CHAPTER VIII
Whole flocks of detectives, reporters, and newspaper artists appeared atSeven Oaks early next morning. It had been too late to press aninvestigation the night before. The newspapers had only timetelephonically to confirm the return of the plate. Now the investigatorsunanimously voiced one sentiment: "Show us!"
Hatch arrived in the party headed by Detective Mallory, with Downey andCunningham trailing. Blanton was off somewhere with his little list,presumably still at it. Mr. Randolph had not come down to breakfast whenthe investigators arrived, but had given his servant permission toexhibit the plate, the wrappings in which it had come, and the stringwherewith it had been tied.
The plate arrived in a heavy paper-board box, covered twice over with aplain piece of stiff brown paper, which had no markings save theaddress and the "paid" stamp of the express company. Detective Mallorydevoted himself first to the address. It was:
MR. STUYVESANT RANDOLPH, "Seven Oaks," via Merton.
In the upper left-hand corner were scribbled the words:
From John Smith, State Street, Watertown.
Detectives Mallory, Downey, and Cunningham studied the handwriting onthe paper minutely.
"It's a man's," said Detective Downey.
"It's a woman's," said Detective Cunningham.
"It's a child's," said Detective Mallory.
"Whatever it is, it is disguised," said Hatch.
He was inclined to agree with Detective Cunningham that it was a woman'spurposely altered, and in that event--Great Caesar! There came that flockof seven-column heads again! And he couldn't open the bottle!
The simple story of the arrival of the gold plate at Seven Oaks was toldthrillingly by the servant.
"It was eight o'clock last night," he said. "I was standing in the hallhere. Mr. and Mrs. Randolph were still at the dinner table. They dinedalone. Suddenly I heard the sound of waggon-wheels on the granolithicroad in front of the house. I listened intently. Yes, it waswaggon-wheels."
The detectives exchanged significant glances.
"I heard the waggon stop," the servant went on in an awed tone. "Still Ilistened. Then came the sound of footsteps on the walk and then on thesteps. I walked slowly along the hall toward the front door. As I did sothe bell rang."
"Yes, ting-a-ling-a-ling, we know. Go on," Hatch interruptedimpatiently.
"I opened the door," the servant continued. "A man stood there with apackage. He was a burly fellow. 'Mr. Randolph live here?' he askedgruffly. 'Yes,' I said. 'Here's a package for him,' said the man. 'Signhere.' I took the package and signed a book he gave me, and--and----"
"In other words," Hatch interrupted again, "an expressman brought thepackage here, you signed for it, and he went away?"
The servant stared at him haughtily.
"Yes, that's it," he said coldly.
A few minutes later Mr. Randolph in person appeared. He glanced at Hatchwith a little surprise in his manner, nodded curtly, then turned to thedetectives.
He could not add to the information the servant had given. His plate hadbeen returned, pre-paid. The matter was at an end so far as he wasconcerned. There seemed to be no need of further investigation.
"How about the jewelry that was stolen from your other guests?" demandedDetective Mallory.
"Of course, there's that," said Mr. Randolph. "It had passed out of mymind."
"Instead of being at an end this case has just begun," the detectivedeclared emphatically.
Mr. Randolph seemed to have no further interest in the matter. Hestarted out, then turned back at the door, and made a slight motion toHatch which the reporter readily understood. As a result Hatch and Mr.Randolph were closeted together in a small room across the hall a fewminutes later.
"May I ask your occupation, Mr. Hatch?" inquired Mr. Randolph.
"I'm a reporter," was the reply.
"A reporter?" Mr. Randolph seemed surprised. "Of course, when I saw youin Mr. Herbert's rooms," he went on after a little pause, "I met youonly as his friend. You saw what happened there. Now, may I ask you whatyou intend to publish about this affair?"
Hatch considered the question a moment. There seemed to be no objectionto telling.
"I can't publish anything until I know everything, or until the policeact," he confessed frankly. "I had been talking to Dick Herbert in ageneral way about this case when you arrived yesterday. I knew severalthings, or thought I did, that the police do not even suspect. But, ofcourse, I can print only just what the police know and say."
"I'm glad of that--very glad of it," said Mr. Randolph. "It seems tohave been a freak of some sort on Mr. Herbert's part, and, candidly, Ican't understand it. Of course he returned the plate, as I knew hewould."
"Do you really believe he is the man who came here as the Burglar?"asked Hatch curiously.
"I should not have done what you saw me do if I had not been absolutelycertain," Mr. Randolph explained. "One of the things, particularly, thatwas called to my attention--I don't know that you know of it--is thefact that the Burglar had a cleft in his chin. You know, of course, thatMr. Herbert has such a cleft. Then there is the invitation-card with hisname. Everything together makes it conclusive."
Mr. Randolph and the reporter shook hands. Three hours later the pressand police had uncovered the Watertown end of the mystery as to how theexpress package had been sent. It was explained by the driver of anexpress waggon there and absorbed by greedily listening ears.
"The boss told me to call at No. 410 State Street and get a bundle," thedriver explained. "I think somebody telephoned to him to send thewaggon. I went up there yesterday morning. It's a small house, back acouple of hundred feet from the street, and has a stone fence around it.I opened the gate, went in, and rang the bell.
"No one answered the first ring, and I rang again. Still nobody answeredand I tried the door. It was locked. I walked around the house, thinkingthere might be somebody in the back, but it was all locked up. I figuredas how the folks that had telephoned for me wasn't in, and started outto my waggon, intending to stop by later.
"Just as I got to the gate, going out, I saw a package set down inside,hidden from the street behind the stone fence, with a dollar bill on it.I just naturally looked at it. It was the package directed to Mr.Randolph. I reasoned as how the folks who 'phoned had to go out and leftthe package, so I took it along. I made out a receipt to John Smith, thename that was in the corner, and pinned it to a post, took the packageand the money and went along. That's all."
"You don't know if the package was there when you went in?" he wasasked.
"I dunno. I didn't look. I couldn't help but see it when I came out, soI took it."
Then the investigators sought out "the boss."
"Did the person who 'phoned give you a name?" inquired DetectiveMallory.
"No, I didn't ask for one."
"Was it a man or a woman talking?"
"A man," was the unhesitating reply. "He had a deep, heavy voice."
The investigators trailed away, dismally despondent, toward No. 410State Street. It was unoccupied; inquiry showed that it had beenunoccupied for months. The Supreme Intelligence picked the lock and theinvestigators walked in, craning their necks. They expected, at theleast, to find a thieves' rendezvous. There was nothing but dirt, anddust, and grime. Then the investigators returned to the city. They hadfound only that the gold plate had been returned, and they knew thatwhen they started.
Hatch went home and sat down with his head in his hands to add up all hedidn't know about the affair. It was surprising how much there was ofit.
"Dick Herbert either did or didn't go to the ball," he soliloquised."_Something_ happened to him that evening. He either did or didn't stealthe gold plate, and every circumstance indicates that he did--which, ofcourse, he didn't. Dorothy Meredith either was or was not at the ball.The maid's statement shows that she was, yet no one there recognisedher--which indicates that she wasn't. She either did or didn't run aw
aywith somebody in an automobile. Anyhow, something happened to _her_,because she's missing. The gold plate is stolen, and the gold plate isback. I know _that_, thank Heaven! And now, knowing more about thisaffair than any other single individual, I don't know _anything_."
PART II
THE GIRL AND THE PLATE