Allen Price and John Stumpy were one and the same person! For a
moment so great was my surprise that I forgot I was under arrest, and
walked on beside the officer without a protest.
Now that I knew the truth it was easy to trace the resemblance, and I
blamed myself greatly for not having discovered it when we first met.
Of a certainty the man was bent upon frustrating my plans, partly for
his own safety, and more so upon Mr. Aaron Woodward's account. No
doubt the merchant was paying him well for his work, and John Stumpy
intended to do all he could to crush me.
But I was not to be crushed. The forces brought against me only made
my will stronger to go ahead. It was do or die, and that was all there
was to it.
I could easily understand why John Stumpy wished to obtain possession
of my handbag. In it he hoped to find the papers Mr. Woodward had lost
and Nicholas Weaver's confession. I could not help but smile at the
thought that, notwithstanding all I had said to the contrary, the two
plotters still believed I had the lost documents.
One thing perplexed me. Why was my visit to Chris Holtzmann considered
of such importance that every possible means was taken to prevent it?
Did this man possess the entire key to the situation? And were they
afraid he could be bought up or threatened into a confession? It
looked so.
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