The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-08-24
CHAPTER X

Brent sat in tho office of the city's chief of detectives. "What do you know" he asked bluntly, about The Red Poppy and the man who owns it?"
 Michael Donavan studied Brent 2hQughtfully for q moment before he replied. Maybe more than has been ir the papers, It's no place 9dr fools and babies. As for the man who owns it~-Black is his nAme I'd say he has q tough heart under Q soft shirt. Out whrdly he keeps within limits that is, the legal limits stretched by his smart counsel. Some day he's going to step over Q little and bee come too confident. We're waiting for that slip, MT. Stuart."
 ''t'd like the license number of his car" Brent said, land q de- Scription of it."
 Donavan turned to a flle. "Glad Co accommodate you. It's an ordl- nary black touring car, nickc!- trimmed. License number here, I'll write it down for you"
 Ho handed Brent Q card.
 "Thank you Chief" Brent got 10 his feet.
 "What does Black want now2 A fine new housc2" the detective qusried. T didn't know hc could afford one. Had m idea he needed money. At one time he could have paid for several without noticing it, ! guess. Those were the days when he ran c string of gambling houses in Chicago. There were lot of tributaries feeding money into Blacks pockets, but the gov- ernment located those filthy streams. Black came here and opened Tho Red Poppy He's tanned down, ac- cotdinR to popular opinion, but I've always done my own thinking and I'm not convinced"
 "Im not doing e house for hiI1." Brent said frankly.
 The detective chuckled. "f would have been a mighty poor de- tective If I hadn't known that. Just wanted to hear you talk little, 1'isa going to give you some advice, MI. Stuart, Keep away from Black, He's dangerous and smart which | doubles tho danger. By the way, Blacks out Of town. Has been for a couple of days, Ills right-hand man b Bill Patrick"
 "Thank you, Chief, Blacks tho man I want to seG," Brent smiled . little. but thorO waS no smile in his eyes.
 0Anythlng I can do2"
 ,"Nothlng. Thanks just the same, if I And need help, I'll call on you" |
 "If you ever found you needed help, monkoying around with thoGc fellows. I'm afraid you'd be beyond it. Well. good luck"
 When Brent was gone tho de- tectlve sat alone for while, q frown between hls keen, dark eyes.
 Tho sudden notoricty that had come to "Frcnchy's" resulted in q capacity crowd for tho evening meal.
 one garrulouB person on the grounds had won an audience Of sensation seekers.
 T saw that couple -- the robbcr and tho glrl--Wfcn they came in," he said. "Bhe was pretty a8 a piC- ture, but she looked worried and didn't seem Co be eating much, She kept sending notes to tho boyS in the orchestra, asking them to play different pleceB"
 A man, who had driven ID a short while before fin m anti. uliated automobile, pressed closer while the short, baldhcadcd man was speaking - :.
 "Then what happencd2" the istranger asked.
 "Thcn tho police came" the baidhcnded man Said Everybody thought the place was being raided, but the police were after thin bank robber and darn fl they didn't draw bead on him right over my headl My table wa8 cl0Sc tO thig couple, and if hadn't duckod when the firing began l wouldn't be telling this tale"
 "When tho lights went on, young fellow, the crowd went wild. Everybody Was trying Co get Fsr----------- --~wgr--r-------------------