CHAPTER XVII
INTO THE TRAP
MOOSE SHARGIN and Garry Elvers stopped by a pair of steps that led to a basement door. They were in the heart of New York’s Chinatown. They were standing outside a spot well known to those members of the underworld who knew the ways of the Chinese. This was the lair of Wing Toy.
The gang leader and his bodyguard held a muffled conversation. They looked around them suspiciously; then, as though satisfied that no one was watching, they descended the steps.
They did not glance behind them as they tapped upon the door at the foot of the steps. Even when the barrier opened mechanically, they glanced only straight before them as they entered.
Hence, they did not see a shadowy form that almost floated across the narrow street to merge with the darkness of the cracked stone steps.
Shargin and his underling were in a long, dilapidated passage. The wall on the right was blank, save for a single door some twenty feet ahead. On the left were various doors all closed. These indicated that the place had once been a hop joint. Now it showed signs of disuse.
The only person in the passage was a tall, solemn-faced Mongolian. He had pressed the button to admit the gangsters. Now he was standing by what appeared to be his accustomed post — the single door on the right of the passage.
The corridor terminated in a heavy metal door, which evidently led to a large room at the end of the passage.
Moose, with the air of one familiar with his surroundings, approached the Mongolian guard and muttered a few words.