and often several of them, ready to go the limit for him.
All the same, I'm sure we can trust Miss Strong."

"We've got to," growled Fleck, "for the present at any rate. Is
everything fixed for the search this afternoon? What have you done to
get the superintendent out of the way? He's not to be trusted. His name
is Hauser."

"I've got him fixed. Jimmy Golden, my nephew, who has helped us in a
couple of cases, is a lawyer. He has telephoned to Hauser to come to his
office this afternoon."

"Suppose he doesn't go?"

"He'll go all right. Jimmy 'phoned him that it was about a legacy.
That's sure bait. Jimmy will make Hauser wait an hour, then keep him
talking half an hour longer. That will give us plenty of time."

"Then there's the woman--the servant, Lena Kraus."

"She goes to the roof every Wednesday while the Hoffs are away to
signal. Other days they apparently do the signalling themselves in some
way we haven't caught on to yet. She always goes up about three
o'clock and--"

"Suppose she comes down unexpectedly and catches you? We can't have that
happen. That would put them on their guard."

"She won't surprise us. I've got a trick up my sleeve for preventing
that."

"Go to it, then," said the chief, and Carter went on his way rejoicing.

Ever since he had been informed that the search of the Hoffs' apartment
was to be intrusted to him Carter had been in a state of exuberant
delight. He fairly revelled in jobs that required a disguise and he
welcomed the opportunity it gave him and his assistants to don the
uniform of employees of the electric light company. He even made a point
of arriving that afternoon at the apartment house in the company's
repair wagon, the vehicle having been procured through Fleck's
assistance.

"There's a dangerous short circuit somewhere in the house," he announced
to the superintendent's wife.

"My husband isn't here," she answered unsuspectingly. "Do you know where
the switch-boards are?"

"We can find them," said Carter. "We'll start at the top floor and work
down."

Always thorough in his methods of camouflage he actually did go through
several apartments, making a pretense of inspecting switch-boards and
wiring, all the while keeping watch for the time when old Lena went to
the roof. The moment she had entered the elevator to ascend with her
basket of linen, Carter and his aides were at the Hoff door. Equipped
with the key Dean had manufactured they had no difficulty i