He was laughing in a cold, mirthless way, while he followed the two more roughly clad men into the stable, saying at the same time:
“Oh, I easily gave him the slip by sneaking down the servants’ stairway. Fannie and Nell will make a quick get-away later. Leave that to Fan. They’ll show up here during the evening. Fan will slip out from under his guns, all right.”
“Do you think he knew you?” Margate asked, while all three seated themselves on some empty boxes near the partly open door.
“Know me! Sure he knew me,” said Deland, still laughing icily. “I suspected what was coming when he sent up his card. The phony name did not blind me, not much!”
“By Jove, either Nick or Chick has seen and interviewed this rascal,” thought Patsy, easily hearing all that was said. “This must be Deland himself, who has been posing as Gerald Vaughn.”
“I sent Nell into the next room, which connects with Fan’s suite, and then told the bell hop to send him up.”
“Was he in disguise?”
“No, nothing doing,” grinned Deland, with teeth gleaming. “He wasn’t dead sure of us, you know, and he hoped we’d weaken when we saw him. He don’t know us, Jim.”
“You don’t suppose he knew me when we lugged out the stuff this morning, do you?” questioned Margate apprehensively.
“Or me, Mort?” put in Pitman.[Pg 32]