It was long after midnight when Chick shadowed Bailey from the Pennsylvania Station, in Philadelphia, to a second-class hotel in Arch Street, where his quarry evidently already was quartered, for he stopped only for a key and several letters, which the clerk took from a pigeonhole and gave him, and he then went up to his room.
Chick entered a moment later and registered under a fictitious name.
“Was that Tom Denny who came in just ahead of me?” he inquired carelessly.
“No.” The clerk shook his head. “That was Arthur Finley. I don’t know Tom Denny.”
“He’s a traveling salesman with whom I’m acquainted. I thought I recognized him.”
“You were mistaken. Mr. Finley has been living here for several months. He’s a buyer for Rudolph Meyer, who runs a general fancy-goods store in Broad Street.”
Chick turned away and went up with a hallboy to the room assigned him.
“Buyer for Rudolph Meyer, eh?” he said to himself, with a feeling of grim satisfaction. “I’ll wager that all of the goods with which he supplies Rudolph Meyer come indirectly from the store of Mantell & Goulard. I’ll look into that in the morning, and then have a long-distance talk with Nick. His suspicions have hit the nail on the head, all right, and to-morrow should see something doing.”
CHAPTER V.
NICK FINDS A CLEW.
Nick Carter did not receive the expected telephone communication from Chick the following morning. Bent upon learning why, and apprehending that something of a sensational nature had occurred the previous night, Nick called at the Lexington Avenue boarding house about half past eight and asked to see the landlady.