GETTING DOWN TO WORK.
"Well, Nick, old man, what have you made of it?"
The question came from Chick Carter, in his familiar and cheerful
fashion, several hours after the interview held by the two detectives
with Rufus Venner and his partner in their Fifth Avenue store.
It was now about six o'clock in the evening, and Chick had just returned
from having a confidential talk with one of the stage hands of the
theater in which the then famous attraction, the mammoth European and
American vaudeville troupe, of which Señora Cervera was a star
attraction, had for several months been playing to crowded houses.
Chick found Nick seated at the table in his library, with a powerful
magnifying glass in his hand, while the table was strewn with the papers
he that morning had brought from the office of Venner & Co.
Nick looked up with a laugh, and knocked the ashes from his cigar.
"Well, there's no doubt about it, Chick," he replied. "We are finally up
against them."
"The Kilgore diamond gang?"
"Precisely."
"I'm glad of it, Nick, as you remarked this morning."
"Well, I've not changed my mind since then. So am I."
"We shall now find out whether they are as crafty and desperate as they
have been painted."
"I guess there is no doubt about it, Chick."
"Well, if we fail to throw them down, Nick, my money shall go on Kilgore
from that moment," declared Chick, with a grin. "What have you dug out
of that mess of papers, Nick? Have you arrived at any conclusions?"
"Rather!" smiled Nick, significantly. "Did you ever know me to study for
five hours over anything of this kind without arriving at some
conclusion?"
"Never!" laughed Chick. "And the best of it is, Nick, your conclusions
nearly always prove to be correct. What's the verdict, old man?"
Nick glanced at the French clock on the mantel.
"Sit down and light up," he replied. "We have half an hour before
getting down to work against this push. I will devote it to informing
you of the case as it now appears."
"Good enough!" exclaimed Chick, drawing up a chair and lighting a cigar.
"Let her go, Nick. I am all ears, as the donkey said to the deacon."
"To begin with," began Nick, more gravely, "this order sent to
Hafferman, for the diamonds which he delivered at Venner's store, is
merely a forgery. Neither Venner nor Garside wrote it, that's as plain
as the nose on an elephant's face."
"Which is plain enough, surely," nodded Chick.
"Furthermore," continued Nick, "the forgery was not the work of any
clerk employed in either store. I have compared the writing of each and
every clerk with that of the forged order, and I will stake my
reputation upon my conclusion. The forgery was committed by some outside
party."
Nick was an expert chirographist. To have deceived him with a disguised
handwriting would have been utterly impossible, and none knew it better
than Chick, who now nodded approvingly.
"Some outside party, eh?"
"There is no doubt of it, Chick. And this conclusion at once suggests
two very natural questions," Nick went on. "First, was one of the
Kilgore gang in Hafferman's store when Venner went there yesterday, and
did he overhear enough of what passed between them to enable him to plan
the job done this morning?"
"Possibly."
"In opposition to that theory, however, is the fact that the forged
order is written on one of Venner's printed letter sheets."
"By a little adroit work, Nick, one of the gang could have obtained a
sheet of Venner's office paper."
"That is very true," admitted Nick. "But since this is a theory founded
only upon conjecture, with no positive evidence to back it up, the
stronger probability is rather to the contrary."
"Right, Nick, as far as that goes."
"I think so."
"And what is the second theory suggested?"
"That some clerk in one of the stores got wind of Venner's contemplated
purchase, and revealed the fact to one of the Kilgore gang, by whom I
am confident--bear in mind--that the crime was committed."
"That theory seems plausible," nodded Chick. "There is young Boyden, you
know, at Hafferman's. He may have got wise to Venner's intentions.
Garside remarked that he appeared quite anxious to leave the diamonds
until Venner should return. That would have been very natural on his
part, in case he was then co-operating with the party who finally
secured them."
"The same objection again arises, however," argued Nick. "Boyden is not
employed at Venner's, and therefore has not access to his letter paper.
Furthermore, Venner's visit was made only yesterday afternoon, less than
twenty-four hours before the robbery occurred. It seems hardly probable
that Boyden was already in league with the Kilgore gang; and, if he was
not, it is even less probable that he so quickly got in touch with
them."
