“Exactly, Riley! Even the Black Star would fall for that trap. If he could get those stones, he’d not only have a handsome profit, he’d make a laughingstock of me—what he has sworn to do. See?”
“And you’d be takin’ a mighty big chance to do it.”
“Ah! As it happens, there is a paste duplicate of the necklace. That will be sent to the firm of So & So—the real firm to be decided between us later. And there we can fix a trap, have the place watched night and day, be on the job ourselves. Either the Black Star will not have the courage to go after it—or he’ll go after it, and we’ll catch him. And we’ll get him when he has the paste jewels in his hands, and give him the laugh, along with a term in prison.”
“Great—great!” Riley exclaimed. “But can you do it?”
“I’ll make the arrangements to-morrow. It’ll be like throwing out bait to catch a big fish.”
“A sucker!” Riley gurgled.
“If he doesn’t make some sort of move to-night we’ll make the arrangements to-morrow. We’ll bring him out of his hole where we can get on his trail.”
Mr. Muggs walked slowly into the room from the kitchen, his face inscrutable.
“Boss, you bought that bread at the delicatessen, didn’t you?” he asked.
“Yes, Muggs.”