The Voice on the Wire | Page 3

sniffling, and acting like she had the D.T.'s. The
young fellow shook like a leaf, but we takes him over to Central Park
East, to the family mansion,--carrying him up the steps like he was
drunk. We gets him into his own bed, and keeps the sister from

touching his clammy hands, while she orders the family doctor. When
he gets there on the jump, I gives him the wink and leads him to one
side. 'Doc,' I says, 'you know how to write out a death certificate, to
hush this up from your end. I've done the rest.'"
Captain Cronin leaned forward, a queer excitement agitating him.
"Do you know what that doctor says to me, Monty?"
Shirley shook his head.
He says; "My God, it's the third!"
Shirley's white hand gripped the edge of the table. "The Van Cleft's
doctor is one of the greatest surgeons in the country, Professor
MacDonald of the Medical College. He said that?"
"He did. I answers, 'Whadd'y mean the third?' Then he looks me
straight in the eye, and sings back, 'None of your business.'" Cronin
shook his head. "I never seen a man with a squarer look, and yet he has
me guessing. I goes back to the garage, over past Eighth Avenue, you
know, where two johns come up along side o' me. One rubs me with his
elbow and the other applies that brass knuckle,--then they gets pinched.
I got dressed up in a drug store, got the chauffeur's license number, and
goes on down to my office to see this girl. She's hysterical about his
family using all their money to put her in jail. I looks at her, and says,
'You won't need their money to get to jail. That old man's deadl' Her
eyes was as big as saucers. 'I thought old Daddy Van Cleft was drunk.' I
tells her, 'He was dead in that taxi, with a chorus girl, and a roll of bills
gone. What you got to say?' She staggers forward and clutches my coat,
and what do you think SHE says to me?"
Shirley made the inquiry only with his eyes, puffing his cigarette
slowly.
"She looks sorter green, and repeats after me: 'Dead, with a chorus girl,
and a roll of bills gone,'--just like a parrot. Then she springs this on me:
'My God, it's the third!'"
Shirley dropped his cigarette, leaning forward, all nonchalance gone.
"Where is she now? Quick, let's go to her."
He rose to his feet. Just then a door-boy walked through the grill-room
toward him. "A telephone call for Captain Cronin, sir; the party said
hurry or he would miss something good."
Shirley snapped out, "When has the rule about telephone calls in this
club been changed? You boys are never to tell any one that a member

or guest are here until the name is announced."
He turned toward the puzzled Captain.
"Did you ask any of your operatives to call you here? You know what a
risk you are taking, to connect me with this case like that, don't you?"
"I never even breathed it to myself. I told no one."
"Follow me up to the telephone room."
Shirley hurried through the grill, to the switchboard, near which stood
the booths for private calls. He called to one of the operators. "Here, let
me at that switchboard." He pushed the boy aside, and sat down in the
vacated chair.
"Which trunk is it on? Oh, I see, the second. There Captain, take the
fourth booth against the wall."
Cronin stepped in. Shirley connected up and listened with the
transmitter of the operator at his ear, holding the line open.
"Go ahead, here's Captain Cronin!"
A pleasant voice came over the wire. It was musical and sincere.
"Hello, Captain Cronin, is that you?"
"Yes! What do you want?"
The voice continued, with a jolly laugh, ringing and infectious in its
merriment.
"Well, Captain, the joke's on you. Ha, ha, ha! It's a bully one! Ho, ho!
Ha, ha!"
"What joke?"
"You're working on the Van Cleft case. Oh, sure, you are, don't kid me
back. Well, Captain, you've missed two other perfectly good grafts.
This is the third one!"
There was a click and the speaker, with another merry gurgle, rang off.
"Quick, manager's desk," cried Shirley, jiggling the metal key. "What
call was that? Where did it come from?"
After a little wait, a languid voice answered: "Brooklyn, Main 6969,
Party C."
"Give me the number again--I want to speak on the wire."
After another delay, the voice replied "The line has been discontinued."
"I just had it! What is the name of the subscriber. Hurry, this is a matter
of life and death."
"It's against the rules to give any further information. But our record