CHAPTER XII
THE DETECTAPHONE
I found it difficult to share Garrick's optimism, however. It seemed tome that again the best laid plans of one that I had come to consideramong the cleverest of men had been defeated, and it is not pleasant tobe defeated, even temporarily. But Garrick was certainly notdiscouraged.
As he had said at the start, it was no ordinary criminal with whom wehad to deal. That was clear. There had been gunmen and gangmen in NewYork for years, we knew, but this fellow seemed to be the last word,with his liquid bullets, his anesthetic shells and his stupefying gun.
We had agreed that the garage keeper would, of course, shed littlelight on the mystery. He was a crook. But he would find no difficulty,doubtless, in showing that there was nothing on which to hold him.
Still, Garrick had evidently figured out a way to go ahead while we hadall been floundering around, helpless. His silence had merely maskedhis consideration of a plan.
"You three stay here," he ordered. "If anyone should come in, hold him.Don't let anyone get away. But I don't think there will be anyone. I'llbe back within an hour or so."
It was far past midnight already, as we sat uncomfortably in thereeking atmosphere of the garage. The hours seemed to draginterminably. Almost I wished that something would happen to break themonotony and the suspense. Our lonely vigil went unrewarded, however.No one came; there was not even a ring at the telephone.
As nearly as I could figure it out, McBirney was the only one whoseemed to have gained much so far. He had looked over the cars mostcarefully. There were half a dozen of them, in all.
"I don't doubt," he concluded, "that all of them have been stolen. Butthere are only two here that I can identify. They certainly are cleverat fixing them up. Look at all the parts they keep ready for use. Theycould build a car, here."
"Yes," agreed Dillon, looking at the expensive "junk" that was lyingabout. "There is quite enough to warrant closing the place, only Isuppose Garrick is right. That would defeat our own purpose."
At last Garrick returned from his hurried trip down to the office. Idon't know what it was we expected him to bring, but I think we weremore or less disappointed when it proved to be merely a simple oblongoak box with a handle.
He opened it and we could see that it contained in reality nothing buta couple of ordinary dry cells, and some other paraphernalia. Therewere two black discs, attached to a metal headpiece, discs about twoand a half inches in diameter, with a circular hole in the centre ofeach, perhaps an inch across, showing inside what looked like a pieceof iron or steel.
Garrick carefully tested the batteries with a little ammeter which hecarried in a case.
"Sixteen amperes," he remarked to himself, "I don't attempt to use thebatteries when they fall below five. These are all right."
From a case he took a little round black disc, about the same size asthe other two. In its face it had a dozen or so small holes perforatedand arranged in the shape of a six-pointed star.
"I wonder where I can stow this away so that it won't attractattention?" he asked.
Garrick looked about for the least used part of the garage and decidedthat it was the back. Near the barred window lay a pile of worn tireswhich looked as if it had been seldom disturbed except to be added to.When one got tires as cheaply as the users of this garage did, it wasfolly to bother much about the repair of old ones.
Back of this pile, then, he threw the little black disc carelessly,only making sure that it was concealed. That was not difficult, for itwas not much larger than a watch in size.
To it, I noticed, he had attached two plugs that were"fool-proof"--that is, one small and the other large, so that theycould not be inserted into the wrong holes. A long flexible green silkcovered wire, or rather two wires together, led from the disc. Bycarefully moving the tires so as to preserve the rough appearance theyhad of being thrown down hastily into the discard, he was able toconceal this wire, also, in such a way as to bring it secretly to thebarred window and through it.
Next he turned his attention to the telephone itself. Anotherinstrument which he had brought with him was inserted in place of theordinary transmitter. It looked like it and had evidently been preparedwith that in view. I assumed that it must act like the ordinarytransmitter also, although it must have other uses as well. It was moreof a job to trace out the course of the telephone wires and run in asort of tap line at a point where it would not be likely to be noted.This was done by Garrick, still working in silence, and the wires fromit led behind various things until they, too, reached another windowand so went to the outside.
As Garrick finished his mysterious tinkering and rose from his dustyjob to brush off his clothes, he remarked, "There, now you may haveyour heart's desire, Dillon, if all you want to do is to watch thesefellows."
"What is it?" I hastened to ask, looking curiously at the oak box whichcontained still everything except the tiny black disc and the wiresleading out of the window from it and from the new telephonetransmitter.
"This little instrument," he answered slowly, "is much more sensitive,I think, than any mechanical or electrical eavesdropper that has everbeen employed before. It is the detectaphone--a new unseen listener."
"The detectaphone?" repeated Dillon. "How does it work?"
