The Secret Toll
Page 2
CHAPTER II--"FRIENDS OF THE POOR"
On leaving the club, Forrester strolled slowly and thoughtfully northalong Michigan Avenue. The knowledge that old Mr. Nevins had met hisdeath at the hands of the same people who now threatened him, impressedForrester with the seriousness of the situation. Always a fighter, hisarmy training had developed this side of his nature to a point where itwas practically impossible for him to accede to an unjust demand withouta struggle.
It was Tuesday. Forrester reflected that he had but four days in whichto freely carry out any plan which he might decide upon. In view ofPrentice's experience, and the startling death of Mr. Nevins, there wasno question that after midnight Saturday every move Forrester made wouldbe attended with danger.
Immersed in these thoughts, Forrester suddenly found himself in front ofthe public library building at Washington Street. It reminded him thatthe city detective bureau was on La Salle Street at about this point. Inspite of the apparent non-success of the police, he decided that hisfirst duty would be to report to them the demand just made upon him. Afew minutes later Forrester entered the detective bureau and sent in hiscard to the Chief of Detectives. After being admitted to the Chief'soffice Forrester laid the message from the "Friends of the Poor" beforethe head of the detective bureau, with the remark:
"I'm next! What shall I do about it?"
"Mr. Forrester," said the Chief, after only a hasty glance at thenotice, which showed his familiarity with the subject, "sorry as I am tosay it, the Department has made little progress in this matter. We havea half-dozen detectives working on the case right now. DetectiveSergeants Cahill and O'Connor have given it special study. They havebeen working among the West Side joints for some time, and today theyreported to me that they think they have a line on some of these men.Nothing definite, understand, but it is the first suggestion of a cluewhich we have had.
"The probabilities are that between now and Saturday you will not bebothered. After Saturday, however, if we have made no further progress,I suggest that you stay off the streets at night, and that during theday you select only the main thoroughfares for going about the city. Ifyou have any friends in the North Shore suburbs, and you probably have,I recommend that you do not visit them for the present. If you wish it,I will put a police guard at your home."
"I don't want to be coddled," objected Forrester. "I'm an ex-service manand I think that I can take care of myself."
"You needn't be ashamed to take precautions in a case like this,"explained the Chief. "This gang is both dangerous and clever. If Mr.Nevins, whose death has just been reported, had allowed me to give him apolice guard, as I wished, he would probably be alive today. You arereally helping the police when you allow us to give you a police guard,for if these fellows show themselves in any way, our man is there readyto act. If anything happens to you when no one is around, then we aresimply confronted with another mystery and have much of our work to doover again."
"That's very logical reasoning, Chief," agreed Forrester, "and I thankyou for the offer. But I would not have a moment's peace of mind with adetective or a policeman hanging around my heels. I am perfectly willingto take my chance. In fact, I did not come to you for protection, butsimply to talk this matter over with you, and see if something definitecannot be done to eradicate these criminals. I am doubly interested, notonly because I have received this notice, but from the fact that mysister is engaged to Mr. Nevins' son, thus practically bringing hisdeath right into our family. It is the principle of the thing which Iwant to fight--and if there is anything I can do to help, outside ofhaving a detective trailing me around, I want to do it."
"Well, of course," replied the Chief, "we cannot force a police guardupon you, but outside of that there is really nothing that you could do.It takes both experience and a special kind of ability to carry ondetective work. To be perfectly frank with you, _novices only hamperus_. All I can say is, leave this notice with us and we will do what wecan in the matter."
"No," returned Forrester, "I don't want to leave this notice. I want tokeep it for my own use. My mind is fully made up to take an active partin this hunt myself. I should appreciate it if you will tell your menabout me and explain that if they find me doing mysterious things inout-of-the-way places, not to mistake me for one of the criminals. If Ifind out anything, or have any suspicions, I will let you know."
"All right," laughed the Chief. "Play around if you want to, but for thelove of Mike, don't get under our feet." The Chief and Forresterexchanged friendly good-byes and the young man passed out into La SalleStreet.
