Bell had traveled on the excess-fare express trains under the guise of an insurance executive. Local Van Dorns, alerted by telegraph, had reported at the station stops about the fairgrounds and racetracks where the fliers were likely to land each night. Their dossiers on gamblers, criminals, informants, and law officers had made compelling reading, and by the time his train eased alongside the ferry on Oakland Mole, Isaac Bell’s encyclopedic knowledge of American crime had been brought thoroughly up to date.
Weiner spoke suddenly from his chair in the corner.
“The rules stipulate that to conclude the final leg of the race the winner must first fly a circle completely around this building – the San Francisco Inquirer Building – before he alights on the Army Signal Corps’s grounds at the Presidio.”
“Protecting such an ambitious route will be an enormous job,” Van Dorn said with a stern smile. “As I advised earlier, you need a detective agency with field offices that span the nation.”
Isaac Bell removed his hat and spoke earnestly. “We believe that your cross-country race is important, Preston. The United States lags far behind France and Italy in feats of distance flying.”
Whiteway agreed. “Excitable foreigners like the French and Italians have a flair for flying.”
“Phlegmatic Germans and Britons are making a go of it, too,” Bell observed drily.
“With war brewing in Europe,” Van Dorn chimed in, “their armies offer enormous prizes for feats of aviation to be employed on the battlefield.”
Whiteway intoned solemnly, “A terrible gulf yawns between warlike kings and autocrats and us overly peaceable Americans.”
“All the more reason,” said Isaac Bell, “for ‘America’s Sweetheart of the Air’ to vault our nation to a new level above the heroic exploits of the Wright brothers and aerial daredevils circling crowds of spectators on sunny days. And as Josephine advances the United States, she will also advance the brand-new field of aviation.”
Bell’s words pleased Whiteway, and Van Dorn looked at his chief investigator admiringly for deftly flattering a potential client. But Isaac Bell meant what he said. To make aeroplanes a fast, reliable mode of modern transportation, their drivers had to tackle wind and weather across the vast and lonely American landscape.
“Harry Frost must not be allowed to derail this great race.”
“The future of air flight is at stake. And, of course, the life of your young aviatrix.”
“All right!” said Whiteway. “Blanket the nation from coast to coast. And to hell with what it costs.”
Van Dorn offered his hand to shake on the deal. “We will get on it straightaway.”
“There is one other thing,” Whiteway said.
“Yes?”
“The squad of detectives who protect Josephine?”
“Handpicked, I assure you.”
“They must all be married men.”
“Of course,” said Van Dorn. “That goes without saying.”
BACK IN BELL’S AUTO, roaring down Market Street, a beaming Van Dorn chuckled, “Married detectives?”
“Sounds like Josephine traded a jealous husband for a jealous sponsor.”
Isaac Bell left unspoken the thought that the supposedly naive farm girl had made a swift transition from a rich husband to pay for her airships to a rich newspaper publisher to pay for her airships. Clearly, a single-minded woman who got what she wanted. He looked forward to meeting her.
Van Dorn said, “I had a strong impression that Whiteway would prefer Frost
“You will recall that Whiteway’s mother – a forceful woman – writes articles on the immorality of divorce that Whiteway is obliged to publish in his Sunday supplements. If Preston desires Josephine’s hand in marriage, he will definitely prefer
“I would love to make Josephine a widow,” growled Van Dorn. “It’s the least that Harry Frost deserves. Only, first we’ve got to catch him.”
Isaac Bell said, “May I recommend you put Archie Abbott in charge of protecting Josephine? There’s no more happily married detective in America.”
“He’d be a fool not to be,” Van Dorn replied. “His wife is not only remarkably beautiful but very wealthy. I often wonder why he bothers to keep working for me.”
“Archie’s a first-class detective. Why would he stop doing what he excels at?”
“All right, I’ll give your friend Archie the protective squad.”
Bell said, “I presume you will assign detectives to Josephine, not PS boys.”
Van Dorn Protective Services was a highly profitable offshoot of the business that supplied top-notch hotel house detectives, bodyguards, valuables escorts, and night watchmen. But few PS boys possessed the spirit, vigor, enterprise, skill, and shrewdness to rise to the rank of full-fledged detective.
“I will assign as many full detectives as I can,” the boss replied. “But I do not have an army of detectives for this job – not while I’m sending so many of my best men abroad to set up our overseas offices.”
Bell said, “If you can spare only a limited corps to protect Josephine, may I recommend that you comb the agency for detectives who have worked as mechanicians?”
“Excellent! Disguised as mechanicians, a small squad can stick close by, working on her flying machine-”
“And set me loose on Frost.”
Van Dorn heard the harsh note in Bell’s voice. He shot an inquiring glance at him. Seen in profile, as he maneuvered the big auto through heavy traffic, his chief investigator’s hawk nose and set jaw looked to be chiseled from steel.
“Can you keep a clear head?”
“Of course.”
“He bested you last time, Isaac.”
Bell returned a wintery smile. “He bested a lot of detectives older than I was back then. Including you, Joe.”
“Promise to keep that in mind, and you can have the job.”
Bell let go of the shifter and reached across the Locomobile’s gasoline tank to envelop the boss’s big hand in his. “You have my word.”
3
“MAULED BY A BEAR,” said North River town constable John Hodge, as Isaac Bell’s eyes roamed inquiringly over his scarred face, withered arm, and wooden leg. “Used to be a guide, taking the sports hunting and fishing. When the bear got done, I was only fit for police work.”
“How did the bear make out?” asked Bell.
The constable grinned.
“Winter nights, I sleep warm as toast under his skin. Civil of you to ask – most people won’t even look me in the face. Welcome to the North Country, Mr. Bell. What can I do for you?”
“Why do you suppose they never recovered Marco Celere’s body?”
“Same reason we never find any body that falls in that gorge. It’s a long way down to the bottom, the river’s swift and deep, and there’s plenty of hungry animals, from wolverine to pike. They fall in the North, they’re gone, mister.”
“Were you surprised when you heard that Harry Frost shot Celere?”
“I was.”
“Why? I understand Frost was known to be a violent man. Long before he was sent up for murdering his chauffeur.”
“Early the same morning that Mrs. Frost’s butler reported the shooting, Mr. Frost had already filed a
