I dont think there was any woman present at that time, I returned. The hatpin was, doubtless, left by a woman caller, but weve no reason to suppose she was there at the same time the shooting occurred.
I cant think of any reason why anyone should shoot Mr. Gately, said Talcott, musingly. He is a most estimable gentleman, the soul of honor and uprightness.
Of course, I assented; but has he no personal enemies?
None that I know of, and it is highly improbable, anyway. He is not a politician, or, indeed, a public man of any sort. He is exceedingly charitable, but he rarely makes known his good deeds. He has let it be known that he wishes his benefactions kept quiet.
What are his tastes? I asked, casually.
Simple in the extreme. He rarely takes a vacation, and though his home is on a magnificent scale, he doesnt entertain very much. I have heard that Miss Raynor pleads in vain for him to be more of a society man.
She is his ward?
Yes; no relation, although she calls him uncle. I believe he was a college chum of Miss Raynors father, and when the girl was left alone in the world, he took her to live with him, and took charge of her fortune.
A large one?
Fairly so, I believe. Enough to tempt the fortune-hunters, anyway, and Mr. Gately frowns on any young man who approaches him with a request for Olive Raynors hand.
Perhaps the caller today was a suitor.
Oh, I hardly think a man would come armed on such an errand. No; to me, the most mysterious thing about it all, is why anyone should desire to harm Mr. Gately. It must have been a homicidal maniac, if there is really such a being.
The most mysterious part to me, I rejoined, is how they both got away so quickly. You see, I stood in my doorway opposite, looking at them, and then as soon as I heard the shot I ran to the middle door as fast as I could, then to the third room door, and then back to the first. Of course, had I known which room was which, I should have gone to door number one first. But, as you see, I was in the hall, going from one door to another, and I must have seen the men if they came out into the hall from any door.
They left room number three, as you entered number one, said Norah, carefully thinking it out.
That must be so, but where did they go? Why, if Mr. Gately went downstairs, has he not been visible since? I cant help feeling that Amos Gately is unable to move, for some reason or other. May he have been kidnaped? Or is he bound and gagged in some unused room, say on the floor below this?
No, said Talcott, briefly. Without saying anything about it I put one of the bank clerks on the hunt and I told him to look into every room in the building. As he has not reported, he hasnt yet found Mr. Gately.
And then, Olive Raynor arrived.
I shall never forget that first sight of her. Heralded by a fragrant whiff of fresh violets, she came into the first room, and paused at the doorway of the middle room, where we still sat.
Framed in the mahogany door-casing, the lovely bit of femininity seemed a laughing bundle of furs, velvets, and laces.
Whats the matter? said a soft, sweet voice. Has Uncle Amos run away? I hope he is in a sheltered place for theres a ferocious storm coming up and the wind is blowing a gale.
The nodding plumes on her hat tossed as she raised her head inquiringly and looked about.
What do I smell? she exclaimed; its like like pistol-smoke!
It is, Mr. Talcott said. But theres no pistol here now
How exciting! Whats it all about? Do tell me.
Clearly the girl apprehended no serious matter. Her wide-open eyes showed curiosity and interest, but no thought of trouble had as yet come to her.
She stepped further into the room, and throwing back her furs revealed a slender graceful figure, quick of movement and of exquisite poise. Neither dark nor very fair, her wavy brown hair framed a face whose chief characteristic seemed to be its quickly changing expressions. Now smiling, then grave, now wondering, then merry, she looked from one to another of us, her big brown eyes coming to rest at last on Norah.
Who are you? she asked, with a lovely smile that robbed the words of all curtness.
I am Norah MacCormack, Miss Raynor, my stenographer replied. I am in Mr. Brices office, across the hall. This is Mr. Brice.
There was no reason why Norah should be the one to introduce me, but we were all a little rattled, and Mr. Talcott, who, of course, was the one to handle the situation, seemed utterly at a loss as to how to begin.
How do you do, Mr. Brice? and Miss Raynor flashed me a special smile. And now, Mr. Talcott, tell me whats the matter? I see something has happened. What is it?
She was grave enough now. She had suddenly realized that there was something to tell, and she meant to have it told.
I dont know, Miss Raynor, Talcott began, whether anything has happened, or not. I mean, anything serious. We that is, we dont know where Mr. Gately is.
