Octavus Roy Cohen

“ He blinked with interminable slowness. “Oh, about Johnny an' his gamblin’ house an' the Liberty Bonds an’ all that? Sure, that's easy. Johnny's just naturally plannin’ to get wicked again, ain’t he?”
“And I don't want him to. There ain't anything in the world like being honest, Jim; I’ve found that out. It's the grandest feeling I’ve ever had. I wouldn't turn crooked again for anything in the world—unless we really needed the money. I don’t want Johnny to. He's been out of the game so long he's liable to pull a boner and lose what he's got.” ”

“ I've felt that way myself a dozen times when I’ve seen some dame out at the race track wearing a million dollars’ worth of sparklers. I’d remember how good I used to be at that sort of thing and my fingers would just naturally itch. It seemed a shame to pass it up. But”—righteously—“I’ve given temptation the go-by, Jim. I haven’t pulled a job since I got hitched up to Johnny, though I’ve had chances enough. You always have when you're running straight. Sometimes I’ve felt like I’d give everything I ad just for the sport of reducing the weight of some fat dame to the extent of a coupla carats. ”

“ I borrow two hundred thousand dollars on a quarter million dollars’ worth of Liberty Bonds. The banking house sends 'em over to the bank by messenger for rediscount. You fellows bump the messenger and make a get-away with the bonds. Bond robbery from a banking house which is a member of the Bankers' Protective. Jim Hanvey is called in of course, and first thing he asks is where did they get the Liberty Bonds. And when they tell him that a gent named John Roden Norton borrowed the money he would be most likely to smell a mice; even two or three mices. ”

“ Business has been pretty good, but nothing extra. New Orleans is a wise town on horses. They’re the very devil on backing the favorites and that’s awful tough on the bookies. Anyway racing has kinder got into Johnny's blood. He started off last year by buying a few cheap platers—called himself owning a stable. And finally he come into a two year-old that is a colt. Lightning Bolt is the name. Y’oughter see that angel run!
“Major Torrance clocked that baby one time in a workout and wanted him; wanted him bad. Johnny didn’t hanker to let him go. ”

“ Minute he does that he's gonna ask the banker to give him the check quick so he can deposit before the bank closes, with the result that the banker will accept that list and will give Johnny's slip to the bookkeeper for entering in the journal. In other words, the numbers that they’ll enter up won’t be the numbers of the bonds at all, and there won’t be any check when you get away with 'em. Chances are the banking house has already made arrangements to rediscount at one of the big banks, and they’ll be anxious to shoot the collateral right around there ”

“ If we didn’t need the money so bad——”
“If people didn’t need money there wouldn’t be any crooks,” she said tartly. “Now let's check over the plan.”
They put their heads together and for the next fifteen minutes their earnest voices hummed steadily; five clever—if warped—brains planning the betterment of themselves and the discomfiture of a single, lonely, unwieldy detective.
“It’s rough,” summarized Happy Gorman, “but it looks like a cinch.”
They separated. Slim Bolton went to a downtown garage, where he took out a car bought by him three days before. ”

“ A lady tipped me off; a terrible pretty blond lady.” Helen winced. “’Bout as much of a tip-off as I needed, anyway,” continued Jim softly. “Y’know, Johnny, things occur awful funny sometimes. I happened to drift into the Starnes offices just after you left, and would you believe it, the list of bond numbers that old bird had didn’t tally with the bonds at all. It was real peculiar. So I just suggested that they hold 'em there a while for the bookkeeper to enter 'em up. Y'know, a banker ought to be more careful than Starnes was. He never knows when he's li’ble to get gypped.” ”

“ On Wednesday the fresh young leaves will struggle against the near-frost of the previous night, and on Thursday wilt before the ravages of unseasonable heat. Winter does not merge gently into summer. The thermometer fluctuates uncertainly like a woman torn between the competitive allure of two bargain counters.
Today it was hot, genuinely and unreservedly hot, and Jim's physique had never been intended to withstand heat. He slumped miserably in a wicker chair, puffing disconsolately upon a cigar and staring with fixed distaste at the weather forecast: “Clear. ”

