“Where was Marcos when he vanished?”
“The last seen of him was when he went into his bedroom to lie down for a nap. He is not strong, and Phillips advised him to take a sleep. He thought that a good idea, and Phillips went with him. My cousin leaned on his arm, and I noticed how pale and weak he seemed as he left the library, where he had been sitting.”
“What does Phillips say about the disappearance? How long did he stay in the bedroom?”
“Only while my cousin lay down on the outside of the bed, with a quilt over him. Phillips put the quilt on, saw that he was comfortable, and that the electric-bell button, hanging loosely to a wire, was within reach of his hand on the pillow, so that he could call any one he might want without getting up. He told Jason to look in now and then, without disturbing my cousin.”
“Who is this Jason? Was he born in Joyalita?”
“No. I think he came from New York about a year ago,” replied the girl. “I am not sure. You know, English is the tongue generally spoken in Joyalita, although there is some little Spanish. Jason speaks English, but I fancy I detect a certain twang that you hear from many people in New York, especially those who were born there.”
“We’ll have Jason into the library and hear what he has to say,” announced Nick, as he went into that room with Claudia.
“Jason has gone!”
It was the cool voice of Phillips. He had heard the conversation between Claudia and the detective, and had followed them into the library.
“Where’s he gone?” demanded Nick Carter.