.

"Yes," said Robert, "I remember seeing such a letter as I packed my
mail."

"Humph!" exclaimed Sharon. He seemed about to ask another question, but
the postal official anticipated him. "Explain what happened after you
left the mail station."

"Nothing much ... I walked up Washington street as usual. On the edge of
Chinatown a woman stopped me ... asked me how to get to Market street."

"Is that all?"

"Yes, that's all," said Robert. "She seemed confused by our criss-cross
streets. I had to tell her several times ... to point the way before she
understood."

"And nothing else happened?"

"Nothing else--except that Mr. Ralston asked me for the letter. Said he
was expecting it.... I searched my bag but couldn't find it."

"Tell us more about this woman. Give us a description of her."

"Spanish type," said Robert tersely. "Very pleasant; smiled a lot and
had gold fillings in her teeth. Must have been quite handsome when she
was young."

The inspector stroked his chin reflectively. "Didn't set the bag down,
did you? ... when you pointed out the way, for instance?"

"Let me see.... Why, yes--I did. I hadn't thought of that...."

* * * * *

Captain of Detectives I.W. Lees was making a record for himself among
the nation's crime-detectors. He was a swarthy little man, implacable as
an Indian and as pertinacious on a trail. He never forgot a face and no
amount of disguise could hide its identity from his penetrating glance.
Without great vision or imagination, he knew criminals as did few other
men; could reason from cause to effect within certain channels,
unerringly. He was heartless, ruthless--some said venal. But he caught
and convicted felons, solved the problems of his office by a dogged
perseverance that ignored defeat. For, with a mind essentially tricky,
he anticipated tricksters--unless their operations were beyond
his scope.

It was 10 o'clock at night, but he was still at work upon a case which,
up to now, had baffled him--a case of opium smuggling--when Robert and
Benito entered. At first he listened to them inattentively. But at
Robert's story of the woman, he became electrified.

"Rose Terranza! Dance hall girl back in the Eldorado days! Queen of the
Night Life under half a dozen names! Smiling Rose, some called her. Good
clothes and gold in her teeth! I've her picture--wait a minute." He
pulled a cord; a bell jangled somewhere. An officer entered.

*