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SNARLED IDENTITIES
SNARLED IDENTITIES
OR, A DESPERATE TANGLE BY NICHOLAS CARTER Author of the celebrated stories of Nick Carter’s adventures, which are published exclusively in the New Magnet Library , conceded to be among the best detective tales ever written. STREET & SMITH CORPORATION PUBLISHERS 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York Copyright, 1916 By STREET & SMITH Snarled Identities (Printed in the United States of America) All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages, including the Scandin
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CHAPTER I. STARTLING NEWS.
CHAPTER I. STARTLING NEWS.
“What’s the trouble?” Nick asked, in a bewildered tone. “Oh, I see what you are driving at! You are afraid I’ll see something interesting in the line of crimes and mysteries, and decide at the last minute to stay at home? Is that the idea?” His assistant nodded gloomily. “Correct,” he answered. “I never know which way you are going to jump, or at what moment. When I’m trying to get you off for a holiday, especially, I feel the greatest responsibility. You have such a way of changing your mind, a
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CHAPTER II. “GREEN-EYE” GORDON.
CHAPTER II. “GREEN-EYE” GORDON.
“Of course, some accident must have happened to him, for he was found trodden to death by the others in their bestial rush. His face disfigured beyond recognition. “Gordon hailed from New York, and those who know have long classed him as one of the cleverest and most dangerous criminals this country has ever produced. He came of a good family, and was well educated, but early showed a tendency to criminal pursuits. Apparently he reformed, however, and for several years was employed by one of the
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CHAPTER III. NOT SO DEAD, AFTER ALL.
CHAPTER III. NOT SO DEAD, AFTER ALL.
The reason for this may be easily guessed. The gray coats—for stripes are no longer in vogue in New York State—bore each man’s prison number, and, therefore, by such a simple exchange, identities could be shifted temporarily. Gordon’s number was 39,470, and, of course, it was known to all the keepers and prisoners as standing for the identity of the formidable Green Eye. The other man’s number, on the other hand, had no particular significance, for the yegg was an ordinary criminal, of comparati
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CHAPTER IV. THE DETECTIVE’S “HALFWAY HOUSE.”
CHAPTER IV. THE DETECTIVE’S “HALFWAY HOUSE.”
Green Eye had seen a great light as a result of the butler’s incautious revelations, and all his previous plans had been discarded. In their place a new one was growing—a plan that promised to set a record for daring, and to bring the detective nearer to professional shipwreck than he had been in all of his career. The new plan did not involve an interview with Nick. On the contrary, it was built upon the fact that the detective was hundreds of miles away, buried in the woods. Therefore, as may
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CHAPTER V. IN NICK’S SHOES.
CHAPTER V. IN NICK’S SHOES.
“No, I left him at Little Saranac, but shall send for him if I need him.” As they had been speaking, the housekeeper had instinctively stepped aside, and Gordon had passed her. Now he started up the stairs, in the direction of the study. “You’ll have some lunch ready at the usual time?” he asked, looking back over his shoulder. “Of course, sir,” was the reply; and that was all that was said. If the new arrival had been Nick himself, he would have smilingly apologized to Mrs. Peters for having br
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CHAPTER VI. AN INTERRUPTION.
CHAPTER VI. AN INTERRUPTION.
The accomplished scoundrel had made up his mind that Nick Carter’s records would prove nothing less than a gold mine, and he meant to work that mine for all it was worth in the next week or ten days. Nick might have destroyed the most confidential and dangerous of these records, but Gordon did not believe that to be the case. “They are too valuable to him in his work,” he told himself. “And, even if they were not, the keeping of records gets to be a habit. Of course, he may realize that some of
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CHAPTER VII. THE RASCAL’S FIRST CLIENT.
CHAPTER VII. THE RASCAL’S FIRST CLIENT.