"Well, for instance," explained Garrick, "that attachment which Iplaced on the telephone is much more than a sensitive transmitter suchas you are accustomed to use. It is a form of that black disc which yousaw me hide behind the pile of tires. There are, in both, innumerableof the minutest globules of carbon which are floating around, as itwere, making it alive at all times to every sound vibration andextremely sensitive even to the slightest sound waves. In the case ofthe detectaphone transmitter, it only replaces the regular telephonetransmitter and its presence will never be suspected. It operates justas well when the receiver is hung up as when it is off the hook, as faras the purpose I have in mind is concerned, as you shall see soon. Ihave put both forms in so that even if they find the one back of thetires, even the most suspicious person would not think that anythingwas contained in the telephone itself. We are dealing with cleverpeople and two anchors to windward are better than one."
Dillon nodded approval, but by the look on his face it was evident thathe did not understand the whole thing yet.
"That other disc, back of the tires," went on Garrick, "is the ordinarydetective form. All that we need now is to find a place to install thisreceiving box--all this stuff that is left over--the two batteries, theearpieces. You see the whole thing is very compact. I can get it downto six inches square and four inches thick, or I can have it arrangedwith earpieces so that at least six people can 'listen in' atonce--forms that can be used in detective work to meet all sorts ofconditions. Then there is another form of the thing, in a box aboutfour inches square and, perhaps, nine or ten inches long which I maybring up later for another purpose when we find out what we are goingto do with the ends of those wires that are now dangling on the outsideof the window. We must pick up the connection in some safe andinconspicuous place outside the garage."
The window through which the wires passed seemed to open, as I hadalready noticed, on a little yard not much larger than a court. Garrickopened the window and stuck his head out as far as the iron bars wouldpermit. He sniffed. The odor was anything but pleasant. It was acombination of "gas" from the garage and stale beer from the saloon.
"No doubt about it, that is a saloon," remarked Garrick, "and they mustpile empty kegs out there in the yard. Let's take a walk around thecorner and see what the front of the place looks like."
It was a two and a half story building, with a sloping tin roof, of anarchaic architecture, in a state of terrible decay and dilapidation,and quite in keeping with the neighbourhood. Nevertheless a bright giltsign over a side door read, "Hotel Entrance."
"I think we can get in there to-morrow on some pretext," decidedGarrick after our inspection of the "Old Tavern," as the crazy letters,all askew, on one of
the windows denoted the place. "The Old Tavernlooks as if it might let lodgings to respectable gentlemen--if theywere roughly enough dressed. We can get ourselves up as a couple ofteamsters and when we get in that will give us a chance to pick up theends of those wires to-morrow. That will be time enough, I'm sure, andit is the best we can do, anyhow."
We returned from our walk around the block to the garage where Dillonand McBirney were waiting for us.
"I leave you free to do what you please, Dillon," answered Garrick tothe commissioner's inquiry, "as long as you don't pinch this placewhich promises to be a veritable gold-mine. McBirney, I know, willreduce the number of cars here tomorrow by at least two. But don't, forheaven's sake, let out any suspicion about those things I have justhidden here. And now, as for me, I'm going uptown and get a few hours'sleep."
Dillon and McBirney followed, leaving us, shortly, to get a couple ofmen from the nearest police station to see that none of the cars weretaken out before morning.
We rode up to our apartment, where a message was awaiting us, tellingthat Warrington had passed a very good day and was making much morerapid progress than even Dr. Mead had dared hope. I could not helpwondering how much was due to the mere tonic presence daily of VioletWinslow.
I had a sound sleep, although it was a short one. Garrick had me upearly, and, by digging back in his closet, unearthed the oldest clotheshe had. We improved them by sundry smears of dirt in such a way thatwhen we did start forth, no one would have accused us of being otherthan we were prepared to represent ourselves--workmen who had been laidoff from a job on account of bad business conditions. We decided to saythat we were seeking another position.
"How do I look?" I asked seriously, for this was serious business to me.
"I don't know whether to give you a meal ticket, or to call a cop whenI look at you, Marshall," laughed Garrick.
"Well, I feel a good deal safer in this rig than I did last night, inthis part of the city," I replied as we hopped off a surface car notfar from our destination. "I almost begin to feel my part. Did you seethe old gink with the gold watch on the car? If he was here I believeI'd hold him up, just to see what it is like. I suppose we are going toapply for lodgings at the famous hostelry, the Old Tavern?"
"I had that intention," replied Garrick who could see no humour in thesituation, now that we were on the scene of action. "The place lookseven more sordid in daylight than at night. Besides, it smells worse."
We entered the tavern, and were greeted with a general air of roughcuriosity, which was quickly dispelled by our spending ten cents, andgetting change for a bill. At least we were good for anythingreasonable, and doubts on that score settled by the man behind the bar,he consented to enter into conversation, which ultimately resulted inour hiring a large back room upstairs in the secluded caravansary whichsupplied "Furnished Rooms for Gentlemen Only."
