Part 26 (1/2)
”True!” Maruffi agreed. ”Being a Palermitan myself, he is real to me, but, as you say, n.o.body knows.”
He rose and shook hands cordially with both men. When he had joined the group of Italians at a near-by table, Donnelly said:
”There's the whitest dago in the city. I thought he might be the 'One Who Knows,' but I reckon I was mistaken. He could help me, though, if he dared.”
”Have you confided in him?”
”Lord, no! I don't trust any of them. Say! The more I think about that letter, the more I think it's a bluff.”
”You can't afford to ignore it.”
”Of course not. I'll plant O'Connell and another man outside on Thursday night and see if anything suspicious turns up, but I'll take my dinner elsewhere.”
The two men had finished their meal when Bernie Dreux strolled in and took the seat which Maruffi had vacated.
”Well, how goes your detecting, Bernie?” Norvin inquired.
”_Hist_!” breathed the little man so sharply that his hearers started. He winked mysteriously and they saw that he was bursting with important tidings. ”There's something doing!”
”What is it?” demanded the Chief. But Mr. Dreux answered nothing.
Instead he lit a cigarette, and as he raised the match looked guardedly into a mirror behind Donnelly's chair.
”I'm glad you took this table,” he began in a low voice. ”I always sit where I can get a flash.”
”A _what_?” queried the astonished Blake.
”Pianissimo with that talk!” cautioned the speaker. ”You'll tip him off.”
”Tip who?” Donnelly breathed.
”My man! He's one of the gang. Do you see that fellow--that wop next to Caesar Maruffi?” Bernie did not lower his eyes from the mirror, ”the third from the left.”
”Sure!”
”Well!” triumphantly.
”Well?”
”That is he.”
”That's who?”
”I don't know.”
”What the--”
”He's one of 'em, that's all I know. I've been on him for a week. I've trailed him everywhere. He has an accomplice--a woman!”
The Chief's face underwent a remarkable change. ”Are you sure?” he whispered, eagerly.