ice a member of his staff, who
responded to the name of Henry Rathbone, and put him through a brief
catechism.

"What have you got on this Farquaharson party?" he inquired. "Tollman
complains that you're running up a pretty steep expense account and he
can't quite see what he's getting for his money."

Rathbone seated himself and nodded. "Mr. Tollman knows every move this
feller's made. You gotta give him time. A guy that think's he's got a
broken heart don't start right in on the gay life."

"Why don't he?" inquired Mr. Hagan with a more cynical philosophy. "I've
always heard that when a man thinks the world's gone to the bow-wows
he's just about ripe to cut loose. Don't this feller ever take a drink
or play around with any female companions?"

"You ain't got the angle straight on Farquaharson," observed the sleuth
who had for some time been Farquaharson's shadow. "He ain't that kind.
I'm living in the same apartment hotel with him and my room's next door
to his. I don't fall for the slush-stuff, Chief, but that feller gets my
goat. He's hurt and hurt bad. It ain't women he wants--it's _one_ woman.
As for female companions--he don't even seem to have any male ones."

"What does he do with his time?"

"Well, he went down to the farm for a few weeks and closed up the place.
He studied law, but he's passed it up and decided to write fiction
stories. Every morning he rides horseback in the park, and, take it from
me, those equestrian dames turn all the way round to rubber at him."

"What else does he do?"

"He walks miles, too. I fell in with him casual like one day and tagged
along. Well, he hiked me till my tongue hung out. We started at the Arch
and ended up at Dolrandi's cafe at the north end of the speedway--it
ain't but only about a dozen miles.... During that whole chummy little
experience he spoke just about a couple of times, except to answer my
questions. Sometimes when he thought I wasn't looking his eyes would get
like a fellow's I seen once in death-row up the river, but if he caught
me peepin' he'd laugh and straighten up sudden."

"Well, I don't suppose you can get anything on him till he gives you a
chance," said Mr. Hagan grudgingly, "but what this man Tollman wants is
results. He ain't paying out good money that he's hoarded for years,
just to get merit reports. He didn't wring it out of the local widows
and orphans just for that."

"I get you, and I'll keep watching. Since Farquaharson got thi