It would have been strange, indeed, had it not been the case, for, with all his daring, this was no commonplace, everyday affair for Ernest Gordon. He might remind himself as much as he pleased that he was “officially” dead, burned in the fire at Clinton Prison, and that no one would be looking for him for that reason, but the many months he had spent within those grim walls had told upon him physically and mentally. In other words, he was not yet his old self. The unnatural conditions of prison
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CHAPTER VIII. THE ABSCONDING TREASURER.
CHAPTER VIII. THE ABSCONDING TREASURER.
That was where Griswold’s chain of newspapers had taken a hand. Always quick to respond to such emergencies—largely, it is to be feared, for the advertising it gave them—they had started to raise a fund for the destitute victims, and, thanks to their tremendous combined circulations, the amount had soon attained imposing proportions. Part of it had been paid out for the immediate needs of the victims, but most of it, according to the latest reports Gordon had seen, was being retained for more pe
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CHAPTER IX. CHANCE PLAYS INTO GORDON’S HANDS.
CHAPTER IX. CHANCE PLAYS INTO GORDON’S HANDS.
“They were—by Mr. Driggs, the vice president of our organization.” “Then how——” “In a very ingenious way. I wouldn’t have thought John Simpson capable of so much adroitness. I was away at the time, but he prevailed upon Mr. Driggs to withdraw the fund from the two New York banks in which it had been deposited—the Broadway Exchange Bank, and the Hudson National—and to transfer everything to the Cotton and Wool National at Hattontown.” “Thus making it possible to deal with only one bank, and that
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CHAPTER X. THE IMPOSTOR’S CLEVERNESS.
CHAPTER X. THE IMPOSTOR’S CLEVERNESS.
It was a venturesome leap, but it proved surprisingly successful. “By Jove!” ejaculated the millionaire, looking at the supposed Nick Carter in amazement and with a new respect. “You have hit the nail on the head, Mr. Carter! How in the world——” Gordon shrugged his shoulders. “Oh, it was very simple,” he confessed. “I read it all in your face.” He rightly guessed that that would not make it seem any the less remarkable in Griswold’s eyes. “I don’t see how,” declared the millionaire. “Some stunt!
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CHAPTER XI. CRAY GETS HIS ORDERS.
CHAPTER XI. CRAY GETS HIS ORDERS.
The latter’s interest demanded secrecy, required that the whole thing should be conducted under cover, and unofficially. What an opportunity it was! If Simpson could be caught—and Green Eye had no doubt he could do it alone, or with Jack Cray’s unsuspecting assistance—it ought to be a very simple matter to relieve the thief of the coin in some way, and neglect to turn it over to Griswold. As for the latter, he could not take the matter into the courts without ventilating the whole affair from be
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CHAPTER XII. GREEN EYE DOES SOME THINKING.
CHAPTER XII. GREEN EYE DOES SOME THINKING.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to go it alone, Jack,” he confessed frankly, accompanying the words with a disarming smile. “For a day or two, that is. Of course, we’ll go over the thing together step by step, and I’ll give you my advice whenever you wish it. There’s this other case, however, which will keep me in New York for the present, although it won’t take up all of my time. You see how it is—it simply means that I won’t be able to do much running around in the Simpson case just now. As soon as I
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CHAPTER XIII. THE POLICE DOG ACTS STRANGELY.
CHAPTER XIII. THE POLICE DOG ACTS STRANGELY.
“Then, so far as you know, New England is strange country to him?” “It would seem so.” “Now, about that electric—you haven’t known of his owning one in the past, have you?” “Certainly not—he was paid only eighteen hundred a year.” “I see. That’s all at present, thanks. Sorry to have troubled you.” The clever scoundrel felt he was making headway. “Now we can go ahead with a little more assurance,” he soliloquized, after he had hung up the receiver. “If New England is unknown to the fellow, or kno
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CHAPTER XIV. CRAY CALLS ON MRS. SIMPSON.
CHAPTER XIV. CRAY CALLS ON MRS. SIMPSON.
