"By Jove, I’m going deeper into this," he muttered, walking on more rapidly. "There must be something doing that the chief doesn’t even dream of, or Goulard’s former partner would not be spending all this time with Sadie Badger. It’s a hundred to one that he’s not here to see any one else. I’ll sink a pipe till I strike clear water, by gracious, if I sink it through to China."
Crossing the avenue at some distance back of the taxicab, Patsy did not venture returning to the provision store in view of the chauffeur, but turned a near corner and then ran at top speed around the block, bringing him into the side street mentioned and to the door near the rear of the store.
He had been absent so short a time that the clerk stared with surprise when he entered.
"How in thunder did you reach this door so quickly, Garvan?" he asked. "I saw you across the avenue and heading uptown only a couple of minutes ago."
"I chased myself around the block," replied Patsy, smiling a bit grimly.
"Do you suspect something wrong?"
"So strongly, Steel, that I want you to do me another favor. Yes, by Jove, I’m dead sure of it, now."
Patsy had stepped toward the front of the store and glanced again at the suspected flat. He could see two persons looking out through the parted lace draperies.
One was Sadie Badger, clad in a loose dressing gown, with her hair in disorder, as if she had hurriedly arisen from bed.
The other was the man who had entered less than ten minutes before. He was pointing toward the motionless woman in the taxicab, and Sadie Badger was laughing and nodding significantly.