Michael went back to his rooms with a light heart. It was the kind of job that he liked better than any other. He had not told the chief all his suspicions. Kate’s game was a big one. High-flyer as she was, she was out for a height record--that he realised. There was some association between her month with Lord Flanborough and the careful cultivation of Reggie Boltover’s acquaintance. When he came to think of it she must have met Boltover while she was still with Flanborough. He had taken it for granted that the girl was a resident secretary but possibly he had arrived at this conclusion in error. So it proved next morning when he called Lord Flanborough’s house on the telephone and had a private conversation with the butler. The young lady, during the time she had been at Felton House, had left every afternoon at four o’clock. A little talk with the stage manager at the theatre showed that the girl had never attended any of the morning rehearsals and had missed one of the matinées. Michael saw this part of the scheme plainly enough. Kate, through her spies, had discovered that Boltover had an acquaintance who had a friend at the theatre. She had come to the stage with no other object than making a friend of the girl who all unwittingly was the instrument by which she was to meet Reggie. The detective knew that this was no chance acquaintance. He followed the manœuvres of Kate through all their devious paths. He took the opportunity in the afternoon to call upon Reggie at his office which was something between a board room and a boudoir. Reggie’s theoretical interests were multifarious. He was the nominal head of a dozen different corporations which his industrious father had created for his profit. In practice he knew very little about any of them and nothing about some. “I hope your lady was not alarmed,” said Michael, with spurious anxiety. “Oh, no, the lady was not alarmed; oh, no,” said Reggie, shaking his head violently. “Oh, dear no. She was not alarmed. Of course, it would have been different if she had been alone, but being with me, naturally she--er she--er was not alone.” “Naturally,” agreed Michael. “No, she was not alarmed,” said Mr. Boltover, “in fact, she was very cool, remarkably cool. I have never seen anybody so cool.” “I hope when you see her again,” said Michael, “you will tell her I asked.” “Certainly,” said Mr. Boltover heartily; “certainly I shall tell her you asked.” And he added after a moment, “When I meet her again.” “She seemed, if you will forgive the impertinence, so interested in everything,” encouraged Michael. “You are quite right,” said Reggie eagerly, “you are perfectly right. That just describes her. She is interested in everything.” “It is nice to meet people who are interested in one’s business,” Michael went on artlessly. “I never mind people being interested in my business, do you?”