The Black Mask — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

The Man Who Was Seven 13 the gray pellet carefully on the desk be- side him, “Then, more with the idea of getting Daniels away from that vault where he might happen to see what I had seen than with any idea of finding anything more, I asked to be shown the other vaults. I went through them all but discovered nothing until we came to the one used for the safe-deposit de- partment, next to and directly east of the one from which the money had been taken. “In the floor of this vault, and, as far as I could judge without making measurements, in direct line with the other loose plate, was a section in ex- actly the same condition—the same thin crack all around it filled with this.” Carranaugh touched the gray pellet and replaced it in his wallet. “And pe “Isn’t that enough? There have been at least twenty trained men, sup- posedly experts, who have gone over™ sure it isn’t. that vault with fine-toothed combs in the past week, and not one of them discovered a smidgeon of evidence to show how the vault or the building-was entered. And here I—” “It’s mighty fine work, Jim, I didn’t mean that it wasn’t. I simply was anxious to know what came next.” “If you mean what did I do next—I told Snedeker I thought I would have something interesting to report within forty-eight hours. He sniffed and mumbled something about ‘they all say that,’ but I didn’t mind his being scep- tical. Can’t blame him for sniffing at the end of a week of nothing but prom- ises without performances. Then I came here and put in the time, while - waiting for you, in figuring out a work- ing theory.” “Have you got one?” “Sort of one. Remember, I’m not sure those plates are loose. I only think so. But I’m basing as much of a theory as I have on their being so.” “Then they must have tunneled un- der the building after all—is that it?” “Tt looks that way. Something like that. But what I’m bothered about is the loose plate, if it is loose, in the safe deposit vault. Instead of making the proposition simpler, it complicates it. What on earth did they want to mon- key round that vault for—probably not enough valuables in the boxes to pay high class crooks for the taking, men who were figuring on more than a mil- lion. Can you dope that out? I can’t, yet.” “Maybe they made a _ mistake— opened up the wrong vault first and then went on to the right one.” “Maybe. That's possible. But not probable. Expert cracksmen who could locate the center of the vaults at all wouldn’t make a mistake of over twenty feet in their point of attack. No, that isn’t the explanation. I’m There’s some other twist in the tangle, a better reason than that.” “Then maybe—” “Hold on a minute, Tom! An al- most human idea is trying to bore its, way into my brain and I’m afraid to frighten it away by talking. Sit still and pray!’ Peiperson smoked his pipe and was silent as directed while Carranaugh almost visibly labored in his effort to concentrate on the glimmer of thought that suddenly had occurred to him. Finally, slowly, his eyes brightened, his huge body seemed to bulk even more hugely, he breathed like a diver com- ing to the surface as he whispered: “By-the-seven-gods - who - rule - the- seas, I believe I’ve got it! I believe— I believe I know where that million is lying this blessed minute and how it got there! I believe I could lay my hands on it in less than ten minutes’ walk from where we're sitting! I be-_ lieve—I believe—.” His voice trailed