Spy stories; Washington (D.C.) -- Fiction; World War, 1914-1918 -- Fiction
Miller read the two words, then drew out a pencil. "Divide the word
'Trenton' to 'Trent on' and it reads: 'Trent on, hurry.' Yesterday
afternoon I met a man named Hartzmann; he had known Karl intimately, and
before I left him I realized something had aroused his suspicions. In
New York he communicated with Buenos Ayres, found my whereabouts was
unknown to my family, and jumped to the conclusion that I was
impersonating my cousin."
"How do you know that?" demanded Foster.
"The Secret Service operative shadowing Hartzmann notified me of it
today," answered Miller. "Obviously Hartzmann neglected to give any key
to his dispatch to Heinrich, and the latter must have been entirely in
the dark as to the real meaning of the warning. Von Fincke, whom
Hartzmann apparently relied on to enlighten Heinrich, is out of town."
"Was it the operative's message to you about Hartzman which brought you
here tonight?" asked Foster.
"No; I came hoping for an opportunity to examine Mr. Whitney's studio,
and used a key to the front door which I had had made without Heinrich's
knowledge. I thought by examining the studio I could find out who really
went there last night; Heinrich brought me a set of the finger prints,
and their startling resemblance to mine convinced me that a plot,
devilish in its ingenuity, was being concocted and an attempt made to
involve me in their machinations. On my way to the studio I saw Heinrich
creeping downstairs and followed him. I never for one moment suspected
Mrs. Whitney."
"Nor did anyone else," agreed Foster. "Except that Heinrich was shocked
into confession by his having unintentionally killed Mrs. Whitney,
thinking her Julie, we might never have learned the whole truth.
Mitchell, after seeing Vincent's note to the Secretary of State, was
thoroughly convinced you were guilty. By the way, Kiametia, what kept you
so long upstairs when Mitchell asked you to find out if Miller was with
Miss Kathleen?"
"Searching for that hypodermic needle; I believed Kathleen had
taken it back."
"Did you see Mrs. Whitney upstairs?"
"No, I stopped for a moment in Winslow's room, and the nurse told me
Minna had gone to her bedroom to lie down."
"What possessed her to go to the sub-cellar?" asked Foster.
"Probably a demon of unrest, or she may have had some message to leave
for Heinrich," suggested Miller. "When he grappled with her in the dark
she undoubtedly thought him a detective and dared not call out for fear
of disclosing her identity. Probably she thought Heinrich out of the
house, and never dreamed of his attacking her."
"And Heinrich mistook her for me." Julie's eyes glowed. "The hand of
God! But, monsieur, why did you advise that I stay away from
mademoiselle, and take me to that dreadful house?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account