That it was the only house on the street seemed to have made no difference to the builder, who doubtless saw all the rest of the houses from one to thirty and on indefinitely in his mind’s eye. No. 31 was very new, indeed. The lawn still plainly showed the seams where the strips of turf met, and the gravel walks evidently had not been rolled sufficiently, for they were scarred with footprints. Plainly, Jack Cray had not looked for just this sort of thing. He paused at the gate and gave his red f
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CHAPTER XV. SOME INTERESTING INFORMATION.
CHAPTER XV. SOME INTERESTING INFORMATION.
“That’s the way to talk,” Cray commented, and then went on, after a slight pause: “They generally began a long ways back when they’re trying to dope out a thing like this. Suppose we try that method?” He was playing the part of the novice very well, and it was clear that Mrs. Simpson had no suspicion of his real status. On the contrary, she soon showed signs of impatience, as if she looked upon his questions as boring and pointless. She continued to answer them politely and truthfully, however,
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CHAPTER XVI. THE TIRE PRINTS.
CHAPTER XVI. THE TIRE PRINTS.
“Why not?” “He said he was going to drive his own car, and he didn’t want everybody to be watching him and criticizing the way he was doing it. He thought he would prefer to come in the back way, where there wouldn’t be so many spectators. That was ridiculous, though, because you can see for yourself that there are not many people living here on the hill. Besides, he would soon have learned to drive well enough not to mind if he were watched.” Cray nodded, but his heart was pounding. This was ce
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CHAPTER XVII. CRAY WIRES FOR “CARTER.”
CHAPTER XVII. CRAY WIRES FOR “CARTER.”
“Of course—all of them. It has been very warm, you know.” “Was that the room you originally planned to occupy?” Mrs. Simpson looked amazed. “Why, no, it wasn’t,” she confessed. “Naturally, the best bedroom is supposed to be at the front of the house. It has a big bay window, and gets the air from three sides. It’s so big, though, and seemed so lonesome after Mr. Simpson was gone, that I changed to this back one after the first night. But I don’t understand what’s in your mind, Mr. Jones.” “Don’t
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CHAPTER XVIII. GORDON TACKLES NICK’S SAFE.
CHAPTER XVIII. GORDON TACKLES NICK’S SAFE.
“A fool would only think of killing Carter, or at most, of giving him a taste of physical torture,” thought the criminal. “But I can understand his point of view, and I know that the loss of such papers—and the use I shall make of them—will be infinitely worse than death itself in his eyes.” Gordon started as he heard the front door open, and moved across the room. He felt sure that it was Mrs. Peters returning from her afternoon constitutional, and he wished to give her an order, but he paused,
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CHAPTER XIX. AN UNTIMELY KNOCK.
CHAPTER XIX. AN UNTIMELY KNOCK.
It was all he could do to keep from wrecking the study in his rage. He had a temper, and he knew it was at white heat, and threatening to boil over at any moment. “This is the limit,” he thought. “For all I know, there may be no regular lock at all. Instead, there may be a mechanism somewhere else, operating a series of bolts which can be shot into the door from all sides. I might have known that any safe Carter would have would not be as easy to crack as this one seemed to be. Curse him! I wish
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CHAPTER XX. THE BLACKMAILER’S SUPREME HAUL.
CHAPTER XX. THE BLACKMAILER’S SUPREME HAUL.
Even at the moment of utterance he was conscious that the voice bore little resemblance to that of the man he was impersonating. The reply, to his relief, was in the butler’s deferential tones. “Telegram, sir,” Joseph announced. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but I thought you probably would like to have it at once.” “That’s all right,” Gordon said, taking care this time to imitate Nick’s voice accurately. He unlocked the door and opened it a foot or so. “Thanks, Joseph,” he said, taking the telegra
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CHAPTER XXI. THE MASQUERADER JOINS CRAY.
CHAPTER XXI. THE MASQUERADER JOINS CRAY.
