possible movements or to what haunts they might have recourse. McKnight had evidently taken the child directly to them; probably with the idea of hiding it for the moment and then escaping to the Coast with it upon the first available boat. There would be no sailing for two days, excepting the Cleveland to the Orient that night; and meanwhile, to give the matter to the police was to bring about unbearable publicity for Evalani. They must have viciously counted upon that. It was plain now as to why they wanted to see the child. They had suspected that it was Jim McKnight's child, probably he had written to his brother something of the situation, and they had guessed the real cause of the tragedy and were trying to verify their theory that the boy was not a monstrosity, but only an evidence of disgrace. Quite likely the spy-glass had revealed the truth of their surmise; and that was why Evalani had been so anxious as to whether the curtain was down in time; but why had she had the absurd fear that it might have been a gun? And why did Carter McKnight want the baby, anyway?
All of these thoughts churned through Dick's mind as he guided his car back through the busy streets, subconsciously intent upon the only possible course—to call up Bert Sands and get her help. If it involved her knowing the truth about the baby, well, so be it; for she was his only resource. At the first drug-store he went in and telephoned;
