“Not quite, sir.”
“Finish them. I shall be in to sign them.”
Dadren’s tone was terse. Harry acknowledged the order; then left the laboratory and went back to his office. He was determined that when Dadren came to sign the letters, he would bring up the subject once again. At any cost, the commander must be prevented from taking the plans to Washington.
Harry looked glum when he reached the big hall. Wilkins was at the fireplace; the fellow arose and followed Harry into the little room. He watched Harry sit down at the typewriter to finish the half-completed letter.
Wilkins suspected nothing. He merely wanted to talk about Commander Dadren. Wilkins was afraid that the skipper would be wrathful because the unseen intruder had escaped. Harry assured him that Dadren was calm. Wilkins went out and Harry resumed his typing.
TEN minutes later, Commander Dadren appeared carrying a letter file. He closed the door of Harry’s room and stood by while his secretary completed the typing of the last letter. He wrote his signature on the different letters that Harry had typed. Then he opened the folder that he had brought with him. From it, he removed a large, flat envelope. He placed the envelope on the table beside the typewriter.
“Vincent,” remarked the commander, quietly. “I have been thinking over what you had to say. I am beginning to agree with you. There is danger ahead. I do not fear it; but that is no reason why I should jeopardize my invention.
“This envelope contains plans for the new submarine. It is to be delivered, unopened, to Senator Releston, in Washington. But I do not intend to take it on my flight to-morrow morning. I shall carry a portfolio that will apparently contain the plans. This envelope, however, will be in your briefcase.
“Tomorrow morning” — the commander’s voice was scarcely more than a whisper — “I shall order you to come to Washington by train. Purely for incidental work, so far as anyone else will know. But I am counting upon you to carry the envelope to Senator Releston. Deliver it to him the morning after your arrival, unless you hear from me in the meantime.”
“Very well, sir,” agreed Harry.
“I have great confidence in you, Vincent,” added Dadren. “Particularly because you were recommended by Professor Whitburn. I liked the way you spoke to-night. You went beyond your province; but you gave me something to think about.
“You are right when you believe that I may be the target of the enemies who failed in to-night’s plot. They will never suspect that I turned this important envelope over to you. Lock it up in your table. Keep it there until you leave.”
With this admonition, the commander turned and opened the door. As he stepped into the hall, he swung about and spoke to Harry in a matter of fact tone.
“Don’t forget to include my forwarding address,” he said. “Put it in every letter, Vincent. Then go over those expense sheets and check the figures. I want to find out exactly where the errors lie. File all my old correspondence. I want all that done before morning.”
The commander walked away. Harry feigned dejection as he stood in the doorway. Wilkins, at the fireplace, noted Harry’s expression.
“Did the skipper hand you extra duty, Vincent?” questioned Wilkins.
“I’ll say he did,” replied Harry. “I’ve checked those expense sheets three times. Five dollars and thirty-two cents is the error that shows up. I’d rather pay it out of my salary than bother about finding it.”
“Tell that to the skipper,” laughed Holgate, who was seated beside Wilkins.
“Maybe I will,” growled Harry.
Returning to his room, Harry closed the door. He left the light on while he locked the big envelope in the table drawer. Then, as an afterthought, he opened the door and began to go over expense sheets, at the table, where men in the hall could see him.
HALF an hour passed. The men turned off the radio and headed for their rooms. Ten minutes after all were gone. Harry closed the door and extinguished the light. He was sure that no one suspected the important part that Commander Dadren had given him.
The Shadow’s scheme had worked. Harry Vincent had done well in the emergency. He had managed to obey The Shadow’s order. He had prevented the plane trip with the plans. Yet Harry was not quite sure that he had fulfilled the complete injunction.
Commander Dadren was flying to Washington, as scheduled. That trip had not been prevented. Nor could it be. Further argument with the stern commander might cause trouble. Yet Harry felt that he had accomplished the important part of The Shadow’s order. The plans, at least, were not going with Dadren.
The Shadow relied upon his agents to use their own judgment in a pinch. Harry Vincent had played his hand with success. He had done the most within his power. Tomorrow, a report to The Shadow. Then to Washington with the plans that Dadren had given him.
CHAPTER IX
THE SHADOW STRIKES
ONE hour after dawn, Harry Vincent was awakened by a knock at the door of his room. He answered the call, to find Wilkins and Holgate awaiting him.
“The skipper’s ready to take off,” informed Wilkins. “Wants you down at the cove, Vincent. Says to bring along those expense sheets and whatever else you have.”
With the order delivered, Wilkins and Holgate departed. Harry dressed hurriedly. He unlocked the drawer of the desk and removed the envelope that contained the plans. He put it in a briefcase along with other papers. Then he hurried from the big blockhouse.
Commander Dadren’s plane was drawn up beside the boat house landing. An amphibian ship, it was equipped to take off from water or ground. This type of plane was suited to Dadren’s needs, for the cove offered the only landing spot in the vicinity. Traveling to Washington, Dadren would be flying over land; hence he could use any airport that he might require.
The commander was standing on the planking by the boat house. Although attired in civilian garb, he had the bearing of a naval officer. Harry, approaching, easily distinguished the skipper from the rest of the crew.
Arriving, Harry noted Hasker in the amphibian. The mechanic was a heavy-set, rough-faced fellow who had accompanied Dadren on other flights. He seemed impatient to start the trip.
Dadren, too, appeared anxious to be off. He beckoned Harry to hurry up. When Harry reached his side, Dadren spoke in a querulous, testy tone that all could hear.
“What kept you, Vincent?” he demanded. “I told you to be up at dawn. I wanted to see those expense sheets.”
“I have them here, sir,” apologized Harry, exhibiting the briefcase. “I have corrected the expense errors; and I have arranged the letters for the files.”
“I don’t have time to go over them now,” returned Dadren. “Half an hour would have sufficed. You have been neglectful, Vincent. You have caused me a great deal of trouble.”
“Sorry, sir.”
“That doesn’t help. However, I shall give you another chance. Get busy this morning. Complete your work here. Then bring all your papers to Washington.”
“By train, sir?”
“Yes. Wilkins will drive you into town in time to catch the afternoon express. I shall need a secretary after I reach Washington. Meet me to-morrow, at my hotel.”
Dadren stepped to a wing of the ship. He drew a small portfolio from beneath his arm and stowed it in the pilot’s seat. The commander took the controls, with Hasker perched in the open seat behind him.
A few minutes later, the propeller of the amphibian was whirling. The plane started across the blue-watered cove, heading in the direction of the inlet. It gathered speed; its glistening wings rose above the water. Rising, the plane headed seaward, then banked and swung along the coast. Commander Dadren had begun his flight to Washington.