Library 
THE MAN OF LAST RESORT.
“There are detectives, Mr. Carter, and detectives,” said Nick Carter’s visitor. “By that I mean that only half of them are worthy of the name. Half of the remainder are mediocre, and only one in a hundred of the rest is really keen and clever. You, Mr. Carter, are the recognized man of last resort. When all others have failed, it is to you that the harrowed victim of crookdom turns for aid, as the only man in Christendom who can ferret out the truth and round up the guilty. That, sir, is why I am here.”
Nick Carter laughed.
“You are complimentary, Mr. Mantell, and I appreciate your very exalted opinion of me,” he replied, a bit dryly. “All that sounds very nice and pretty, remarkably so, but it does not do what you asserted. It tells me only what impelled you to come here, not why you are here. Suppose you come to the point and tell me why.”
Nick’s visitor joined in the detective’s genial laugh, as did Chick and Patsy, who were seated with them in Nick’s attractively furnished library. It was about seven o’clock in the evening, that of the very day on which had occurred the episodes described.
He was a young man, this visitor, of remarkably frank and prepossessing appearance. He was still under thirty,
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set up like an athlete and scrupulously well dressed. He was the type of man to whom others are instinctively drawn, and to whom women turn for a second look.
Nick long had known him by name and sight, the only son of wealthy Henry Mantell, of Mantell & Goulard, the owners of the vast Sixth Avenue department store to which reference already has been made, and which then was by far the largest establishment of its kind in the country. He was Frank Mantell, of whom Helen Bailey had spoken to Nick in connection with the robbery committed by her recreant brother.
“Come to the point, eh?” he replied, still smiling. “That is a very good suggestion, Mr. Carter, and I will act upon it. Mr. Goulard, the junior partner of our firm, was to have met here to discuss our business with you. Pending his arrival, however, I will do what you suggest and tell you why I am here.”
“Very good. I am all ears,” Nick remarked, knocking the ashes from his cigar.
“I am here, Mr. Carter, because of the tremendous leak in our business,” said Frank, more gravely. “I refer, of course, to the department store of Mantell & Goulard, of which I am one of the managers. My father, you know, is the senior partner.”
“I am acquainted with your father,” Nick bowed. “When was this leak discovered?”
“Six months ago, after our semiannual taking of stock. Our business showed a shrinkage of more than thirty thousand dollars. That of the past six months is even worse, running close to fifty thousand. In other words, Mr. Carter, the leakage the past year is close upon eighty thousand dollars.”
“Much too large to be charged to the profit-and-loss account,” said Nick. “Are you unable to discover the cause?”
“Quite the contrary, Mr. Carter,” said Mantell. “We know the cause.”
“Namely?”
“Robbery.”
“Money?”
“No. Merchandise.”
“You don’t mean that eighty thousand dollars’ worth of merchandise has been taken from your store in the past year, and that you are unable to discover the thieves,” said Nick.
“That is precisely what I mean,” Frank replied, a bit more forcibly. “As a matter of fact, Mr. Carter, we are up against a most extraordinary game of systematic and persistent robbery. Day after day, and frequently during the night, articles of material value disappear most mysteriously from all parts of the store. We don’t know where they go, nor how the thefts are committed. We have not the slightest clew to the identity of the robbers.”
“What kinds of goods are chiefly missing?”
“All kinds, but invariably articles of considerable value. Costly laces of every description, fine handkerchiefs, pocketbooks, and jewelry, full pieces of expensive silks and satins, fine lace draperies, and—but I could not begin to enumerate them. They disappear as if they had evaporated from our shelves, counters, and show cases.”
“Can it be the work of professional shoplifters?”
“Impossible; utterly impossible! It is much too extensive.”
“How about your help?”
“Equally out of the question,” said Mantell decidedly.
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“We employ about nine hundred clerks, but they have absolutely no opportunity for thefts of such character and magnitude. It would be impossible for them to take the goods from the store without being detected. We have had them closely watched, nevertheless, since these daily robberies were first discovered, but we have failed to detect a single thief among our employees.”