“I’ll be behind the fellow as soon as I get into the machine,” he mused. “He’ll only see me for a few minutes. Therefore, as I’ve already stood Jack Cray’s scrutiny, and am going to invite it again, I ought not to have any trouble with this fellow.” He did not, of course. Danny had no reason to doubt that his chief had returned unexpectedly, and therefore, it did not occur to him to give more than a passing glance. Gordon was dropped at the station in plenty of time to catch the seven-thirty for
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CHAPTER XXII. PLANS FOR THE NIGHT.
CHAPTER XXII. PLANS FOR THE NIGHT.
“Very interesting,” murmured Gordon. “The garage is metal, you say, and was locked? You think, then, that the stuff is hidden there—that Simpson bought the little, portable building for that purpose, not to use it in the ordinary way?” “That’s the way it strikes me,” Cray answered. “A place like that doesn’t seem very safe for such a purpose, but nobody would think it contained anything of any particular value. Besides, it’s far enough from the house to make an occasional visit sufficiently safe
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CHAPTER XXIII. THE WATCHERS MAKE THEMSELVES SCARCE.
CHAPTER XXIII. THE WATCHERS MAKE THEMSELVES SCARCE.
Having once been a police detective himself, he often found it hard to sympathize with his companion’s attitude, which was that of most private detectives. “That’s a foolish question, Jack,” Green Eye returned, copying one of Nick Carter’s gentle rebukes. “We’re not down in the city now, remember. We’ll be up against some country officers, who might yank us off to the lockup before we had a chance to explain. While we were gone, what if Simpson should appear on the scene? Where would our plans b
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CHAPTER XXIV. REWARDED AT LAST.
CHAPTER XXIV. REWARDED AT LAST.
Nevertheless, he did not resent Cray’s assumption of command, for his brain was very busy, and quickly turned from the contemplation of one pleasing possibility to another. He did not believe that a man of John Simpson’s type had succeeded in spending very much of that eighty thousand dollars. Therefore, the absconding treasurer’s loot promised to be well worth having as a nest egg. Gordon meant it to be more than a nest egg, though. Other and larger sums were soon to join it and keep it company
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CHAPTER XXV. THOSE EXTRA-HEAVY SUIT CASES.
CHAPTER XXV. THOSE EXTRA-HEAVY SUIT CASES.
Obviously Simpson intended to drive into the yard, and that could mean only one thing—that he intended to remove a substantial part of the gold, if not all of it, and wished to bring the machine as close to his hiding place as possible, so that he need only carry the stuff a minimum distance. The fugitive was within a few feet of the two men when he pushed the gate back against the fence, but they made no attempt to tackle him. They felt pretty sure that the loot was hidden in the garage, but un
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CHAPTER XXVI. NOT ON THE PROGRAM.
CHAPTER XXVI. NOT ON THE PROGRAM.
The capture had been completed in record time, with no battle to speak of, and without a sound that could have been heard in the front of the house. Neither of the victors was inclined to congratulate himself very much on that achievement, for whatever might be said of John Simpson’s cleverness in gaining possession of that snug little fortune in gold, the treasurer was far from a desperate character to deal with. “Now, keep still!” commanded Cray. “If you don’t, you’ll wish you had, I can promi
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CHAPTER XXVII. GORDON MAKES HIS GET-AWAY.
CHAPTER XXVII. GORDON MAKES HIS GET-AWAY.
“Good heavens! Green-eye Gordon!” he whispered. A second later, the criminal’s third blow fell squarely on his forehead, and he went down, without a groan. Immediately Green Eye bent over him and switched on his flash light. “Curse you, curse you!” he reiterated wildly, striking Cray’s unprotected head again and again, apparently with all his might. He had no definite intention of killing the detective, but he was seeing red just then, and did not care in the least how hard he struck. As a matte
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CHAPTER XXVIII. WHAT THE DOG BARKED AT.
CHAPTER XXVIII. WHAT THE DOG BARKED AT.
