Part 11 (2/2)

”The carpet in these halls and on the stairs is well padded,”

explained Marsh. ”I have noticed on a number of occasions that people pa.s.sing up and down these stairs make very little noise unless a foot happens to strike the woodwork. And you can be sure of one thing, Morgan, this man must have been pretty close at hand. He got into action without having to do much climbing.”

”Or descending,” added Morgan, suddenly, looking at Marsh.

”If he came DOWN the stairs, Morgan, then the girl has certainly been pulling the wool over our eyes.”

Morgan shook his head doubtfully. ”Well, I'll acknowledge that it takes a pretty wise detective to understand a woman.”

At this moment, Tierney showed signs of coming back to life. His eyes opened and looked at them with a dazed stare. Almost instantly this changed to a savage glare. His two arms shot up, seized the men leaning over him and pulled them down. Like most people who have been knocked unconscious, Tierney had no idea of the intervening lapse of time. Before becoming unconscious he had probably realized that he was attacked, and he was now taking up the fight where he had left off.

”Hold on, Tierney--this is Morgan--Morgan--do you understand? And this is Marsh with me!”

The two men held Tierney down until he had a chance to collect his thoughts. Then he smiled sheepishly as he looked from one to the other. ”What the--!” he began; then paused.

They jerked him to his feet and set him down on the stair. There he sat for a moment, rubbing the sore spot on his head, of which he now began to be conscious.

”Guess I'd better resign,” he said, dolefully, coming to a full realization of the situation. ”A detective ain't much use after he begins to need a bodyguard.”

”Cut the nonsense, Tierney,” admonished Morgan. ”Tell us what happened.”

”That's what I'd like to know,” growled Tierney.

”Well then,” suggested Morgan, ”tell us what happened up to the point where you don't know anything.”

”Let's see,” reflected Tierney. ”When you sent me out into the hall, the first thing I did was to go part way up this flight of stairs and make sure that all was clear above. Then I sat down exactly where I am sitting now, but close to the stair rail. I figured that if anybody came up the stairs I could see him before he spotted me.

I heard a couple of people go out downstairs, but everything was quiet up here. I kept my eye on your friend here while he took the girl upstairs. After he went in I settled back in the same place again. Finally I felt like a smoke. There didn't seem much chance of anybody coming back again, so I figured I might as well have a smoke and I got out my pipe. While I was lighting up, something hit me.

You know the rest better than I do.”

”But,” expostulated Morgan, ”you're no green hand, Tierney. How could anybody sneak up behind you without your hearing them?”

Tierney looked foolish for a moment, then brightened up. ”Morgan,”

he said, ”I've got the dope. That old pipe of mine was wheezing like a sick horse when I began to pull on it. That's what gave the fellow his chance. I'll admit it, Morgan--I should have known better than to light it in the first place.”

”All right, Tierney, you've learned your lesson. But I'm afraid you let something good slip by you.”

”It is my opinion,” Marsh broke in, ”that he has let the most important actor in the drama get away. The man must have been pretty desperate to take such a chance, and I doubt if anyone but the leading character would have been so anxious to get away quickly and unseen. Now then, let us go up to the Atwood apartment. I will a.s.sume the role of protector to Miss Atwood while you two, whom she knows to be detectives, can search the flat.”

At this, Tierney stood up on the stairs and looked suspiciously at Marsh. Then, as Morgan agreed to the idea, Tierney turned toward him and exclaimed, ”Say, you gone crazy?”

Morgan gazed at him in astonishment.

Marsh laughed. ”Tierney is still suspicious,” he said.

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