force or torture could make Crane reveal the hiding-place
of the solution. It's probably in the safest safe-deposit vault in the
country. He wouldn't carry the key on him, probably wouldn't have it in
the house. Killing Seaton or Crane, or both of them, is easy enough, but
it probably wouldn't get us the solution, as I have no doubt that Crane
has provided for everything."

"Probably he has. But if he should disappear the stuff would have to
come to light, or the Seaton-Crane Company might start their
power-plant. In that case, we probably could get it?"

"_Possibly_, you mean. That method is too slow to suit me, though. It
would take months, perhaps years, and would be devilishly uncertain, to
boot. They'll know something is in the wind, and the stuff will be
surrounded by every safeguard they can think of. There must be some
better way than that, but I haven't been able to think of it."

"Neither have I, but your phrase 'direct action' gives me an idea. You
say that that method has failed. What do you think of trying indirect
action in the shape of Perkins, who is indirection personified?"

"Bring him in. He may be able to figure out something."

* * * * *

Perkins was called in, and the main phases of the situation laid before
him. The three men sat in silence for many minutes while the crafty
strategist studied the problem. Finally he spoke.

"There's only one way, gentlemen. We must get a handle on either Seaton
or Crane strong enough to make them give up their bottle of dope, their
plans, and everything...."

"Handle!" interrupted DuQuesne. "You talk like a fool! You can't get
anything on either of them."

"You misunderstand me, Doctor. You can get a handle of some kind on any
living man. Not necessarily in his past, you understand--I know that
anything like that is out of the question in this case--but in his
future. With some men it is money, with others power, with others fame,
with others women or some woman, and so on down the list. What can we
use here? Money is out of the question, so are power and fame, as they
already have both in plain sight. It seems to me that women would be our
best chance."

"Hah!" snorted the chemist. "Crane has been chased by all the women of
three continents so long that he's womanproof. Seaton is worse--he's
engaged, and wouldn't realize that a woman was on his trail, even if you
could find a better looking one to work on him than the gir