e him. Alsop had a newspaper in his
hand now, and was holding it out to the inspector, while with his
forefinger he tapped the paragraph which told of Brown's accident.

"No accident," he muttered. "That man worked for me--a precaution any
fool would take. Well, he must have found out what he was after last
night, and they got him, and thought they had killed him. They tell me
at the hospital he's still unconscious."

Nora smiled at her father.

"A cheap automobile case!" she reminded him softly.

Alsop handed Garth a crumpled, torn, and soiled post-card.

"That came in the noon mail. Must have been picked up by somebody and
dropped in a post box. I figure Brown, before they got him, threw it out
of a window, or some such thing. Anyway that settled it. It brought me
here for a quiet talk."

Garth read the card. A single line, almost undecipherable, sprawled
across the back:

"Danger to-morrow night. Brown."

"That means to-night," Garth said. "Had you planned anything important
for to-night?"

Marvin laughed a little. Alsop spread his hands.

"The conference with capitalists and politicians at which we settle on
certain legislation that will put some of these foreign anarchists on
the skids, snatch American labor beyond their influence, and give the
honest business man a chance to make a fair profit by driving his men as
he should. See here, inspector. I'm not afraid of good Americans. They
may put me out of business, but if they do, I'll know I've been beaten
in a fair fight. It's these damned foreign anarchists and some sore
central Europeans I'm afraid of. I expect some important men from Wall
Street and Washington to-night. I can't let them walk into a bomb, and I
don't want any high explosives myself."

The inspector grunted.

"Nasty situation. I'm no politician. Fight crime. We'll see what we can
do. It's a good thing you found Garth here."

Garth, who had not ceased to study Alsop's face, realized that the man
had more to report--something which he shrank, however, from mentioning.

"What is it, Mr. Alsop?" he asked. "You've something else to tell us."

Nora, who had clearly noticed the same symptoms, nodded approvingly.
Alsop flushed and glanced at Marvin. The secretary knocked the ashes
from his cigarette. The trembling of his fingers was more apparent.

"You should tell that by all means, Mr. Alsop," he said in a low voice.
"That's what I want to find out. If I don't get some explanation of