Adventure, December 1914 — page 24: what you’re looking at

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vo So what hotel he usually stopped. Burke too excused himself, saying that he had a few matters that he wanted to run down per- sonally. | ‘‘Why should any one want to steal old tablets of Mixtec inscriptions?” I asked thoughtfully of Kennedy as we left the oth- ers. “As nearly as I can make out, that is about the only motive that any one has even suggested for the murder of Neumeyer. Surely they couldn’t have a sufficient value, even on appreciative Fifth Avenue, to warrant murder.” “‘As far: as that goes,” replied Kennedy sententiously, “it zs incomprehensible. Yet we know that people do steal such things. The psychologists tell us that they have a veritable mania for possessing certain cu- rios. However, it may be possible that there is some deeper significance in this case,’’ he added, his face wrinkled in thought. ‘For instance, there was that letter Neumeyer wrote to Sinclair. He might have discovered something that really had a practical value.”’ It was, to me, a new aspect of the affair that an archeologist might possess some- thing that appealed to the cupidity of a criminal. ‘Then too,” went on Craig, ‘‘there is the problem of who this mysterious woman- caller may have been. I thought it might be Ruiz—but I doubt it. At present I’m inclined to believe that it was some one whom we-haven’t yet connected with the case. At any rate, I think tonight I'll see what sort of welcome we may get at the cabaret. Are you game?” “Go as far as you like,” I replied. I was now thoroughly aroused to solve the riddle. The further we went the more incomprehensible it seemed. How and by whom the beautiful Madame Valcour and now Professor Neumeyer had met their deaths seemed to me to remain as great a mystery as ever. ) CHAPTER VI THE MESCAL PARTY QR second visit, that night, to the Mexican cabaret was more cordial than the first. As yet none of them suspected anything, and it seemed that we had made a good impression before and now found that we had established ourselves on a footing at least of intimacy. Adventure Thus‘it came about that we had no diffi- culty in being. seated at the table where we knew was to be the party which later would adjourn to a private dining-room upstairs. We even felt emboldened to do a little visit- ing on our own account from table to table, praising Sefiora Ruiz for her dancing, ex- changing light banter with Mrs. Hawley, and even chatting for a few moments with Sanchez who, however, seemed to be mo- rose and moody. It was not difficult to imagine the cause, and even if it had been, Mrs. Hawley would have supplied the reason. Sanchez sat silent for the most part, and once Mrs. Hawley leaned over and re- marked— ‘He has been like that ever since he learned of the death of Valcour.”’ Seficra Ruiz danced with a fire which sur- passed even that of the night before, but it had no effect on Sanchez. He seemed to be engrossed in something else, faraway. Ruiz was careful not to intrude on his thoughts, but I fancied that there was a sort of elation in his face. Iam sure that Hattie Hawley felt no extraordinary sorrow over the news. The fact was, as nearly as I could make it out, that Valcour had been a trouble-maker for both of them. She had, evidently, had all the men at her beck and call, and the others were not sorry, at least, to have a formidable rival removed, although when- ever her name was mentioned there were general expressions of concern and sympa- thy. The cabaret was going as if nothing had happened, but one could not help observing that the group of friends were quite sobered by the quick succession of deaths of fre- quenters of the place. We listened intently to the conversation, but no one, at least openly, claimed to have been intimate with either Valcour or Neumeyer, although the mystery surrounding their deaths could not but have its dampening effect. I looked about from time to time expect- ing that Sinclair might drop in, as long as he was in town, but evidently he was avoid- ing the place. ‘“‘Neumeyer must have been a very in- teresting man,” ventured Craig in a lull in the conversation when it had drifted around to the situation outside the capital o Mexico. , : “He was,” chimed in Mrs. Hawley. ‘“Most of us, though, had more interest in comicloool C@