Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 28, 1928 — page 25: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THIEVES’ MARKET. ‘A man named Nick Euthopopolis, who runs a pool parlor somewhere, was here doing business with Korbeck before nine o’clock.” “ Fine,” said Rand. “ That gives us another angle to start on. It may be nothing of course but we'll ride it for a bit. See you to-night unless some- thing turns up. Good-by, dear.” Now, Morris Korbeck was not as casual in the hiring of his employees as his quick engaging of Jane might indi- cate. No sooner had she left the office for lunch than he called up the Star Agency. ‘This Campbell girl you sent down, she has good references?” ‘“We sent no one down,” they told him. | “What?” “We didn’t know you wanted any one.” “ But didn’t my other girl call you up?” sé No.” “ Thanks.” * Korbeck snapped down the receiver. His eyes were narrowed into little steel beads. So there was something crooked about this? He called another number and wait- ed patiently. Presently there came an answer from the other end. ‘“ Send Meeker up here, and damned quick,” he ordered. Meeker was the one man with whom Korbeck had dealings that he trusted implicitly. This trust was not born of an old childhood friendship or a business partnership. It was a much surer thing than that. Korbeck knew some very definite things about Meeker that would send that gentleman up the river for a con- siderable period of-time. Thus Kor- beck felt confident that Meeker could be intrusted with anything of impor- tance. Meeker had seen better days. He 455 hated Korbeck cordially, but he recog- nized the fact that he was in a trap and that his only salvation lay in obey- ing the hated one. A few moments after the phone call he arrived. “You sent for me,” he said quietly. Meeker was tall and thin, with a heav- ily lined face, and brown hair that was graying around the temples. He had long, sensitive fingers that played nerv- ously with his cap. ‘Yeah. I want you should do a little shadowing job,” said Korbeck. “Who?” “Look, my secretary leaves me yes- terday suddenly. To-day a girl comes in. She says that Groehl, that’s the first girl, telephoned the agency where I always hire my girls, and told ’em I needed one. ‘She looked O K, so I took her on. Just now I call up the agency to ask about her references.” Korbeck spread his hands. “ The agency didn’t send her.” Meeker shifted his balance from one foot to the other. 3 ‘““Why not fire her? Probably just a friend of the other girl.” Korbeck was too astute. “She ain’t the type. No, it looks fishy. I won’t fire her—I’d be a fool. Maybe she’s here to spy on me for some one. I want to find out who that some one is. See?” Meeker nodded. . “That ought to be easy.” “Yeah, and you got to do it.” Kor- beck pounded on his desk with a hard fist. ‘“‘ And when I find out, I know how to deal with ’em. ‘‘'No one can pull a game like this on me and get away with it—not while they’re still making guns that shoot straight.” : Then he leaned back in his chair and a slow smile twisted his crooked mouth. 3 “But she ain’t a bad looking girl, Meeker. Not bad at all.” TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK CORMICLOOLK< com