CHAPTER X
The events of the Versailles road left Grace Duvall in a high state ofgood humor. The plan she had suggested had been a success--at least sofar as her own part in it was concerned. How Monsieur Lefevre had fared,she did not yet know. She looked down at the brown paper package sheheld in her hand, and ordered Valentin to drive to the Prefecture.
The day had been an eventful one. Immediately after breakfast Grace hadgone to Mr. Stapleton's house and had a long interview with Mrs.Stapleton. That lady, apparently quite prostrated from worry and alarmover the fate of her son, received her in her boudoir, where she lay, acharming picture, upon a divan.
Grace had no more than entered the room, when she detected the odor ofcigarette smoke, faint but unmistakable. She glanced at the table whichstood beside the divan upon which Mrs. Stapleton lay. On it, a tinyporcelain ash receiver contained a fluffy mass of gray-white ashes, andthe half smoked remains of a cigarette. The tip, partly covered by theashes, was of gold.
The girl engaged her hostess in a long conversation, quieting her fears,which seemed real enough, and predicting the early recovery of her boy.It was quite evident that Mrs. Stapleton was terribly nervous. No doubtthis accounted for the cigarettes. Although Grace did not use themherself, she knew how their quieting effect on the nerves made themalmost necessities, at times, to their devotees.
Presently she observed that Mrs. Stapleton held within her left hand,concealed beneath the folds of her kimono, a small pasteboard box, a boxof cigarettes. Grace determined upon a bold move.
"May I have one of your cigarettes, Mrs. Stapleton?" she asked, in hersweetest manner. "I've forgotten to bring any with me--and--you know howit is."
Mrs. Stapleton's features relaxed into something approaching a smile.She had been lying there wondering whether she dared offer one to Grace,and thus be able to sooth her own overstrained nerves. She broughtforth the box and extended it toward her visitor. Grace took one of thetiny cylinders and lit it. _It was of the same make as the one she hadsecured in Alphonse Valentin's room!_
She took her departure a little later, wondering greatly. The wholeaffair had begun to take on an air of baffling contradiction.
She spent the rest of the morning, and most of the afternoon, searchingthe houses near the point on the road to Versailles indicated byValentin. With her were three men from the Prefect's office--silent,able men, in plain clothes, who pretended to be keepers from the _Jardindes Plantes_, in search of a dangerous cobra, which was supposed to haveescaped from its cage the night before.
The terrified householders threw open their doors with unassumedalacrity. The suggestion of a deadly reptile lurking in their gardenswas a veritable open sesame. Yet no traces of the missing boy werefound, and, more remarkable still, Grace was unable to identify any ofthe many gardens as the one in which she had seen the child playing withthe spaniel. This disappointed her greatly. She knew well that, ifValentin was telling the truth, the garden was here; yet, although theyvisited every house within a quarter of a mile, they were unable tolocate it. She remembered now that in her agitation, her eagerexamination of the child, she had not fixed upon her mind any salientpoint in the garden itself. All that she remembered was a bit of grass,a gravel walk, and the child playing with the dog. A dozen of the littleenclosures presented similar features. She returned to the prefecture,baffled.
"The fellow is undoubtedly lying," had been Monsieur Lefevre's comment."He is trying to throw you off the track, in order to protect the nurse,and possibly Mrs. Stapleton as well. I should not be surprised to findthat the boy's mother is the guilty person."
Grace did not agree with him; so she said nothing. In spite of the factthat Mrs. Stapleton used cigarettes similar to those which seemed insome queer way to be at the bottom of the mystery, she had an intuitivefeeling that the grief which the banker's wife showed was entirely real.
At half past seven, Grace left the prefecture in a high-powered car,furnished by Monsieur Lefevre. Alphonse Valentin was at the wheel. Inher hand she held a pocket electric searchlight, across the front ofwhich had been affixed a circular bit of blue glass.
At ten minutes to eight she arrived at Versailles. She at once orderedValentin to turn and drive back toward Paris at moderate speed. She didnot take him into her confidence regarding what she proposed to do, butkept a keen watch for the car containing Mr. Stapleton.
Her plan had worked. Mr. Stapleton, seeing her signal, had tossed herthe package of money--she only hoped that the other part of her plan hadbeen carried out with equal success.
