“Well, I might as well tell you,” carelessly.  “He got hurt; the fool compelled me to hit him with a gat; so he’s out of it, and you might as well come through clean—­that guy isn’t going to help you any.”

“You mean you killed him?”

“Well, he’s out of the game; that’s enough.  And as for you, your best play right now is to talk up straight.”  He laughed sneeringly, “Unless you want to call up your friend Karvan, at the City Hall, you know.  Hell, but you was easy!”

“Easy?”

“That’s what I said.  I knew you all right when you first blew in, only I wasn’t quite sure.  Just had a glimpse of you once before.  I naturally guessed your smoke-inspector stunt was a sham.  So, I ran that Fred Karvan stuff in on you.  You ate it up, which gave you clean away, for I never knew any guy of that name.  Do you see the point, Captain West?”

“Yes, I see all that plainly enough, but it does not explain the attack on me.  You evidently know my name, and this assault has been deliberately made.  Why?  What have you against me?  I have never seen either of you before.”

“Perhaps I’ll tell you when you explain.  What brought you into this neighbourhood.  Hunting some one, wasn’t you?”

“Not exactly.”

“Oh, don’t lie; that will bring you nothing, West.  You were sticking your nose into a private matter which does not concern you in any way.  That’s right, isn’t it?  Very well, you’ve had your lesson, and now it is simply up to you to either drop this thing, or else take another.  It’s up to you how far we go.  Now listen.  I believe it was merely curiosity that brought you here.  That’s true, isn’t it?”

“Largely, yes.”

“You suspected something, and wanted to find out if it was so.  Well, you came into a bad neighbourhood.  We are not nice to your kind around here.  What really caused your seeking me?”

“I do not know that I did,” West answered honestly.  “In fact I haven’t the slightest idea who you are.”

The other laughed.

“So you are as green as that.  Then I’ll give you the information.  My name is Hobart, Jim Hobart.  I am the guy you were looking for?”

“Yes,” West admitted, seeing no reason to refuse an answer.

“I thought so, although darned if I know how you ever located me here.  However, the sooner we come to some understanding, the better.  What do you know about me?”

“Nothing.”

“Is that so!  You knew my name when I spoke it.  It was the Coolidge matter that sent you hunting me.  Oh, hell, you might as well cough up, West, for I’ve got your number.  You thought the girl was here, didn’t you?”

“I had reason to believe she came here.”

“I see; how did you gain that news?”

“A conversation by telephone was overheard.”