Part 16 (1/2)

It was now the work of but a minute to attach one of the wires that led from the watchcase disc back of the pile of tires to the oak box with its two storage batteries. Garrick held the ear-pieces, one to each ear, then shoved them over his head, in place.

”It works--it works,” he cried, with as much delight as if he had not been positive all along that it would.

”Here, try it yourself,” he added, taking the headgear off and handing the receivers to me.

I put the black discs at my ears, with the little round holes over the ear openings. It was marvellous. I could hear the men was.h.i.+ng down one of the cars, the swash of water, and, best of all, the low-toned, gruff gossip.

”Just a couple of the men there, now,” explained Garrick. ”I gather that they are talking about what happened last night. I heard one of them say that someone they call 'the Chief' was there last night and that another man, 'the Boss,' gave him orders to tell no one outside about it. I suppose the Chief is our friend with the stupefying gun.

The Boss must be the fellow who runs the garage. What are they saying now? They were grumbling about their work when I handed the thing over to you.”

I listened, fascinated by the marvel of the thing. I could hear perfectly, although the men must have been in the front of the garage.

”Well, there's two of them yer won't haveter wash no more,” one man was saying. ”A feller from the perlice come an' copped off two--that sixty tin can and the ninety Despard.”

”Huh--so the bulls are after him?”

”Yeh. One was here all night after the fight.”

”Did they follow the Chief?”

”Follow the Chief? Say, when anyone follows the Chief he's gotter be better than any bull that ever pounded a beat.”

”What did the Boss say when he heard it?”

”Mad as---. We gotter lay low now.”

”The Chief's gone up-state, I guess.”

”We can guess all we want. The Boss knows. I don't.”

”Why didn't they make a pinch? Ain't there n.o.body watchin' now?”

”Naw. They ain't got nothin' on us. Say, the Chief can put them fellers just where he wants 'em. See the paper this morning? That was some raid up at the joint--eh?”

”You bet. That Garrick's a pretty smooth chap. But the Chief can put it all over him.”

”Yep,” agreed the other speaker.

I handed the receivers back to Garrick with a smile.

”You are not without some admirers,” I remarked, repeating the conversation substantially to him. ”They'd shoot up the neighbourhood, I imagine, if they knew the truth.”

Hour after hour we took turns listening at the detectaphone. We gathered a choice collection of slang and epithets, but very little real news. However, it was evident that they had a wholesome respect for both the Chief and the Boss. It seemed that the real head of the gang, if it was a gang, had disappeared, as one of the men had already hinted ”up-state.”

Garrick had meanwhile brought out the other detectaphone box, which was longer and larger than the oak box.

”This isn't a regular detactaphone,” he explained, ”but it may vary the monotony of listening in and sometime I may find occasion to use it in another way, too.”

In one of the long faces were two square holes, from the edges of which the inside walls focussed back on two smaller, circular diaphragms.