“Did you get the missing diagrams?” demanded Burnham.
“I found one among Palmer’s blue prints in his office Friday afternoon——”
“You did!” Palmer shouted the interruption, reddening hotly. “This is the first I have ever heard of these diagrams——”
“I know it,” acknowledged Maynard. “You accidentally carried the diagram off among your papers from Hayden’s desk in your apartment, eh, Hayden?” but the physician made no answer and Maynard continued his explanation. “Frankly, Palmer, on finding the diagram I thought you guilty until—I’m sorry,” and Maynard glanced contritely at Palmer, observing his hurt expression.
“It’s all right,” he mumbled ungraciously. “What about the diagram you found in my office?”
“It made seven diagrams in my possession,” responded Maynard, “and applying the same key, I then had half the message, but it was not until Jones gave me a note from Mrs. Van Ness this afternoon that I got the last diagram; here,” and taking a folded paper from his pocket he laid it alongside the other diagrams and Burnham and Palmer bent eagerly over them. “This is the message coded there in its entirety: ‘New gas to be used selenium fluoride. Ordinary absorbents useless. Start Reichanstalt on search for antidote.’”
Marian turned impulsively to Maynard. “Well done!” she exclaimed. “But I never sent you any diagram.”
“Your message—” Maynard picked up the paper and reversed it—“is written here. Where did you get the paper?”
“I gave it to her,” spoke up Jones, edging slightly forward. “It was on the hall table.”
“That was where I found the bundle of diagrams which I gave Mr. Burnham yesterday,” volunteered Evelyn. “Perhaps I dropped one there; the package was not tied.”