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The Radio Detective · The Adventuress

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  Chapter eighteen of The Adventuress by Arthur b Reeve. This LibriVox recording is in
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  the public domain. Read by Anne Fletcher, Chapter eighteen The Radio Detective.
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  Here, it seemed, was a new danger. Was it to be taken
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  as a proof of Burke's theory that some one, perhaps a gang, was
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  back of Pequita. I was almost inclined to Hastings's opinion for the moment.
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  What was the reason that Shelby had been so interested in Kennedy as to seek
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  him out, even in the office of the lawyer of his brother, who
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  hated him. I could evolve no answer in my own inner consciousness for the
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  questions. As far as I could see, we were still fighting in the
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  dark, and fighting an unknown. Kennedy quickly chose one horn of the dilemma
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  that had been presented to him. Both the wording of the cipher and Burke's
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  enigmatic message regarding the wireless, which came so close on its heels, quite
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  decided him to hurry back to Westport, that is, if one might so
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  call traveling on midday trains that lounged along from station to station. We left
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  Hastings in a high state of excitement. Some pressing business prevented his immediate return
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  to Westport, and Kennedy was evidently rather pleased than otherwise, for he did
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  not urge him to go. There's just one thing that I must stop for,
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  and we shall have plenty of time if we don't waste it, he
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  planned, I must go to the laboratory. There's some stuff there I want
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  to take out if, as I foresee, we are to have to deal
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  with wireless in some way. Besides, I may need some expert assistance,
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  and I want to arrange with one of the graduate students at the university if
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  I can. In the laboratory, he found what he wanted and began gathering
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  it into bundles, packing up some head telephone receivers, coils of wire,
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  and other apparatus, some of which was very cumbersome. The last he placed
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  in a pile by itself. The door opened and a young man entered.
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  Ah Watkins. Craig directed, as I recognized one of the students who had
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  attended his courses. There's a lot of apparatusts I would like you to take
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  out to Westport for me. They talked briefly in a wireless jargon which I
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  did not understand, and the student agreed to carry the stuff out on a
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  late train, meeting us at the Harbor House. At the last moment,
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  Kennedy was off for the railroad station. It was making close connections, but
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  we succeeded. The ride out was nerve racking to us under the circumstances.
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  We had taken the bait so temptingly displayed by Paquita and had gone to New
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  York. Now we could not get back fast enough. We had not been
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  in the city long, it is true, but had it been too long,
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  what had happened out in the town we were anxious to learn. I
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  felt sure that in our absence some of the Maddoxes might well have attempted something
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  which our presence would have restrained. Burke met us at the station with a
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  car. So sure was he that Kennedy would return immediately on receipt of his
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  second message, and it was evident that he felt a great sense of relief
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  at regaining Kennedy's help. As we spun along down from the station, Kennedy
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  hastened to tell Burke what had happened, first about Paquita, as Riley had
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  reported, and then his deciphering of the cipher message, our failure to discover
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  anything in the scantily furnished office at the other end of the detective phone wire,
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  Shelby's visit, and the whole peculiar train of circumstances. Instead of going
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  directly to the harbor house, Burke drove us around by the hotel dock,
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  where we saw that there was a stranger in a power boat, apparently waiting
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  for him. Kennedy was just finishing his recital of our unsatisfactory experience as we
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  approached. Perhaps it's something to do with what I wired you about, returned
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  Burke thoughtfully, This new affair is something that I know you'll be interested in.
