X.

In order to appreciate the above cryptic conversation, the reader should be permitted to sit in at a conference taking place in a suite almost directly under that of Count Markowski at the Waldorf. The rooms in question had been temporarily transformed into a headquarters from which Wilbur Gaylord was directing the search for his daughter and her abductors.

With him at the moment was his chief aid, John Keller, deputy chief of the United States Secret Service. And no more astute man hunter than Mr. Keller ever tapped a wanted criminal’s shoulder.

Gaylord was walking up and down the room, chewing fiercely at an unlighted cigar and scowling at a sheaf of papers that lay on the table in front of the detective.

“Of all the dog-goned nerve!” Gaylord was grumbling. “Of all the damned insolence! The others were bad enough, but this one takes the bun!”

The papers which Keller fingered and frowned at were messages sent from an unknown point and received at the private radio station atop the Gaylord Building in Philadelphia. Moreover, they had been sent in the intricate private code known only to Gaylord and one or two trusted employees.

Which was accounted for by the fact that, on the night of Eve Gaylord’s abduction, the personal code book of Wilbur Gaylord had been taken from his desk at his home.

The first message was picked up on the day following Eve’s disappearance, the second four days later, and the last had been received that afternoon. In other words, directly following the arrival of Count Markowski in America. Gaylord leaned over Keller’s shoulder now and scanned them in the order of their arrival. Decoded, they were as follows:

No. 1—

Your daughter is safe. She will not be harmed unless you make it absolutely necessary. Detailed instructions will be sent later. Call in the police if you like. It does not matter.

X.

No. 2—

Do not alarm yourself. You will be advised further in good time as to terms. Be prepared to part with one million dollars. Your daughter is well.

X.

No. 3, the message just received, the one over which Wilbur Gaylord was so exercised, contained the details promised:

Note carefully the following instructions. On the night of January 18 you will see to it that a plane leaves Mitchel Field, Long Island, at precisely eleven o’clock. If the night is not clear, the start will be made on the first clear night thereafter. The plane will carry, in addition to the usual navigating lights, a single spotlight which will be pointing straight up and will serve to identify the machine from others which may be aloft at that hour.

The plane will carry two parcels, carefully wrapped and padded and each containing five hundred thousand dollars in gold currency. These will be attached to parachutes of the proper size, and to the underside of the parcels will be affixed small electric torches, that their progress through the air may be noted.

Thus equipped, the pilot will fly over the course herewith given, namely, Rye, Port Chester, Stamford, Bridgeport, Milford, New Haven, Saybrook, New London, Willimantic, Putnam, Stafford Springs to Boston. He will keep a sharp lookout, and when he shall perceive on the ground an equilateral triangle, having at its respective corners a red, a white and a blue light, he shall at once release the parachutes to which are attached the parcels containing the money. He will then keep on his way. An attempt to land would be unhealthy, to say the least. If this is not clear, send a random message in your private code and it will be picked up, whereupon such further information as is required will be cheerfully given.

X.

“That,” quoth Keller, frowning at the sheet, “is certainly a knock-out! It’s the coolest thing I ever came across. Hello, there’s the phone ringing.”

Gaylord took up the receiver. “Yes. Yes. This is Mr. Gaylord. You have another code message. Read it off, please. Spell it out. Here, Keller, take this down.”

There followed a jumble of words quite unintelligible to an outsider, but when Keller had written them down and Gaylord had called them back for verification, the two men bent again over the code book which Gaylord produced from his pocket.

When the message had been translated the men looked at each other, and Gaylord said: “I’d give ten times a million to have that bird here in this room for just five minutes!”

The text of the radiogram was:

Neglected to state that failure to comply with our terms on the date set will increase the amount to be paid at the rate of fifty thousand dollars a day. So, really any delay will be all in our favor.

X.

Gaylord flung the paper aside and resumed his pacing of the room.

Keller watched him thoughtfully, and finally said: “One thing is certain, we are not dealing with pikers. It’s a syndicate, and apparently has a perfect organization. There are plenty of groups that operate like this—come out of retirement once in a blue moon with a neat scheme, pull it off and live easy for a long time. And that stuff is the hardest of all to balk.

“They are not ordinary, small-time criminals; you don’t find their records in the courts, except, perhaps, in the cases of a few underlings, and that seldom. Often a stunt like this will be pulled off just after the release from prison of some very smooth criminal. But I have been digging into that and can’t find that any very slick rogue has been turned loose in the last six months. It beats hell! What is your idea about this, Mr. Gaylord? You say you won’t pay.”

“I would drop something for them to pick up,” Gaylord snapped. “I would drop a couple of packages of dynamite—if it wasn’t for Eve. See here, Keller, I’m going to give these folks action—plenty of it. I don’t believe they would hurt Eve, and I know if she had anything to say about it she would say fight. If we can round up some of them, the others will be ready enough to drop her. But, of course, I would not want to take the slightest chance of harm coming to her. I have a plan.”

“Good, Mr. Gaylord. What’s the dope?”

“Well, I am going to get every detective and police officer in three States on the job. I’ll see the Governors of Connecticut and Massachusetts and get their coöperation. It will take an army of men, but we will pack that route with so many cops that after our friends pick up the dummy bundles we throw down to them they’ll think the circus has come to town.

“I’ll have hundreds, thousands of men, if necessary, under secret orders to report at certain points without knowing what they are there for until it is too late for a leak. Then they will fairly choke every damned road by which the crooks could make a getaway. How does the idea strike you, Keller?”

“It can be done,” Keller answered, “if it is handled right. As you say, there must be no chance of a leak. But it will cost a pile of money. However, that will not bother you. You had best let me arrange the details of having these officers report. I will see that they don’t know what it’s all about until the time comes.”

“Then,” said Gaylord, “then, we will have it out of them. They will carry on as if they had got the money or we will tear the hide off them. They will take us to their headquarters or I miss my guess! See the idea?”

“Sure. Force them to communicate with whoever is in charge of Miss Gaylord—and all that. Sure. It’s a big order, but we can handle it. Fortunately, we have the time.”

“We will get busy first thing in the morning, then.”