CHAPTER III
A BARGAIN
Carlton Conne took the letter in his hand and manoeuvered the cigarback and forth in his mouth. At length he said, "Don't be scared, kid.I want you to go, but not for anything _you've_ done--it's for me!"
Skippy gasped. "Gee, you mean you're gonna lemme be a detec----"
"Listen, kid," the man interposed kindly, "get that detective idea outof your head until you're--well say, twenty-four years old anyhow. Youhave to learn, kid, and it takes long, hard years--it's just anotherkind of school. But right now I can use a kid like you--you can be ofsome use to me. If you do your work right--keep your eyes open, yourmouth shut and remember everything, I might consider you for the job asoffice boy at fifteen dollars a week. In the mean time, I'm to have yousent to the Delafield Reformatory where you're going to play the partyou almost had in real life--a boy unjustly sent there and a boy who'dmake a break for freedom at the first opportunity."
"Then--then you ain't gonna send me for real!" Skippy stammeredjoyfully. "I'm just sorta gonna play de--_detective_?"
"You're going to help _me_!" answered Conne with the hint of a smile onhis face. "You're going to play the part of a reform school kid as Itold you before. And I'm counting on you to play it with the same kindof energy that made you sling up your arm so that you could get in hereto see me. That's why I'm going to trust you to do this thing for me!You've got ingenuity--know what that means, kid?"
"Yeah," Skippy smiled, "it means havin' swell ideas that go through."
"In a measure, yes. Anyway, you've the idea and you have ingenuity,whether or not you know what it means. But the question is, can I counton you not to let anyone know (except those whom I authorize to keep intouch with you) who you are, nor the part you're playing? You may haveto play it a month, perhaps longer--I can't tell you how long, kid.Think you could play it without betraying your game by a look or aword?"
"Gee, Mr. Conne--gee, is it sorta dangerous like? I mean I can do thatabout keepin' my mouth shut an' all--I learned that when my father gotin trouble--nobody could make me tell a thing. I mean will it bedangerous if I _did_ tell? Not that I would--honest, Mr. Conne!"
"That's what I thought, kid. I wouldn't have asked you otherwise. Andas for its being dangerous," said Mr. Conne tipping his cigar so thatthe lighted end stood dangerously near his nose, "I wouldn't allow youto do it if it was. Of course there's bound to be a minimum of dangerin anything of this kind, but we'll prepare you for that. If you stickand keep your mouth shut there's nothing to be feared. One of my menwill be on hand as soon as the conditions warrant it. If your auntconsents, I'll assume full responsibility for you."
"Aw, my aunt don't care so long's I ain't no expense to her. I gottaterrible appetite, Mr. Conne, an' she says I eat her out of house an'home an' besides she wants back the six dollars she paid out for mysuit. She wants it to pay on insurance, she says."
"Very well, kid--she'll have it. After I get through telling you alittle more of this job, you can go home and get her and bring her downhere to me. I'll talk to her and if she's agreeable, I'll give her yourfirst week's salary. She knows your needs better than you do, I guess."
"Yeah," said Skippy amiably. "Aunt Min'll save for me, she says, so'sI'll have some money in bank when I grow up. She said if I got a jobshe'd give me money for carfare an' for a little spendin' money."
"She can do that after you've done this work and are working regularlyin this office. Just now, while you're temporary, I'll pay you yourexpenses and give your aunt your salary. How's that?"
"Sure, whatever you say, Mr. Conne," Skippy answered happily. "You payme more when it's sorta extra work, huh?"
"That's the basis on which all our men work here, kid," the detectivegrinned. "When your time is on the company, naturally your expenses aretoo. But leave that to me--I'll see that you have enough to eat in theway of chocolate even if you do leave half of it on your chin."
Skippy grinned and reached for his handkerchief. When he had rubbed offthe smear, he looked up. "Will you tell me some more about this job?"
Carlton Conne nodded and smoothed out the letter on his desk. "This isa report from one of my men who was on a case in Chicago," he wassaying. "To let you know more fully about this job I'll read part ofthis report: 'Ran across O'Reilly here in Chi,' he says, 'and he tellsme that Dean Devlin is suspected of helping to spring a kid by the nameof Tucker from the South End Reform School here. They picked the kid upin Wheaton and when brought back to Chi he told, under pressure, that areverend-looking gentleman whose description fits the Dean to a "T"visited the South End Reform a little more than a month ago andpropositioned him. The kid was bent to beat it and the Dean gave himsome dough for a getaway.
