Eden hesitated. The moment had come for a bit of frankness, it seemed. “I have,” he admitted.
“Why?”
“Because, Mr. Madden, I thought there was something wrong here.”
“Why did you think that?”
“Before I tell you—what made you change your mind in the first place? In San Francisco you wanted the necklace delivered in New York. Why did you switch to Southern California?”
“A simple reason,” Madden replied. “I thought up there that my daughter was going east with me. Her plans are altered—she’s going at once to Pasadena for the balance of the season. And I propose to put the necklace in safety deposit there for her use when she wants it.”
“I met your daughter in San Francisco,” Eden said. “She’s a very charming girl.”
Madden looked at him keenly. “You think so, do you?”
“I do. I presume she is still in Denver?”
For a moment Madden was silent, regarding him. “No,” he admitted finally, “she is not in Denver now.”
“Indeed. If you don’t mind telling me—”
“She is in Los Angeles, visiting friends.”
At this surprising information, Eden’s eyes opened wide.
“How long has she been there?” he inquired.
“Since last Tuesday,” Madden answered. “I think it was Tuesday—I got a wire saying she was coming here. I didn’t want her here, for certain reasons, so I sent Thorn in to meet her, with instructions to take her back to Barstow and put her on the Los Angeles train.”
