The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-04-05
PACKARD

dow, she noted the time, and knew a further sense of relief. It was even earlier than she had imagined. l. was not quite 10, o'clock; she would at least, be close on the heels of Perl mer's departure from his office, If not actually ahead of time, and there fore she would be first on the scene and--yes, this was the place; here was Perlmer's name amongst those on the name-rlate at the street en- trance of a small three-story build ing
 She entered the hallway, and found 1t deserted It was a rather dirty and unkempt place, and very poorly Hghted-a single incandescent alone burned in the hall. PerImer's room, so the name place indicated, was Number Eleven, and on the next floor.
 She mounted the stairs, and paus- ed on the landing to look around her again. Here, too, the hallway was lighted by but a single. lamp; and here, too, an air of assertion was in evidence. The office tenants, it was fairly obvious. were not habitual night workers, for not a ray of light came from any of the glass-paneied doors that fanked both sides of the pas sage. She nodded her head sharply In satisfaction. It was equally ob- vious that Per1mer had already gone It would take her but a moment then, unless the skeleton keys gave her trouble. She moved quietly down the hallway, and. looking quickly about her to assure herself again that she was not observed, stopped before the door of Room Number Eleven.
 A moment she hung there, listen ing; then she slipped the skeleton keys from her pocket, and in the act of inserting one of them tentatively into the keyho1e. she tried the door and with a. little gasp of surprise re- turned the keys hurriedly to her pocket The door was unlocked; it had even opened an inch already un- der her hand.
 Again she looked around her. a lit tie startled now; and instinctly her hand in her pocket exchanged the keys for her revolver. But she saw nothing, heard nothing; and it was certainly dark inside there, and there fore only logical to conclude that, the room was unoccupied.
 Treasured, she pushed the door cautiously and noiselessly open, and stepped inside, and closed the door behind her. She stood still for an Instant. and then the round, white ray of her f1ashlight went dancing inquisitively around the office. It was a medium sized room, far from ornate in it's appointments, bare-noor- ed, the furniture of the cheapest Perlzner's clientele did not insist on orinetal rugs and mahogany
 Her appraisal of the room. how ever, was but cursory. She was in terested only in the fiat-topped, desk in front of her. She stepped quickly around it-and stopped-and a low f1T-X 1f ic-rno stared at the floor. The lower draw CT had been completely removed, and now lay upturned beside the swivel chair, it's contents strewn around In all directions
 And for a moment she stared at the scene, non-plussed, discomfited. She had been so sure that she would be first-and she had not been first. There was no need 70 search amongst those papers on the floor They told their own story. The ones she want ed were already gone.
 In a number way. mechanically, she retreated to the door; and, with the fiashlight playing upon it, she noticed for the first time that the lock had been roughly forced. It was but cor roborative of the despoiled drawer; and. at the same time, the obvious reason why the door had not been re- locked when whoever had come here had gone out again.
 Whoever had come here, She could have laughed out hysterically Was there any doubt as to who 1t was? One of Danglar's emissaries; the Cricket, perhaps-or perhaps even Danglar himself! They had seen to it that lack of prompt action, at least 1 would not be the cause of marring their plans.
 A little dazed, overwrought con- fused at the ground being cut from l under her wh ere she had been so | confident of a sure footing, she made | the street-and for a block walked i almost aim1essly along. And then suddenly she turned hurriedly into l cross street, and headed over toward the East Side. The experience had not been a pleasant one and it had upset most thoroughly all her calcu- | lations; but it was very far, after all, 1 from being disastrous. It meant sim ply that she must now find Nicky Niner himself and warn the man, and there was ample time in which to do that. The code message specifically stated midnight as the hour at which they proposed to favor old Viner with their unhallowed attentions, and as it was but a little after 10 now. she had nearIy 1uIl two hours m Which to accomplish what should not take her more than a few minutes.
 Rhoda Gray's lips frightened a lit tie. as she hurried along. Old Nicky Viner still lived in the same disre- putab1e tenement in which he had lived on the night of that murder two years ago, and she could not | ward off the thought that it had been | yes, and was-an ideal place for a l murder, from the murd erer's stand point, Ths neighborhood was one of | the toughest in New York. and the | tenement itself was frankly nothing more than a den of crooks. True she had visited there more than once. had visited Ntcky Viner there; but I she had gone there then as the White Moll, to whom even the most aban- doned would have touched his cap
 (Continued Tomorrow)