showed for an instant as a door was opened. In that
“Drop it!” Murphy ordered.
streak of light, Murphy and the two with him saw
The man against the wall knew from the
Eddie Dix and his pal dodge in. A door was closed direction in which the voice had come that the and the streak of light cut off.
officer with the flashlight was not alone. But he
“I know where that is—this is my regular beat,” hesitated.
the first policeman Murphy had called on for help
“Drop it!” Murphy ordered again. “Quick!”
said. “There’s one front exit.”
The man against the wall, half-blinded by the
“One of you cover it, and the other come with flashlight, bent forward and let his weapon slip me,” Murphy said. He began running through the from his hand and clatter on the floor. Murphy and alley.
the policeman advanced, the uniformed man
The first uniformed man he had met charged holding the light on the man in front.
after him, and the other hurried to the street with
“I know this bird—sneak thief and hophead!” he
the intention of getting around to the front. The told Murphy.
man with Murphy came to the door and stopped.
Murphy grabbed the crook by the arm.
Murphy stopped beside him.
“Where’d they go?” he demanded. “The two who
“This is an old four-story building,” the came in here—Eddie Dix and his pal.”
policeman informed Murphy. “Some cheap loft
“I—I don’t know.”
firms in it. A few cheap apartments in front.”
“We haven’t any time to play tag with you,”
Murphy warned. “What I want is a quick answer.”
ALKING swiftly and in disjointed sentences,
The crook seemed to sag back against the wall.
T Murphy related the conversation he had And suddenly he made a dive for the gun he had overheard between Eddie Dix and the other crook.
dropped to the floor. The uniformed man pistol-
“Jeff Renland, huh?” the policeman said. “Be whipped him and sent him crashing to the floor in feathers in our caps if we could catch him wrong. the path of the flashlight’s gleam.
Maybe I’d better phone for help.”
“Hit him too hard,” the uniformed officer said.
“And maybe we’d better break in here quick “He can’t take a rap like that. He’ll be out for some and catch ‘em hot,” Murphy suggested. “If this is time. Let’s go on. I know this bird—can have him one of Jeff Renland’s hangouts, you can be sure picked up any time.”
he’s got a getaway.”
They went cautiously along the hall, making as
The door was locked. The policeman used his little noise as possible. Finally they came to a cross service pistol and broke the lock. Then they found hall, and entered that carefully, weapons held the door was bolted, too. The policeman backed ready. They went toward the front of the building.
away and hurled himself against it. At the third No lights were showing through the transoms there, charge, the bolt was torn off the old door, and they no streaks of light coming from beneath doors, and sprawled inside.
they heard no voices.
A couple of shots came from the top of a short
“Next floor up,” the policeman suggested.
flight of stairs as they entered. The policeman
They found the stairs and went up slowly and
blazed away at the flashes. Murphy was cautiously. Above them, they heard the floor commencing to feel weak, and realized he had lost boards of the old building creaking. At the top of some blood. That, and the exertion of smashing the stairs there was darkness except where a thin through the crowd and running was commencing to film of light came from beneath one of the doors.
rob him of strength he needed badly now.
Nobody was in the hall, as far as they could see.
Murphy and the uniformed man went up the Expecting a gun explosion and a hail of lead, they flight of steps almost silently and came to a stood tense while the policeman used his flashlight.
The Phantom Detective
6
The hall was empty.
whistled past Murphy’s head. Through a swirl of
Voices came to them from inside the door, and smoke, he saw Jeff Renland, whom he knew by they crept close to listen.
sight, the man who had been with Eddie in the