Garrick said that we would bring our things later, and we wentupstairs. We were no sooner settled than he was at work. He had broughta rope ladder, and, after fastening it securely to the window ledge, helet himself down carefully into the narrow court below.
That was the only part of the operation that seemed to be attended withany risk of discovery and it was accomplished safely. For one thing thedirt on the windows both of the garage and the tavern was so thick thatI doubt whether so much caution was really necessary. Nevertheless, itwas a relief when he secured the ends of the wires from thedetectaphone and brought them up, pulling in the rope ladder after him.
It was now the work of but a minute to attach one of the wires that ledfrom the watchcase disc back of the pile of tires to the oak box withits two storage batteries. Garrick held the ear-pieces, one to eachear, then shoved them over his head, in place.
"It works--it works," he cried, with as much delight as if he had notbeen positive all along that it would.
"Here, try it yourself," he added, taking the headgear off and handingthe receivers to me.
I put the black discs at my ears, with the little round holes over theear openings. It was marvellous. I could hear the men washing down oneof the cars, the swash of water, and, best of all, the low-toned, gruffgossip.
"Just a couple of the men there, now," explained Garrick. "I gatherthat they are talking about what happened last night. I heard one ofthem say that someone they call 'the Chief' was there last night andthat another man, 'the Boss,' gave him orders to tell no one outsideabout it. I suppose the Chief is our friend with the stupefying gun.The Boss must be the fellow who runs the garage. What are they sayingnow? They were grumbling about their work when I handed the thing overto you."
I listened, fascinated by the marvel of the thing. I could hearperfectly, although the men must have been in the front of the garage.
"Well, there's two of them yer won't haveter wash no more," one man wassaying. "A feller from the perlice come an' copped off two--that sixtytin can and the ninety Despard."
"Huh--so the bulls are after him?"
"Yeh. One was here all night after the fight."
"Did they follow the Chief?"
"Follow the Chief? Say, when anyone follows the Chief he's gotter bebetter than any bull that ever pounded a beat."
"What did the Boss say when he heard it?"
"Mad as---. We gotter lay low now."
"The Chief's gone up-state, I guess."
"We can guess all we want. The Boss knows. I don't."
"Why didn't they make a pinch? Ain't there nobody watchin' now?"
"Naw. They ain't got nothin' on us. Say, the Chief can put them fellersjust where he wants 'em. See the paper this morning? That was some raidup at the joint--eh?"
"You bet. That Garrick's a pretty smooth chap. But the Chief can put itall over him."
"Yep," agreed the other speaker.
I handed the receivers back to Garrick with a smile.
"You are not without some admirers," I remarked, repeating theconversation substantially to him. "They'd shoot up the neighbourhood,I imagine, if they knew the truth."
Hour after hour we took turns listening at the detectaphone. Wegathered a choice collection of slang and epithets, but very littlereal news. However, it was evident that they had a wholesome respectfor both the Chief and the Boss. It seemed that the real head of thegang, if it was a gang, had disappeared, as one of the men had alreadyhinted "up-state."
Garrick had meanwhile brought out the other detectaphone box, which waslonger and larger than the oak box.
"This isn't a regular detactaphone," he explained, "but it may vary themonotony of listening in and sometime I may find occasion to use it inanother way, too."
In one of the long faces were two square holes, from the edges of whichthe inside walls focussed back on two smaller, circular diaphragms.That made the two openings act somewhat like megaphone horns to stillfurther magnify the sound which was emitted directly from this receiverwithout using any earpieces, and could be listened to anywhere in theroom, if we chose. This was attached to the secret arrangement that hadbeen connected with the telephone by replacing the regular by theprepared transmitter.
One of us was in the room listening all the time. I remember once,while Guy had gone uptown for a short time, that I heard the telephonebell ring in the device at my ear. Out of the larger box issued a voicetalking to one of the men.
It was the man whom they referred to as the Chief. He had nothing tosay when he learned that the Boss had not showed up since early morningafter he had been quizzed by the police. But he left word that he wouldcall up again.
"At least I know that our gunman friend, the Chief, is going to call upto-night," I reported to Garrick on his return.
"I think he'll be here, all right," commented Garrick. "I called upDillon while I was out and he was convinced that the best way was, as Isaid, to seem to let up on them. They didn't get a word out of thefellow they call the Boss. He lives down here a couple of streets, Ibelieve, in a pretty tough place, even worse than the Old Tavern. I letDillon get a man in there, but I ha
ven't much hope. He's only a tool ofthe other whom they call Chief. By the way, Forbes has disappeared. Ican't find a trace of him since the raid on the gambling joint."
"Any word from Warrington?" I asked.
"Yes, he's getting along finely," answered Guy mechanically, as if histhoughts were far away from Warrington. "Queer about Forbes," hemurmured, then cut himself short. "And, oh," he added, "I forgot totell you that speaking about Forbes reminds me that Herman has beenrunning out a clew on the Rena Taylor case. He has been all over thecountry up there, he reports to Dillon, and he says he thinks the carwas seen making for Pennsylvania.
