"Oh," said Garrison, "if you wish to employ me on a murder case, I'll do the best I can."
"You worked out the Biddle robbery?" queried Mr. Wicks.
Garrison replied that he had. The Biddle robbery was the Lochlan case—his first adventure in criminology.
"Take the case!" commanded Mr. Wicks in his truculent manner. "Two hundred and fifty a month as long as you work. One thousand dollars bonus if you find the murderer. Accept the terms?"
"Yes, I'll take the case," he said. "What sort of——"
Mr. Wicks made a sudden snatch at his wisp of hair, adjusted it quite to the other side of his head, then as abruptly drew a paper from his pocket and thrust it into Garrison's hand.
"Statement of the case," he interrupted. "Read it."
Garrison accepted the document, spread it open, and read as follows:
STATEMENT: Case of John Hardy.
Name—John Hardy.