Agent Nine Solves His First Case: A Story of the Daring Exploits of the G Men

by Graham M. Dean

  Chapter X ON THE LEDGE *

  Arthur Jacobs wheeled around sharply, at the exchange between uncle andnephew.

  "What was Ross doing here at night?" demanded the filing chief.

  "I guess he just dropped in; saw the lights burning up here and wonderedwhat was going on," replied Bob.

  "Did he touch anything, work on anything?" There was a desperate note ofanxiety in the filing chief's voice and Bob knew that Jacobs was thinkingonly of the reputation of his department rather than linking Tully to theevents of the night.

  "No, he only offered to help me, but I told him I was getting along allright," said Bob.

  "Did he ask you about any of the papers you were filing?" pressed thefederal agent.

  "Well, not exactly, but he did mention something about the radio secrets.That's been more or less common knowledge in the department thatsomething big was breaking and we have all been curious about it."

  "Did Tully touch this file or go into it?" demanded the filing chief.

  Bob hesitated. Tully had looked into the file, but he hadn't removedanything Bob was sure.

  "Well, did he touch anything?" pressed Jacobs.

  "He did open this file," admitted Bob, "but I looked up just then and Iam sure that he didn't remove anything. In fact, I don't think he touchedanything inside the file."

  "Why did he open the file?" asked Merritt Hughes.

  "Well, he mentioned something about wanting to see the way I kept myfiles. I guess he said he had heard Mr. Jacobs say he liked the way Ihandled them."

  Jacobs smiled for it was no secret with him that Bob was his starassistant, while Tully was probably the poorest of the clerks who workedin the filing room.

  "You're sure Tully didn't take anything out?" insisted his uncle.

  "I can't be positive," said Bob, "but I don't believe anything wasremoved by him."

  Merritt Hughes was silent for a minute. When he spoke again he addressedhis words to Bob.

  "Get Tully on the telephone and tell him to dress and get down here rightaway."

  From the tone of his voice, Bob knew that it would be useless to sayanything more in defense of the other clerk and he went to the telephoneand dialed Tully's apartment number. It was two o'clock now and anunearthly hour to rout anyone out of bed, so Bob prepared himself for along wait at the telephone. He was not disappointed for it was at leastthree minutes before a sleepy voice answered and Bob recognized it asthat of Tully.

  When he explained that the other clerk must come down at once, there weresleepy protests and Bob's uncle, provoked at Tully's attitude, took thephone.

  "Tully, this is Merritt Hughes. There's been trouble in this officetonight. You are one of two outsiders who were in here. If you knowwhat's good for you, get down here at once and don't argue."

  With that he hung up the receiver without giving Tully an opportunity toanswer.

  "I think he'll be down without losing any time," he said, and Bob wasready to agree.

  Tully lived some distance from the office. Bob knew that it would benearly half an hour before he could arrive.

  "Let me have a flashlight," he said to his uncle, "and I'll go down onthe ground floor and see if there is any chance that paper was thrownfrom the window."

  Merritt Hughes nodded his agreement and handed a light to Bob.

  "I'll go along," said Arthur Jacobs. "I can't stay up here and donothing."

  The filing chief was visibly shaken and Bob was glad enough to havecompanionship for there would be no fun in prowling through the shrubberyat the base of the building at that hour of the night.

  They walked down the corridor together and turned and faced the elevatorentrance. The cage came up in answer to their summons and they droppedswiftly toward the first floor.

  "Find out yet what happened to the regular guard on our floor?" Bob askedthe elevator operator.

  "They've checked his home, but he left there right on time. It's a cinchhe never reached here, though. This building has been searched from topto bottom and there's no sign of him."

  When they stepped out on the main floor there was evidence of suppressedactivity for several guards, flashlights in their hands, hurried pastthem.

  "They're even searching the closets," volunteered the elevator operator,"for the fellow who was caught up on your floor was wearing the guard'suniform."

  Bob whistled softly. This was getting more serious every minute. Hewondered about phoning the news upstairs to his uncle. But he decidedagainst that. They would soon return to the upper floor and he could tellhim then.

  The night was as blustery as ever and Bob drew his topcoat close as thefirst gust of wind and rain swept down on them. The flashlights threwfeeble glows ahead of them as they floundered through the shrubbery whichflanked the base of the building.

  "Ouch!" cried the filing chief as a piece of shrubbery snapped into hisface and Bob turned to help him.

  "Go on; I'm all right," said Jacobs and they pushed ahead, Bob in thelead.

  Back and forth they beat their way through the shrubbery, their lightsheld close to the ground. Time after time they stopped to pick up a sheetof paper in the faint hope that it might be the missing radio documentthey were seeking so anxiously.

  Now they were directly under the windows of the office. Bob, looking up,could see the glow of lights from the windows. Here they were doublycareful to make a thorough search and Arthur Jacobs went over every inchof the ground with his own light, stooping to be sure that no scrap ofpaper went unobserved.

  The quest looked hopeless and Bob stood up to ease his aching back.

  "Guess we might as well give up," he said. "Tully will be here in a fewminutes and we'll want to be back upstairs when he arrives."

  "There's just a chance the paper might have been blown around thecorner," said the filing chief, who was determined to cling to even themost slender hope.

  "Well, there's a chance, but it's a mighty slim one. We'll have a try,though," agreed Bob.

  The rain was even sharper as they turned to the corner of the buildingand the lights attempted to pierce the blackness of the hour.

  For five minutes they crawled back and forth underneath the shrubbery.Bob was chilled now and a trickle of water, coming off his hat anddropping down his neck, did nothing to improve his spirits. His knees andback ached and it would seem good to get back into the office where itwas light and warm and there would be no rain to face.

  "I guess we've looked under every shrub on this side of the building,"finally said Arthur Jacobs and there was a bitter note of disappointmentin his voice. "We might as well give up and go back."

  Bob straightened up and the beam from his flashlight struck one of thedeep, recessed windows that were on the ground floor. The ledge in frontof the window itself was at least two feet wide and it was on this ledgethat the beam of light centered.

  Bob cried out involuntarily and Arthur Jacobs, hearing the cry, whirledto his side.

  Something was on that ledge; something that was shrouded in black. Bob'sheart leaped with an emotion that was one of combined fear and curiosityand with Jacobs at his side he plunged forward through the shrubbery.