Part 6 (2/2)
Would you believe it, Morgan--THERE WASN'T A STICK OF FURNITURE IN THOSE ROOMS!”
”You mean the place was empty?” asked Morgan.
”Up to the entrance to the hallway it was absolutely bare, Morgan.
The living room is furnished, and so is the bedroom; and there were a few toilet articles in the bathroom. He has a pair of heavy drapes across the doorway to the dining room, so that anyone coming in would never guess the back part wasn't furnished. I looked things over pretty carefully in the few minutes I had, and I didn't find a single article that belonged to a woman. I tell you, Morgan, that fellow's living there alone and only got half the flat furnished!
Take it from me, he's got something on. That flat's just a blind. If it was me, I'd lock him up tonight.”
”Well, it's coming pretty soon, Tierney,” acceded Morgan. ”What you've found out today will help a lot.”
There was a few minutes pause as the two men smoked their pipes, and Morgan a.n.a.lyzed the facts which Tierney had given him. Suddenly he leaned over and picked up the telephone from the tabouret.
”What's doing?” exclaimed Tierney.
”We shouldn't leave that man Marsh unwatched from now on,” explained Morgan.
”I know it, Morgan, and I've taken care of all that.”
”You mean the house is watched?”
”Sure,” said Tierney. ”The minute I got out of the flat this afternoon I telephoned the captain of the precinct and told him just enough to get his co-operation. There's a man on the job now and he won't leave there, unless he follows Marsh, until I relieve him in the morning.”
”There's one drawback to that,” observed Morgan, as he set the telephone back in place. ”No one knows Marsh except you.”
”There's a man knows him better than I do--Murphy, the man on the beat. He spent quite a spell with Marsh last night.”
”That's right,” agreed Morgan. ”How did you fix it?”
”The Captain put another man on Murphy's beat, and put Murphy into plain-clothes for tonight. It worked all right, because Murphy was a night man anyway.”
”You're all right, Tierney,” Morgan complimented him.
Tierney grinned his appreciation.
”Now then, Tierney,” went on Morgan, ”you relieve Murphy in the morning, and watch things until I can get on the job. After I relieve you, you get in touch with Headquarters and have some fingerprint photos taken.”
”Did you find finger prints?” exclaimed Tierney, sitting up with a start.
”No,” explained Morgan, ”but I found the marks of the sides of somebody's hands on the dining room table in that flat. I want them prepared and photographed just as if they were fingerprints.”
”But you can't identify anybody by marks of that kind,” remarked Tierney, with an inquiring note in his voice.
”Probably not,” Morgan returned. ”I haven't the slightest idea how I could make use of such a photo now. But I want to provide against anything that may turn up. The marks are there, and we might as well have a record of them.”
Tierney opened his mouth to reply, but at that instant Morgan held up a warning hand.
In many of the older and smaller apartments, such as the one occupied by Morgan, the door from the main hall opens directly into the living room. Such was the arrangement here, and Morgan slowly turned his head toward this door and listened intently. Then he carefully arose from his chair, moved softly around the corner of the table, and slowly tiptoed toward the door. Tierney had not heard a sound, yet he instantly became as alert as Morgan. He stood ready for a quick move, if necessary, while his right hand rested on the b.u.t.t of the revolver in his hip pocket.
At that moment there was a quite audible sound outside the door.
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