I had been flying down. I looked at
Jim in surprise.

"We got word of that in San Francisco," I told him, "and I came down
here to cover the story. When I got here, McQuarrie telephoned me your
message and told me to come and see you instead. Has your message
anything to do with this?"

"It has everything to do with it, First Mortgage; in fact, it _is_ it.
Have you any preconceived ideas on the disappearance epidemic?"

"None at all."

"All the better--you'll be able to approach the matter with an unbiased
viewpoint. Don't read that hooey put out by an inspired reporter who
blames the laxness of the city government; I'll give you the facts
without embellishment. Nothing beyond the bare fact of the disappearance
is known about the first case. Robert Prosser, aged eleven, was sent to
the grocery store by his mother about six-thirty last night and failed
to return. That's all we know about it, except that it happened in Eagle
Rock. The second case we have a little more data on. William Hill, aged
twelve, was playing in Glendale last night with some companions. They
were playing 'hide and go seek' and William hid. He could not be found
by the boy who was searching and has not been found since. His
companions became frightened and reported it about eight o'clock. They
saw nothing, but mark this! Four of them agree that they heard a sound
in the air _like a motor humming_."

"That proves nothing."

"Taken alone it does not, but in view of the third case, it is quite
significant. The third case happened about nine-thirty last night. This
time the victim was a girl, aged ten. She was returning home from a
moving picture with some companions and she disappeared. This time the
other children saw her go. They say she was suddenly taken straight up
into the air and then disappeared from sight. They, also claim to have
heard a sound like a big electric fan in the air at the time, although
they could see nothing."

"Had they heard the details of the second disappearance?"

"They had not. I can see what you are thinking; that they were
unconsciously influenced by the account given of the other case."

"Consciously or unconsciously."

"I doubt it, for the fourth case was almost a duplicate of the third.
The fourth and fifth cases happened this morning. In the fourth case the
child, for it was a nine year old girl this time, was lifted into the
air in broad daylight and disappeared. This disappearance was witnessed,
not on