It was late in the morning when Carter awoke. He had an interview with Lena, and then, after partaking of a light breakfast, he went downtown. Chickering Carter and Patsy Garvan, his two chief assistants, were engaged upon another case—in which, by the way, Nick was fated to play a prominent part—so he did not see them that morning.
Nick stepped into the Cosmopolitan Hotel, and saw Mr. Wright, who informed him that his room had been entered during the night by some one.
“I think I know who it was,” the detective remarked, and then he departed, feeling sure that the person who had entered the room was Brockey Gann.
It tickled him to think that the rascal had been disappointed.
Carter called at police headquarters, and there he learned that other detectives had not made a discovery. He informed the chief inspector that he was following a promising clew, and that he might be able to render a report in a few days.
After leaving headquarters, he went uptown to the Knickerbocker Cottage. There he questioned the waiters, and at last he found the man who had served Rich and Darwin on New Year’s Eve.
“Did you hear any of their conversation?” the detective asked the waiter.
“Only a little,” the man answered. “They talked about some man who had just arrived in the city.”
“Was any name mentioned?”
“Yes.”