“The circumstances should convince you of it.[Pg 31]”
“How did you contrive to hit my trail?”
“It’s not my habit to explain my methods,” Nick said slowly, bent upon prolonging the conversation, if possible.
Margate seemed to suspect something of the kind, for his brows knit suddenly and his eyes took on a more threatening gleam. He crouched nearer to the opening, again shaking his revolver at the helpless detective, while he cried more fiercely:
“You’d better hand it to me straight, Carter, or you’ll mighty quick get all that’s coming to you.”
“Hand you what, Margate?” Nick drawled.
“Hang it, Margate, he’s stringing you,” Conroy now cried fiercely, gazing down at Nick over the other’s shoulder. “The sooner he’s handed his, Margate, the better ’twill be for us. There’s no telling what he has up his sleeve, or who else is on the case. We may get it in the neck from another quarter.”
“That’s right, too,” snarled Ardley sonorously.
Margate seemed suddenly impressed with the same threatening possibility. He sprang up, instantly closing the opening, and swung round to Ardley.
“Will that trap fill quickly, Ben, if you open the sluice gate?” he demanded, with a murderous light in his evil eyes.