ned through the streets. The men on the
inside grinned at him; a number of them knew him and liked him.
Gradually the door was opened and he crowded in. He found Sergeant
Johnson and eyed him mutely.

"How the hell do you find these things out, I'd like to know," the
sergeant exclaimed. "Are you a mind-reader?"

"I don't really know anything," Phil admitted with that humility which
the police like on the part of newspaper men and seldom meet with. "Do
you mind?"

"No objection," grunted the sergeant. "Been watching all the old
crooks since these safes have been popping. Nothin' much on any of
them, except this slippery wop, Tony Costello. No, we haven't caught
him at anything. Seems to be keeping close and minding his own
business. Working in his laboratory. Ought to make a good living if he
turned honest; clever guy, he seems. But he's been too prosperous
lately. Lots of machinery delivered to his place; we traced it to the
manufacturers and find it cost thousands. Big deposits in his banks.
But, no trace of his having sold anything or worked at anything
outside his own place. So, we're running over to surprise him and help
him get the cobwebs out of his closets."

* * * * *

The raid on Tony Costello's shop and laboratory disclosed nothing
whatever. They surrounded the place effectively and surprised Tony
genuinely. But a thorough search of every nook and cranny revealed
nothing whatever of a suspicious nature. There was merely a tremendous
amount of apparatus and machinery that none of the raiding party
understood anything about. Tony's person was also thoroughly searched,
and the leather-framed photograph of the beautiful unknown girl was
found.

"Who's this?" the sergeant demanded. "She don't look like anyone that
might belong to your crowd."

"I don't know," Tony replied.

"Whad'ya mean, don't know?" The sergeant gave him a rough shake.
"What'ya carryin' it for, then?"

"I had really forgotten that it was in my pocket," Tony replied
calmly, at his ease. "I found it in a hotel room one day, and liked
the looks of it."

"I know you're lying there," the sergeant said, "though I'm ready to
believe that you don't know her. Too high up for you. Well, it looks
suspicious and we'll take the picture."

"Boy!" gasped Phil. "What a girl she must be in person! Even the
picture would stand out among a thousand. May I have the picture,
Sergeant?"

"You can come and get a copy of