The other part of the plan had been this: Monsieur Lefevre, who in buildand general appearance was not unlike Mr. Stapleton, was to follow thelatter's car in a machine of the same make and general appearance. Hewas to be driven by a chauffeur made up to resemble Francoissufficiently to be mistaken for him in the dim light of early evening.He himself was to make such alterations in his appearance and dress aswould enable him to pass, under a cursory examination, for Stapleton. Inthe bottom of the car two armed men lay concealed.
When the car containing Mr. Stapleton turned back toward Paris, afterhaving unwittingly delivered the money to Grace, the Prefect wouldcontinue on toward Versailles. He would know that the car containing thekidnappers was still ahead of him; since, had it not been, it, insteadof Grace's car, would have signaled Mr. Stapleton.
Grace had started out from Versailles especially early, convinced thatthe kidnappers would not leave there until eight, at least. In thisassumption she was correct. The car containing the kidnappers was, atthat moment, creeping toward Paris some two miles in her rear, lookingeverywhere for Mr. Stapleton.
The Prefect pursued his way toward Versailles in anxious expectancy.Each moment he thought to see the blue signal flash from the variouscars which passed him. When it came, his men were to spring up, and atonce bring the other car to a standstill by firing their guns, heavilycharged with buckshot, at its wheels. A punctured tire, and the thingwas done. His men, assisted by the chauffeur, would then overpower theoccupants of the other car before they could realize what had happened.In it they hoped to find the child.
The plan was well conceived; but unfortunately it did not work.Whatever the reason, none of the cars which passed the Prefect on hisway to Versailles displayed the telltale blue light. All seemed butpeaceable automobilists, intent on reaching Paris and its restaurants asquickly as possible. Had his disguise been penetrated? He could notbelieve it. He returned to the Prefecture in great disgust, wondering inwhat way matters had gone wrong.
Grace was waiting for him, an eager smile on her face. "Here is themoney," she said, placing the package on his desk. "Did you get themen?"
"No." The Prefect flung himself into a chair. "They did not signal."
"But why, I wonder?" The failure of her plan was extremely annoying.
"I can think of but one reason. There must have been some way in whichthese fellows knew the Stapleton car when they approached it--somesignal, perhaps, that I was unable to give."
"But no such signal was mentioned in the instructions I brought to Mr.Stapleton. He gave none, as we approached him."
"Did you observe anything peculiar about the appearance of his car,anything that might have served as a clue to enable these fellows torecognize it, even in the dark, with certainty?"
Grace thought a moment, then her face fell. "There was one thing that Inoticed as Mr. Stapleton's car came up to us; but I am afraid I failedto realize its significance at the time."
"What was it?"
"The electric headlight on the side nearest to me was working verybadly. In fact, it seemed to be almost out. The other was burningbrilliantly."
The Prefect sprang to his feet. "Sacre!" he exclaimed. "Of course. Thething is as plain as the nose on your face!"
"But who--"
"Francois! The fellow is in this thing up to his neck. _He_ claims to havebeen asleep when the boy was stolen. _He_ drives the car which bringsyou back, after your abduction. _He_, disguised,
steals the box ofcigarettes. _He_ fixes the lights so that the kidnappers are advised,not only beyond any doubt that they are signaling the right car, butthat all is safe--that Monsieur Stapleton has no detectives or membersof the police hidden in his tonneau. The thing is perfectly clear.Believe me, my child, had there been anyone in that car with Mr.Stapleton, those lights would have both been burning with equalbrightness, as mine were. They did not give me the signal, when theypassed me, because the lights failed to tell them that all was well."
Grace looked up quickly. "Then, if that is true, Francois knew that Mr.Stapleton had thrown the money into the wrong car."
"Undoubtedly, and by this time, no doubt, his confederates know it aswell. Naturally the child has not been delivered. We are just where wewere before."
"You will arrest Francois at once, I suppose."
"No. It will be useless. By leaving him free, we may learn something. Bylocking him up, with no tangible evidence against him, we accomplishnothing at all."
"Then what do you advise?"
"You will return the money to Mr. Stapleton at once. You can tell him,if you wish, how it came into your possession. He will be furious, ofcourse; but he must understand that the capture of these scoundrels isquite as important to the city of Paris as the recovery of his son. Wehave done our best, and failed. We must try again."