The open country lay just beyond the Simpson house, and the girl’s first thought was that some small-game animal had taken refuge in some cranny of the lumber. Urged on by her curiosity, she stepped out of the house and started toward the rear of the yard. “It’s a rabbit, mebbe, or a squirrel,” she told herself. “Why don’t the fool dig at it, though, instead of yelping its head off?” But by that time she had reached a point from which she could get a view of the rear end of the lumber pile. Sudd
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CHAPTER XXIX. “THE GREENISH EYES!”
CHAPTER XXIX. “THE GREENISH EYES!”
Now she recalled all of Cray’s strange questions and stranger actions. “He’s a detective!” she told herself. “I was right. John is in trouble, and this man must have set a trap for him last night. If he dies, John will be his murderer. Oh, how could he do it! And Heaven pity me, how can I stand it!” She was the soul of honor herself, however, and simply did not know how to lie. “Yes, I recognize him now,” she admitted reluctantly. “I never saw him until yesterday, though, and I don’t know what h
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CHAPTER XXX. MRS. SIMPSON LEARNS THE TRUTH.
CHAPTER XXX. MRS. SIMPSON LEARNS THE TRUTH.
“I see,” he answered, instead. “I think I had better come up to the house myself, Mrs. Simpson. I shall start at once, and ought to be there in an hour, I should say.” Less than that time had been required for the trip, and now the millionaire stepped out of the car and approached the house, looking about him rather critically as he did so. He had not always been wealthy, and he knew that No. 31 Floral Avenue, though insignificant enough from his present standpoint, was not the sort of place tha
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CHAPTER XXXI. THE MILLIONAIRE PLAYS SLEUTH.
CHAPTER XXXI. THE MILLIONAIRE PLAYS SLEUTH.
“Then, if they catch John, he’ll not be arrested? Is that what you mean?” “Exactly,” he answered. “I must confess, Mrs. Simpson, that I shall not approve in every way of such an outcome. I believe in just punishment. As it happens, however, we’re not in a position to punish your husband without starting a lot of injurious gossip about the way we handle public contributions. Therefore, when Simpson is found, he’ll merely be forced to disgorge. His discharge is already awaiting him on his desk, of
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CHAPTER XXXII. SIMPSON IS FOUND.
CHAPTER XXXII. SIMPSON IS FOUND.
It was twenty feet or more in length, and about six or eight inches in width. Returning as rapidly as he could, he pressed the door with his hand, and inserted one end of the board in the opening thus made, after which he began to pry at the door. The length of the board made it unwieldy and inclined to bend, but Griswold soon remedied that by pushing in several feet of the board, and then deliberately breaking it off. He thereupon threw the larger piece aside, and, using the smaller, which was
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CHAPTER XXXIII. SUSPICION FALLS ON NICK.
CHAPTER XXXIII. SUSPICION FALLS ON NICK.
“Well?” “Well, Cray went out, leaving the door open behind him. The next thing I knew, I heard a queer sort of dull thud, and pricked up my ears. It sounded as if somebody had been hit, perhaps with a fist, or, more likely, with something else. “Of course, I didn’t know then which man had done it, but I suspected that Carter had, because he had called Cray out. The blow must have given Cray something to think about, for there was a pause before I heard him say ‘Mr. Carter!’—just like that. He sa
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CHAPTER XXXIV. GRISWOLD IN COMMAND.
CHAPTER XXXIV. GRISWOLD IN COMMAND.
“Thank Heaven!” the maid cried, as she caught sight of her employer. “Mr. Simpson! Is it really you? I must run and tell Mrs. Simpson right this minute!” “No, no, Mary!” the wretched man protested weakly. “Not—not yet! I wish to surprise her.” Griswold had not told Simpson that the injured detective was in the house, but now he led the thieving treasurer to the room in which Cray lay. He said nothing about his object, because he wished to see if Simpson would recognize the patient at once. If he
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CHAPTER XXXV. A TRAP IS SET FOR NICK.
CHAPTER XXXV. A TRAP IS SET FOR NICK.