“You have store detectives, of course?” said Nick inquiringly.
“Yes, on every floor.”
“Have they accomplished anything?”
“So little, Mr. Carter, that we put the case into the hands of half a dozen headquarters men about two months ago. Their work has been equally futile. Not a piece of the stolen goods has been traced. Not a clew has been found pointing to the identity of the crooks, or the way in which the thefts were committed.”
“That seems very strange,” Nick remarked.
“Strange is right, chief, and then some,” put in Patsy. “There must be a bunch of clever ginks at work along new and original lines.”
“That seems to be about the size of it,” Nick added.
“And that is precisely how the matter stands,” Frank Mantell continued. “As I said in the beginning, Mr. Carter, you are the man of last resort. All others have failed, and we now turn to you for advice and assistance. I think we should have done so at the outset. It would have saved us a barrel of money.”
“You seem to feel sure that I shall succeed in solving the mystery,” smiled Nick.
“Frankly, Mr. Carter, I do,” Mantell rejoined. “Success seems to be one of your invariable acquirements. I feel that it will prove so in this case.”
“Providing I decide to take the case.”
“I hope you will not demur over that.”
“Let me ask you a few questions,” said Nick, drawing up in his chair and dropping his burned cigar into a cuspidor. “Are any headquarters men now at work on the case?”
“No, sir. We dropped the last of them to-day.”
“Your store detectives still are at work?”
“Only in line with their customary duties. They would not in any way interfere with your work.”
“I would not permit them to do so,” Nick said, a bit dryly. “It would be even better, perhaps, if they were ignorant of my interest in the matter. Who besides you knows of your intention to employ me on the case?”
“Only my father, Mr. Goulard, and Mr. Lombard. My father and I look after the correspondence and the financial end of the business. Mr. Goulard and Mr. Lombard have entire charge of operations in the store. Goulard is, of course, the chief director. We decided this afternoon to appeal to you for aid. No one else is informed of our intention.”
“Make it a point, then, to inform no one else,” Nick replied. “I will at least look into the matter and see what I can make of it.”
“Ah. I am glad to hear that.”
“Now, Mr. Mantell, when did you first suspect this system of wholesale robbery and begin to investigate it?” Nick inquired.
“About six months ago,” Frank replied. “We knew of many thefts previous to that time, and tried in vain to discover the culprits. Not until we had taken stock and our books showed such a tremendous leakage, how
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ever, did we realize how extensive a felony we were up against. We then began the investigations that have proved so futile.”
“That was about the time Bart Bailey was seen stealing a diamond sunburst, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, it was,” said Mantell, with a look of surprise. “How did you learn about that?”
“The newspapers mentioned it,” Nick said evasively.
“Ah, yes; I remember.”
“Did you at that time, or since, suspect that Bailey was in league with the gang of crooks committing the numerous robberies? I speak of them as a gang, of course, because such extensive work would require several persons and careful coöperation.”
“We suspected it, certainly, but there was no other evidence in confirmation of it,” Mantell explained. “After the escape and disappearance of Bailey, moreover, the robberies continued as frequently as before. That indicated in a measure that he was not identified with the other thieves.”
“Possibly,” Nick allowed. “I happen to know that Bart Bailey, as he is called, is a somewhat vicious character. Were you aware of that when he was employed in your store?”
Mantell colored slightly, but showed no inclination to hide the truth.
“I was aware of it,” he admitted. “I had a personal reason for giving him employment. Frankly, Mr. Carter, I am deeply in love with his sister Helen Bailey, who is as good and virtuous as he is vicious.”
“You employed him for her sake?”
“Yes. I wanted to give him a chance. I told him just what I knew about him, and gave him a talking to, man-to-man fashion, and he promised to go dead straight and do his best. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, for I would have pushed him forward for all he was worth.” Mantell earnestly added. “But I fear it isn’t in him, Carter, to be anything but a crook.”
“It appears so, Mr. Mantell, surely.”