"Richard was at the Porte de Versailles," remarked Grace, quietly. "Hetried to stop my car."
"Yes. I saw him. He is coming here at once."
The girl rose, in nervous haste. "I must go, then. It would be mostunwise to have him find me here."
There was a quick knock at the door. The Prefect rose, and opened it;then turned to Grace with a grim smile. "Your husband is waiting in theanteroom," he whispered.
"But--what shall I do?"
"Wait in here." Monsieur Lefevre opened the door which led to hisprivate office. "You can hear everything quite plainly. From what youtell me, I should not be surprised if he insisted upon your arrest atonce."
"It isn't fair to him. Poor Richard! I'm afraid he'll never forgive mefor all this."
"Nonsense! You are engaged in a very laudable attempt to recover Mrs.Stapleton's child. So is he. Your interests are identical. Only," hepaused with a significant smile, "from my standpoint, I should muchprefer that the credit for the boy's recovery should belong to thepolice of Paris, of which you, for the time being, are one."
Richard Duvall came into the Prefect's office, somewhat ill at ease. Theroom, familiar to him because of the events of the past, reminded himforcibly of Grace--who had, indeed been upon his mind constantly for thepast few days. It was here, in this very room, that she had first toldhim that she loved him--during the exciting pursuit of Victor Girard,and the million francs. He gazed about at its familiar aspect, andsighed.
"Sit down, my dear Duvall," said the Prefect, shaking hands with himwarmly. "What, may I ask, brings you to Paris, at the cost ofinterrupting your honeymoon? I had supposed that nothing could be ofsufficient importance for that. In fact, had I known you would considerit for a moment, I should have cabled to you, to give me your assistancein a most trying case."
"What case, Monsieur?"
"The mysterious kidnapping of the child of Monsieur Stapleton."
"It is that very case that brings me to Paris. I am in Mr. Stapleton'semploy."
Monsieur Lefevre affected to be greatly surprised. "Is it possible,_mon ami_? That is bad news indeed. This fellow Stapleton no longer hasconfidence in my office. He retains you to do that which he believes Ishall fail to do. I am sorry, my dear Duvall, that we are on oppositesides of the fence."
"But, Monsieur, I did not know that you wanted me. Mr. Stapleton is anold friend. I could not refuse to come to his assistance."
Lefevre's eyes twinkled. "Have you made any progress, then, my friend?"
"Yes. Tonight I put in operation a plan whereby I might identify anautomobile containing the kidnappers, into which Mr. Stapleton had beendirected to throw a package containing one hundred thousand dollars."
"Indeed. You interest me. And did you succeed in identifying it?"
"I did. I stopped the car, at the Porte de Versailles. I knew it to bethe one into which the money had been thrown. The car was driven by aman named Alphonse Valentin, whom I have every reason to suspect isconcerned in this affair. Its only other occupant was a woman--whom Imet last night in Valentin's rooms, and who brought Mr. Stapleton amessage from the kidnappers. This woman is, I believe, at the bottom ofthe whole thing."
"Indeed. And did you arrest her?"
"No. She claims to be an agent of your office. Vernet, who was at thegates at my request, refused to place her and her companion underarrest. She got away with Mr. Stapleton's money. I believe, MonsieurLefevre, that you are being made a fool of by a member of your ownstaff."
The Prefect leaned over, and picked up the package containing the moneywhich lay upon his desk. "I do not agree with you, my friend. Here isMonsieur Stapleton's money."
Duvall started back in his chair, amazed. "Good Lord, Chief, am I losingmy senses? What is this affair, anyway, a joke?"
"Far from it, Monsieur Duvall. The criminals are still at large. The boyis in their hands. We must recover him."
"But--this money--"
"I arranged to get it, in order to prevent Monsieur Stapleton frommaking a fool of himself. I wish to capture these men--not to let themblackmail him out of half a million francs."
"Had you not interfered, Monsieur Lefevre, they would have been in myhands, by now. I would have had them safely the moment they attempted toenter Paris. I knew their car."
The Prefect was filled with curiosity. "How?" he asked.
"My means of a device with which Mr. Stapleton's car was equipped, thebody of the one into which he threw the money was spattered with redpaint. I could have identified it anywhere."
