“Listen, Chatham. I’ll wager that of all the people Palermo knows— and he is well acquainted among persons of wealth — I am the only one who understands his game. More than that — I’m the only one who can make trouble for him; and that’s exactly what I intend to do!”
“Why?”
“Chatham,” said Wilkinson, sitting in a chair, and twisting his pipe between his hands, “I’ve kept silent on this whole affair. I don’t know why you’ve come here, but since I know you well, I’m sure that Palermo is trying to dupe you, also.
“Six months ago, Palermo dropped in to see me. He told me about some wonderful experiments that he was conducting in his laboratory.
“I believed his story, and when he said that he needed thirty thousand dollars, I agreed to give it to him.
In fact, I was all ready to pay him the money with no security whatever, for I believed in him.
“But I suddenly came to my senses, and proposed that he sign a note for that amount. He tried to dodge the issue, but when I became suspicious, he suddenly acted in a very agreeable manner. He signed the note, and took the money.”
“Exactly what he told me,” interposed the man disguised as Horace Chatham.
“Yes,” retorted Wilkinson grimly, “but I’ll wager that he didn’t tell you anything further, did he?”
“No, he did not.”