XIX
MAX HAS KEPT OUT OF JAIL
Hereford, when he had sent his ward away, waited anxiously for Max Schimmel to come home. Now, at last, Lorine had hidden nothing from him; he understood her finally; and, understanding her, he saw that the menace of the Surakarta—which it appeared had been before merely a fictitious menace—had become real. He understood that, if Lorine's love for him was not in itself a sufficient argument for her, he could offer no other to change her belief that she was bound in honor to marry the Soesoehoenan, unless the emerald could be recovered.
So Hereford, impatiently pacing Max's rooms and cursing the confusion of his head which made it so hard to think, for hours went over and over in his head the chain of evidence he possessed. He could find, however, even yet nothing to alter his conclusions that had seemed so correct and proved so futile. Only one fact he could not fit into its place. Max had left at Hereford's apartments some strange telephone message about a duplicate box. Therefore, time after time, Hereford went to the window or the door, hoping to see Max returning. But when Max, just at dusk, climbed the stairs like a man very leg-weary, the little German appeared only worried and would answer no questions about the box or anything else.
Max had been long from home—so first he must know, in spite of his evident uneasiness, how his animals were doing; also his flowers. Had there, by chance, a purple bloom appeared among the white sweet peas? Chang did not know. It was most important, and Max himself must visit the little greenhouse projecting from the southern wall. Lastly, Max assured himself that Chang was setting the dinner-table for two.
"We will have dinner here together, my friendt," he explained to Hereford; "because just now there is nothing that it iss more worth while to do. Whatefer else could be done I haf done already."
"Then what is it that you have done, Max?" Hereford insisted.
The German's look of anxiety changed for an instant to a slow smile. "I haf all day kept myself oudt of jail. That iss something."
Hereford frowned impatiently.
"By what particular expedient, Max?"
"By saying nothing; as I must continue to do now. It iss enough that one of us runs that chance, and all day I haf felt the jail doors closing about me. Because, my friendt, I haf learned what iss dangerous information. I haf learned much about how the Surakarta wass stolen, which I am afraidt to tell, because it iss a thing which to the bolice would be unpelieveable. There are many men to whom I could tell it, and they would say it iss—gommonplace; because those men haf knowledge that it could be done that way. But the bolice haf not; no—they would lock me up. So I must say nothing until I can show the bolice—not tell it merely; for then they will pelieve. I haf arranchged to go to the Tonty tonight and do that; but first it must be dark as when the Surakarta wass stolen."
"At least, tell me where you have been," Hereford urged.
"I haf been walking in Lincoln Park. Often I go there to opserve the animals."
"Alone, Max?"
"Yes—alone; except that always in front of me today there wass a brown man walking. It seemed that he was going away somewhere, for he had his valise with him. But it seemed also he did not know where he wass going; for often he sat for a long time upon a bench; then I sat upon another bench not far from him. He could not go home, you comprehend, my friendt, because at his home Max had put the bolice to wait for him. But he would not haf been caught by the bolice—they are such dunderheads; except it wass for Max Schimmel perhaps he would not haf been caught at all."
He would not say more than this, though Hereford pressed him.
"No, my friendt; I must say to you, as I said today to the bolice, 'Do not ask guestions of me—I am not a bolice officer andt shmart like a bolice officer; I am only a naturalist!' The bolice were pleased by my saying that, for the bolice are all dunderheads. Yes; all are dunderheads; and of all the dunderhead bolice the worst dunderhead iss McAdams. Very early I saw why you had picked out McAdams to infestigate the case; it wass because at that time you did not want the case infestigated. Am I not right?"
"Yes," Hereford nodded.
"McAdams iss writing a book, and the name of the book iss 'My Great Cases.' Imachgine; the great cases of detectife McAdams! Once McAdams followed me from the Hotel Tonty to my house. Now, when the book comes oudt you will see he will say in it, 'Of all bersons I, the great detectife, wass the only one that had sense enough to suspect Max Schimmel!" The great dunderhead! I am glad he iss a boliceman andt not a naturalist. If he wass a naturalist, there is not an animal alife that would know efen what species it belonged to—not if it read McAdams' book!
"Well, if it happens that we are nefer able to get back the Surakarta, at least we shall be able to show, I think, in spite of detectife McAdams, how it wass that the Surakarta wass stolen."
They dined together, Max many times looking at his watch. Finally he sent Chang for a cab; still he made no other preparations for his departure.
"The cab iss for you, my friendt," he explained. "I haf been so busy that I haf had no time to notify Miss Regan that I would like to haf her also tonight at the Hotel Tonty. So if you will go and get her, I will meet you at the Tonty at eight o'clock."
Hereford called for his ward, and they went together to the Tonty a little before eight. They found the tenth floor corridor of the hotel filled with uniformed police and secret service men. These, recognizing them, made way for them and directed them to the door of what had formerly been the suite occupied by the Javanese. In the first room of this, Baraka's attendants were gathered in a bewildered and suspicious group. The next room was half filled with plain clothes men of the police, among whom Hereford could see Baraka, who was apparently as suspicious and bewildered as his attendants.
This group was assembled, curious and exclaiming about two tables in the middle of the room. Upon one of these the strange Java steel box that had contained the emerald had been placed. On the other one, as Hereford and his ward now saw, stood another box of precisely the same design, the same appearance.