Now that the fate of Evelyn Grimm had been settled, other matters came in for discussion.
Burke laughed uproariously.
“Haw! Haw!” he guffawed. “Every detective in this country thinks the girl was burned up in Fifteenth street.”
“Everybody else does, for that matter,” said Blood.
“We led ’em astray easy enough. The poor woman who was burned up there though——”
“Sh!” exclaimed Van, with a frightful contortion of the face. “Let thet rest.”
“Oh, it’s a tender subject with you, Old Bluebeard. How many more wives have you burned up ther same way?”
“Curse you, shut up!” growled Van, savagely. “I had to shut her mouth. She was false and would have betrayed the whole gang of us sooner or later.”
“Never mind that,” said Scraggs, “I am interested in those accursed detectives. You say a couple of them chased you as far as Lexington?”
“Yes,” agreed Burke.