“I telephoned from New Pelham a couple of hours ago,” Griswold went on. “I was told then that he had left the house last evening, and had not returned. Is that correct?” “Yes, sir.” “Don’t you know where he is?” “No, sir. He was going to New Pelham on the seven-thirty train, however.” “He was, eh? That’s significant.” He had sized up the butler, and decided that he was telling the truth. If necessary, he would try diplomacy. If he could get hold of Nick’s assistants, he told himself, he might ob
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CHAPTER XXXVI. AT CROSS PURPOSES.
CHAPTER XXXVI. AT CROSS PURPOSES.
“Yes, sir?” the bluecoat asked civilly. “That man!” the millionaire answered hoarsely, pointing toward the approaching detective. “I must ask you to——” Then something stopped him. He remembered that he did not have enough evidence as yet, and that it would be very unwise to press matters, unless he were reasonably sure of proving his charges. “I—I’m mistaken!” he added confusedly. The policeman looked at him for a moment in disgust, then turned away with a shrug of his shoulders, muttering somet
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CHAPTER XXXVII. GRISWOLD STILL DOUBTFUL.
CHAPTER XXXVII. GRISWOLD STILL DOUBTFUL.
“I can’t see any difference,” he declared. “So far as I can tell, you are the same man I talked with there, and don’t forget that Cray himself was evidently convinced that he was talking with you. Later, you—or the man I took to be you—phoned me and asked further particulars concerning Simpson. I hoped for speedy results, of course, with the case in such hands, but I heard nothing more until the next morning, when I was informed that a man named Jones, who had represented himself as connected wi
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CHAPTER XXXVIII. NICK DISCOVERS HIS LOSS.
CHAPTER XXXVIII. NICK DISCOVERS HIS LOSS.
Nick paused and smiled. “Well, are you as sure as ever that I’m a rascal?” he asked. The newspaper proprietor held out his hand with an embarrassed air. “I’m afraid you’ll never forgive me, Mr. Carter, for making such an accusation,” he said apologetically. “You may be sure I shall never forgive myself. I ought to have known better, of course, and I’m very much ashamed that I didn’t.” “Say no more, please!” the detective cried heartily, grasping the millionaire’s hand and giving it a good shake.
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CHAPTER XXXIX. CRAY’S LIPS ARE UNSEALED.
CHAPTER XXXIX. CRAY’S LIPS ARE UNSEALED.
It was not in reality a long drive, however, and in less time than Griswold had made the trip the morning before, they had covered the distance. The chauffeur had slowed down considerably before entering the village of New Pelham, but they were still going at a rapid rate, and Griswold was obliged to raise his voice for his final instructions to the chauffeur. “The top of the hill!” he called out, leaning forward and pointing, while he held his hat on with the other hand. The usually easy-going
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CHAPTER XL. NICK OUTLINES HIS CAMPAIGN.
CHAPTER XL. NICK OUTLINES HIS CAMPAIGN.
“I don’t see anything stupid about this,” Griswold objected. “It strikes me as very ingenious. It permitted him to dig up the ground to his heart’s content without arousing suspicion.” “True,” conceded the detective. “The ordinary person would have seen nothing strange about it; but doesn’t the presence of a gasoline tank underground, or any other kind, strike you as a little peculiar when a man owns an electric?” The millionaire looked very sheepish. “I’m afraid I must plead guilty to stupidity
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CHAPTER XLI. WAITING FOR A NIBBLE.
CHAPTER XLI. WAITING FOR A NIBBLE.
This came nearer home, perhaps, than anything else had ever done, for, through him the honor and peace of mind of numbers of persons—conspicuous targets, all of them—were threatened. Too late the detective recognized that his reputation was not enough to protect his house and his private safe from violence, and that he had no right to keep such records there. They should all be in a safe-deposit vault. The reports of his ordinary cases might continue to be kept in his steel filing cabinets, wher
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CHAPTER XLII. THE FIRST VICTIM.
