ain. He's taken the solution
with him, too, so that nobody else can get it."

"I wish I were sure of that, Dick. The man who tried to do the research
work is undoubtedly gone--but who is back of him?"

"Nobody, probably. Who would want to be?"

"To borrow your own phrase, Dick, Scott 'chirped it' when he called you
'Nobody Holme.' For a man with your brains you have the least sense of
anybody I know. You know that this thing is worth, as a power project
alone, thousands of millions of dollars, and that there are dozens of
big concerns who would cheerfully put us both out of the way for a
thousandth of that amount. The question is not to find one concern who
might be backing a thing like that, but to pick out the one who is
backing it."

* * * * *

After thinking deeply for a few moments he went on:

"The idea was taken from your demonstration in the Bureau, either by an
eye-witness or by someone who heard about it afterward, probably the
former. Even though it failed, one man saw the possibilities. Who was
that man? Who was there?"

"Oh, a lot of the fellows were there. Scott, Smith, Penfield, DuQuesne,
Roberts--quite a bunch of them. Let's see--Scott hasn't brains enough to
do anything. Smith doesn't know anything about anything except amines.
Penfield is a pure scientist, who wouldn't even quote an authority
without asking permission. DuQuesne is ... hm-m ... DuQuesne ... he ...
I...."

"Yes. DuQuesne. I have heard of him. He's the big black fellow, about
your own size? He has the brains, the ability, and the inclination, has
he not?"

"Well, I wouldn't want to say that. I don't know him very well, and
personal dislike is no ground at all for suspicion, you know."

"Enough to warrant investigation. Is there anyone else who might have
reasoned it out as you did, and as DuQuesne possibly could?"

"Not that I remember. But we can count DuQuesne out, anyway, because he
called me up this afternoon about some notes on gallium; so he is still
in the Bureau. Besides, he wouldn't let anybody else investigate it if
he got it. He would do it himself, and I don't think he would have blown
himself up. I never did like him very well personally--he's such a cold,
inhuman son of a fish--but you've got to hand it to him for ability.
He's probably the best man in the world today on that kind of thing."

"No, I do not think that we will count him out yet. He may have had
nothing to do with i