Dryer paused. He had heard a rap at the door. He called, telling the person to come in. A stenographer entered.
“A gentleman to see you, Mr. Dryer,” said the girl. “He says that it is urgent. His name is David Kelroy.”
“David Kelroy!”
Dryer uttered the name spontaneously, while Mark and Durling gaped. Recovering himself, the lawyer spoke to the stenographer.
“Tell Mr. Kelroy to wait for a few minutes,” said Dryer. “I shall ring when I wish him to come in. At that time, you may have him enter alone.”
As soon as the girl had gone, Dryer swung to his companions. Carefully, the old lawyer rendered his decision.
“This changes matters entirely,” he assured. “If our visitor is actually David Kelroy, you will know him, Mark. As soon as he enters, you will be the first to greet him — that is, if you recognize him. If he is not Kelroy, make no move. Do you understand?”
Mark nodded.
“If the man is really Kelroy,” added Dryer, “we shall take your advice, Durling. What we know about Colin’s connection with Mellick shall remain as our exclusive information, until new facts warrant a statement to the police.
“Colin was not directly concerned in either of those Chinatown forays. Our position was difficult only because we had reason to believe that David Kelroy had disappeared. Should this visitor be David Kelroy, we can afford to bide our time until we have gained more detailed information regarding Colin’s dealings with Hype Mellick.”
Weldon Dryer pressed a push-button. A buzzer sounded in the outer office, as notice to admit the waiting visitor. Silently, tensely, the three men watched the door. It opened; and Dryer saw a gleam in Mark’s eyes as a young man stepped across the threshold.
Without need of noting Mark’s next action, Dryer knew that this arrival must be David Kelroy.
CHAPTER XIII. AT THE MUSEUM
MARK ELDRETH came to his feet. Advancing, he extended his hand to Dave Kelroy. Today, Mark’s clasp was more spontaneous. His moonish face showed a smile that was one of genuine pleasure.
Turning, Mark introduced Dave to Dryer. The lawyer, in turn, made a brief introduction of Durling, without reference to the private investigator’s calling.
“Where have you been, Kelroy?” queried Mark. “We have been greatly concerned about your disappearance. Both Mr. Dryer and myself have read of the trouble in Chinatown. We were afraid that you might have met with foul play.”
“I did have trouble,” smiled Dave, “but all of it came before our meeting of two nights ago.”
“But you said nothing to me when you visited my house. Nothing, I mean, that indicated serious difficulties. You did act oddly; but—”
“You were busy. I was a bit dazed. Suppose I tell my story from the start.”
Nods of agreement. Dave spoke slowly and carefully. He told of his arrival in San Francisco and his visit to Ku Luan. Vividly he described the death of Ku Luan. He repeated the ancient Chinaman’s admonition regarding the teakwood box with the silver dragon. He added the statements wherein Ku Luan had told him to visit some relative of Tobias Eldreth.
Dave recounted the details of Wong Soy’s treachery; the attack made by thugs; the intervention of a mysterious fighter who had effected Dave’s own rescue. He explained that he had looked up Mark’s residence in the telephone book. So far, his story had been accurate.
Then, remembering Colin’s injunction, Dave began to deviate from the truth. He described his departure from Mark’s, but carefully avoided mention of Colin’s chance arrival. Instead, Dave spoke of wandering vaguely through the fog.
“I found a small hotel,” he stated. “I registered there under another name than my own. I slept late — almost all day, yesterday. When evening came, I realized that it was no time to call here, at Mr. Dryer’s office. So I remained in the hotel all evening.
“I was worried; for a while, I lacked courage to leave my hotel. At last, I decided to come here. That completes my story; but I come without the teakwood box. All that I have are the keys that Ku Luan gave me.”
MARK was the first to respond.
“I wish, Kelroy,” he stated, “that you had started to tell me your story two nights ago. I had no idea that you had been in such serious difficulty.”
“It wasn’t so bad,” rejoined Dave, with a smile. “The real misfortune was my failure to gain the teakwood box. Its contents must surely be vital to my future.”
“You have no idea what it could contain?” queried Dryer.
“I can only guess,” replied Dave. “You see, I lifted a few of the teakwood boxes, without finding the one I wanted. They were light; they were large enough to have contained some silk. Ku Luan sent me a little token of silk. That made me think that the boxes might hold silk also.”
Weldon Dryer was stroking his chin.
“Kelroy,” said the lawyer, “your father was a friend of Ku Luan; and so was Tobias Eldreth. I have known for years that some understanding existed between Ku Luan and Tobias Eldreth. I believe that this treasure exists. You say that you have some keys that Ku Luan gave you?”
“Right here,” replied Dave, producing the ring of keys, and handling them to the lawyer. “Huge keys, aren’t they?”
“Very large,” nodded Dryer. “Keep them, Kelroy. They might prove useful. Come. Let us drive out to the Oriental Museum. I should like to talk to the curator, Doctor Lestman.”
Dryer picked up the telephone and called a garage. He and the others went from the office. When they reached the street, a chauffeured limousine was awaiting them. The four men entered the car; it drove westward.
Dave Kelroy felt quite at ease in this company. Bright daylight made San Francisco a city of charm, with none of the sinister threat that Dave had encountered in the night-darkened streets of Chinatown. Dave was seated beside Mark; as they rode along, the lethargic man kept pointing out the sights. He indicated one building that caught Dave’s interest, when he heard Mark say proudly:
“That is the Pioneer Club.”
“You are a member there?” inquired Dave, casually.
“Yes,” returned Mark. “My grandfather was a member of the Pioneer Club; and I have preserved the family tradition.”
“Your cousin Colin, also?”
“Colin! The Pioneer Club means nothing to him. He was a member once; he was posted so often for non-payment of dues that they finally dropped him.”
“Very long ago?”
“At least three years.” Mark shook his head sorrowfully. “It was most unfortunate. Colin was the first member of the Eldreth family ever to be dropped from any club of standing.”
DAVE conversed mechanically after that. He was recalling Colin’s statements this very afternoon. Colin had said that he had gone to the Pioneer Club yesterday afternoon; that he had intended to drop in there again this evening.
Yet Mark’s testimony, in Dryer’s preserve, was proof that Colin had no entree to the Pioneer Club.
Suspicion began to dawn within Dave’s mind.
While Dave was still pondering on this situation, the limousine pulled up in front of a pretentious, granite-fronted building that faced the side slope of a hill. Dave alighted with the others; they entered the Oriental Museum.
Passing through a lobby that contained trophies of the Far East, they arrived at the curator’s office. Dave found himself being introduced to a long-faced, bald-headed man whom Dryer addressed as Doctor Lestman.
Head tilted to one side, the curator listened intently to Dave’s brief resume of his story as he had told it to Dryer and Mark. When Dave had finished, Lestman examined the large brass keys and shook his head.
Rising from his desk, he conducted the visitors through a long passage. A solemn-faced attendant followed them, and unlocked a large door to reveal a flight of stairs.