"They have a peculiar license law there, you know--at least he saysso--that enables one to conceal a car pretty well. Much good that doesus."
"Yes," I agreed, "you can always depend on a man like Herman to comealong with something like that---"
Just then the "master station" detectaphone connected with thetelephone in the garage began to talk and I cut myself short. We seemednow at last about to learn something really important. It was a newvoice that said, "Hello!"
"Evidently the Boss has come in without making any noise," remarkedGuy. "I certainly heard no one through the other instrument. I fancy hewas waiting for it to get dark before coming around. Listen."
It was a long distance call from the man they called Chief. Where hewas we had no means of finding out, but we soon found out where he wasgoing.
"Hello, Boss," we heard come out of the detectaphone box.
"Hello, Chief. You surely got us nearly pinched last night. What wasthe trouble?"
"Oh, nothing much. Somehow or other they must have got on to us. Iguess it was when I called up the joint on Forty-eighth Street. Threemen surprised me, but fortunately I was ready. If they hadn't stoppedat the door before they opened it, they might have got me. I put 'emall out with that gun, though. Say, I want you to help me on a littlejob that I am planning.
"Yes? Is it a safe one? Don't you think we'd better keep quiet for alittle while?"
"But this won't keep quiet. Listen. You know I told you about writingthat letter regarding Warrington to Miss Winslow, when I was so soreover the report that he was going to close up the Forty-eighth Streetjoint, right on top of finding that Rena Taylor had the 'goods' on theForty-seventh Street place? Well, I was a fool. You said so, and I was."
"You were--that's right."
"I know it, but I was mad. I hadn't got all I wanted out of thoseplaces. Well, anyhow, I want that letter back--that's all. It's bad tohave evidence like that lying around. Why, if they ever get a realhandwriting expert they might get wise to something from thathandwriting, I'm afraid. I must have been crazy to do it that way."
"What became of the letter?"
"She took it to that fellow Garrick and I happen to know thatWarrington that night, after leaving Garrick, went to his apartment andput something into the safe he has there. Oh, Warrington has it, allright. What I want to do is to get that letter back while he is laid upnear Tuxedo. It isn't much of a safe, I understand. I think a canopener would do the job. We can make the thing look like a regularrobbery by a couple of yeggs. Are you on?"
"No, I don't get you, Chief."
"Why?"
"It's too risky."
"Too risky?"
"Yes. That fellow Garrick is just as likely as not to be nosing aroundup there. I'd go but for that."
"I know. But suppose we find that he isn't there, that he isn't in thehouse--has been there and left it. That would be safe enough. You'reright. Nothing doing if he's there. We must can him in some way. But,say,--I know how to get in all right without being seen. I'll tell youlater. Come on, be a sport. We won't try it if anybody's there.Besides, if we succeed it will help to throw a scare into Warrington."
The man on our end of the telephone appeared to hesitate.
"I'll tell you what I'll do, Chief," he said at length. "I'll meet youat the same place as we met the other day--you know where I mean--sometime after twelve. We'll talk it over. You're sure about the letter?"
"As sure as if I'd seen it."
"All right. Now, be there. I won't promise about this Warringtonbusiness. We'll talk that over. But I have other things I want to tellyou--about this situation here at the garage. I want to know how toact."
"All right. I'll be there. Good-bye."
"So long, Chief."
The conversation stopped. I looked anxiously at Garrick to see how hehad taken it.
"And so," he remarked simply, as after a moment's waiting we made surethat the machine had stopped talking, "it appears that our friends, theenemy, are watching us as closely as we are watching them--with theadvantage that they know us and we don't know them, except this garagefellow."
Garrick lapsed into silence. I was rapidly turning over in my mind whatwe had just overheard and trying to plan some way of checkmating theirnext move.
"Here's a plot hatching to rob Warrington's safe," I exclaimedhelplessly.
"Yes," repeated Garrick slowly, "and if we are going to do anythingabout it, it must be done immediately, before we arouse suspicion andscare them off. Did you hear those footsteps over the detectaphone?That was the Boss going out of the garage. So, they expect me aroundthere, nosing about Warrington's apartment. Well, if I do go there, andthen ostentatiously go away again, that will lure them on."
He reached his decision quickly. Grabbing his hat, he led the way outof the Old Tavern and up the street until we came to a drug store witha telephone.
I heard him first talking with Warrington, getting from him thecombination of the safe, over long distance. Then he called up hisoffice and asked the boy to meet him at the Grand Central subwaystation with a package, the location of which he described minutely.
"We'll beat them to it," he remarked joyously, as we started leisurelyuptown to meet the boy.