The Short Cut

by Jackson Gregory

  CHAPTER XXIV

  UNDER THE SURFACE

  Early in January there arrived in El Toyon a gentleman with a scrubbingbrush moustache, a pleasant, portly personality, a pair of twinklingblack eyes, a seemingly limitless amount of leisure, discriminatingtaste for liquors and cigars, a fountain pen and a check book. Thename he wrote upon the hotel register was Edward Kinsell. He disabusedthe mind of the proprietor, Charlie Granger, by assuring him that hewas not a drummer. In his genial way he was quite ready to tell allabout himself. He was an old bachelor, counting upon becoming thehusband of a great little woman just as soon as the courts had disposedof the present incumbent. He had been rolling down the rocky trail ata pretty swift gait in town, and his doctor had warned him that thelady In question would have been set free and would no doubt havechosen and elected another life partner before Mr. Kinsell found hisway to the church unless he took up the simple life.

  So Mr. Kinsell, having availed himself for a week or two of CharlieGranger's hospitality, found at last a vine twined cottage not too farfrom the hotel kitchen and barroom, and leased it forthwith. He playedmany games of poker, apparently possessed of a rare ability to playgood hands badly and poor hands well so that while he generally lost helost but little; he took up sleighing with great delight, usuallytaking a small boy along with him to drive; he amused himself writingdaily letters or picture postcards to the great little woman; he becamea friend of all the dogs in town; he bought drinks for the villagevagabonds; altogether he disported himself harmlessly and pleasantlyquite as a portly old bachelor with a scrubbing brush moustache shoulddo while seeking rejuvenation and awaiting a decree. He was alwaysupon the verge of entering some local project which he never entered.He made more friends in the six months of his stay--he left inJune,--than any other man in El Toyon had made in a year.

  He dined with the preacher and talked infant psychology with theteacher; he bet Charlie Granger ten dollars on a dog-fight over whichhe waxed red faced and enthusiastic; he got himself catalogued by thesaloon loungers as a hot sport; he evinced a warm interest in thecountry races to be run in the Spring. In that connection he learnedthat Granger held stakes amounting to ten thousand dollars on a singlerace that would never be run; he was informed that the money wasalready as good as Sledge Hume's. He became interested in Hume and inRed Reckless; he even went to the length of travelling into the DryLands to get a squint at Endymion, and then sought out Big Bill andstudied Little Saxon's good points. Everything in the world seemed tointerest Edward Kinsell.

  The winter slipped by and the herds went back to the mountain ranges.The Lelands were again at the Echo Creek. Time and a natural strongaffection had cooled the heat of passion in father and daughter. Loveand consanguinity narrowed the breach which lay between them, althoughthe rupture, if it ever healed completely, would leave its scar. Eachnature came to make certain allowances for the other; theirintercourse, though not intimate, was amicable. Neither made anyreference before the other to Wayne Shandon. And, as naturally as thiscondition arose, Wanda and her mother drew closer together.

  Upon the Bar L-M Big Bill was competent, hard working foreman. Hestill hoped for the impossible, he still obeyed orders and soughttirelessly to make Little Saxon all that Shandon could have done.Willie Dart, growing as time wore on hollow eyed from his nocturnalvigils, slept in a hay loft with a shot gun perilously near his eagerright hand.

  Shandon was yet in the mountains, his headquarters Wanda's cave. Itseemed at times to his impatient desires that Brisbane was doingnothing; that just the evidence he himself had told the lawyer thatnight in White Rock should have led long before now to the arrest ofSledge Hume. But he refused to brood over it, telling himself doggedlythat if Brisbane were doing nothing there was nothing to be done. Heknew his man. And already Shandon had found an occupation which was tokeep him busy and far from unhappy day and night.

  News of the outside world came to him in the few meetings with Wandawhich were bright highlights in his life. She dared not come too oftenfor MacKelvey himself or one of his deputies was a frequent andunheralded guest at Leland's. But she came when she could, meeting himbelow the cliffs, her camera serving as her reason for going into theforests, bringing him books, little delicacies surreptitiously preparedby her own hands, a newspaper now and then rescued from Julia's woodbox, prints of the pictures she had taken. Wanda still saw Dartfrequently, and from his gossiping lips brought word of what occurredupon the Bar L-M. Garth Conway, she had not seen. Her father heardfrom him by post, saw him now and then in the outside world; she didnot know what Conway was doing but imagined that he was keeping intouch with Leland for the sake of the irrigation scheme which seemed astill born failure.

