Page:The Whisper on the Stair by Lyon Mearson (1924).djvu/218

 the money and the girl. For this affair was different from the usual buried treasure hunt, where the gold belongs to the first person who turns it up. It was wealth the ownership of which was established. Decidedly, Teck would be at a disadvantage as long as Val was on the scene.

These thoughts coursed through Val’s head swiftly as he stepped back from the window and merged again with the shadows alongside the road. He had run into a trap of Teck’s in New York; then it was excusable, because he had no reason for thinking that Teck was laying plans to trip him up. But having had that valuable lesson, and knowing the cogent reasons Teck had for desiring his elimination, Val decided that it behooved him to watch his step and to take nothing for granted.

He was watching Teck. How did he know that one of Teck’s creatures was not now watching him? He conceded that he did not know, but to satisfy himself he examined the ground round about him thoroughly again. He could find no sign of anybody watching him.

Well, perhaps Teck really did not expect anything to happen to-night. A man can’t always be making plans for your murder, you know.

The thing that concerned Val most at present was the appointment he had had with Jessica to go over the old Pomeroy house. It appeared to him that she would be unable to do anything about it to-night; Teck showed no intention of taking his departure. She would certainly say nothing to him about what she wanted to do; she could hardly ask him to take his departure, because that might make him suspicious that all was not well.