SETTING A TRAP
The automobile came to a stop two blocks from the German meeting-place.
As the three walked toward it, a beggar stopped Strong. The latter gave
him some coins. Ted, who was watching, saw a paper pass between the
two. It was so quickly done that he was not even sure of it. He made
no comment, as he knew that Strong would mention it, if he thought it
necessary.
“The room is on the third floor,” Strong said. “There is someone in it
now. That beggar has just been up there; he has been watching the house
all morning, so that he could keep me in touch.
“Suppose, Ted, you go up and sell your papers. Go to every office. When
you reach Room 318, size it up as well as you can. See what you can of
316 and 320 also.”
“All our work and our preparations have been from 418,” Walker added.
“Our friends are there.”
“Yes,” Strong said, “take a look in there, even though you will meet
Bronson a little later.”
A boy tried to sell his papers in the many offices. He canvassed each
floor and in due time reached the fourth. He came to Room 418 and saw a
sign on the glass reading as follows:
TERENCE McMAHON
INSURANCE AGENT AND ADJUSTER
MAIN OFFICE--OLIVER BUILDING
Russell Bronson, Br. Mgr.
He entered. “Want a paper?” he asked one of the men.
The man took one. Ted glanced about and then went out. He had some idea
of the room. He noticed that three other doors seemed to belong to the
same office, Rooms 422, 420 and 416.
He soon reached the third floor. He went through the same routine,
just as carefully and matter-of-factedly, as he had done on the other
floors. When he reached 320 he found the door locked and a hand
pointing to 318 as the entrance. On the glass of that door he saw a
sign which read:
NOVELTIES AND TOYS
A. CHRISTENSEN
Ted opened the door. A man was inside, his feet perched upon a desk and
he was reading a German newspaper.
“Paper, sir?” Ted asked him.
“No,” was the answer. He did not even glance up.
“I have a Staats-Zeitung and a Wochen-Blatt,” coaxed Ted. All this time
he was taking stock of the room.
“A Wochen-Blatt? I’ll take one,” the man became interested. He offered
a half dollar to Ted.
“I haven’t the change, but I will get it for you.” Ted was fighting for
time, so that he could form impressions.
“And run away with my money?” the man sneered. “Not on your life. I’ll
wait until later.”
“You can hold all my papers. I’ll come back.”
The man grudgingly gave the boy the money. At the corner store Ted
found his two friends; the automobile had long since left.
“Good work,” Strong commented, after hearing Ted. “Now, how can we get
that fellow out of the building for half an hour?”
“When I suggested going out for the change,” volunteered Ted, “he
didn’t want to trust me and said: ‘I’ll wait until later.’ Perhaps he
intends going out.”
“Well, here is one way to coax him to go a little sooner. A German
wants what he wants when he wants it, and he never stops wanting it
until he gets it. When you go back, Ted, insist on being paid twice
as much as the paper sells for. He probably will not pay it. He will
consider it a hold-up. But he will want that paper and it may hurry his
departure. It is almost lunch-time anyway.
“Walker, you go to all the news-stands within three square blocks
and also any stores you may see that sell newspapers and buy up any
Wochen-Blatts they have. That ought to keep our friend busy trying to
get what he wants and so give us more time. We will all meet in Room
418. I’ll steal up while you two are wrangling over your high-handed
outrage, Ted. Walker can come any time. There is small chance that he
will be recognized. You see,” Strong added, his eyes smiling, “that’s
the value of having the ordinary face Walker has. He looks like
seventy-five million other folks, so no one would notice him.”
Ted rushed back to the office. “Everybody is poor around here or else
they don’t want to make change. My, what trouble.” He was counting out
the change and he now placed but forty cents on the man’s desk.
The man picked up the money and for a moment it looked as if he would
not count it, but he did.
“Hey, boy, another nickel! You’re short here.”
“No, I’m not. I took a nickel for all the trouble I had in making
change.” Ted felt mean and he knew his argument was a poor one, but he
was doing it for a purpose.
“Five cents, or I don’t want the paper.” He made a threatening motion
toward Ted.
Ted laughed at him. He threw the dime on the desk, picked up his paper
and backed out of the door. The man was muttering fiercely in German.
