Friday night. Sooner or later,
when he believes police vigilance has been relaxed, he'll go prowling
about that house, and to Captain Strawn, who doesn't take the slightest
stock in my theory, will go credit for the arrest.... Unless--"

Dundee reached for a telegraph form and again scanned the pencilled
message. Only that afternoon had it occurred to him to ask the telegraph
company for a copy of the wire by which Dexter Sprague, according to his
own story, had been summoned to Hamilton by Nita Selim.

The manager had been obliging, had looked up the message and copied it
with his own hand. It was a night letter, and had been filed in Hamilton
April 24--the third day after Nita's arrival. Addressed to Dexter
Sprague, at a hotel in the theatrical district, New York City, the
message read:

"EVERYTHING JAKE SO FAR BUT WOULD FEEL SAFER YOU HERE CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE PLANNING BOOSTER MOVIE FOUNDING AND DEVELOPMENT OF
HAMILTON LOOKING GOOD DIRECTOR WHY NOT TRY FOR JOB AS GOOD EXCUSE
ALL MY LOVE--NITA"

Dundee laid the paper on his desk, locked his hands behind his head, and
addressed the parrot again. The habit of using the bird for an audience
and as an excuse for puzzling and mulling aloud had grown on him during
the year he had owned the doughty old Cap'n.

"As I was about to say, 'my dear Watson', Captain Strawn's boys out at
the Selim house will have their chance to nab our man--or woman--unless
Dexter Sprague ignores my warning, pretends to have the papers himself,
and tries to carry on the blackmail scheme, which he undoubtedly knew
all about and which, most probably, he encouraged Nita to undertake--the
'friend' she had to consult, you know, before she decided to accept Lois
Dunlap's offer."

The parrot interrupted with a hoarse cackle.

"Have you gone over to the enemy, Cap'n?" Dundee reproved the bird. "You
sound exactly like Strawn when he laughed at my interpretation of this
message this afternoon. My late chief contends--and it is just possible,
of course, that he is right--that Nita was afraid she couldn't swing the
job of organizing and directing Lois' Little Theater, and wanted Sprague
here, both as lover and unofficial assistant. But that's a pretty thin
explanation, don't you think, 'my dear Watson'?... Oh, all right! Laugh,
damn you! But I'd feel better if Strawn had taken my advice and set a
dick to trail Sprague, to see that he keeps out of mischief.... All
this, however, gets