“I would marry Helen to-morrow, with the sanction of all of my family, if she would have me,” Frank gravely asserted. “But she cannot ignore the fact that her brother is an outlaw of society, and she feels that she must not bring disgrace upon me. Dear, foolish girl! as if she were responsible for the conduct of her brother. Hang it! he’s only her half brother at that, and—ah, that should be Mr. Goulard. We will plan for your campaign against these infernal thieves.”
“There will be no planning with me, Mantell,” Nick replied, as Joseph, his butler, passed through the hall and answered the doorbell. “I do my own planning and work out problems in my own peculiar way. I will be pleased to meet Mr. Goulard, nevertheless, and hear what he has to say.”
Frank Mantell was right in that the caller was Gaston Goulard, and he was presently ushered in by the butler. He was an erect, somewhat imposing man close upon fifty. He was smooth shaved, of dark complexion, with strong features and penetrating black eyes. He had been a widower about four years, having no children, but still retaining his fine Fifth Avenue residence and a retinue of servants. He was a member of the best clubs, and a man of recognized ability, political influence, and social standing.
Mr. Mantell received him graciously and introduced him
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to Chick and Patsy, while Goulard removed his kid gloves and shook hands with all.
“You are here before me, Frank,” he remarked, after greeting the detectives. “I was unavoidably detained.”
“I don’t think it matters,” Mantell replied. “I have told Mr. Carter all that you could have told him and all that he is really inclined to hear. He has consented to take the case and——”
“Very good,” Goulard interrupted, in somewhat brusque and metallic tones. “I am glad to hear it. What do you intend doing, Mr. Carter? That is the main question.”
Nick gazed at him quite intently.
“I really don’t know,” he replied.
“Don’t know?”
“Not yet.”
“You mean——”
“Only what I say—that I don’t know,” Nick put in, smiling. “I must consider the matter. I must determine what best can be done. I must visit your store and size up the opportunities for such wholesale robbery, before I can say what I will do. You can hardly expect more of me at present, Mr. Goulard.”
“Very true, perhaps,” Goulard admitted, with signs of reluctance. “We are up against such a costly game, however, and have found the efforts of other detectives so entirely useless, that I really wondered what steps you would take to discover the thieves.”
“I wonder, too, since hearing Mr. Mantell’s statements,” Nick replied, smiling again. “It appears like a difficult problem, Mr. Goulard.”
“It does, indeed, and you must keep me informed of your progress.”
“I will make it a point to do that.”
“That is all we can reasonably ask, then,” said Goulard, with an approving nod. “If we can aid you in any way, or——”
“I will inform you, Mr. Goulard, in that case.”
“Very good. When will you begin your work?”
“Just as soon as I have decided how to begin it,” said Nick. “Like Davy Crockett, I make sure I am right before going ahead. I think you may expect me, or one of my assistants, at your store to-morrow morning.”
“I would prefer that you give the matter your personal attention,” said Goulard suggestively.
“I always do that, sir, when engaged in an investigation of even the simplest kind of a case,” Nick said, with seeming indifference.
“Gee! if that gazabo gets anything out of the chief, he’ll do it with a double, back-action corkscrew,” thought Patsy, noting Nick’s suave reticence and not half liking the strong, dark face of this second visitor.
Mr. Goulard did not prolong his interview, however, save to discuss the matter in a general way and learn what information Mantell had imparted. It was eight o’clock when the two men left the detective’s residence, Nick seeing them to the door and then returning to the library.
“Well, what do you make of it?” Chick at once inquired. “I saw that you were not inclined to confide your opinions to Goulard. That convinced me that you had formed one, at least.”
“Gee! I was hit in the same spot,” declared Patsy.
Nick smiled and resumed his seat.
“I wouldn’t confide in either of them,” he replied. “I have, as you infer, come to at least one conclusion.
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”
“What is that?”
“These robberies are not the work of shoplifters nor any outside crooks,” said Nick. “They have been much too numerous and varied. The crooks are among the persons employed in the store.”
“I think so, too,” Chick nodded.
