“I didn’t think whether you were smart or dumb,” Griff replied. “I had too much on my mind. Bad as it is, it might as well be confessed. I gamble, and owe money for it, and I came here to borrow this from the safe—it’s as much my father’s as anybody’s, because he’s Mr. Tredway’s partner, but—I didn’t intend to try to ‘get away’ with the money. I only wanted it overnight. Before the office opens Lang will be back with the money to replace it.”
“What makes it so important to get money at this time of night?” demanded Curt, suspiciously.
“I guess I’d better tell the whole thing.”
“We’re listening!”
“Go ahead. Tell us!”
Griff nodded. Dejectedly, shamefaced and humble, he related his story:
“I’ve been running around with a pretty rough crowd,” he admitted, “and they got me in the habit of going to places like The Windsock, out on the——”
“We know!” Al interrupted impatiently.
“All right. There’s ways to gamble, out there, if you know the people who run the place.”
“Jones?”