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  You see, among my other jobs for the government, I'm what you
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  might call a radio detective. I guess you know that there are laws aimed
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  against these amateur wireless operators, I suppose. Kennedy nodded, and Burke went
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  on, well, whenever regular operators find anything illegal going on in the air,
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  they notify the government, and so the thing has passed along for me
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  to take up. Heaven knows, I don't know much about wireless, but
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  that doesn't matter. They don't want a wireless man, so much as they
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  do a detective to ferret out from the operator's evidence who can be violating the
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  law of the heir and where so. That is how I happen to get
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  hold of this evidence, which I think may prove valuable to us. As
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  we pulled up near the hotel dock, Burke beckoned to the strange man who'd
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  been waiting for him. Let me introduce you to Steel, whom they've sent
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  to me on that matter. I told you about Kennedy, and I shook
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  hands with the man, who glanced out over the harbor as he explained briefly,
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  I'm an operator over there at the Seaville station, which you can see
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  on the point. We also gazed out over the water. The powerful station,
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  which he indicated, was on a spit of sand, perhaps two miles
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  distant, and stood out sharply against the horizon, with its tall steel masts
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  and cluster of little houses below in which the operators and the plant were.
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  It's a wonderful station. Steel remarked, noticing that we were looking at it.
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  Also, we'd be glad to have you over there, mister Kennedy.
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  Perhaps you could help us. How's that asked Craig Keenly, why, explained
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  the operator with a sort of reflective growl. For the past day or so.
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  Now and then, when we least expect it, our apparatus has been
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  put out of business. It's only temporary, but it looks as though there
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  was too much interference. It isn't static. It's almost as though some one
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  was jamming the air. And we don't know of any one round here that's
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  capable of doing it. None of us can explain it, but there are
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  some powerful impulses in the air. I can't make it out. Kennedy's eye
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  rested on the graceful white hull of the Cibarite as she lay still at anchor
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  off the harbor house. I had not noticed, although Kennedy had, that
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  the yacht was equipped with wireless It's not likely that it's any one on the
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  Sibberite who is responsible, he considered tentatively. The operator shook his head.
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  No, the apparatus hasn't strong enough. We'd be more likely to put them
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  out of business. Burke turned the car around and drove up to the harbor
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  house. Kennedy jumped out of the car and carried part of the stuff he'd
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  brought from the laboratory, while I took the rest, followed by Burke and
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  Steel. When I got your message, Burke, he said, I thought
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  that there might be something going on such as you've told me, so I
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  came out. I've got some more upperatus coming too. In case we don't
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  get what we want with this, we'll you see if we can get permission
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  to go up on the roof and do it without attracting attention too. Burke
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  quickly made the arrangements, and we quietly went upstairs by a back way,
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  finally coming out on a flat portion of the lodge roof. From one of
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  the packages, Kennedy took some wire and hastily and ingeniously strung it so that
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  in a short time it was quite evident that he was improvising the aerial of
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  a wireless outfit of some sort. Finally, when he had finished, he
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  led the proper wires down over the edge of the roof. One of these,
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  he said, preparing to leave the roof, I want to carry down
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  to the ground, and the other to our own room. We went down
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  again by the back stairs and outside, where Kennedy picked up the wire that
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  hung down to the earth. Having completed this part of his preparations, Kennedy
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  entered the harbor House and we followed. We were passing through the corridor when
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  a page stepped up to Kennedy. I beg your pardon, sir, he
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  announced, But there's a lady in the parlor who would like to speak to
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  you and mister Jameson. Sir Kennedy excused himself from Burke and Steel, and
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  together we went in the direction of the parlor, eager to discover who it
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  was that sent for us. To my surprise, it was Winifred Walcott,
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  whom we saw sitting all alone. How are you after your thrilling experience last
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  night, inquired Kennedy. It was so early this morning when we left that
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  we really could not disturb any one to find out. I trust that you
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  are feeling better. Yes, better, she repeated, her eyes with an
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  absent look, as though she was not thinking of how she felt. I
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  wanted to thank you ever so much for what you did. Without you,
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  who knows what might have happened to me or where I should be now.
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  There was genuine feeling in her words. Now as she went on, Professor
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  Kennedy, after what has happened. I'm afraid that I shall have to appeal
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  to you for protection. I have thought about it all a great deal,
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  and still there's no explanation of the strange events of last night. You have
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  no idea who it was who carried you off. She shook her head.
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  You may not believe it, but I have not. All I remember was
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  being seized from behind, and before I knew it, I was half choked
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  and half smothered. That thing wrapped about my head kept me from seeing or
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  crying out until it was too late. Even then I could not see.