Go on. That of itself doesnt explain your anxious faces.
So Talcott told her, told her just what we knew ourselves, which was so little and yet so mysterious.
Olive listened, her great, dark eyes widening with wonder. She had thrown off her fur coat and was seated in Amos Gatelys desk-chair, her dainty foot turning the chair on its swivel now and then.
Her muff fell to the floor, and, unconsciously, she drew off her gloves and dropped them upon it. She said no word during the recital, but her vivid face showed all the surprise and fear she felt as the tale was told.
Then, I dont understand, she said, simply. Do you think somebody shot Uncle Amos? Then where is he?
We dont understand, either, returned Talcott. We dont know that anybody shot him. We only know a shot was fired and Mr. Gately is missing.
Just then a man entered Jennys room, from the hall. He, too, paused in the doorway to the middle room.
Oh, Amory, come in! cried Miss Raynor. Im so glad youre here. This is Mr. Brice, and Miss MacCormack, Mr. Manning. Mr. Talcott, of course you know.
I had never met Amory Manning before, but one glance was enough to show how matters stood between him and Olive Raynor. They were more than friends, that much was certain.
I saw Mr. Manning downstairs, Miss Raynor said to Talcott, with a lovely flush, and as Uncle Amos doesnt well, he isnt just crazy over him, I asked him not to come up here with me, but to wait for me downstairs.
And as you were so long about coming down, I came up, said Mr. Manning, with a little smile. Whats this, what about a shot? Wheres Mr. Gately?
Talcott hesitated, but Olive Raynor poured out the whole story at once.
Manning listened gravely, and at the end, said simply: He must be found. How shall we set about it?
Thats what I dont know, replied Talcott.
Ill help, said Olive, briskly. I refuse to believe any harm has come to him. Lets call up his clubs.
Ive done that, said Talcott. I cant think he went away anywhere willingly.
How, then? cried Olive. Oh, wait a minute, I know something!
What? asked Talcott and I together, for the girls face glowed with her sudden happy thought.
Why, Uncle Amos has a private elevator of his own. He went down in that!
Where is it? asked Manning.
I dont know, and Olive looked about the room. And Uncle forbade me ever to mention it, but this is an emergency, isnt it? and Im justified, dont you think?
Yes, said Manning; tell all you know.
But thats all I do know. There is a secret elevator that nobody knows about. Surely you can find it.
Surely we can! said I, and jumping up, I began the search.
Nor did it take long. There were not very many places where a private entrance could be concealed, and I found it behind the big war map, in the third room.
The door was flush with the wall, and painted the same as the panel itself. The map simply hung on the door, but overlapped sufficiently to hide it. Thus the door was concealed, though not really difficult of discovery.
It wont open, I announced after a futile trial.
Automatic, said Talcott. You cant open that kind, when the car is down.
How do you know the car is down? I asked.
Because the door wont open. Well, it does seem probable that Mr. Gately went away by this exit, then.
And the woman, too, remarked Norah.
As before Mr. Talcott didnt object to Norahs participation in our discussion, in fact, he seemed rather to welcome it, and in a way, deferred to her opinions.
Perhaps so, he assented. Now, Miss Raynor, where does this elevator descend to? I mean, where does it open on the ground floor?
I dont know, Im sure, and the girl looked perplexed. Ive never been up or down in it. I shouldnt have known of it, but once Uncle let slip a chance reference to it, and when I asked him about it, he told me, but told me not to tell. You see, he uses it to get away from bores or people he doesnt want to see.
It ought to be easy to trace its shaft down through the floors, said Amory Manning. Though I suppose theres no opening on any floor until the street floor is reached.
Manning was a thoughtful-looking chap. Though we had never met before, I knew of him and I had an impression that he was a civil engineer or something like that. I felt drawn to him at once, for he had a pleasant, responsive manner and a nice, kindly way with him.
In appearance, he was scholarly, rather than business-like. This effect was probably due in part to the huge shell-rimmed glasses he wore. I cant bear those things myself, but some men seem to take to them naturally. For the rest, Manning had thick, dark hair, and he was a bit inclined to stoutness, but his goodly height saved him from looking stocky.