Out on the street our hero watched from a nearby door. It was just
mid-day and people were hurrying for their lunch. But it was at least
twenty minutes before he saw his man walk out of the building. He
watched him and saw him stop at one, then at another stand and try to
obtain the desired paper. He was not successful and Ted saw him stroll
further down the street.
Two minutes later Ted was in Room 418. Walker joined them almost at the
same time.
Ted was introduced to the man to whom he had sold a paper a little
earlier and then the party got down to business.
“Walker, jump down and try the door,” said Strong. “Here is the key.”
But a new problem presented itself when Walker reported back that the
key would not fit the lock and Strong, incredulous, had proven the
truth of it for himself.
“Phew!” whistled Strong. “They must have changed the lock. They figured
the old one was too easy for anyone who had a mind to enter. Come on,
Walker, we’ll try the window.”
But they found no way of entering through the window. It was securely
fastened. Walker, with one foot on the edge of the fire escape and the
other on the ledge of the next room’s window and holding himself secure
with one hand, attempted to open that window also, but found it just as
securely locked.
“There is still one way before we think of any rough stuff,” said
Strong. With the other three he went down to the third floor.
“Here, Ted, get on my shoulders and try the fanlight. Let’s pray that
it opens.”
It opened so very easily that they all laughed. But they found that
neither Walker, Strong nor Bronson could get through. But Ted could.
“Well,” said Bronson, “I reckon it’s up to the boy, isn’t it?”
“It certainly is,” said Strong.
Walker now very quickly, yet very clearly explained the workings and
the manipulations of the dictaphone. Ted listened carefully as he was
told how the wires should be laid and connected.
“You see, Ted,” Walker continued, “the whole thing is already prepared.
We knew how little time we would have when the time did come, so we
did everything we could beforehand. You will find a place for these
wires on the wall behind the steam-pipes. The floor moulding running
along the window wall will move if you remove the screws--four of them.
Then count off the sixteenth floor-board--you work it this way,” Walker
showed Ted how, “and it will pry loose. It is all very simple and
should take no more than twenty minutes. It would take me ten.
“The floor-board has a little groove into which the wires will fit.
You will find that where this board ends is another piece of moulding
which will most surprisingly give way to your magic fingers, and the
screwdriver, as did the moulding at the other end. On the big cabinet
that is there, try that corner of it nearest you and against the wall,
and there you will find that your wires will fit snugly. Your hands
are small and can get in there, back of the cabinet. You just can’t go
wrong. On top of the cabinet see that the mouthpiece or, rather, the
listener, is propped up so that it faces the table. If you have any
doubts call out--we will be here. You will also find that it will not
be seen, for the cabinet is high.”
“Be careful, Ted, about leaving things just as they were. It all will
fit back snugly. Be twice as careful as you are quick,” Strong warned
him.
“I shall be up here, Bronson will be one flight below, and the beggar
is watching in the street. Walker will be up above passing the wires
down to you.”
More than fifteen minutes had already been consumed. Strong had warned
Ted to open the window of Room 420 and, should a warning come, hide in
that room. A rope would be passed down for him from the window above.
Ted got to work at once. He found it even more simple than Walker
had told him. In fifteen or twenty minutes he called out. “I think
I am through.” He took another look about. He had carefully seen to
everything and there was no sign of any disturbance.
“Wait a minute,” said Strong. There was a pause. Then he heard Strong
speaking to him again, “Say something right out, not too loud, just
ordinary conversation.”
“Want to buy a paper? News, Post, American, Staats-Zeitung?” said Ted
to the empty air.
There was another pause, then he heard Walker say to Strong, “It’s fine
and distinct, old man.”
Ted took another look about. He lifted himself on the door-knob and
then eager hands helped him out. Walker ran down the fire escape to
take a look around the room and Strong hoisted himself up on the knob
and also looked about. Ted’s work had been thorough and neither of them
made any criticisms.
“Well, that’s something of a relief,” said Walker. Ted closed the
fanlight.
“Nothing to do until tonight,” and Walker grinned.
“Let’s eat,” said Strong. “Coming with us, Bronson?”
“Certainly,” was the answer.