Forrester reflected that Prentice was right. While the detective chiefhad maintained an encouraging attitude, it was clear that this wasmerely to "save the face" of the Department so far as it was possible.Between the lines of the Chief's words Forrester had read the helplessand hopeless position in which the police were placed. It seemed likepure egoism for him to attempt to accomplish something in whichexperienced detectives had failed, yet Forrester felt that he shouldmake some effort to solve the mystery behind this menace. After all, hereasoned, could the solution to this problem be so much more difficultthan many of the engineering problems which he had attacked andmastered.
It now occurred to him that he had not thought to ask Prentice if anyprivate detective agencies had ever been put on the case. So far as hispresent knowledge of the matter went the problem had been left entirelyin the hands of the police, and yet he knew that in many instancesprivate agencies had been successful where the police had failed.Forrester decided, therefore, that his next step would be to consultwith one of these agencies. He went to a nearby cigar store andconsulted the classified telephone directory. Under the heading of"Detectives" he found a long list of agencies and independentoperatives. Several famous names stood out in this list, but Forresterfancied that these big agencies would merely put an ordinary operativeon the case, while he felt that the matter needed the attention of abigger man. Obviously, by going to a smaller agency, it would be easierto get the head of the agency to do the work. While these thoughts werepassing through his mind, Forrester's eye caught a small advertisementin the center of the page.
GREEN'S NATIONAL DETECTIVE AGENCY
SECRET SERVICE OF ALL KINDS
Correspondents in All the Leading Cities of the World
_Benjamin F. Green_, _Principal_
Commercial Building, _Chicago_
Forrester decided to call on Mr. Green.
He found "Green's National Detective Agency" to consist of two smallrooms. In the outer room he was met by a woman of uncertain age andcolorless personality who immediately ushered him into Mr. Green'soffice. Green was a large, strongly built man with thin black hair,carefully brushed over a bald spot, and a bristling black mustache. Thedetective was in his shirt sleeves, a half-burned, unlit cigar grippedin the corner of his mouth, and a well-polished badge gleaming on theleft breast of his unbuttoned waistcoat.
"How-do," he said, rising to greet Forrester, and added, "Have a chair,"pushing one in the direction of Forrester with his foot.
The two men sat down and after Green had shifted his cigar to the otherside of his mouth, he inquired, "What can I do for you?"
"Ever hear of the 'Friends of the Poor'?" inquired Forrester, goingstraight to the point.
Green sat up in his chair with a jerk.
"_You_ been gettin' one o' them notices?" he asked.
Forrester took out the warning message and laid it on Green's desk. Thedetective's eyes sparkled as he leaned over and closely examined it.
"Gee!" he exclaimed, at length. "I've just been dyin' to get onto thiscase. So _you're_ one o' them rich guys they're after, eh?"
"I gather from what you say, Mr. Green, that you know something aboutthe matter," said Forrester.
"_Do_ I?" cried Green. "I'll show you how I've been followin' that thingup." He reached into a drawer of his desk, drew out a folder and openedit befor
e him. Forrester saw that it contained newspaper clippings andvarious hand-written notes.
"I'll tell you, Mister," said Green, "I've been followin' this here caseright from the start. I've got some theories, too, that I ain't beentellin' to nobody. I've just been itchin' to get busy on it, but youknow us guys have to make a livin'--we can't work on a case fornothin'."
"Well," informed Forrester, "I'm going to give you a chance to see whatyou can do." Forrester was not wholly taken with Green's personality,but the man certainly seemed to know something about the case, and thefact that he already had theories was a hopeful sign. "There's thenotice," continued Forrester, "which I received in the mail thismorning. It gives me until Saturday at midnight to pay over the money ortake the consequences. Now, I'd rather present you with the ten thousanddollars than give up to these people."
Green bounced in his chair.
"Do you _mean_ that?" he gasped.
"Certainly," answered Forrester. "You bring these men to justice and theten thousand is yours. In the meantime, I'll pay you your regular feesand expenses."
Green ran a finger around inside of his collar and stared at Forresterfor a minute or two. It was quite evident that he was thoroughly stunnedat the offer which had just been made to him. Then, realizing that hewas making a poor showing before an important client, he straightened upin his chair and assumed the dignified attitude which he thought inkeeping with his profession and the handling of such a momentous case.
"I'm glad to see that you have such a complete record there," commentedForrester. "I'm anxious to get the full details and history of thisaffair."
Green laid his dead cigar on the edge of the desk and pulled his chaircloser, clearing his throat as he did so.