"'Anyway, out of this money, Tucker was told to bribe a guard and theDean arranged the night of the escape, etc. Tucker said it wassoft--the Dean was on the job in a closed car and took him to a housein what looked to be a nice part of the city. It was a pretty swellflat and the kid got everything he wanted in the way of eats, but hewas kept a prisoner along with two other kids his own age who, itseemed, were also under the Dean's protection. They too had crashed outof different reform schools under the reverend-looking gentleman'sexpert supervision.
"'Now it seems that Devlin's idea was this: each kid was kept on at theflat till he found a job for them in some distant city. Then he saw toit that the kid got there. And so within a month, Tucker saw the otherkids go. Then Devlin told Tucker that he had a job for him out inMontana, and that very night he was going to drive him as far as Altonwhere he could board a train absolutely safe from suspicion.
"'They started after dark and Tucker said it wasn't long before he gotdrowsy. He thinks he must have fallen asleep for the next thing he knewhe felt himself falling against something and then he seemed to fallright out of the car and whirl through the air. Next thing he knew hewas in the water. The car had gone down and he knew that he'd go downtoo, not being able to swim. He paddled furiously with his hands andlooking up on the bank he saw the Dean standing there looking down.Tucker was just about to call to him when a car drove up and Devlin gotin it and was driven away.
"'Evidently, the Dean was afraid that Tucker hadn't survived theaccident and being himself confessedly nervous of the police (thatbeing the reason for his generous interest in reform school boys) hethought it best to get away as quickly as possible by hailing the firstcar that came along.'"
"Gee, an' what did poor Tucker do then, huh?" Skippy asked excitedly.
Carlton Conne smiled. "Fortunately for him, he had been thrown clear ofthe car and into shallow water. Just when he had resigned himself to awatery grave, he thrust his legs out and found that his feet touchedbottom. You can bet that he didn't lose any time in scrambling up thehigh embankment to safety."
"An' did he let that Devlin know that, huh?"
Carlton Conne studied the letter before him and shook his round head."No, he couldn't. You see he had only seen the street and the houseitself at night. After all, he had been imprisoned for a month and boththe street and the house looked just like a hundred others in Chicago.Devlin had driven him to and from the house in such a hurry that henever had the chance to see where he had been living. He decided to getas far away from Chicago and the police as he could. But he was pickedup in a place called Wheaton, anyway."
"Boy, what luck!" was Skippy's sympathetic exclamation.
"Seeing it from your point of view--yes. From my point of view, it'sfortunate that Tucker lost out, for it has warmed up a trail that'sbeen cold too long. Devlin has been under cover a couple of years now.O'Reilly, who is an inspector on the Chicago force, said they'reanxious to find out where the other two kids are that the Dean helpedto crash out of reform schools. Well, Dick Hallam knows that I'll beinterested to know why, for I got some old scores to settle with theDean and like a good detective he got the Dean's scent and has trailedhim to New York. This morning he learned that our reverend-loo
kingfriend has applied for a permit to visit the Delafield Reform Schoolnext Friday. That's the reason, kid, that I want you to be there whenhe shows up."
"Hot dog, Mr. Conne! I been dumb not to see what you meant before. Geewhiz, you want me there to trap him like, huh?"
"I want you to be there to help me to prepare the trap, kid. None of mymen can palm themselves off as kids and it seems that Devlin has beenplaying up to kids only. That's why you're going to Delafield. You'regoing to help me find out why he's been acting so generous when I knowthat he isn't the type of man to do anything like that without therebeing money in it somewhere. Dean Devlin never did anything fornothing. And so you're going to put yourself in his way when he makesthat visit on Friday--I'll see to it that you have every opportunity.What's more, you're going to fall in with any plans he may make foryou."
"Boy, it sounds terrible excitin', Mr. Conne!"
"Not dangerously so," the detective assured him. "One of our men,Dorcas is his name, will either go up with you or be up there on Fridayand so be on hand if you need him. You'll have no cause to worry--youwon't be alone at any time if you do just as you're told. But therewon't be any real danger, kid--I wouldn't let you into this if therewas. Dean Devlin is a notorious swindler and blackmailer and though hecan cause plenty of excitement when he's on the trail, I've never heardof him laying a hand on anybody. He's after money, not people."
"Gee whiz," Skippy said stoutly, "I wouldn't be afraid anyhow!"
"That's why I've taken an interest in you, kid. All you want isnerve--courage enough to go through with your part, and keep your mindand eyes on all that Dean Devlin does and says. You've got a job and Imight as well warn you that how well you do it will determine yourpermanent employment by this company. In other words, it's to be yourentrance exam, so you better try to pass it!"
"Gee, will I pass it!" Skippy cried exultantly. "You'll see how I'mgonna pass it, Mr. Conne!"
"That's the talk, kid," the detective said with a half-smile. "And whenDean Devlin is where he can't take any more money from my clients oranybody else, I'll talk to you about staying on for a regular job."