THE BLACKMAILER ADVISES HIS VICTIM.
Ernest Gordon was inclined to consider the world a pretty good place,
as he finished his breakfast in Nick Carter’s dining room the following
morning. Everything had gone very well, thus far, and he seemed to have
reason for self-congratulation.
He had peddled the letters around himself the night before, thus saving
time, and making it more difficult to trace them, as he believed.
He did not know that he had been shadowed throughout by Chick, who
thereby knew just what victims the blackmailer had chosen for his first
broadside.
Later he had returned to the detective’s house, and so had Chick; then
there had come a telephone message to the latter from Nick sending
the young detective out of town for at least twenty-four, if not
forty-eight, hours.
That unexpected turn of affairs had caused Gordon great satisfaction
when Chick gloomily confided the news to him.
“The chief seems to think that fellow Gordon has doubled back, and is
hiding not far from New Pelham,” the assistant informed “Gillespie.”
“He still hopes he’ll turn up at your place, and is going to wait there
all of to-morrow, if not longer, but he wants me to get busy, and see
if I can locate Gordon independently. It seems unnecessary to me, but
what he says goes. The worst of it is, though, I’ve got my orders to
pull up stakes at once.”
Of course, Gordon did not know that this was all a put-up job. Nick, by
seeming to play into the rascal’s hands, had worked out this scheme,
in order to get Chick out of the way, so that Gordon would not feel
compelled to take strong measures to accomplish the same object.
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 reëntered the detective’s residence, it was in the character of
the owner.
“Has any one called up or been to see me?” he asked the butler.
“No, sir,” was the reply, a welcome one to the scoundrel, for it meant
that none of his victims had yet sought the detective.
He did not have long to wait, however, for hardly more than half an
hour later the butler entered the study, and presented a card, which
bore the name of ex-Senator William Deane Phelps.
“Show him up,” the supposed detective said.
The butler turned on his heel to obey, and if Green-eye Gordon grinned
behind his back, his face was serious enough in expression as the
ex-senator nervously entered and closed the door behind him.
In the few hours that had passed since he had received the threatening
letter, a great change had come over this man, whose name was known
from one end of the country to the other. It was plain that he had not
slept, and there were heavy, loose bags of skin under his eyes. His
face was almost gray in hue.
“I feared that you would feel compelled to come here before long,
senator,” the impostor said gravely.
“Then you know?” his visitor asked, in surprise.
“Yes,” Gordon answered. “Some one knows the facts in regard to—well, we
need not go into the case—and is attempting to blackmail you.”
Phelps sank into a chair and drew a sheet of paper from his pocket.
“The infernal scoundrel demands one hundred and fifty thousand—no
less!” he said hoarsely. “It isn’t so much the money, but I—I naturally
assumed that you alone held my secret.”
Green Eye rose to his feet, and his face was very solemn.
“Until a short time ago that was the case,” he answered, and crossed
to the safe. “The records were here, and you will see that it has been
burgled. If it’s any comfort to you, though, I’ll tell you that you are
not the only one who will suffer.”
“I care nothing about that,” Phelps said angrily. “It’s my own plight
that interests me to the exclusion of everything else. Do you wonder?
This is terrible, Carter, terrible! I thought I could trust you, and
now, after all this time, I find that I’ve been living in a fool’s
paradise.”
The criminal interrupted him with a dignified gesture.
“I don’t think I deserve that, senator,” he said quietly. “Nicholas
Carter has never yet betrayed a secret. Much as I regret this
unfortunate occurrence, however, I don’t see how I can be held
responsible for it. I didn’t rob my own safe, and certainly I wouldn’t
have chosen to have it robbed, if I could have helped it.”
“That’s neither here nor there!” declared the ex-senator. “Why didn’t
you destroy the records?”
“Do you expect me to destroy my stock in trade, or burn up the
reference books I have had occasion to consult countless times?”
“I hadn’t thought of it in that light,” Phelps confessed. “Even that
doesn’t make it any easier to bear, however. What can I do?”
“I’m sorry to say that I see nothing for you to do, except to pay,”
Green Eye answered, fingering the letter which had been handed him.
Phelps looked at him in amazement. “_You_ actually give me that
advice!” he murmured.
Green Eye nodded. “I know I’m disappointing you,” he said, “but that’s
the best advice I can give under the circumstances. It may sound
strange, but we must face the facts. I know perfectly well who is
at the bottom of this, and I have to confess that he’s one of the
shrewdest men who ever defied the law. He’s amazingly daring, senator,
and you may be sure he means exactly what he says. He’ll drag this
whole unsavory business into the light, if you don’t stop his mouth
with gold, and stop it without delay.”
“But aren’t you going to——”
“Of course, I’m going to do everything I can to catch him, senator,”
the criminal interrupted, in a tone which seemed to imply that that
was a matter of course. “If possible, I shall try to trap him just
after you have met his demands, and while he has the money on his
person. I cannot promise, however, to catch him to-day, or this week,
and, knowing his methods as well as I do, I know that you can’t afford
to risk any delay. The chances are, of course, that I can make him
disgorge, and that you’ll get your money back, but the important thing
is to play safe, isn’t it?”
Ex-Senator Phelps nodded slowly and hopelessly.
“I suppose you’re right,” he agreed. “I had hoped for immediate help,
Carter, for something that would put new hope into me. Evidently, I
expected too much, though. I’ll do as you say, of course, and try to
believe that everything will come out all right. Good morning.”
And with that he left the room, walking as if he were seventy instead
of sixty.
“Number one!” Green-eye Gordon chuckled as he leaned back in his seat.
“A hundred and fifty thousand isn’t bad for a starter. I wonder who
will be the next?”