Chapter XXIV: A New Move

When they were out in the street, Chick said to Patsy:

“Something’s coming off to-night at that place.”

“And something’s going to be brought in a closed carriage,” added Patsy.

“And we have got to be on hand to see what it is,” added Chick.

The man with whom they had been talking had lagged behind a bit and now came from the saloon and joined them.

“Say,” he said, “you haven’t said whether you was fly-cops or not. Well, I don’t care whether you are or not, but I give it to you straight that Dempsey stopped me to ask who you were.”

“What did you tell him?” asked Patsy.

“I told him you were friends of mine that I had brought in for a drink here.”

Chick and Patsy had no reason to disbelieve the man, but, nevertheless, they felt, if he had not told them the truth, that by this time Lannigan had become suspicious of them.

However, acting upon the notion that the man had done nothing to arouse suspicions of themselves, they asked him to step down the street with them and, while they went into a doorway, to keep an eye on the saloon.

Dodging into this doorway, they made a rapid change, thus confessing to the man that they were, indeed, detectives.

“There’s a five-dollar bill for you,” said Chick, “if you will give us a little help.”

“I’m with you,” said the man.

“Well, then,” said Chick, “we know who your swell gambler is. That’s the fellow we are following.”

At that moment Lannigan appeared in front of the saloon and alone.

“Get on the other side of the street,” said Chick to the man, “and follow after him. We will be behind.”

The man went off readily enough and Chick and Patsy followed some little distance after.

“I put that man to work,” said Chick, “so that he wouldn’t go back to the saloon and blab.”

Lannigan moved rapidly and it was with difficulty that they could keep him in view. His way took him to a large department store in the lower part of the city, into which he hurried, going at once upstairs to the ladies’ parlor.

He had been followed by Patsy, as he went through the store, Chick remaining with the man outside.

To Patsy’s surprise, Lannigan’s purpose in going to that place was to meet Mrs. Ladew. He sat down with that person on a circular cushioned seat that surrounded a pillar, and engaged her in earnest conversation.

On the other side of this circular cushion sat an elderly gentleman engaged in reading his newspaper.

The interview between Lannigan and Mrs. Ladew was brief. Whatever passed between them, unheard, of course, by Patsy, was most disagreeable to Mrs. Ladew, but she yielded, apparently, to whatever was urged by Lannigan.

Having obtained her consent, Lannigan arose to his feet, as if to go away, but stood a moment longer to talk with Mrs. Ladew.

The elderly gentleman, rising and folding his paper, sauntered leisurely toward the door of the parlor and passing Patsy, said:

“Put Chick on Lannigan and come back here to me.”

Patsy gasped:

“Holy smoke, the chief!” he said, to himself.

But he did not wait to say more, but hurried after Lannigan, who had gone out.

Mrs. Ladew, waiting a reasonable time, also undertook to leave the apartment, when she was met by the elderly gentleman.

He addressed her politely and said:

“Mrs. Ladew, if I am not mistaken.”

Mrs. Ladew looked up at him in some surprise, vainly trying to recollect whether she knew the gentleman, but admitted that was her name.

“Permit me,” said Nick, “to have a few moments’ conversation with you.”

“Really sir,” replied the lady, “you have the advantage of me, since I cannot recollect ever having seen you before.”

“You have not,” replied Nick.

“Then, sir, I cannot talk with you. You have mistaken the woman.”

“Pardon me,” said Nick. “I must talk with you. My name is Nick Carter.”

Mrs. Ladew fairly staggered back, and, indeed, would have fallen had not a chair been within easy reach which she could grasp.

“For your own sake,” said Nick, hurriedly, “make no scene here, but submit to my request. It will be far better for you in the end.”

Mrs. Ladew looked helplessly about, as if not knowing what to do, but Nick read her thoughts.

“It is useless to attempt to call assistance,” said Nick. “Such an act would only bring you into trouble. Come with me to the other side of the room.”

Mrs. Ladew, as if not knowing what else to do, followed him to the place indicated.

Nick placed a chair for her and she sat down, frightened.

“Mrs. Ladew,” said Nick, as he drew a chair, placing himself in front of her, “I am disguised, and no one will know that you are talking to Nick Carter, the detective. I want to say to you that you are a very foolish woman and in a very serious and dangerous position. Do you know the man with whom you just talked in this room?”