Well, I think we ought to investigate this elevator, said Talcott. Suppose you and I, Mr. Brice, go downstairs to see about it, leaving Miss Raynor and Mr. Manning here, in case, in case Mr. Gately returns.
I knew that Talcott meant, in case we should find anything wrong in the elevator, but he put it the more casual way, and Miss Raynor seemed satisfied.
Yes, do, she said, and well wait here till you come back. Of course, you can find where it lands, and oh, wait a minute! Maybe it opens in the next door building. I remember, sometimes when Ive been waiting in the car for Uncle, he has come out of the building next door instead of this one, and when I asked him why, he always turned the subject without telling me.
It may be, and Talcott considered the position of the shaft. Well, well see.
Norah discreetly returned to my offices, but I felt pretty sure she wouldnt go home, until something was found out concerning the mysterious disappearance.
On the street floor we could find no possible outlet for the elevator in question, and had it not been for Olives hint as to where to look, I dont know how we should have found it at all.
But on leaving the Trust Company Building, we found the place at last. At least, we found a door which was in the position where we supposed the elevator shaft would require it, and we tried to open it.
This we failed to do.
Looks bad, said Talcott, shaking his head. If Amos Gately is in there, its because hes unable to get out or unconscious.
He couldnt bring himself to speak the crueler word that was in both our minds, and he turned abruptly aside, as he went in search of the janitor or the superintendent of the building.
Left by myself I stared at the silent door. It was an ordinary-looking door, at the end of a small side passage which communicated with the main hall or lobby of the building. It was inconspicuous, and as the passage had an angle in it, Amos Gately could easily have gone in and out of that door without exciting comment.
Of course, the janitor would know all about it; and he did.
He returned with Mr. Talcott, muttering as he came.
I always said Mr. Gatelyd get caught in that thing yet! I dont hold with them automaticky things, so I dont. They may go all right for years and then cut up some trick on you. If that mans caught in there, he must be pretty sick by this time!
Does Mr. Gately use the thing much? I asked.
Not so very often, sir. Irregular like. Now, quite frequent, and then, again, sort of seldom. Well, we cant open it, Mr. Talcott. These things wont work, only just so. After anybody gets in, and shuts the door, it cant be opened except by pressing a button on the inside. Cant you get in upstairs?
No, said Talcott, shortly. Get help, then, and break the door down.
This was done, the splintered door fell away, and there, in a crumpled heap on the floor of the car, was Amos Gately, dead.
CHAPTER IV
The Black Squall
If I had thought Mr. Talcott somewhat indifferent before, I changed my opinion suddenly. His face turned a ghastly white and his eyes stared with horror. There was more than his grief for a friend, though that was evident enough, but his thoughts ran ahead to the larger issues involved by this murder of a bank president and otherwise influential financier.
For murder it was, beyond all doubt. The briefest examination showed Mr. Gately had been shot through the heart, and the absence of any weapon precluded the idea of suicide.
The janitor, overcome at the sight, was in a state bordering on collapse, and Mr. Talcott was not much more composed.
Mr. Brice, he said, his face working convulsively, this is a fearful calamity! What can it mean? Who could have done it? What shall we do?
Answering his last question first, I endeavored to take hold of the situation.
First of all, Mr. Talcott, we must keep this thing quiet for the moment. I mean, we must not let a crowd gather here, before the necessary matters are attended to. This passage must be guarded from intrusion, and the bank people must be notified at once. Suppose you and the janitor stay here, while I go back next door and tell tell whom?
Let me think, groaned Mr. Talcott, passing his hand across his forehead. Yes, please, Mr. Brice, do that go to the bank and tell Mr. Mason, the vice-president ask him to come here to me, then, there is Miss Raynor oh, how horrible it all is!
Also, we must call a doctor, I suggested, and, eventually, the police.
Must they be brought in? Yes, I suppose so. Well, Mr. Brice, if you will attend to those errands, I will stay here. But we must shut up that janitor!
The man, on the verge of collapse, was groaning and mumbling prayers, or something, as he rocked his big body back and forth.
See here, my man, I said, this is a great emergency and you must meet it and do your duty. That, at present, is to stay here with Mr. Talcott, and make sure that no one else comes into this small hall until some of Mr. Gatelys bank officers arrive. Also, cease that noise youre making, and see what you can do in the way of being a real help to us.