“Fine.”

“And they’re gone?”

“Yes.  The flowers were in the window yesterday.  Two of our men saw them on the boat.”

There came another knock.  This time, as the door opened, it was Thomas, Bennett’s faithless valet, who entered.

“Say,” blurted out the informer, “do you know Kennedy and Jameson are back?”

“Back?” cried the crooks.

“Yes,—­they didn’t go.  Changed clothes with the porters.  I just heard Miss Dodge telling Mr. Bennett.”

Clutching Hand eyed him keenly, then seemed to burst into an ungovernable fury.

Quickly he began volleying orders at the valet and the others.  Then, with the secretary and two of the other crooks he left by another door from that by which he had sent the valet forth.

. . . . . . . .

Leaving the undertaker’s, Kennedy and I made our way, keeping off thoroughfares, to police headquarters, where, after making ourselves known, Craig made arrangements for a raid on the house across the street from the laboratory where we had seen the opera glass reflection.

Then, as secretly as we had come, we went out again, letting ourselves into the laboratory, stealthily looking up and down the street.  We entered by a basement door, which Kennedy carefully locked again.

No sooner had we disappeared than one of the Clutching Hand’s spies who had been watching behind a barrel of rubbish gave the signal of the hand down the street to a confederate and, going to the door, entered by means of a skeleton key.

We entered our laboratory which Kennedy had closed the day before.  With shades drawn, it now looked deserted enough.

I dropped into a chair and lighted a cigarette with a sigh of relief, for really I had thought, until the boat sailed, that Kennedy actually contemplated going away.

Kennedy went over to a cabinet and, from it, took out a notebook and a small box.  Opening the notebook on the laboratory table, he rapidly turned the pages.

“Here, Walter,” he remarked.  “This will answer your questions about the mysterious deadly ray.”

I moved over to the table, eager to satisfy my curiosity and read the notes which he indicated with his finger.

INFRA-RED RAY NOTES

The infra-red ray which has been developed by LeCroix from the experiments of the Italian scientist Ulivi causes, when concentrated by an apparatus perfected by LeCroix, an instantaneous combustion of nonreflecting surfaces.  It is particularly deadly in its effect on the brain centers.

It can be diverted, it is said however, by a shield composed of platinum backed by asbestos.

Next Kennedy opened the case which he had taken out of the cabinet and from it he took out the platinum-asbestos mirror, which was something of his own invention.  He held it up and in pantomime showed me just how it would cut off the deadly rays.