CHAPTER XV

THE PLOT

We had been able to secure a key to the hotel entrance of the Old Tavern, so that we felt free to come and go at any hour of the day or night.  We let ourselves in and mounted the stairs cautiously to our room.

“At least they haven’t discovered anything, yet,” Garrick congratulated himself, looking about, as I struck a light, and finding everything as we had left it.

Late as it was, he picked up the detective receiver of the mechanical eavesdropper and held it to his ears, listening intently several moments.

“There’s someone in the garage, all right,” he exclaimed.  “I can hear sounds as if he were moving about among the cars.  It must be the garage keeper himself—­the one they call the Boss.  I don’t think our clever Chief would have the temerity to show up here yet, even at this hour.”

We waited some time, but not the sound of a voice came from the instrument.

“It would be just like them to discover one of these detectaphones,” remarked Garrick at length.  “This is a good opportunity.  I believe I’ll just let myself down there in the yard again and separate those two wires, further.  There’s no use in risking all the eggs in one basket.”

While I listened in, Garrick cautiously got out the rope ladder and descended.  Through the detectaphone I could hear the noise of the man walking about the garage and was ready at the window to give Garrick the first alarm of danger if he approached the back of the shop, but nothing happened and he succeeded in accomplishing his purpose of further hiding the two wires and returning safely.  Then we resumed listening in relays.

It was early in the morning when there came a telephone call to the garage and the garage keeper answered it.

“Where did you go afterward?” he asked of the man who was calling him.

Garrick had quickly shifted to the instrument by which we could overhear what was said over the telephone.

A voice which I recognised instantly as that of the man they called the Chief replied, “Oh, I had a little business to attend to—­you understand.  Say, they got that fire out pretty quickly, didn’t they?  How do you suppose the alarm could have been turned in so soon?”

“I don’t know.  But they tell me that Garrick and that other fellow with him showed up, double quick.  He must have been wise to something.”

“Yes.  Do you know, I’ve been thinking about that ever since.  Ever hear of a little thing called a detectaphone?  No?  Well, it’s a little arrangement that can be concealed almost anywhere.  I’ve been wondering whether there might not be one hidden about your garage.  He might have put one in that night, you know.  I’m sure he knows more about us than he has any right to know.  Hunt around there, will you, and see if you can find anything?”

“Hold the wire.”