The Argosy, October 1906 — page 186: what you’re looking at

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

556 “You say that you met him on the tenth floor of the Brixton Building. Do you remember whose office it. was?” “No, I don’t remember the name,” said the boy. : “Wasn't there-a name on the door?” continued Packard. “JT don’t know. The door was open and this man was standing in the door- way. When I stepped off the elevator he met me in the corridor and gave me that package.” “Then the office this man came out of was right opposite the elevator, eh?”’ Yes sir.” “Good!” cried Packard triumph- antly. .‘‘ That ‘confirms my theory, in- spector. The office this man came out of was net Dupree’s.” ‘Not Dupree’s!” cried the msnccier and the postmaster in a breath. “ No, sir. -Che office this man came gut of was directly opposite the eleva Dupree’s office is tor, as the boy says. situated on the other side of the build- ing, at the end of the turn in the cor- ridor.” “And what does that discovery mean?” asked the inspector, plainly puzzled. : - “Tt means just this: You were ask- ing me a few minutes ago how this fel- . low could have known about Sutton, the girl, and the money-orders—how he could have worked that wallet trick? Well, I’ve solved the problem. I only had a theory before; but now I’ve con- firmed it. ‘The office this fellow came out of when the boy saw him is on the tenth floor of the Brixton Building; so is — Dupree’s. The windows of the two of- fices face each other. There is enly a narrow air-shaft between. You noticed that air-shaft, postmaster, when we were in Dupree’s office. time, beth those windows were wide open and the man in the other office could hear anything that went on in — Dupree’s place. “This man was in that other office « on the day of the murder. ton enter the wine-agent’s rooms and heard him tell Dupree about the mistake with the money-orders. He heard the Frenchman reply, in a loud, angry voice — that he wouldn’t help Sutton rectify It being summer-__ “men, He saw Sut-— THE ARGOSY. the error. He heard Sutton plead with the old man, and heard the old man re- pulse him. Then he saw the girl and the post-office clerk exchange whispers, after the wine-agent had retreated into his private office, angrily banging the door after him, ‘““Perhaps he couldn’t hear what those whispers were about ; but from the fa- cial expressions he could fuess that the girl was sympathizing with Satan He — knew that the girl’s name was Miss Morgan, for he may have heard the wine-agent call her by it. “He waited af the window -until he | saw the bookkeeper and. the girl: leave the office and then he knew that Dupree was alone. He stepped out of his room and areund the bend in the corridor, came upen Dupree suddenly, killed him with the syringe containing” the deadly poison, and lifted his wallet. “Then he hit upon fhe plan of turn- ing what he had heard to geod account. He took the pictures out of the wallet, -rang fer a “messenger-bey, ‘and sent the cwallet to the post-office money-order- clerk, telling the bey to say that it had come frem Miss Morgan. By this means. he hoped to throw suspicion on the girl, thinking that Sutton would squeal on her to save himself. inspector.” “And a darned good | one,’ the chief thusiastically. “JT think —you’ve just about hit it right, this time, Packard. That’ Ss aS theory, We'll make out a good case against this _ We've still several matters to fellow. clear up. yet, however. The principal thing we've get to find out is the secret which has caused this fellow to. go around in disguise.” A policeman here entered the office with a cablegram. The inspector tore open the envelope and glanced over the contents. _ Then he uttered a sharp exclamation. “ Here’s a rare piece of luck, gentle- Listen. to. this, * he said. “ This ‘cablegram is from ‘the. chief of police of Paris. It-is addressed to me and it sat © Arrest on sight Pierre Gaston, fifty-eight — years old, six feet tall, heavy build, weighs ‘about two hun- dred pounds, scar on forehead, gray (ee) mn " eaclained 3 of the detective ‘bureau. en= m chooks