CHAPTER VI. A PLAN OF CAMPAIGN
A veil might with profit be drawn over the events of the next half-hour.Suffice it to say that no such person as “Inspector Brown” was known toScotland Yard. The photograph of Jane Finn, which would have been ofthe utmost value to the police in tracing her, was lost beyond recovery.Once again “Mr. Brown” had triumphed.
The immediate result of this set-back was to effect a _rapprochement_between Julius Hersheimmer and the Young Adventurers. All barriers wentdown with a crash, and Tommy and Tuppence felt they had known the youngAmerican all their lives. They abandoned the discreet reticence of“private inquiry agents,” and revealed to him the whole history ofthe joint venture, whereat the young man declared himself “tickled todeath.”
He turned to Tuppence at the close of the narration.
“I’ve always had a kind of idea that English girls were just a mitemoss-grown. Old-fashioned and sweet, you know, but scared to move roundwithout a footman or a maiden aunt. I guess I’m a bit behind the times!”
The upshot of these confidential relations was that Tommy and Tuppencetook up their abode forthwith at the _Ritz_, in order, as Tuppence putit, to keep in touch with Jane Finn’s only living relation. “And putlike that,” she added confidentially to Tommy, “nobody could boggle atthe expense!”
Nobody did, which was the great thing.
“And now,” said the young lady on the morning after their installation,“to work!”
Mr. Beresford put down the _Daily Mail_, which he was reading, andapplauded with somewhat unnecessary vigour. He was politely requested byhis colleague not to be an ass.
“Dash it all, Tommy, we’ve got to _do_ something for our money.”
Tommy sighed.
“Yes, I fear even the dear old Government will not support us at the_Ritz_ in idleness for ever.”
“Therefore, as I said before, we must _do_ something.”
“Well,” said Tommy, picking up the _Daily Mail_ again, “_do_ it. Ishan’t stop you.”
“You see,” continued Tuppence. “I’ve been thinking----”
She was interrupted by a fresh bout of applause.
“It’s all very well for you to sit there being funny, Tommy. It would doyou no harm to do a little brain work too.”
“My union, Tuppence, my union! It does not permit me to work before 11a.m.”
“Tommy, do you want something thrown at you? It is absolutely essentialthat we should without delay map out a plan of campaign.”
“Hear, hear!”
“Well, let’s do it.”
Tommy laid his paper finally aside. “There’s something of the simplicityof the truly great mind about you, Tuppence. Fire ahead. I’m listening.”
“To begin with,” said Tuppence, “what have we to go upon?”
“Absolutely nothing,” said Tommy cheerily.
“Wrong!” Tuppence wagged an energetic finger. “We have two distinctclues.”
“What are they?”
“First clue, we know one of the gang.”
“Whittington?”
“Yes. I’d recognize him anywhere.”
“Hum,” said Tommy doubtfully, “I don’t call that much of a clue. Youdon’t know where to look for him, and it’s about a thousand to oneagainst your running against him by accident.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” replied Tuppence thoughtfully. “I’ve oftennoticed that once coincidences start happening they go on happening inthe most extraordinary way. I dare say it’s some natural law that wehaven’t found out. Still, as you say, we can’t rely on that. But there_are_ places in London where simply every one is bound to turn up sooneror later. Piccadilly Circus, for instance. One of my ideas was to takeup my stand there every day with a tray of flags.”
“What about meals?” inquired the practical Tommy.
“How like a man! What does mere food matter?”
“That’s all very well. You’ve just had a thundering good breakfast. Noone’s got a better appetite than you have, Tuppence, and by tea-timeyou’d be eating the flags, pins and all. But, honestly, I don’t thinkmuch of the idea. Whittington mayn’t be in London at all.”
“That’s true. Anyway, I think clue No. 2 is more promising.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“It’s nothing much. Only a Christian name--Rita. Whittington mentionedit that day.”
“Are you proposing a third advertisement: Wanted, female crook,answering to the name of Rita?”
“I am not. I propose to reason in a logical manner. That man, Danvers,was shadowed on the way over, wasn’t he? And it’s more likely to havebeen a woman than a man----”
“I don’t see that at all.”
“I am absolutely certain that it would be a woman, and a good-lookingone,” replied Tuppence calmly.
“On these technical points I bow to your decision,” murmured Mr.Beresford.
“Now, obviously this woman, whoever she was, was saved.”
“How do you make that out?”
“If she wasn’t, how would they have known Jane Finn had got the papers?”
“Correct. Proceed, O Sherlock!”
“Now there’s just a chance, I admit it’s only a chance, that this womanmay have been ‘Rita.’”
“And if so?”
“If so, we’ve got to hunt through the survivors of the _Lusitania_ tillwe find her.”
“Then the first thing is to get a list of the survivors.”
“I’ve got it. I wrote a long list of things I wanted to know, and sentit to Mr. Carter. I got his reply this morning, and among other thingsit encloses the official statement of those saved from the _Lusitania_.How’s that for clever little Tuppence?”
“Full marks for industry, zero for modesty. But the great point is, isthere a ‘Rita’ on the list?”
“That’s just what I don’t know,” confessed Tuppence.
“Don’t know?”
“Yes. Look here.” Together they bent over the list. “You see, very fewChristian names are given. They’re nearly all Mrs. or Miss.”
Tommy nodded.
“That complicates matters,” he murmured thoughtfully.
Tuppence gave her characteristic “terrier” shake.
“Well, we’ve just got to get down to it, that’s all. We’ll start withthe London area. Just note down the addresses of any of the females wholive in London or roundabout, while I put on my hat.”