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  There is only one thing I can say, I really know, and that
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  is that whoever it was that carried me off, it was some one of
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  great strength. You see. I'm no light weight and pretty strong. Yet
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  I never had a chance until you and mister Jameson and the rest came up
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  back of me. Oh, I'm so sorry. I came to your laboratory
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  that day with her Winifred paused, it was evident that she was in a
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  very nervous and high strung state, and naturally so, the one thing that
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  seemed uppermost in her mind was that she had listened to the biased interpretations of
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  Irene Maddock's The de nument had proved how wrong they'd been, at least in
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  their suggested characterization of Kennedy, and she hastened to apologize. Oh, not
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  a word about that, insisted Kennedy. There's no reason why you should not
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  have come to see me on any errand and with anybody just the same.
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  I am sorry. Has anything more happened to day, queried Kennedy, changing
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  the subject deafly. No, nothing in particular. I've been thinking mostly of
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  what it all was about last night. Some one wanted to hold me but
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  didn't want to hurt me. Who could it be? Why? That is
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  exactly what I am trying to find out, assured Craig. We went into
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  the city on what looked as though it might prove to be a very promising
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  clue, but nothing came of it. However, it is only a short
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  while now, and we shall soon have something to report. I am convinced.
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  Did you see mister Maddox, she asked hesitatingly, And I knew that
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  the mention of Shelby's name had cost her some effort. After the serious tiff
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  of the evening before, he was very solicitous sent up word and some flowers,
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  but could not miss the express he wrote, on account of an important
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  engagement. Yes, we saw him for just a minute down in Wall Street.
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  I believe he has taken some interest in business lately, and has spent
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  much time at the office of his brokers down town. The look of relief
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  that passed over her face could not easily be concealed. It was evident that
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  she knew of this sudden early departure of Pequita, and, like Hastings in
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  her suspicions, had been afraid that there might be some connection with Shelby.
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  Kennedy did not say anything about the appearance of Pequita in Wall Street, and
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  on reflection I reasoned that he was right, for it could have no effect
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  except to arouse unjust suspicions. Winnifred said nothing. For a few moments,
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  I wondered what was passing in her mind. Was she sorry that she had
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  not taken Shelby at his word the night before? At any rate? She
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  said nothing, Nor should I have expected her to admit anything to us.
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  What do your brother and sister in law think, asked Kennedy. At length,
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  Johnson promised to get a detective himself, if there was anything new on
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  which to base suspicions, she replied, he seemed rather vexed at me that
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  I could tell no more, said that no detective could be expected to catch
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  any one on my hazy description, which I suppose is true. And missus
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  Maddox, oh, she seems to think, Well, it's pretty hard to
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  tell what poor Irene thinks from one moment to another. She says, it's
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  what I might expect for being mixed up with the Maddock says, I can't
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  see what that has to do with it, though I'm not mixed up with
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  them, even if Johnson is. There was a naivete about the remark that
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  was not lost on Kennedy. Winifred was still mistress of her own heart,
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  at least so she would have us think her solicitude about Shelby in the careful
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  way in which she refused to let us see that it went too far,
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  would have indicated otherwise she was really afraid of herself. There has been absolutely
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  nothing suspicious since this morning, reiterated Kennedy, hoping that she might recall something,
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  no matter how trivial, that might point the way further ahead. Nothing,
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  She repeated, I didn't come down from my room until pretty late.
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  Everybody had left for the city by that time. I did see that gentleman
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  who brought us back in his car. Though oh Sanchez interrogated Craig, his
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  attention aroused in an instant. What of him did he do or say anything?
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  Nothing except that he inquired very particularly how I was and whether I had
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  found out anything nothing more than common politeness might suggest. As for me,
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  I felt sure now that there was something much deeper than courtesy in the inquiry
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  of Sanchez. I don't suppose you noticed anything about him, asked Craig,
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  nothing except that he avoided Irene Maddock's when he saw her coming toward me.