Mrs. Ladew nodded her head, but did not speak.

“You are a woman who has a good position in the world, a devoted husband, all that wealth can give you, and you are endangering everything by your association with this man. I doubt if you really know who and what he is. I have no wish nor intention of exposing you to your husband, or to the world.”

By this time Mrs. Ladew had had time to think, and she made an effort to master the situation. With no little haughtiness, she said:

“Your words are very singular, sir, as addressed to me. Exposure? I am a woman of position, sir.”

Nick stopped her sternly. He said:

“Mrs. Ladew, I know your whole life for the past three days. You went to New York to attend the wedding of Mr. Ellison to Miss Sanborn, but you took occasion to travel about with Jimmy Lannigan, gambler, thief, burglar.”

Mrs. Ladew leaped to her feet, horror-stricken.

“Thief! Burglar!” she exclaimed. “You tell what is not true.”

“Sit down, Mrs. Ladew,” said Nick. “Lannigan is just what I say he is. A thief and a burglar, known to the police as the swell cracksman of Philadelphia. He attained an unenviable reputation a short time ago, and I could have landed him in prison; but I was lenient with him. I wanted to give him a chance to reform; but this is the outcome. He is a scoundrel of the worst type and I want to tell you that I shall have him arrested and imprisoned before many days. He has served a term in the State’s prison. He is an ex-convict.”

He paused to see the effect of his words on this lady of fashion.

“You think,” he went on, “Lannigan went on to New York to meet you and have a spree with you. That was not his real reason. His purpose was to rob the Sanborn house of the wedding presents. You had your spree, as I know, and I can give you every hour and minute of your movements with him through the Tenderloin.”

Mrs. Ladew fell back in her chair, her face ashen gray, as she heard Nick say these things. Nick went on:

“It is not for me to object to the way of life you have chosen, but I can say, as I did before, that you are a very foolish woman, and, especially, to endanger your reputation by being seen in the company of such a miserable scamp and rascal as this contemptible Jimmy Lannigan.”

“I have done nothing wrong,” she said.

“Perhaps not; but how would your husband like to know that your escort in New York was a burglar?”

“And what do you want of me?” piteously asked Mrs. Ladew.

“I might say,” replied Nick, “that I wanted to save you from him, but, to be honest, I have no such purpose. I have told you these things to show you that I know how dangerous is your position. You are in the possession of certain information which I must have and, I tell you now, Mrs. Ladew, that I will use my knowledge of your past three days if you do not give me that information.”

“What can I tell you?”

“You know that Mr. Ellison mysteriously disappeared from the Sanborn house after the wedding breakfast.”

“Yes.”

“You know,” Nick went on, “that a man came to the house to see him and that Mr. Ellison left that house in the disguise that man had brought for him.”

“Yes.”

“Who was that man?”

“He was a man from England,” said Mrs. Ladew.

“What was his message to Mr. Ellison that made that gentleman so quickly respond?”

Mrs. Ladew hesitated a moment and said, finally:

“Why do you ask me these questions?”

“Because I believe you know them all.”

“I do, I do. But they were told me in confidence. And now I see how I am entangled by them.”

She got up and walked to the window and looked out a moment. Then she came back, evidently making a severe effort to control herself. Suddenly she turned to Nick and said:

“You are no friend of mine. There is no reason why I should trust you. I am in a great trouble. I see that now. And I have no way to turn.”

“I have said before, Mrs. Ladew, I have no wish to injure or expose you. I say now that, if you will reveal to me all you know, I will protect you and help you.”

“But how can I trust you? How do I know that I can trust you?”

“If you know anything about me,” said Nick, “you must know that I am a man of my word. I am accustomed to hold the secrets of many persons, and no one has ever heard that Nick Carter has betrayed them.”

Mrs. Ladew stood a moment in thought and, at length, said:

“I must trust you. I have no one else to trust, and I must escape from this horrible entanglement that I am in. But I cannot talk to you here. Come with me and we will drive in my carriage. There we can talk.”

Nick rose, and together they left the room.

As they passed out through the store, Nick saw Patsy and gave him the signal to follow them.

Then he went downstairs with Mrs. Ladew and entered her carriage with her.