ing along."

Professor Brierly, after glaring speechlessly at his adopted son,
shrugged his shoulders and continued getting himself in readiness.
Jimmy followed Matthews out to the porch. He asked quietly:

"What is this, Jack? I don't get it at all."

Matthews looked at him without trying to conceal his contempt.

"A hell of a bright newspaper man you are! It was Professor
Brierly who pointed to the fact that Miller's and Schurman's
deaths were murders. If not for that, Flynn's death might have
been put down to some accident.

"I wouldn't feel at all comfortable having the old gentleman go
down there alone. It's true he'll have you there, Jimmy. You're a
good little man and you've got plenty of guts, but I'll feel
better, lots better, if I am with him personally."

"Well, what was he sore about?"

"He's sore because he knows why I'm going and he hates to be taken
care of. We had some words about his going day before yesterday.
He's a cocky old guy, as you know, isn't afraid of any single
thing on earth and it galls him to have me go along to play
nursemaid. Well, he can just be sore. I'm not going to leave his
side." He paused and then said slowly:

"Jimmy, I don't like this. I don't like it a damn bit. Birds who
will play this kind of a game, with several million dollars at
stake, who will plan murders like these, won't stop at anything.
And there's no question about it that the Professor has interfered
with their plans somewhat. I repeat, Jimmy, I don't like it a damn
bit. In all those things you got him into I never had quite the
same feeling I have now. I'm really afraid for him.

"Well, I'm going to be with him and I'm likely to take drastic
action first and talk afterward if someone makes a suspicious
move."

Jimmy soberly nodded. His absorption in the story had made him
overlook this ramification of it. He could see that it was highly
probable that Professor Brierly might be in as great danger as was
any member of the Tontine group.

The pilot of the amphibian, when he taxied up to the wharf, told
Jimmy that arrangements had been made that he land the plane on a
field belonging to John Mallory, amateur sportsman and airman,
whose estate was close to the home of William Flynn, at
Pleasantville.

Chapter XIII

The plane dropped down out of the sky at four o'clock Monday
morning, Eastern Standard time. Professor Brierly, as was his wont
when traveling in a conveyance that he could not drive h