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This was the truth, Bell knew But the next day, when he caught up with Osgood Hennessy at the cutoff railhead, the Southern Pacific president was looking at the bright side too, partly because construction was roaring ahead of schedule again The last long tunnel on the route to the Cascade Canyon Bridge-Tunnel 13-was alh

“We’re beating him at every turn,” Hennessy exulted “New York was bad, but, bad as it was, everyone knows it could have been solike a rose Now your boys averted a catastrophic collision And you say you’re closing in on the blacksmith who made that hook that derailed the Coast Line Limited”

Bell had passed on the essence of Dashwood’s report, that the blacks about the hook and therefore about the Wrecker, too Bell had ordered Larry Sanders to give Dashwood the full support of the Los Angeles office in running down the blacksmith, who had disappeared without a trace With Van Dorn’s entire Los Angeles force hunting him, he should turn up soon

“That blacksht to the Wrecker,” said Hennessy

“That is my hope,” said Bell

“It strikesradical on the run He won’t have ti to stay ahead of you”

“I hope you are right, sir But we et that the Wrecker is resourceful And he plans ahead, far ahead We kno that he hired his accoo That’s why I crossed the continent to ask you one question face-to-face”

“What’s that?”

“I assure you we speak in confidence In return, I must ask you to be entirely candid”

“That was understood frorowled “What the hell are you asking?”

“Whointerest in the New Jersey Central Railroad?”

“No one”

“No one? No lawyer? No banker?”

“I had to play it close to the vest”

“But surely a complex endeavor demands the help of various experts”