opposite Mr. Parker and Penny in the editor’s private office.
“I came as soon as I could after receiving your telephone message, Mr. Parker,” he said pleasantly. “Now what seems to be the trouble?”
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have bothered you,” the editor apologized. “However, in glancing over the abstract for the Orphans’ Camp property I noticed that the land is owned by a man named Benjamin Bowman.”