Again the rattling sound, and then Roger Verbeck heard nothing over the wire except the explosive profanity of the chief of police, who finally gave the information that he would call again later, and rang off.

Verbeck turned from the instrument with a beaming face, and hurried forward to clasp Riley and Muggs by their hands.

"I was a fool to doubt either of you a second," he said. "The Black Star has just proved to me that it wasn't necessary for either of you to turn traitor."

"Was that crook on the wire again?" Muggs demanded.

"He certainly was-broke in while I was speaking to the chief. He told me he knew what I had been saying to you here a very few minutes ago, and that I was unjust in my suspicions."

"If either of us were guilty he might say that just to help us out-to make you think we were all right so we could go on doing his dirty work," Riley warned.

"But the fact that he knew our conversation of a few minutes ago shows he might have heard us speaking yesterday about the trap. I am quite sure neither of you have had a chance to communicate with him in the past half hour."

Riley rose ponderously from the table and crashed a fist down on it.

"Then tell me," he said, "how this crook knows what we say here in this room!"

"I wish I knew!"

"We've searched this house from bottom to top, and he isn't in it. To hear what we said he'd either have to be in the bas.e.m.e.nt under us or in an adjoining room, and then he couldn't hear half of it. This thing gets my goat!"

"Then here is something that'll please you, Riley. The Black Star has sent another letter to a paper, so the chief told me, saying he's going to commit this big crime of his within the next twenty-four hours. I suppose he means during the night some time."

"Then we'll get on his trail!" Riley shouted. "We won't have to work in the dark any more. At least we'll know where to start. He's got to come out of hiding to commit a crime, and we can trail him from where he pulls it off!"

"Yes, and where will that be?" Muggs asked.

"Wherever it is, we'll have something to start on. I just want a start-that's all! That crook's going too far with his mysterious black stars and his telephone stunts and mind-reading performances! He'll make a slip! Never a crook lived that didn't make a slip some time!"

"I'd like to know how those stars got on that loaf and how I got tapped on the head!" Muggs announced. "That Black Star must be able to make himself invisible!"

Riley snorted.

"He's a human man, and that's all there is to it-a clever, human man!"

the detective declared. "And we're clever, human men! We'll get him!

And he'll be visible enough when we do! There never was a mystery that didn't have a common, everyday solution, if a man's wise enough to know how to look at things. Twenty-four hours, eh? Some time to-night?

We'll be crazy before he pulls off his trick-crazy from waiting!

You're sure that roadster is loaded with gas, Verbeck?"

"I'm sure, Riley. Every officer in town knows that roadster, and the chief has issued orders that we are to be allowed to smash all speed limits if we see fit."

"Then all we can do is wait-wait for the alarm. It may come in ten minutes, and it may come at two o'clock to-morrow morning. And waitin'

is the worst thing I do!"

The day pa.s.sed, every hour seeming an age. Muggs cooked the evening meal with head c.o.c.ked for the sound of the telephone bell. Riley paced the floor, looking at his automatic and handcuffs every half hour.

Verbeck smoked innumerable cigars and betrayed nervousness in innumerable ways.

Nine o'clock came and pa.s.sed-ten-eleven. Midnight struck!

The telephone rang!

Verbeck reached the instrument in two bounds, and Muggs and Riley were close behind him, ready for a dash, Muggs with his hand on the doork.n.o.b.

"h.e.l.lo!" Verbeck cried.

"h.e.l.lo! h.e.l.lo! Mr. Verbeck?"

It was a woman's voice, one that Verbeck never had heard before, an excited woman's voice.

"This is Mr. Verbeck."

"Listen! I may not have a chance to repeat! Do you want to locate the Black Star before he commits his crime? Do you want to learn why he has heard everything you've said there?"

"Who is this?" Verbeck tried to control his voice and speak in a matter-of-fact way.

"Never mind my name. I have a reason for what I am now doing. You must act quickly. Take all the help you can get. You have police there-take them all!"

"Yes; but what--"

"Listen, please! I will not have a chance to telephone again. Look around your living room. Look at the center leg of your table. And then-follow the wire! All the help you can get-act quickly-and follow the wire!"

And the unknown woman rang off.

Verbeck whirled to the others, speaking rapidly, starting back across the room toward the table. With Muggs and Riley beside him, he went down on his knees to investigate the center leg. Riley was the fortunate one. An exclamation of disgust escaped him.

"b.o.o.bs! b.o.o.bs! That's what we are! A common, everyday dictograph disk!

And we never thought of it! Look!"

He pointed to the bit of metal.

CHAPTER XXI-THE END OF THE WIRE

"Follow the wire!"

The unknown woman's words seemed to ring in Verbeck's head.

"We must decide instantly," he said. "Shall we follow the wire or remain here and await an alarm?"

"Follow the wire!" Riley advised. "That woman is one of the Black Star's gang that's turned against him. She's tipped us off right, and I'll bet on it! It's only a few minutes after midnight. It shouldn't take us long. Dictograph! Huh! No wonder he knew everything we said.

Poor b.o.o.bs!"

"Do we go alone, or take the police?" Verbeck asked.

"Let's take 'em. It won't hurt, and may do a great deal of good. We'll have the sergeant leave one man here to take any telephone message that comes."