ver even
bothered to take that 'transmitter' along--the thing was taken apart
and checked over as carefully as if somebody thought it might still
suddenly start working. But it was an absolute Goldberg, of course.
The old man had simply gone off his rocker."

"Hadn't there been any indication of it before?"

"Not that I know of. Except that he'd been dropping hints about his
gadget for several months before he showed it to anyone," Elby said
indifferently. The talk turned to other things.

[Illustration]

* * * * *

The rest was routine, not difficult to carry out. A small cottage on
Mallorca, near the waterfront, was found to be in McAllen's name.
McAllen's liquid assets were established to have dwindled to something
less than those of John Emanuel Fredericks, who patronized the same
local bank as his employer. There had been frequent withdrawals of
large, irregular sums throughout the past years. The withdrawals were
not explained by McAllen's frugal personal habits; even his fishing
excursions showed an obvious concern for expense. The retention of the
Mediterranean retreat, modest though it was, must have a reason beyond
simple self-indulgence.

Barney arranged for the rental of a bungalow in the outskirts of
Sweetwater beach, which lay uphill from the old house in which McAllen
and Fredericks lived, and provided a good view of the residence and
its street entry. He didn't go near the place himself. Operatives of a
Los Angeles detective agency went on constant watch in the bungalow,
with orders to photograph the two old men in the other house and any
visitors at every appearance, and to record the exact times the
pictures were taken. At the end of each day the photographs were
delivered to an address from where they promptly reached Barney's
hands.

A European agency was independently covering the Mallorca cottage in
the same manner.

Nearly four weeks passed before Barney obtained the exact results he
wanted. He called off the watch at both points, and next day came up
the walk to McAllen's home and rang the doorbell. John Fredericks
appeared, studied Barney's card and Barney with an air of mild
disapproval, and informed him that Dr. McAllen did not receive
visitors.

"So I've been told," Barney acknowledged pleasantly. "Please be so
good as to give the doctor this."

Fredericks' white eyebrows lifted by the barest trifle as he looked at
the sealed envelope Barney was h