CHAPTER XLII. THE FIRST VICTIM.
“By Heaven!” he breathed. “I believe you are in league with the fellow. I’ll swear I do! How otherwise could you know that——” “That will be about enough of that, Gillespie!” the detective said sternly. He had heard too many such accusations in the last few hours. “If you have come to me for help, as your rather abrupt opening words would seem to indicate, let me warn you that you are not furthering your case by insulting me.” “I—I beg your pardon, Mr. Carter,” the bewildered young man stammered.
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CHAPTER XLIII. AN ASTOUNDING RUSE.
CHAPTER XLIII. AN ASTOUNDING RUSE.
“By Jove, marvelous!” Gillespie cried enthusiastically. “By the time you’ve got into my clothes, you’ll be able to pass for me anywhere. Luckily, there’s only my old butler, Simms, and his wife, at the house, as I’ve been abroad, and was not expected home as yet. The chauffeur outside is a new man, and has never seen me before.” “Good!” Nick answered. “Now for the clothes.” Soon the disguise was complete, and after another careful inspection of himself, Nick was ready to leave. “I’ll explain mat
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CHAPTER XLIV. NICK’S SUSPICIONS CONFIRMED.
CHAPTER XLIV. NICK’S SUSPICIONS CONFIRMED.
No make-up could have stood that test—at least, with Nick Carter at the observer’s end. “What fools the cleverest of us are sometimes!” the detective thought, with an inward chuckle. “Gordon has such a good opinion of himself, and is so certain that a man needs only to be daring enough in order to carry everything before him, that he’s actually willing to undergo this sort of thing—and he thinks he’s getting away with it!” It was no part of the detective’s plan, however, to reveal his knowledge
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CHAPTER XLV. COMPARING NOTES.
CHAPTER XLV. COMPARING NOTES.
Chick stiffened slightly at the well-known voice, but that was the only sign of surprise he gave. With a grunt and a nod, he turned about at right angles into the side street, and along this Nick presently followed him. A short distance beyond the corner, well out of sight from Nick’s house, Chick paused, and there his chief overtook him. “I haven’t made any headway yet,” Chick announced, without any preliminaries. “I located the car late this afternoon, but there I came to a dead stop.” “Never
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CHAPTER XLVI. GORDON’S LETTERS REACH THEIR MARK.
CHAPTER XLVI. GORDON’S LETTERS REACH THEIR MARK.
Ex-Senator Phelps took the light coat and silk hat that were handed to him, and strolled toward the door. He was a single man, but his position in the world had made it necessary for him to keep up a rather pretentious establishment. He stood in the doorway holding a cigar as the taxi drove up, but at that moment his valet, who had followed him as if to close the door, spoke up in a surprised tone. “I beg your pardon, sir,” he said, “but this was lying on the floor. You stepped over it just now
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CHAPTER XLVII. THE BLACKMAILER ADVISES HIS VICTIM.
CHAPTER XLVII. THE BLACKMAILER ADVISES HIS VICTIM.
As a result, Green Eye had slept alone at Nick’s house that night—except for the servants—and now, after a good breakfast, looked forward to a day of undisturbed peace and freedom to do whatever circumstances might require. First, however, it was necessary for him to absent himself temporarily, in order to make up as Nick once more. Therefore, he made a flying trip to One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Street, and there disguised himself, returning as fast as the taxi could carry him. When he reëntere
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CHAPTER XLVIII. UP AGAINST IT.
CHAPTER XLVIII. UP AGAINST IT.
Once more he gave a brief and very unsatisfactory explanation, pointing to the rifled safe, and winding up with a statement of his belief that there was nothing to do but to pay—“just as a temporary expedient, of course.” Naturally, that advice did not appeal to the actor any more than it had to ex-Senator Phelps, but Gordon adroitly argued him into a somewhat less impatient mood. “How much does he want?” “A cool hundred thousand,” was the bitter reply, and it did not convey any real news to the
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