"But can't you stop these calls?" asked Loris. "Very easy. We could order the wires disconnected. But then we wouldn't catch our man. He would be suspicious and wait for another time." "The whole thing seems so strange, Mr. Drew. We're locked in here. The house is so well guarded. All they can do is 'phone and yet we--at least I am nervous. Why have I got that strange feeling?" "From experience!" declared Drew. "If we knew how your poor father was killed there wouldn't be cause for worry. We don't know. It was so subtle that we are confronted with the unknown in terrible form. You feel a shadow and so do I. A reaching shadow about this splendid house of yours. It isn't anything we can grasp and say, 'Come here! You're under arrest.' It's the uncanny mystery of the entire case that holds us three on the ragged-edge. I confess I have not been myself since last night. The powers of darkness and Lucifer, himself, have nothing on the people we are fighting." "How about running Morphy in the guard house, or whatever they have up there?" asked Nichols. "Why not lay the case before the warden and have him put out of harm's way? That's what they'd do in the Army!" "We can't prove a single thing on him!" declared Drew. "He used the 'phone--once or twice. Perhaps he has permission from the superintendent of state prisons to do so. He has business interests which require his telephoning, we'll say." "Then we're just going to wait right here?" asked Loris, stamping her slipper. "Wait right here and let them do their worst?" "The city detectives would do the same thing I'm doing," said Drew on the defensive. "They'd trap their men. Do you want to see the man or men who slayed your father, escape? He will, or they will, unless we give them enough rope to hang themselves." "Or wire!" said Nichols cheerfully. "No, Loris, Mr. Drew is right. He's done everything. All we have got to do, is wait. Let's sit down for a little while. Delaney said he might have word soon."