It rang an immediate knell to the brief disturbance.
It brought a moment of absolute silence, in which every eye was turned swiftly toward the door.
Humpty Green, the malformation, leaped up from his chair and ran to the peek. One glance was sufficient. He closed the slide, then threw both hands above his head with a grotesque gesture of warning.
The eyes of all were upon him. His lips moved, but his voice, was silent, yet all received the mute message he conveyed.
“Hush! It’s the boss! It’s Moses Flood!”
Then he removed the heavy bar and opened the door.
Moses Flood, with face as calm as a sea of ice, gravely entered the room.
He was followed closely by two men, both of whom were in disguise.
One was the famous New York detective’s chief assistant, Chick Carter.
The other was Nick Carter, the great detective himself.