CHAPTER XIII. CHICK SIGHTS THE “BUZZARD.”

 “Who is it, please?”

 

Chick Carter, with his ear to the receiver, waited for the reply.

 

“This is Winthrop Crawford. I wish to speak to Mr. Nick Carter, if I may.”

 

It was about two o’clock in the afternoon of the same day that had witnessed the meeting of Stone and Doctor Follansbee.

 

Unfortunately, Nick had just left the house, but his assistant had heard about Crawford.

 

“The chief isn’t in just now, Mr. Crawford,” he said, “but I don’t think he’ll be gone very long. Is there anything I can do for you? I’m his assistant.”

 

“Are you the man who was with him on board the Cortez?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Perhaps you’ll do as well, then. Are you busy just now?”

 

“No.”

 

“Could you come down to the Hotel Windermere? I don’t suppose it’s very much, but I’d like to talk with one of you. I could come to your house, though, if you prefer.”

 

There was no reason why Chick should not accept the invitation.

 

 

“No,” he said. “I’ll come down. I’m afraid I can’t reach the hotel before three, though.”

 

“Oh, that’s all right; there’s no particular hurry.”

 

The detective replaced the receiver, saw to a few matters which demanded his attention, and then, after some twenty-five or thirty minutes, scribbled¹ a brief message to his chief, and left it on the latter’s desk—the usual information, telling where he had gone, and why.

 

Chick had never accustomed himself to riding in motor cars when it was unnecessary; therefore, he set out briskly for the nearest subway station.

 

“The chief seems very interested in Crawford,” he thought, as he walked along. “We might as well get in touch with him as soon as we can.”

 

He reached the Windermere a little after three, and found Crawford waiting for him in the lobby.

 

The bearded man seemed to be troubled about something, but his face brightened when Chick appeared. He led the way to one of the rooms which opened off the lobby. It proved to be deserted².

 

“It’s nothing very important,” Crawford explained, when they had seated themselves in a quiet, remote corner, “but I’m just a little troubled about my partner, Stone. He left the hotel immediately after breakfast this morning, and wouldn’t tell me where he was going. He said he would be back in time for lunch, but he hasn’t turned up yet.” He glanced at Chick for a moment. “Of course. I’m not going to worry much about that,” he went on, “but in case he doesn’t appear by dinner time, I just wanted to know what to do. This New York of yours is a very bewildering place to a man who hasn’t been in it for twenty-five or thirty years, and I would be at a loss to know how to proceed.”

 

“Oh, that’s easy enough,” Chick said quietly. “If he doesn’t show up by night, and you don’t get a message, the best thing to do would be to ring up police headquarters and give a description of him. If anything had happened, they would be in a position to let you know sooner than any one else. They have the whole thing at their finger’s ends down there, and handle ordinary cases with routine dispatch. You mustn’t have any anxiety about Mr. Stone, though. He’s surely able to take care of himself. He may have fallen in with some old friends, or made a new one.”

 

“It does sound foolish, and I suppose you’re right,” Crawford admitted. “This place has got me scared, though. I have been used to solitude³ for a good many years, and the only crowds I’ve known have been those about the bars in mining camps. There must be a frightful⁴ number of accidents here every day.”

 

He turned slightly in his chair and looked out through a near-by window into the traffic-filled street.

 

“You’re free to laugh at me,” he went on, “but I’m almost afraid to venture out alone. It looks to me as if a man has to take his life in his hands every time he crosses the street in this pandemonium⁵.” He paused again and smiled appealingly. “If you’ve got an hour or so to spare, would it be too much to ask you to pilot me around a bit?” he inquired. “I’d appreciate it, I assure you.”

 

The deep, friendly voice had a certain charm in it which the detective found it impossible to resist.

 

“Of course I’ll come gladly,” he said.

 

He and Crawford left the hotel and strolled along the crowded pavements. The grizzled miner seemed to find a keen delight in halting to examine almost every window they passed.

 

“Spending years in the open makes a man fairly hungry for this sort of thing. I’ve longed to be back home again just to look into these very shop windows.”

 

His enthusiasm was infectious, and he and Chick walked along, laughing and chatting together. They dropped in at the public library, and Crawford could hardly tear himself away.

 

When they reached the street again and started back toward Broadway, Chick happened to glance at a jeweler’s clock.

 

“Half past five!” he ejaculated. “By George! I had no idea it was as late as that.”

 

“Late be hanged!” Crawford answered, with a laugh. “The game is young yet. Let’s have a look in at one of those continuous performances I’ve heard so much about—that is, unless you have to get back.”

 

The detective had nothing pressing in view, and he was thoroughly⁶ enjoying Crawford’s comments on what they saw. He, therefore, expressed his willingness to do whatever his companion wished, and conducted the latter to a combination moving-picture and vaudeville⁷ house, where they spent a little over an hour.

 

It was after seven when they returned to the hotel.

 

“I’ll just go and see if Stone has come back,” Crawford said anxiously. “I won’t be long.”

 

Chick nodded assent⁸ and seated himself in one corner of the lobby, while the miner made for the elevator.

 

Nick Carter’s assistant had bought an evening paper and stuffed it into his pocket. He now took it out and began glancing over it.

 

Presently, as he lowered the paper to turn the page, his eyes chanced to look into a mirror set into the wall beside him. The mirror was so placed that it reflected the wide entrance of the hotel, and just at that moment Chick saw a lean, curious figure approach from the street. He gave a slight start, and stared for a moment at the familiar reflection, then instinctively⁹ raised the paper again so that it hid his face.

 

He never forgot features, and that one brief glance had been enough for him. As a matter of fact, however, there was little chance of any one forgetting Doctor Stephen Follansbee after even the most casual meeting.

 

“The ‘Buzzard’!” he muttered to himself, using the name he had applied¹⁰ to the famous specialist. “I wonder what the dickens he’s doing here.”

1 scribbled   

v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下

参考例句：

• She scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper. 她把他的电话号码匆匆写在一张小纸片上。
• He scribbled a note to his sister before leaving. 临行前，他给妹妹草草写了一封短信。

2 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

3 solitude   

n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方

参考例句：

• People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
• They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。

4 frightful   

adj.可怕的；讨厌的

参考例句：

• How frightful to have a husband who snores!有一个发鼾声的丈夫多讨厌啊！
• We're having frightful weather these days.这几天天气坏极了。

5 pandemonium   

n.喧嚣，大混乱

参考例句：

• The whole lobby was a perfect pandemonium,and the din was terrific.整个门厅一片嘈杂，而且喧嚣刺耳。
• I had found Adlai unperturbed in the midst of pandemonium.我觉得艾德莱在一片大混乱中仍然镇定自若。

6 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

7 vaudeville   

n.歌舞杂耍表演

参考例句：

• The standard length of a vaudeville act was 12 minutes.一个杂耍节目的标准长度是12分钟。
• The mayor talk like a vaudeville comedian in his public address.在公共演讲中，这位市长讲起话来像个歌舞杂耍演员。

8 assent   

v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• I cannot assent to what you ask.我不能应允你的要求。
• The new bill passed by Parliament has received Royal Assent.议会所通过的新方案已获国王批准。

9 instinctively   

adv.本能地

参考例句：

• As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近，她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。