"The case o' the 'Friends o' the Poor'," he announced, "first becameknown to the public about this time a year ago. Here we have the mattero' one Frederick Prentice." Green picked up the first clipping.
"Yes, I know all about that case," interrupted Forrester. "Prentice isan old friend of mine."
"Ah--h--h!" breathed Green, looking much impressed as he laid theclipping and a few others aside. "Maybe you knew _this_ guy, too--BoothWarren, the banker?"
"Yes, I knew him very well," returned Forrester.
"Ah--h--h!" sighed Green, expressively. Never before had he floated intosuch an environment of millionaires.
"But," added Forrester, "I don't know the details of his case. In fact,I had not heard of his death."
Green cleared his throat once more.
"Booth Warren," he explained, referring to his notes and clippings, "wasvice-president o' the La Salle National Bank. In July o' last year thiscriminal organization demanded twenty-five thousand dollars, which herefused to pay, placin' the matter in the hands o' the police." At thismention of the police Green gave Forrester a ponderous wink. Then hecontinued, "After ignorin' three notices, Warren was found by theroadside one mornin' just beyond Evanston. The police surgeon o' theEvanston Police Department could find no signs o' violence, or anyevidence as to how the man had been killed. He said he would diagnoosethe case as one o'--" Green paused a moment over the pronunciation ofthe word--"asphyxia."
Green thumbed over his clippings.
"Then followed three cases where the guys lost their nerve and paid up.I guess you're chiefly interested in the guys that got _killed_,though," added Green, turning to Forrester.
"Yes, I think so," answered Forrester. "I want to know just what happensto a man who turns these people down."
"Well, he gets _his_--that's all I can say," replied Green,emphatically. "That is," he added, realizing his slip, "unless he comesto me."
"Then it is to be expected that I shall escape?" said Forrester,smiling.
"I said I had some theories, Mister," returned Green, assuming a wiseexpression. "I ain't tellin' _all_ I know, but you can bet your lifeI'll be on the job between now and midnight Saturday.
"The next case o' a death," Green resumed, taking up another clipping,"is that of James Ingraham, capitalist and director of the Cook CountyTrust Company. He was ordered to pay fifteen thousand dollars, andignored the demand--except for reportin' it as usual to the police.Ingraham was found sittin' under a tree in Lincoln Park early oneevenin', and the hospital they took him to, and where he died, reportedthat all the symptoms showed that he had been--asphyxiated.
"In the early fall, two more guys was threatened and decided to pay up.
"Now," concluded Green, closing the folder and leaning back in hischair, "I want you to notice two things strikin' me as funny. These hereguys apparently knock off in the winter time. Another thing is that thepoor devils that get took off is always--asphyxiated."
"But," protested Forrester, "how could they be asphyxiated when thebodies are always found out in the open air? I thought that a personmust be shut up in a closed room to be asphyxiated."
"Ah-ha!" cried Green. "_Now_ you've got the idea! These fellows have aheadquarters somewhere. After they kill a guy they bring him out in anautomobile and throw him alongside the road somewhere. The thing to bedone now is to locate their headquarters. _That's_ what little Benny isgoin' to do!"
"How do you propose to find that out?" inquired Forrester.
"Watch the tree and follow 'em!" replied Green, decisively.
"That sounds all right," objected Forrester, "but the police have beenwatching that tree for months without getting sight or sound of anyone."
"Leave it to _me_," assured Green, with a wide sweep of his hand. "Iknow things these here city dicks never think about. Now,Mister--Mister--, by the way, you ain't told me your name yet."
Forrester handed his card to Green.
"Now, Mr. Forrester," continued Green, as he glanced at the card, "takemy advice and don't let nobody bunco you into any strange place. And Iwouldn't take no rides in strange automobiles, either. I'll let you hearfrom me in a couple o' days. In the meantime you can count on findin' mearound that tree o' nights. I kinda got an idea that there tree's amighty busy place these nights. The 'Friends o' the Poor' seem to bemakin' a big drive right now. I suppose you heard about the banker,Nevins, today?"
"Yes," said Forrester, rising to go. "I shall probably have full detailsof that shortly. My sister is engaged to Mr. Nevins' son."
"Ah-h-h!" sighed Green again, as his new client passed out of the door.