  Through Wanda and Dart a meeting between Shandon and Big Bill wasarranged. The two men met after dark near the head of Laughter Lake;Shandon gave his detailed orders to his foreman, assuring him thatBrisbane was at work upon the case and that before long word would comefrom him for the fugitive to give himself up; there would be a quickpreliminary hearing and he would be released. Shandon's optimismglowed into warmer life with the warming of the spring sun. LittleSaxon must be kept in condition; arrangements must be made for the openhanded welcome and hospitality to be afforded the crowds that wouldcome up for the races in June. There would be much for Big Bill tosuperintend: choice beeves must be brought up for the barbecue; a rudeplatform must be constructed for the dance which was to conclude theday of festivity. In every detail Big Bill took his orders gravely andobeyed them to the letter.

  In another matter Big Bill had long ago acted, having been informed inthe early winter of Shandon's wishes. Ettinger was told that sooner orlater the man whose property controlled the upper waters of the riverflowing from Laughter Lake would come back. When he did return he wasgoing to do just the thing Ettinger himself had suggested. Ettingerwas to hold out, and induce the others to hold out with him if hecould. And, since Leland was stubborn, since the whole matter was inthe air just now, Ettinger saw nothing better to do than accept the tipwhich Big Bill gave him. A similar message went to Helga Strawn.

  May came in, radiant and glowing, and men from many miles away visitedthe Bar L-M to look over the course upon which the race meet was to beheld. MacKelvey spent weary days and nights driving his relentlessquest; Sledge Hume seemed sullenly idle; Helga Strawn coollyIndifferent to the world about her; and still Wayne Shandon received noencouraging word from Brisbane. May ran through half its allotted daysof thaw and bursting seeds; the day for the race was less than a monthaway, and still Shandon clung to his solitudes, wondering, beginning todoubt.

  And then one day he had a visitor.

  It was after sunset. He had been out all day, upon the higher tableland where he had set rudely constructed traps for rabbits. He hadreturned in the early dusk, finding his way down the fissure from therocks above to his cave. And as he made his fire and began thepreparations for his evening meal, he heard a very discreet cough atthe entrance of the cave.

  The cough was repeated, and then there entered the cavern a portly,pleasant looking gentleman with a scrubbing brush moustache.

  "Howdy-do, Mr. Shandon?" he said genially, removing his hat to mop hismoist forehead and then coming closer to extend his hand. "I waspassing and thought I'd drop in."

  Shandon who had been squatting by the fire got to his feet and stared.

  "Well?" he demanded sharply. He fully expected to hear other voices ina moment, MacKelvey's voice, perhaps Sledge Hume's.

  "My card," smiled the genial gentleman pleasantly. "One of my variouscards, rather." He extended it, adding, "I thought I'd run in andbring you a handful of cigars. You must be in sad need of them, eh?"

  The card explained that its owner was Mr. Edward Kinsell. The namemeant nothing to Shandon and he said so bluntly.

  "To be sure," acknowledged Mr. Kinsell. He extended the other handwith the cigars, took a stool by the fire, crossed his knees and addeddrily, "I've been on the lay, thoug
h, for pretty close to six months.Great chap, Brisbane, isn't he? By the way here is a note from him."

  The note, dated several months earlier, simply stated that EdwardKinsell could be depended upon to do all that any man could in thematter of gathering up the evidence he was being paid by Shandon toget. Shandon's eyes, suddenly bright, an eager note in his voice, heshot out his hand warmly, and cried,

  "You have found something?"

  "My dear Mr. Shandon," smiled Kinsell, "I have found out so many thingsthat it's a wonder I don't have a continual headache. You'll pardon mynot having called upon you sooner? I have really been so busy--"

  "You knew where to find me all the time?" incredulously.

  Kinsell nodded and smiled approvingly as Wayne lighted a cigar.

  "Of course. I always make it a point to be in a position to get intoclose touch with my principal in case of urgent need."

  "Then there is urgent need now?" eagerly. "You have got the deadwoodon Hume?"

  "Not exactly. But I've got the old kettle boiling and she's due tobubble over most any old time."

  "For God's sake," cried Shandon, "tell me something. I didn't knowthat you were at work even, I don't know a thing that has happened,that is happening."

  "And quite naturally you are interested? Just so." Kinsell verycarefully placed the finger tips of one hand against those of theother, apparently giving his whole attention to the action. "Let mesee. Presently, in a few weeks at most, I'll be putting in a littlebill and you'll want to know what I've been doing to earn my money.That's businesslike and proper. In most matters to be thorough, Mr.Shandon, one must begin at the beginning. In my business it isdifferent; I have to begin in the middle and go back to a point beforethe beginning. Having availed myself of Mr. Brisbane's knowledge ofthe subject it became up to me to do one thing: find the man who,before your brother's murder, was in a position to be benefitted by thecommission of the crime, or the man with a strong emotional reason forcommitting it."