"By Jove! that's so," cried Chick. "As a matter of fact, then, neither
of these theories has a reliable leg to stand upon."
"That's exactly my conclusion," laughed Nick.
"And what then?"
"Concerning that side of the affair," replied Nick, "several
irresistible convictions are therefore forced upon me. One of the
Kilgore gang certainly knew of Venner's visit, and of the request he
made Hafferman regarding the diamonds. Otherwise he could not have
planned the job so neatly. Somebody must have informed him. Somebody
must have provided him with one of Venner's letter sheets. If we
eliminate the clerks, and the members of both firms, we are left very
much in the dark."
"I should say so," rejoined Chick. "The affair becomes a dense mystery."
"It becomes a mystery that I don't quite fancy," declared Nick, with a
significant nod. "In fact, Chick, I'm not at all favorably impressed
with this robbery. To me it has a mighty fishy look."
"Why so, Nick?"
"It is not like this Kilgore gang, mark you, to have been dickering with
a dirty little job of this kind, netting them only a few thousands at
the best; yet a job in which they incurred as much danger of detection,
Chick, as in one infinitely greater."
"By Jove! that's so. There's no getting away from that argument, Nick."
"Instead of trying to get away from it, Chick, I'm going to stay with
it," continued Nick, with emphasis. "I am beginning to suspect that this
paltry little robbery may in some way make a far deeper and darker game.
At all events, Chick, we'll not wind ourselves in a search for those
diamonds, at least not before we have sifted these side issues a little
finer."
"Good enough!" cried Chick, heartily. "I agree with you on every point.
Only your long head, Nick, old man, could have deduced such shrewd
conclusions; and I believe, by Jove! that you have hit the nail on the
head."
"If I have," rejoined Nick, grimly, "we'll drive the nail home a little
later, and home to stay."
"That we will."
"There remains one other feature of the case," added Nick, "and,
starting from that, we will begin work upon the affair this very night."
"You refer to that Spanish dancer, Cervera?"
"Precisely."
"And the fact that she requested Venner to call at her house this
morning?"
"Exactly," nodded Nick. "She fixed the hour, mind you, probably knowing
that Venner would comply with her request. Hence there exists a
possibility that she designed to get him away from his store at just
that time, in order that the robbery could be successfully executed."
"In which case, Nick, we necessarily must figure her in with the Kilgore
gang, despite Venner's declaration of her honesty."
"Certainly we must, Chick, in case her note to Venner was written for
the purpose mentioned," nodded Nick. "Of that, however, we have no
positive evidence. It may have been purely accidental that her note was
sent to-day, and mentioned the very hour when the theft was committed.
Obviously, in that case, the thief outside was waiting for some
opportunity when Venner should be away from his store. Cervera would
then be out of the affair, as far as any criminal intent is concerned."
"Very probably."
"So there you are!" exclaimed Nick, with another glance at the clock.
"Our half hour is up. You now have my measure of the case, and next we
will get down to business. We will drop this fishy-looking robbery for
the present, Chick, and first of all make a move to learn something
about Señora Cervera, and her relations with Rufus Venner."
"A good scheme, Nick, and I'm with you."
"Have you been at the theater?"
"Yes, and fixed things with Busby."
"You can get in upon the stage to-night?"
"Sure thing, as I told you," laughed Chick. "Busby is the boss scene
shifter there, and he consented to work me in as a stage hand."
"Ah! very good."
"I have got to make up for the part, however, and must soon be about it.
I am due there at half-past seven."
"Get at it, then," said Nick, rising. "See what you can learn about
Cervera, and what you make of her from observation. In case Venner is
about there, keep your ears alert, so that you can overhear."
"You trust me for that, Nick," cried Chick, laughing.
"Meantime, Chick, I'll have a look at the show from the front," added
Nick. "And after Cervera does her turn, in case Venner is there, and she
departs with him, you then may leave the couple to me. I'll be waiting
for them at the stage door."
"Right you are, Nick. So here goes!"
Shrewd deductions, indeed, those of Nick Carter.
Plainly enough, Garside was quite justified in his apprehension that
Rufus Venner had barked up the wrong tree.