For once, Cardona had helped The Shadow. The action that the detective had started with his chance remarks was to bring a double opportunity. Once The Shadow had seized it, Cardona would profit by the master’s deeds.
CHAPTER XV. SUSPICIONS ARE STATED
ONE hour after Wainwright Barth and Joe Cardona had departed from the Hildreth mansion, there was a rap at the door of the little study where Tobias Hildreth and Gorton Jodelle sat in conference. It was Lowdy, the butler.
“Miss Claire has arrived home,” the man announced, when he had entered at Hildreth’s bidding.
“Tell her to come in,” ordered Hildreth.
The girl appeared a few minutes later. As soon as she was in the room, Jodelle arose and closed the door. Hildreth motioned his niece to a chair.
“What is the matter, Uncle?” questioned Claire, in an anxious tone.
“Where is Wally Wilking?” demanded Hildreth, in return.
“I expect him in an hour,” replied Claire. “It is only half past nine. I just came back from an early picture. Wally and I are going to a night club later.”
“Too much for one evening,” reproved Hildreth. “However, Claire, that is not why I called you. There is something more important to discuss.”
“About Wally Wilking?”
“Yes.”
“Something serious?” Claire’s tone was anxious.
“Yes,” admitted Hildreth. “Why do you ask?”
“Because Wally has been — well — acting strangely. He — he didn’t take anything from here, did he?”
“Not to my knowledge. Why?”
“Well” — the girl bit her lips, sorry that she had spoken — “I shouldn’t really say anything about it. I promised Wally I wouldn’t. I–I happened to find him in here the other night, looking in the desk drawers.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, Claire?”
“Wally explained his actions. He said — well, he feels terribly upset over the bank robbery, particularly because Mr. Zellwood was murdered. He liked Mr. Zellwood a lot.”
Hildreth shot a glance at Jodelle. The investigator gave a nod. The banker quizzed his niece.
“What did Wally say?” he asked. “How did he explain his unwarranted actions?”
“Wally has theories,” said Claire, seriously. “He is really a remarkable young man, Uncle. He knows a great many stock brokers who deal in secret sales of securities. He thought that if he had a list of those that were stolen from your bank, he might be able to trace them.”
“Mr. Jodelle is attending to that,” announced Hildreth, dryly. “So I suppose Wally was looking in my desk for the list. Is that it?”
“Yes.”
“The lists are at the bank,” declared Hildreth. “But one of the copies was missing when I took them down there. I suppose Wilking must have found it.”
“You see?” questioned Claire. “That proves Wally is all right, Uncle.”
“Because he stole a list from my desk?”
Claire became thoughtful. This was putting the matter from another viewpoint. Slowly, the girl shook her head.
“Wally was wrong,” she admitted. “I wonder—”
“You wonder if a thief would tell the truth,” interposed Hildreth.
“A thief!” cried Claire. “Wally is not a thief! You must not say that!”
“You must be calm, Claire,” admonished Hildreth. “Be calm; then listen. I believe in telling the whole truth. It is better that you should experience the shock now than later.”
THE banker paused to take a stack of papers that Jodelle handed him. He sorted them; then took up one small bundle. He used these for reference as he spoke to Claire.
“To-night,” began Hildreth, “the police commissioner was here, with a detective. They discussed the progress that is being made toward apprehending the bank robbers. We learned that a man named Dobey Blitz was the head of the burglars.”
“Dobey Blitz?” Claire repeated the name.
“A racketeer who goes in for big business. His name was discussed previously; but at that time, the police were not so positive as they are now. They are sure that Dobey Blitz engineered the robbery; but it is probable that he worked for some more important person — one whom Commissioner Barth calls the brain.”
“What has Dobey Blitz to do with Wally?”
“We shall come to that point later. In the meantime, Mr. Jodelle has established another point. The only person who could have given the vault combination to the crooks was Rudolph Zellwood. I fought against that theory for a long while. I was forced to admit that it must be correct.
“I admired Zellwood. You are in love with Wilking. So you see we must both accept the blows of fate, Claire. Convinced that Zellwood was at fault, I authorized Jodelle to investigate all his recent actions. Jodelle learned the names of all persons who seemed over-friendly with Zellwood. Among them was Wally Wilking.”
“I knew they were friends,” admitted Claire. “But only because Zellwood worked at the bank.”
“That is the most damaging point, Miss Hildreth,” put in Jodelle. “Can’t you see that?”
“Let me explain it,” said Hildreth. “Wilking had no business talking with Zellwood. I said so at the bank. Both gave a weak pretext. Wilking was supposed to have been talking to Zellwood regarding the matter of a loan. That was business that he should have transacted with me.”
“I see,” nodded Claire.
“Mr. Jodelle has learned,” resumed Hildreth, “that some of the tellers saw Wilking engaged in discussion with Zellwood. Furthermore, he has established proof that Wilking visited Zellwood at the latter’s lodging.
“Our inference is that Zellwood gave the combination of the vault to Wally Wilking. Thus when the burglars arrived, they had only to unlock the vault and—”
“Wally would never have done that!” broke in Claire. “Never! He has no friends among crooks—”
“One moment.” Hildreth interrupted his niece by a wave of his hand. “Among Wilking’s friends is a banker of questionable repute — a man named Dunwood Marrick. It is known that Marrick suffered a heavy financial loss; it is also doubted that the loss was genuine. In either case, Marrick would be capable of any step.
“Wilking came into the bank the day that Zellwood left. He reduced a loan by two thousand dollars. I have the note to prove it. That, in itself, is suspicious. It appears that Wilking may be in Marrick’s employ.”
“But Marrick is a banker—”
“One of doubtful standing. He has financed questionable enterprises. Among those to whom he has loaned money, so Jodelle reports, is Dobey Blitz. Do you see the steps now, Claire? Zellwood gave the combination to Wilking, who passed it to Marrick. He is the brain. Marrick. He gave the combination to Dobey Blitz. Thus Wilking is deeply implicated.”
“You cannot believe this! Wally must be innocent—”
“Let us hope so,” interrupted Hildreth in a sincere tone. “Let us trust that this evidence is at fault. These papers” — he raised the little bundle — “tell their story. They contain statements that cannot be duplicated.
They include the note that Wilking reduced. Among them is another note that passed between Marrick and Blitz. Jodelle obtained it only with the greatest difficulty. Moreover — most damaging of all — we have a letter written by Rudolph Zellwood to a friend. It mentions the name of Wally Wilking.”
“But Uncle — if you would give Wally a chance to explain! Just one chance to—”
“I shall do that for your sake, Claire. I have always warned you that Wilking was a ne’er-do-well; but it is not right that he should be accounted a rogue until he has said some word in his own behalf. I shall be charitable with Wilking—”
“Just a minute, Mr. Hildreth,” broke in Jodelle. “I don’t think that you should promise too much. We are cooperating with the police. If we had gone over this Wilking data earlier in the evening, we would have given it to Commissioner Barth while he was here.”