  He paused, looking thoughtfully at the steep pitched roof his fingershad constructed, shifted quick, measuring glance at Shandon and turnedhis attention again to his fingers.

  "There are three men," he resumed, "who occupy positions demandinginvestigation. First, you. Your brother's heir, a man with a hottemper, a man who had recently quarrelled with the murdered man; youwould benefit financially, you had the reputation of generally needingmoney, you had the name of being a reckless, headlong sort of devil.Second, Sledge Hume. A man as smooth running as a machine ordinarily,cool headed, emotionless. But investigation shows that he hadknowledge of the fact that your brother was carrying on his person thetwenty-five thousand dollars; research also discloses there are timeswhen the man's nature changes, when he flies into a towering rage thatmight well become violent; and finally, we have found that shortlyafter the crime he paid the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars toHelga Strawn for her interest in the Dry Lands. Third, there is MartinLeland."

  "Martin Leland!" cried Shandon.

  Kinsell nodded thoughtfully.

  "Martin Leland is the man who advanced the money," he said drily. "Hehas shown himself in the matter of the mortgage and foreclosure a manto be reckoned with. You see all three men mentioned were in positionsto have previous knowledge that your brother was in possession of thatsum of money; all three were in positions to menace his life for merelysordid reasons; and, strangely enough, all three were men whose tempersare such that in a moment of rage, in a hot quarrel, they might havecommitted such a crime. Six months ago, Mr. Shandon, I think that itwould have gone very hard with you at a trial. The concensus ofopinion was pretty strong against you. Making a fugitive of yourselfmade matters worse. But since then I think things have changed. Thereare many men who, having learned of the deal Leland and Hume tried toput over on you, have come to look upon them as crooks, and are willingto suspect either of them of having killed Arthur Shandon."

  "But Martin Leland suspected," muttered Shandon. "It seems--"

  "Exactly," smiled Kinsell. "It seems rather like the finger of God,doesn't it? Now we'll go on. I have learned that Sledge Hume boughtHelga Strawn's interest in the Dry Lands about two weeks after themurder. At that time Hume had something like five thousand dollars inthe bank. I have had the record of the deed looked up. The deed isnoncommittal in the matter in which I was interested. Like so manydocuments of its nature it says merely that in consideration of the sumof ten dollars, the receipt of which is herein acknowledged, and soforth, Helga Strawn deeded the property to Hume. That's common enough.All right. Next, I find that Hume doesn't take the world into hisconfidence ordinarily but that he has been free enough to tell a goodmany people sneeringly that a woman is a fool and that he bought from awoman for five thousand dollars. I find that the five thousand dollarsin his bank had been drawn out, a draft for that amount having beensent to Helga Strawn, New York. That looked all right, didn't it? Butthen you told Brisbane that Helga Strawn told you that Hume had paidher twenty-five thousand. Eh?"

  "Yes," Shandon returned. "Have you asked her?"

  Kinsell laughed softly.

  "I don't do business that way. Usually in this sort of a game if youwant to catch nice fat lies fish with question marks for hooks. She isone of the cleverest women I ever knew, is Helga Strawn, almost asclever as Jeanette Compton. Quite as clever, perhaps, but Jeanette hasthe bulge on her in that she's got her eyes on Helga all the time thatHelga has her eyes on Hume."

  "Who's Jeanette Compton?"

  "She's Helga Strawn's new maid. The old one quit; bribed her myself.You'll find the item in the bill later on. Also Jeanette Compton isthe finest little girl on our staff."

  "And you're watching Helga Strawn too?"

  "With both of Jeanette's bright little eyes, all the time. To go on:we've found through our men in New York that fifteen days after thedeath of your brother, Helga Strawn placed on deposit in her bank inNew York two drafts. One for five thousand dollars, one for twentythousand. We have found that after Sledge Hume had drawn his fivethousand here he was out of the country for two days. We havequestioned every bank, Wells Fargo office and post office within aday's range of El Toyon. Last week I got what I wanted from a bank inReno. A man, evidently a mining man, claiming to be in town from astrike in Tonopah, deposited twenty-five thousand dollars at theMerchants' and Citizens' Bank. It was in cash. The depositor gave hisname as--what do you guess?"

