The spectator., 1921-04-29
CHAPTER Vi-Continued.

MT. van Brltt saw ana talked Wltn everybody, and when he could wedge of minute or two of privacy, he'd go into the third room of the suite and thresh it out with Juneman, or Biiloughby. or Mir. Ripley. From these private talks I found out that there was still some doubt in the minds of all four of them about the boss drop out--as to whether it was voluntary or not
 Also, I found out what had been done during the four days. We had TO company detectiye' at that time, and MT. Hornaeil had borrowed man named Grimmer from his old com pany, the Overland Central, wiring for him and getting him on the ground within tWentyfour hours of the time of Mr Norcross' disappearance
 Grimmer had gone to work at once. but everything he had turned up, so far, favored the voluntary runaway the0ry. Mir Norcross trunks were still ill his rooms at the Bullard; but his two grips were gone. And the night clerk at the hotel, when he was pushed to it. remembered that the hess had paid his bill up to date that night, before going up to his rooms.
 Past that, the trace was completely lost. The conductor on the Fast Mail, aeastbound, on the night in question, sswore by all that was good and great shat Mir. Norcross hadn't been a passenger Gn his train. And he would certainly have known it If he had been carrying his general manager.
 Over in the other field there was absolutely nothing to incriminate the Hatch people. So far from it, Hatch had turned up at the railroad office, Bright and early the morning after Mir. N0reross had gone. He had asked fer ihc boss, and failing to find him, fte had hunted up Mir Van Britt. What gse wanted, it seemed, was a chance M reopen the proposition that had imen made to him the day before fhe offer of the new Citizens Storage X Warehouse company to purchase the various Red Tower equipments and 1lants.
 Mir. Van Britt had referred him to sir. Ripley. and to our lawyer Hatch tad made what purported to be an ofer confession. admitting that he had gone to Mir. Norcross the night be- fore. determined to fight the new com rp,ny to a finish. and that there had seen good many things said tha. would better be forgotten. Now, how ever. he was willing to talk straight business and compromise. He had called his board of directors together, and they had voted to sell their track bordering plants to Citizens Storage X Warehouse if a price could be ami cab!y agreed upon.
 With Mir. Norcross gone and new general manager coming Mir. Ripley WaS afraid 10 make a move, and Hatch was pressing him to get busy on the bargain and sale proposition; was ap- parently as anxious now to sell and withdraw as he had at first been to fight everything in sight.
 Ky the morning I came on the scene the man Grimmer had, as they say. just about done his do. He was only "a sort of journeyman detective, and had run out of clues. When he came in and talked to MT. Van Britt and Mir. Ripley, I could see that he fully believed in the drop-out theory, and even the lawyer and Mir. Van Britt l,ad to admit that the facts were with him. The boss had written a letter saying definitely that he was quitting he had paid his hotel bill, and his grips were gone; and two days later President Dunton had appointed d new general manager, which was proof positive, you'd say. that the boss had resigned and had so notified the New York office.
 When the noon hour came along, Fred May took me out to luncheon. and we went to the Bullard eafe It was pretty rich for our blood at two dollars per. but I guess Fred thought his job was gone, anyway, and felt reckless. Over the good things at our on our own account-and got a lot ,nore chaff and no grain.
 Fred didn't want to agree with Grimmer and the facts, but there didn't seem to be any help for It. And as for me, I had other things in mind all the time-the big scary fear tha, somebody had got to the boss after he had left Ripley on the night of stockings. and had just bashed him ir the face with the story of Mrs. Sheila's sham widowhood.
 By and by we got around to my ahurned hand. and Fred told me Grim