Page:Under three flags; a story of mystery (IA underthreeflagss00tayliala).pdf/235

 "I can tell you a quicker way."

"Ah!"

"Push along to Jibana, ten miles east of here. I left Cyrus Felton, Phillip Van Zandt and Louise Hathaway there this morning."

"Quick! Tell me all you know," demands the detective, aroused by the information imparted to him by his co-worker.

Ashley supplies the needed details, and Barker asks: "You are reasonably sure that Felton and Van Zandt will remain in Santiago for a fortnight?"

"I think you can depend on that."

Then affairs are shaping themselves advantageously for our purpose. Our command will go to Jibana this evening, but I don't want any collision there. See the position of the game. Van Zandt, is he is Stanley, is tracking the son through the father, and I am trailing the father through the son, intending to bag both of them, as I have an interesting bit of what may prove strong evidence against Ralph Felton. But I can't do anything with them at Jibana, and if Van Zandt runs afoul of young Felton to-day he is likely to kick over all my plans. Santiago is the place to play the last hand in this interesting game."

"I get the idea," remarks Ashley. "But what is this new evidence against young Fenton?"

"This: That I believe he is wearing about his neck at the present time the locket that was removed from Roger Hathaway's watch-chain the night of the murder and bank robbery."

Ashley whistles softly. "That's interesting," he says. "But how did you learn this? And while you are explaining kindly give an account of yourself from the time you jumped New York."

The detective complies, and when the interesting tale is completed, Ashley says earnestly: "Barker, old chap, my confidence in you has been increased tenfold in the last month."

"Thank you," responds the detective, though he suspects some raillery in the newspaper man's remark.