University of San Francisco - USF Don Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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 THE JGXATIAX “Service men within ten miles of here. You would never he missed. She was ri.uht and I knew it. With fifty, possibly seventy-five other agents almost within calling distance, what good would it do to grab me? “‘Well, kid. I said, ’I’ll take a chance. What’s your game?’ 'Won mean you’ll keep what I tell you under your hat and follow im instructions?’ she queried. “ ‘Yes.’ I replied. ’’ its easy to pull it off. she began, her eyes brightening. ’At about l) o’clock at night he is usually alone. A hundred to one he’ll be lying on the couch opposite the door. All you have to do is to knock like this to get in.’ She tapped twice on the arm of her chair, paused, and then tapped twice again. ‘That’s the signal,’ she said. ‘When he hears that he’ll press a button that releases Unlock on the door. Then you can fling it open and cover him with your gun. That’s what I call :»implc.’ “‘But how about the plates?’ “‘Oh yes. the plates,’ she continued. ‘When you get inside of the room you’ll see a panel in the wall over the couch. By running your hand over it you will find a button. Press it. and the panel will spring open. Right inside, on a little shelf, are the plates.’ “‘And where will you be while I am doing all this?’ 1 asked. “‘Outside she replied. ‘Don’t worry about me. I’U be on the spot when you bring him out.’ “’But where is the lvmse?’ 1 questioned, determined to find out as much as possible. “‘I’ll show vou when you do the job she answered. ‘If I told you now you might be tempted to raid it without me. Will you be ready at 8:30 to-morrow night?' I hesitated for a moment: then thrusting my fears aside, said: “‘Yes, I’ll be ready. Where shall 1 meet you?’

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DOUBLE CROSSED 21 “‘Who are you?’ I asked, in as even a tone as I could command. ‘I don’t even know you.’ “‘Oh. that’s all right,’ she replied with a smile, seeming to enjoy my confusion. ‘I know you. I’ve heard the gang speak of you a number of times. You’re Michael J. O'Toole of the United States Secret Service, and you are searching for the stolen plates. You’d give $10,000 to find them, but I am going to tell you where you can get them for nothing As she finished, she leaned slightly forward, resting one hand on her hip, and supporting her dimpled chin with the other, and looked me straight in the eye. To he frank with you, I didn’t know what to do or say. Pile first thing I thought of was to ask her how she knew where the plates were, and I did. “ ‘That is really none of your business she replied, ‘but I don’t mind telling you. For the past two years I have been sort of paling with the gent who has them, lie got tired of me though, and ditched me when he found another he liked better. T’m squealing simply to get even. Get me?’ “I did and I didn’t. What 1 couldn’t understand was why she was offering to tell me without any reward where I could locate the plates, when she could secure a nice piece of change for this information. If it hadn’t been for the way she looked me straight in the eye and told her story, I would certainly have suspected that she was laying a trap for me. “ ‘Well I said at last, ‘tell me where the plates are.’ “‘Not so fast there, grandpa she broke in. Til give you the dope when, and only when, you have agreed to go after them in my way “ ‘And bv that you mean ?’ “ ‘That you must do the job yourself and take me along.’ “ ‘Say. how am 1 going to know that you are not trying to lead me into a net?’ I asked. She smiled. “‘You Hatter yourself. What difference would it make if you were put out of the way? There are fifty other

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DOUBLE CROSSED 23 “‘Here,’ she replied. ‘Now don't wire anything about this to the chief. W ith these words she was off. “To say that she left me bewildered would be putting it mildly. Here was a mere girl that knew almost as much about me as i knew myself, and who was apparently well acquainted with the workings of the ‘Service.’ Her plan, however, appealed to my vanity, for if it worked I would be able to put over the biggest thing of my career. “Needless to say, I slept but little during the night. The next day I examined, cleaned, re-examined, and cleaned again and again my little Colt that had never failed me in an emergency. Several times 1 decided that to follow the instructions of this girl would be foolhardy, and several times I concluded that I would meet her and tell her that I would not go. but nevertheless 8:30 found me in the lobby, anxiously awaiting her arrival, and more than eager for the adventure. She was on time, and as she approached me her eyes seemed bright with expectation. “‘You have not changed your mind?’ she queried as I spoke to her. “ ‘No,’ I answered. ‘When I say I’ll do a thing you can generally rely on me.’ “ ‘Well, let’s be on our way. she continued. ‘The coast is clear, so we had better finish up the job in a hurry.’ I followed her out into the street, where we boarded a car. W hen we were seated she gave me a few final instructions. “‘And don’t forget the signal,’ she concluded. ‘Knock twice, pause, and then twice again. You’ll find the door at the end of the hallway. I’ll be waiting outside. Think you can make it?’ 1 assured her that I could, and then, discovering that we were at the end of our journey, she signaled the conductor to stop the car, and we alighted. The district was not familiar to me. but appeared fairly respectable. She led the way for about half a block, and