  Shandon looked at him blankly. Kinsell smiled and said abruptly,

  "He gave his name as Wayne Shandon. How does that strike you? It allhappened while you were going East with your brother's body; I believethat it occurred while your train was being held up a few minutes inReno."

  Shandon's bewilderment seemed to please Kinsell. He chuckled softly,and then, his face growing thoughtful again, he went on.

  "You'll remember that the train is scheduled to stop for fifteenminutes in Reno? Well, the man made his deposit, and ten minutes laterhe came back, said that his plans had changed, that he was going totake the train with a friend he had seen on board, and asked to havehis money back. It was given to him, at his request, in twenty-fivebank notes of the thousand dollar denomination. He signed for them,writing your name, excusing an almost illegible signature by the needof haste and by a finger tied up as though it were badly hurt. So muchfor what the cashier of the Merchants' and Citizens' Bank of Reno knowsabout it."

  "It was Hume?"

  "From evidence so far given it might have been Hume or you! All right.The man with the big roll of bills went out with the train. He mighthave gone on to New York; he might have dropped off at Sparks and takenthe next train back in half an hour. He might have got back toSacramento the next morning. We find the rather interesting fact thatin Sacramento a man, giving his name as Arnold Wentworth paid to WellsFargo and Company the sum of twenty thousand dollars in bills of athousand dollars each for an order payable to Helga Strawn in New York.Now do you see where Helga Strawn comes in?"


  Shandon, merely puzzled, shook his head at the bright eyes suddenlyturned upon him.

  "Assuming," went on Kinsell, "that it was Hume and not yourself whomade that deposit at the Reno bank, don't you see that as things standhe has piled up a pretty piece of evidence against you? You might havedone just that thing, deposited the money while the train waited,became alarmed at something, and gone back for it. I wonder if acashier, after two years' time, would remember the features of astranger so that he could say whether it was you or Hume? All right.Next, there's Helga Strawn. If she'd talk, if she'd tell us that shehad a draft of five thousand and a Wells Fargo order for twentythousand, that Hume had sent one and had explained that a friend wouldsend the other, we'd have Mr. Hume in a certain place that men don'tlike to think of."

  "Make her tell!" cried Shandon.

  Kinsell arched his brows.

  "She's out here for blackmail, isn't she? Let her understand whatconditions are, and what's a clever woman's clever play? She'd go toHume and say, 'Look here, Mr. Hume. I can crook my little finger andswing you off into space at the end of a rope. Or I can keep still andyou can stand pat.' I fancy she'd do that. And she'd get her DryLands back."

  "She can't be as bad as that!"

  "Can't she? Wait until you have a talk with Jeanette Compton."

  "It all depends upon Helga Strawn, then? There is a deadlock until youcan get her to talk?"

  "By no means. I'm just making a sort of unofficial report, youunderstand. I wanted you to know that while some people suspect youand some suspect Leland we are going ahead and getting the cards intoour own hands. And I wanted to ask you what you thought of that miningproposition on the old McIntosh property? It's adjacent to yours,isn't it? Just the other side of Laughter Lake?"

  "The McIntosh property, yes. The ridge rising on the other side of thelake is my boundary line. I hadn't heard of any mining being donethere."

  "No? Well, it seems a mining concern has found something. At any ratemen are at work, a tunnel has been driven into the base of the ridge,and--I wonder what would happen if a charge of dynamite went off in duetime and blew a hole right through, into the lake?"

  "Good heaven!" cried Shandon angrily. "You mean that Hume and Lelandare actually trying to steal my water?"

  "I don't think Leland is in on this," replied Kinsell quietly. "Hedoesn't seem to me to be _quite_ the crook Hume is."

  "But," muttered Shandon, "if they once tear the side of that mountainout--"

  "The milk will be spilt so badly that it cannot be put back into thepan? And the mining company, a Chicago firm, I believe, at any rate acrowd of men hired by a Chicago man, will claim that they were on theirterritory all of the time; that not one of their men, but some manhired by you, put in the charges that did the damage. It's a boldplay, but then when it's make or break with a man he hasn't muchpicking and choosing to do."

  "It won't take me long to get there," said Shandon grimly. "And I'mgetting tired of this thing."

  "But, surely," smiled Kinsell, "you don't object to having Hume pay fora part of the work you'll have to do soon or late, do you? Let him goahead. Just before they get ready to do the real damage, we'll slap alittle injunction on them."

  "But how will we know?"

  "That's all right. One of their foremen is drawing wages from youright now. You'll find a lot of interesting things in the expenseaccount I put in, Mr. Shandon."