in readiness. Then all stepped into the hallway. This was a large,
square entrance way with four doorways opening from it. Two closed
doors faced them. As they discovered later, these led to a bedroom,
and the bathroom. The others, one opening toward the front of the
apartment, and one toward the rear, were wide archways covered with
heavy velvet portieres.

The plain-clothes man found the wall switch and turned on the
electric light. Instructing one of his companions to watch the hall
door, he led the others in a search of the apartment. Seeking for
the electric light buttons as they moved about the apartment, the
men soon flooded the rooms with light. Each man with revolver ready,
and intent on searching every corner, none of them gave much
attention to the fact that Marsh was dogging every move, apparently
as keenly on the lookout as any one of the party.

Their inspection revealed nothing more than that the apartment was
apparently in the same condition as its tenant had left it. The door
to the outside stairway at the back was locked and the key was
missing. In addition to the regular lock a stout bolt was in place.
The catches on all the windows were properly locked, and all the
shades remained drawn down close to the sills. It was an empty,
locked apartment, with no outstanding evidence of having been used
for a long time.

The police, now joined by the man lately on watch at the door, stood
nonplussed in the kitchen. The plain-clothes man uttered an oath.
Then he addressed his companions.

"I've seen some mighty fishy situations, but this trims anything I