“Afterward, when I talked with Lenaire, he told me that Toulon had suggested his seeing Vandyke and sending a word of thanks to Clayton. That was covertly done to provide a plausible reason for going to Clayton’s room and getting Vandyke out of the way.”
“Undoubtedly.”
“I have cautioned Lenaire to keep his mouth shut about it. He fell for the suggestion and gave Toulon the message. Toulon then went up and got rid of Vandyke. Instead of returning to the dining room, however, he stole out-of-doors, where he was fixed up as you found him. In the meantime, made up to resemble Toulon, Dave Margate went up and downed Clayton in the manner described. Take it from me, Chick, that’s how the trick was done.”
“And all this, of course, is why you started Patsy on Toulon’s trail.”
“Certainly,” said Nick. “Lenaire and all of his assistants returned to New York in a car attached to the special train. I put Patsy wise to my suspicions and sent him along in disguise to shadow the rascal.”
“But what do you make of Patsy’s telegram?”
Nick took it from his pocket. It had been received at two o’clock that morning, dated from New York at one, and it contained only the following terse sentences:
“Toulon has telephoned long distance. Don’t know what. Heard only a man’s name, Beardly. Find him and get next. Am still trailing Toulon. Patsy.”
Nick read the message aloud and returned it to his pocket.
“It admits of only one interpretation,” he added. “The special arrived in New York about midnight. Toulon, as soon as he was at liberty, evidently telephoned to a man named Beardly. Patsy could overhear only that name, but he knows that Beardly is located in this section, or he would not have wired us to find and investigate him.”