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"... They are playing their last card to-night ... David Archman ... it is murder, Jimmie ... letter signed J. Barca ... Sixth Avenue stationer ... Martin Moore ... Gentleman Laroque, the gangster ... Niccolo Sonnino ... end house to left of courtyard entrance ... safe in rear room ... lives alone ... tonight ..."
Why, then, Sonnino's safe to-night? What was in that letter signed "J. Barca" that Clarie Archman had received? J. Barca was Gentleman Laroque; that would have been evident in any case, even if the Tocsin had not expressly said so but the letter! Did the letter, apart from its incriminating ingenuity, supply the answer to his question?
He was in the rear hall now, and now he opened a door, paused cautiously as the dull yellow glow from a dying grate fire illuminated the room faintly, then stepped inside. It was the Archman library, the room where David Archman did a great deal of his work at night A desk stood at the lower end of the room; and in the corner near the portiered windows was the lawyer's safe.
Footsteps came racing madly down the stairs and then the door of the library burst open, and David Archman, in pajamas, dashed through the doorway, and without a second's hesitation, made for the two struggling forms and Jimmie Dale, releasing his hold upon the boy, suddenly sent the other staggering backwards full into David Archman, checking David Archman's rush and, turning, sprang for the window, snatched up his package, hurled himself over the sill, dropped to the ground, and, racing for the fence, climbed it, and made the lane, just as a shot, from David Archman, no doubt, was fired from the window.
David Archman will settle with them when they face the investigation and I will settle with you! One night, a year ago, in last January, a certain Fourth Avenue bank was looted of eighteen thousand dollars do you remember, Laroque? Ah, I see you do! The police are still looking for the man who pulled that job.
Instead of Clarie Archman and J. Barca, alias Gentleman Laroque, robbing the safe of one Niccolo Sonnino, dealer in precious stones, it would be the Gray Seal if it was not already too late to forestall the others! If it was not too late! He looked at his watch. It was twenty minutes after eleven. Yes, there should be time; but, if not what then? And what of that letter? His teeth clamped.
But why should you not speculate a little, a very little, if you like if you get the very private and good tips, eh? It is not wrong no, certainly, it is not wrong. But at the same time the bank must not know. Very well! They shall not know no one shall know. You are not the young Mr. Archman any more, you are what is the name? Martin Moore. But Martin Moore must have an address, eh? Very well!
Yes, they would play their last card, a vile, despicable and hellish card but how little they knew David Archman! They would break his life; it would, indeed, as the Tocsin had said, be murder but they would never break David Archman's unswerving loyalty to principle and duty! They had tried that by threats of personal violence, by the offer of bribes in sums large enough to have tempted many!
Clarie Archman had dropped into a chair, and had buried his face in his arms that were out-flung across the table. Then Laroque spoke again: "Do you see where you stand Clarie? Tell your story and it's the story that sounds like a neat 'plant' of your lawyer's to get you off. You only get in deeper with the jury for trying to trick them, see? Here's the evidence and it's got you cold.
For a moment the boy held motionless beside the desk, his eyes fixed in a sort of horrible fascination upon the safe and then, slowly, he moved toward it, and dropped on his knees before it, and his fingers began to twirl the knob of the dial. His fingers shook, and he was a long time at his task and then the handle turned, and the safe was unlocked, but Clarie Archman did not open the door.
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