Page:The Whisper on the Stair by Lyon Mearson (1924).djvu/279

 eliminates the rest of the world, Eddie. Now, where is she now?”

“Well, my guess is that she’s where Teck can keep an eye on her—to see that she stays put. Now, last night, as we know, sir, Teck was at the Chamberlin.” He looked significantly at Val.

“My God!” ejaculated Val. “She might⸺”

The rest of it was lost, because he bolted for the flivver and cranked her up violently. Only by making a flying leap for the seat was Eddie able to go along, so quickly did Val do things now.

For the first time there was rage in Val’s heart against Teck. Up to now he had been intrigued by the novelty of the chase, the refreshment of the adventure, just when he had thought that life was drab and stale; and if he had had any feeling against Teck at all—leaving out the resentment at the murder of Mat Masterson—it was one of a rather curious sort of gratitude.

But now Teck had seemingly struck at Val’s most vital place. When an attempt had been made on Val’s life by Teck, he had foiled it and held no rancor; it was just another thing that had happened. But to cause Jessica to disappear—that was another thing entirely, and an important one. Somehow, Val construed it as a direct attack on himself; as a matter of fact it hit him far harder than an attack on himself could ever have done. He was perfectly willing to admit what a tremendous hold Jessica had taken on him. She meant to him all that life held worth while; she meant his future; his present; his Paradise. It was not something he would give up without a memorable struggle.

He was sure that they had hit on the solution. That, if Jessica was gone, she was somewhere in Teck’s