“And for that reason alone, Chick, I would confide in no one in the store, from the heads of the firm down to the boy who sweeps the back stairs,” said Nick. “That is a mistake many detectives make, that of blindly confiding, perhaps, in the very culprit they are out to get.”
“Gee! that’s right, chief,” put in Patsy.
“If any inquisitive person in that store learns of my designs, it will be only when they culminate, and his curiosity may cost him something,” Nick pointedly added. “Secrecy is imperative to successful work in a case of this kind.”
“I agree with you,” said Chick, with a nod of approval.
“It sure does look like inside work,” said Patsy. “But how do they get out with the goods? The headquarters men are not lunkheads, nor are the store detectives blind. How do the crooks get out with such quantities of merchandise?”
“We must find the answer to that question,” Nick replied. “Other detectives, in their efforts to discover the crooks themselves, may have neglected to look sharply enough for it. We may meet with more success, in fact, by working backward.”
“Working backward, chief?” questioned Patsy. “What do you mean?”
“By finding out where the goods are disposed of, through what channel they reach their destination, and by working back over the same route, even to the moment of the theft,” Nick explained.
“By Jove, that plan might prove profitable,” said Chick. “The goods cannot have been pawned in this city. The headquarters men would have run them down within forty-eight hours.”
“Undoubtedly,” Nick agreed. “It is safe to assume, nevertheless, that the goods are stolen to be converted into money, which necessitates either pawning or selling them. They may have been shipped to some other city for that purpose.”
“Quite likely.”
“But how are we to learn what city, chief, assuming that you are right?” questioned Patsy.
“I have a hunch that the way will appear,” replied Nick. “There is one other point of which we can take advantage, I think, and it may start us on the case right off the reel.”
“You mean?”
“Bart Bailey’s presence in New York, and what occurred to-day.”
“What do you see in that?”
“I am convinced that Bailey was in league with the other crooks when he stole the diamond sunburst, and it’s a hundred to one that he still is in league with them in some capacity,” Nick explained. “If he had not been stealing the jewel, it probably would have gone the way of the other plunder. The circumstances forced him to bolt with it, however, and to lie low ever since.”
“But how can we take advantage of all that?” asked Chick. “I don’t quite get you.”
“We’ll take advantage of his antipathy for his half
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sister,” said Nick. “He don’t like her, despite their kinship, and he already has repeatedly threatened her.”
“But how take advantage of it?”
“He will hear of what occurred to-day; that she made no intentional move to prevent the police from getting him, despite that she could easily have done so,” said Nick. “Take it from me, Chick, he’ll get after her for that. He will hate her more than before, the knavish rat, and may go even so far as to attempt violence. By keeping an eye on her, therefore, we not only may protect her, but also pick up Bart Bailey himself. Then, if he still is in league with the department-store thieves, we perhaps may trail him to the lair of the entire gang.”
“By Jove, that’s no wild-and-weird fancy,” Chick now declared, with some enthusiasm. “That realty looks good to me, Nick.”
“That being the case. Chick, you had better tackle that string to our bow,” Nick directed. “Pack a grip with what you may need for a few days, and go in disguise to the Lexington Avenue house in which Helen Bailey is boarding.”
“To remain there?”
“Yes, temporarily. Engage a room and board, if possible, and you then will have the girl right under your eye. Reveal nothing to her, however. That might queer an opportunity to pick up her brother.”
“Trust me to have foreseen that,” Chick replied, rising. “I’ll be ready to leave in ten minutes, and will phone you to-morrow morning.”
“Good enough,” Nick said approvingly. “A reference may be required by the landlady. Take the name of Fred Lamont, and say you are a nephew of Mr. Calvin Page, cashier of the Trinity Trust Company. I will presently telephone to Page and inform him of the situation. He will assure the landlady, in case she rings him up.”
“I’ve got you,” Chick nodded, turning to go.
“I will have decided by to-morrow how Patsy and I can best begin operations,” Nick added. “I think we’ll take a look at the store, for a starter, and at a few of its nine hundred clerks.”
“We may pick the crooks from the nine hundred merely by their looks,” laughed Patsy. “That would be going some, chief, for fair.”
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