The detectives broke down the door. They found a passageway beside the steps. As Cardona was urging his men to preserve quiet, one of his assistants approached him. The man had gone down the passage.
“Looks like there’s a way downstairs here,” he said.
“A passage under the street!” exclaimed Cardona. “Maybe that’s it!”
He looked quickly about him and picked out three detectives.
“Find the way back!” he ordered. “Maybe some of them are trapped. But the rest of us are going up!”
The intrepid detective led the way. He and his men stole softly up the stairs. They paused to listen after they had gone three flights.
Cardona, his flashlight turned to the floor, hissed a command for silence. He fancied that he had heard a slight sound from above. Then he was sure of it. There was a distinct thump of a trapdoor being dropped.
“Come on, men!” exclaimed Cardona. “After them!”
The detectives rushed up the last flight. Cardona’s light revealed a trapdoor which was moving. Some one was trying to force it into place.
The detective did not hesitate. He fired his automatic through the barrier. The trapdoor no longer moved.