"My dear Duvall! I feel that I should beg your pardon. Your plan wascleverness itself, and I will admit that, had I not interfered, youwould in all probability have captured these men. I did not know whatyou had done, of course. Yet in their escape I have one consolation. Itwould have been extremely distasteful to me, to have had Mr. Stapletonboast that a private detective in his employ had succeeded, where thepolice of Paris had failed."
"Then it would appear, Monsieur," said Duvall somewhat stiffly, "that weare, in this matter at least, in opposition."
"Let us rather say, my friend, in competition." He placed his hand onDuvall's shoulder. "You must not blame me, if I feel a pride in myoffice. When you were working for the city of Paris, you, too, feltthat pride. I am truly sorry that I have not the benefit of yourservices now. However, I think you will admit, _mon ami_, that the youngwoman who is handing this case is no mean adversary." The Prefectregarded the detective with a quizzical smile, behind which his eyestwinkled merrily.
"Who is this woman?" asked Duvall, quickly.
"Her name is--Goncourt--Estelle Goncourt."
"A Frenchwoman?"
"Partly. I believe her mother was English." The twinkle in his eyespread--he smiled upon the detective with expansive good humor. "Why doyou ask?"
"You will think it strange, perhaps, Monsieur Lefevre, but when I firstsaw Miss Goncourt, she reminded me strongly of my wife."
"Of Grace?"
"Yes. Have you not observed it?"
"Now that you speak of it, perhaps there is something similar in themanner--the carriage. But your wife, my dear Duvall, is a blonde, whileMademoiselle Goncourt is decidedly a brunette."
"Yes. Of course. But, nevertheless, the resemblance is striking." Herose to go. "I hope, Monsieur, that this kidnapped boy may be restoredto his father very soon. I am anxious to return to America."
"What! Leave Paris so quickly? My dear Duvall, I thought you Americansloved our city so well, that you never wanted to leave it."
"Paris is all right, Monsieur; but," he laughed heartily, "I must getback to my wife and my farm. I was forced to leave in the very middle ofmy sp
ring plowing."
The Prefect roared. "You--a farmer! Mon Dieu! How droll! Potatoes, Isuppose, and chickens, and dogs, and pigs--"
"Exactly--and, believe me, Monsieur, they are more to my liking, thanall the gaieties of Paris. Some day you must make us a visit, and seefor yourself." He turned toward the door.
"I shall, Duvall, I shall. But first we have to find this boy. What doyou propose to do next?"
Duvall smiled. "What do you?" he retorted.
"A bottle of champagne, my friend, and a dinner at the Cafe Royale, thatwe find the child before you do!"
"Done! Now I'll be off. Good night."
The Prefect was still laughing when Grace peeped in from the privateoffice, to find that Richard had gone. "I think it's a shame to treathim so," she said. "The poor fellow! And he _would_ have gotten thekidnappers, if we hadn't interfered."
Monsieur Lefevre picked up the package containing Mr. Stapleton's moneyand placed it carefully in his safe. "Tomorrow you must return it tohim," he said. "And then, I would suggest that you keep a close watchupon Mrs. Stapleton. My men have not been keeping her undersurveillance. We have had no suspicions of her whatever. She may, if sheis concerned in this matter, be imprudent enough to attempt to visit thechild."
"And if not?"
"Then watch Francois. If nothing comes of your efforts in eitherdirection, I fear that we must wait for the kidnappers to make the nextmove. Of course there is Valentin--"
"Valentin is innocent."
"How do you know that?"
"I have watched him. He did everything in his power, tonight, to assistme. Had he been in league with the kidnappers, he could, after he knewthat I had secured the money, easily have driven the car to some quietspot and taken it from me. I was waiting for some such move; but he, asyou know, did not attempt it. I am sure that he is doing his best toassist us."
"In that event, perhaps you can induce him to tell you the secret of thebox of cigarettes. I feel sure that this knowledge would go far towardsolving the entire affair."
"I'll have a talk with him tomorrow."
"Good! And now, if you are ready, we will return home at once."
"Dear old Richard!" said Grace, as the Prefect helped her into hisautomobile. "I wish I were with him tonight."
Lefevre smiled, and patted her hand. "So do I, my dear. But, remember,you have only to find Mr. Stapleton's child, and you can return to yourchickens and your cows with the knowledge that you have done both hisparents and myself an inestimable service."
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