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  I think I can guess why she nodded knowingly to Kennedy. Did he seem
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  to be interested in Paquita's absence, pursued Kennedy. I can't say. Strove
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  Winniford to remember. I did see him talking to some of the boys about
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  the hotel, that's all. And where did he go? Drove off in
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  his car. It was about the middle of the morning. I haven't seen
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  him about since then. Winnifred seemed quite reassured by the few words with Kennedy,
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  and with a parting assurance of protection, Kennedy and I excused ourselves.
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  We rejoined Burke and Steel in the lobby, where Burke was nervously pacing up
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  and down for precious minutes were being wasted, he felt, and yet I
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  could not see that he was able to make a move without the aid of
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  Kennedy. Like Burke, I too was eager to know what it was that
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  Kennedy was planning to accomplish by the elaborate and secret preparations he was making.
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  Accordingly, I was not sorry when he decided to go immediately up to our
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  rooms. Naturally, I was keenly interested in what Kennedy was doing in establishing
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  his own little wireless plant. But the operator, Steele, looked at it
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  in increasing wonder as Craig laid out the apparatus in the room. It's not
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  exactly like anything that I've ever seen before, Steele remarked, Finally, what
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  do you expect to do with it? Sir Kennedy smiled, I don't believe
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  you ever did see one of these sets, although you may have heard of
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  them, he explained, not pausing in his work of installing it. It
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  is an apparatus only lately device for use by the United States government to detect
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  illegalities in the air in wireless, whether they are committed by amateurs or not.
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  As we watched in silence, Kennedy went on explaining, you know that
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  wireless apparatus is divided into three parts. The source of power, whether battery
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  or dynamo, The making and sending of wireless waves, including the key,
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  spark, condenser and tuning coil. And the receiving apparatus head telephones, antennae,
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  and ground and detector. Kennedy was talking to us rather than the operator,
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  but now he turned to him and remarked, it's a very compact system
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  with facilities for a quick change from one wave length to another. I suppose
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  you've noticed it spark gap, quench type brake system, relay, and all
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  the rest. You understand. I can hear any interference while I'm transmitting take
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  the transformation by a single throw of this six point swich. It tunes the
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  oscillating and open circuits to resonance. It's very clever and best of all efficient.
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  His wireless installed and adjusted, Kennedy clapped the ear pieces on and tuned
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  it up. Not only he but the wireless operator tried it rapidly, changing
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  the wave lengths as the system admitted, in the hope of discovering something.
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  Whatever it was that had caused the trouble at the Seaville station, it was
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  not working. Now they seemed able to discover nothing. This had been going
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  on for some time when our telephone rang and Burke jumped to answer it.
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  That's one of my men, he exclaimed, with a gesture that indicated he'd
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  forgotten something. I meant to tell you that they were holding a funeral service
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  for Marshal Maddocks, and this apparatus of yours clean knocked it out of my
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  head. Hello, Oh, yes, I remember. At wait, Burke
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  put his hand over the transmitter and looked at us. Do you want to
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  go, he asked. I think I would like to see them together again,
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  Craig replied, after a moment's consideration, all right, returned Burke,
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  removing his hand. We'll be down in a minute. Kennedy took from another
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  package what looked like an arrangement containing a phonograph cylinder and attached it, through
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  a proper contrivance to his receiving apparatus. Now I think we can safely leave
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  this thing, bustled Kennedy, eager to get back in touch with things at
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  Westport. The wireless operator Steele glanced at his watch. I'm to go back
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  at Seaviale soon to do my trick. Is there anything else I can tell
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  you or do for you? Kennedy thanked him, not just at the moment
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  he returned. We shall have to wait now until something happens. Perhaps you
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  are right. I think the best thing you can do is to return to
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  Seville and keep your eyes and ears open. If there's anything at all that
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  comes up that seems to lead to our wireless jammer. I wish you would
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  let me know. Steele was only too glad to promise, and a moment
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  later left us to return to the wireless station. End of Chapter eighteen.