talking about. Mind you, I'm not saying that she wouldn't assist him; I will be very frank with you; there is an infatuation there that it grieves me to see. One can only hope that she may get over it quickly. But I know from her uncertainty, her anxiety, her desire to get some word of him, that she does not know where he is."
"I don't doubt you're right," said Lee, "but I must investigate this rumor along with everything else, just as a matter of routine."
Coler said: "Apart from assuring you that there's nothing in it, I don't see how I can help you."
"Yes, you can." Lee had come to the point he had been leading up to. "If there is any connection between Mrs. Gartrey and Yohe, she may be supplying him with money. I want to check her expenditures during the past week. Have you paid her any large sums?"
"From the estate, do you mean? Not a penny. Mr. Gartrey died intestate. She'll get the estate eventually, of course, but not until the preliminaries are settled."
"Intestate? You shock me! A man of his wealth?"
"It seems that he had lately destroyed his last will and had procrastinated in making another."
"Have you made payments to Mrs. Gartrey from other sources?"
"No. She doesn't require it. Besides having credit everywhere, she has a fortune of her own. Gartrey settled money on her when she married him."
"Does she bank here?" asked Lee.
Coler laughed. "No indeed! She wouldn't have her account in a place where her husband could overlook it. She banks with the Fulton National."
"Has she more than one account?"
"Only the one account."
"Let me see, who is President of the Fulton?"
"Canby Griffiths."
"Will you give me a note to Mr. Griffiths that will smooth my way?"
"I'd rather not," said Coler with his engaging frankness, "because it would look as if I were going behind Agnes' back. You don't need any note from me. Your name is a sufficient password anywhere in town."
When Lee arose, Coler accompanied him to the outer office. "I'm so glad you came in. We must keep in touch with each other. Our interests are the same. If money is needed for the prosecution of the case, you may call on me for any amount."
"Thanks, Mr. Coler. It won't be necessary for the present."
Coler opened a door exhibiting another handsome office only less grand than the one they had left. "My former office," he said.
It had the same collection of telephones. "Why does a banker need so many telephones?" asked Lee.
"Well, there's the inter-office phone, the connection with the regular switchboard, a connection with the banking office downstairs, a private wire to the Stock Exchange, my own personal telephone, and so on."
As they shook hands at the outer door, Coler said: "Dine with me some night, will you? So we can go into things more particularly."
"I'd be glad to," said Lee.
Lee Mappin's name proved to be sufficient to pass him into the private office of the President of the Fulton National. Mr. Griffiths was so anxious to help Lee, and so impressed with the necessity of keeping the matter secret, that he went himself to consult the book which contained Mrs. Gartrey's checking account. The result, as far as Lee was concerned, was nil. Mr. Griffiths said:
"Mrs. Gartrey's balance as of yesterday was $113,000. She has made no withdrawals this past week. She hasn't visited the bank. All the checks that have been paid on her account were dated previous to the tragedy. I expect she has been too prostrated since to attend to any business."
"I expect so," said Lee dryly. "Anyhow, thank you very much."
On his way uptown in a taxi, Lee read the latest extra on the Al Yohe case. Every edition of the newspapers furnished an avid public with added details of Al's spectacular life; his love affairs, his wardrobe, his tastes in food and wine. Al had a passion for fresh caviar, Lee read, and it made him thoughtful. Fresh caviar had become a scarce article since the war, and scandalously expensive. It ought not to be too difficult to discover
"I don't doubt you're right," said Lee, "but I must investigate this rumor along with everything else, just as a matter of routine."
Coler said: "Apart from assuring you that there's nothing in it, I don't see how I can help you."
"Yes, you can." Lee had come to the point he had been leading up to. "If there is any connection between Mrs. Gartrey and Yohe, she may be supplying him with money. I want to check her expenditures during the past week. Have you paid her any large sums?"
"From the estate, do you mean? Not a penny. Mr. Gartrey died intestate. She'll get the estate eventually, of course, but not until the preliminaries are settled."
"Intestate? You shock me! A man of his wealth?"
"It seems that he had lately destroyed his last will and had procrastinated in making another."
"Have you made payments to Mrs. Gartrey from other sources?"
"No. She doesn't require it. Besides having credit everywhere, she has a fortune of her own. Gartrey settled money on her when she married him."
"Does she bank here?" asked Lee.
Coler laughed. "No indeed! She wouldn't have her account in a place where her husband could overlook it. She banks with the Fulton National."
"Has she more than one account?"
"Only the one account."
"Let me see, who is President of the Fulton?"
"Canby Griffiths."
"Will you give me a note to Mr. Griffiths that will smooth my way?"
"I'd rather not," said Coler with his engaging frankness, "because it would look as if I were going behind Agnes' back. You don't need any note from me. Your name is a sufficient password anywhere in town."
When Lee arose, Coler accompanied him to the outer office. "I'm so glad you came in. We must keep in touch with each other. Our interests are the same. If money is needed for the prosecution of the case, you may call on me for any amount."
"Thanks, Mr. Coler. It won't be necessary for the present."
Coler opened a door exhibiting another handsome office only less grand than the one they had left. "My former office," he said.
It had the same collection of telephones. "Why does a banker need so many telephones?" asked Lee.
"Well, there's the inter-office phone, the connection with the regular switchboard, a connection with the banking office downstairs, a private wire to the Stock Exchange, my own personal telephone, and so on."
As they shook hands at the outer door, Coler said: "Dine with me some night, will you? So we can go into things more particularly."
"I'd be glad to," said Lee.
Lee Mappin's name proved to be sufficient to pass him into the private office of the President of the Fulton National. Mr. Griffiths was so anxious to help Lee, and so impressed with the necessity of keeping the matter secret, that he went himself to consult the book which contained Mrs. Gartrey's checking account. The result, as far as Lee was concerned, was nil. Mr. Griffiths said:
"Mrs. Gartrey's balance as of yesterday was $113,000. She has made no withdrawals this past week. She hasn't visited the bank. All the checks that have been paid on her account were dated previous to the tragedy. I expect she has been too prostrated since to attend to any business."
"I expect so," said Lee dryly. "Anyhow, thank you very much."
On his way uptown in a taxi, Lee read the latest extra on the Al Yohe case. Every edition of the newspapers furnished an avid public with added details of Al's spectacular life; his love affairs, his wardrobe, his tastes in food and wine. Al had a passion for fresh caviar, Lee read, and it made him thoughtful. Fresh caviar had become a scarce article since the war, and scandalously expensive. It ought not to be too difficult to discover
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