"That's where the eight hundred and fifty dollars came from?"
"Yes, and a lot more. Oh, they pay well, all right!"
For fully a minute there was silence in the little apartment, broken only by the sobs of the girl on the couch. Finally Carr broke the strain.
"There's only one way for you to square yourself," he announced. "Tell me everything you know—the truth and every word of it!"
"That's just it, Dick. I don't know anything—for sure. There's something goin' on. No doubt of that. But what it is I don't know. They keep it under cover in the scale house."
"In the scale house?"
"Yes; they don't allow anyone in there without a permit. Somebody uptown tips 'em off whenever a special agent is coming down, so they can fix things. But none of the staff knows, though nearly all of them are drawin' extra money for keeping their mouths shut."
"Who are the men who appear to be implicated?"
"Mahoney, the checker for the company, and Derwent, the government weigher."
"Derwent!"