“ His voice droned on monotonously. “Old man Starnes is a stiff-necked idiot, but this time he was wise. He took my advice for once.”
“Your advice?”
“Sure! Y’see, with you dumping a quarter million dollars in unregistered Liberties with him, there was always danger that some crooks might get wise to it and try to make a haul. So I suggested to Fat-head Starnes that he stick them securities in his own vault for a while instead of sendin' 'em down to the First National as he usually does. ”

“ They did not answer, a premonition of disaster had robbed them of speech.
“Y’see, Helen, them naughty crooks might of got away with Johnny's Liberty Bonds. Might of, I said. But they didn't. All that was in that satchel was a few registered bonds which ain't worth duck soup s'far's negotiatin' 'em is concerned.”
Helen's face was dead white beneath her plentiful make-up.
“Johnny's Liberty Bonds are still at Starnes & Company?”
“Yeh, sure!”
“You wouldn’t lie to me, Jim, would you?”
“Aw, Helen, you know I wouldn't! Fat men are rotten liars.” ”

“ The officer notified headquarters that a messenger for the Starnes banking house had been hit on the head and robbed, but he had no clue as to the identity of the assailants and knew nothing of the affair save that the escape had been made in an automobile. And the three criminals, speeding across country, little appreciated the measure of their safety. They drove at reasonable speed for thirty miles. At the first little town Connie Hawes alighted, carrying the satchel. The car proceeded. Twelve miles farther south Happy Gorman left the car. ”

“ I’m real anxious Johnny shouldn't turn crooked again. He's got brains enough to make an honest livin’. Lemme see—when’s he plannin’ to pass this bum check?”
“Two or three days. You see, Jim, he'll borrow the two hundred thousand on his bonds—borrow it from a local banking house—Starnes & Company. When he deposits their check for that amount he'll deposit along with it Major Torrance's check for eighty thousand; and the eighty-thousand one being so much smaller than the other, they won't pay a whole lot of attention to it. Then he'll check against the total sum. ”

“ I’ve got a clean slate with Jim. I even let him induce me not to raise Torrance's check—swell chance I’d have raisin’ that bird's paper—and so Jim will be lovin’ me real sweet and you guys will be beatin’ it to the border with them quarter million dollars in bonds. You fellers will cash 'em in somewheres——”
“How about the numbers? They ain’t registered bonds, I know, but the minute that many are stolen the banking house will notify the B. P. A. to watch out——”
Helen of Troy had been too long in the background. She didn’t like it. ”

“ One goes to bed innocent of sheets and arises shiveringly at three in the morning to resurrect blankets from a moth-ball depository. Overcoats are one day in order, and on the next palm-beach suits are inspected longingly. ”

“ He'll listen to you.”
“There ain’t many folks will.” Brief silence and then—“I’ll come. It's awful hot for walkin'——”
“Take a taxi.”
Came Jim's answer, heavy with sarcasm: “Too durned expensive for an honest detective.”
His receiver clicked on the hook. Helen flung herself across the room and into her husband's arms.
“It worked, dearie. He just came in, which means he ain’t hanging around Starnes & Company. He probably followed you when you left there, to get an idea if you were up to anything special. Saw you return to the hotel, and he went home. You've got an alibi. ”

“ These are the thousand-dollar Liberties which we have accepted as security for the loan to Mr. Norton here.”
The bookkeeper departed with the incorrect list of bonds. Johnny Norton was grinning inwardly. He scribbled his name on the note and accepted the Starnes check for two hundred thousand dollars. He shook hands and departed. Slim Bolton and Happy Gorman saw him swing down the street en route to the First National. At two minutes before two o'clock Johnny deposited to his credit the Starnes check. Then he returned to the hotel—and Helen. ”