The Man Who Fell Through the Earth. Wells Carolyn
himself of my services later on. So I followed him and the tow-headed Jenny up to the offices of the bank president.
We did not go up in Minny’s elevator, but in another one, and our appearance at the door of Mr. Gately’s office number one, was met by Norah, – my Norah, who received us with an air of grave importance.
She was unawed by the sight of Mr. Talcott, imposing though he was, and was clearly scornful of Jenny, who had already assumed a jaunty manner.
But Jenny was quite self-possessed, and with a toss of her head at Norah she started to explain.
“I was in here, at my desk, Mr. Talcott,” she began, volubly; “and in Mr. Gately’s office, I heard somebody talking pretty sharp – ”
“A man?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How did he get in, if not through your room?”
“Oh, people often went through the hall doors of number two or three, and sometimes they came through my room.”
“Who went through your room this afternoon?”
“Only three people. An old man named Smith – ”
“What was his business?”
“I’m not quite sure, but it had to do with his getting a part salary from Mr. Gately; he was a down-and-outer, and he hoped Mr. Gately would help him through.”
“And did he?”
“Oh, yes, sir! Mr. Gately always was soft-hearted and never turned down anybody in need.”
“And the other callers?”
“There was an old lady, to see about her husband’s pension, – and – ”
“Well? I suppose not all the callers were beneficiaries?”
“No, sir. One was a – a lady.”
“A lady? Describe her.”
“Why, she was Miss Olive Raynor, – Mr. Gately’s ward.”
“Oh, Miss Raynor. Well, there’s no use discussing her. Were there any other ladies?”
“No, sir.”
“Nor any other men?”
“No, sir; that is, not through my room. You know, people could go in to Mr. Gately’s private offices without going through my room.”
“Yes, I know. But couldn’t you see them?”
“Only dimly, – through the clouded glass window between my room and Mr. Gately’s.”
“And what did you see of the callers in Mr. Gately’s room just before you heard the shot fired?”
Jenny looked dubious. She seemed inclined not to tell all she knew. But Mr. Talcott spoke sharply.
“Come,” he said; “speak up. Tell all you know.”
“I didn’t hear anybody come in,” said Jenny, slowly; “and then, all of a sudden, I heard loud voices, – and then, I heard quarrelly words – ”
“Quarrelly?”
“Yes, sir, as if somebody was threatening Mr. Gately. I didn’t hear clearly, but I heard enough to make me look through the window between the two rooms – ”
“This window?”
“Yes, sir,” and Jenny nodded at the clouded glass pane between her room and Mr. Gately’s office. “And I saw sort of shadows, – and then in a minute I saw the shadows get up – you know, Mr. Gately and another man, – and then, – I heard a pistol fired off, and I yelled!”
“It was your scream I heard, then!” I exclaimed.
“I don’t know,” Jenny replied, “but I did scream, because I am fearfully scared of pistol shots, and I didn’t know who was shooting.”
“What did you do next?” asked Mr. Talcott, in his quiet way.
“I ran into Mr. Gately’s room – ”
“And you weren’t frightened?”
“Not for myself. I was frightened of the shot, – I always am afraid of firearms, but I wanted to know what was doing. So, I opened the door and ran in – ”
“Yes; and?”
“I saw nobody in Mr. Gately’s room, – I mean this room next to mine, – so I ran on, to the third room, – I am not supposed to go in there, – but I did, and there I saw a man just going out to the hall and in his hand was a smoking revolver.”
“Out to the hall? Did you follow him?”
“Of course I did! But he ran down the staircase. I didn’t go down that way, because I thought I’d get down quicker and head him off by going down in the elevator.”
“So you went down in the elevator?”
“Yes, sir. It was Minny’s elevator, – Minny’s my sister, – and after I got in, – and saw Minny, I got sort of hysterical and nervous, and I couldn’t remember what I was about.”
“What became of the man?” asked Talcott, uninterested in Jenny’s nerves.
“I don’t know, sir. I was so rattled, – and I only saw him a moment, – and – ”
“Would you know him if you saw him again?”
“I don’t know, – I don’t think so.”
“I wish you could say yes, – it may be of gravest importance.”
But Jenny seemed to resent Mr. Talcott’s desire.
“I don’t see how you could expect it, sir,” she said, pettishly; “I saw him only in a glimpse, – I was scared to death at the sound of the pistol shot, – and when I burst into this room and found Mr. Gately gone I was so kerflummixed I didn’t know what I was about! That I didn’t!”
“And yet,” Norah remarked, quietly, “after you went downstairs and these gentlemen found you in the lunchroom, you were perfectly calm and collected – ”
“Nothing of the sort!” blazed back Jenny; “I’m all on edge! My nerves are completely unstrung!”
“Quite so,” said Mr. Talcott, kindly, “and I suggest that you go back to the lunchroom, Miss Jenny, and rest and calm yourself. But please remain there, until I call for you again.”
Jenny looked a little disappointed at being thus thrust out of the limelight, but as Mr. Talcott held the door open for her, she had no choice but to depart, and we presently heard her go down in her sister’s elevator.
“Now,” Mr. Talcott resumed, “we will look into this matter further.
“You see,” he proceeded, speaking, to my surprise, as much to Norah as to myself, “I can’t really apprehend that anything serious has happened to Mr. Gately. For, if the shot which Jenny heard, and which you, Mr. Brice, heard, – had killed Mr. Gately, the body, of course, would be here. Again, if the shot had wounded him seriously, he would in some way contrive to make his condition known. Therefore, I feel sure that Mr. Gately is either absolutely all right, or, if slightly wounded, he is in some anteroom or in some friend’s room nearby. And, if this is the case, – I mean, if our Mr. Gately is ill or hurt, we must find him. Therefore, careful search must be made.”
“But,” spoke up Norah, “perhaps Mr. Gately went home. There is no positive assurance that he did not.”
Mr. Talcott looked at Norah keenly. He didn’t seem to regard her as an impertinent young person, but he took her suggestion seriously.
“That may be,” he agreed. “I think I will call up his residence.”
He did so, and I gathered from the remarks he made on the telephone that Amos Gately was not at his home, nor was his niece, Miss Olive Raynor, there.
Talcott made