“He’s a crook,” said Patsy. “I’ve known him this long time. He wasn’t in the Thirty-fifth Street job, but he’s on to it and is doing a little fly-cop work himself.” “I don’t catch your meaning,” said Nick. “It’s this way: The fellow is Spike Thomas. He suspects that two men that he has worked with sometimes, had a job last night. He suspects that that job was the Thirty-fifth Street house. He’s wanting to get on straight, so as to get into the divvy. He tumbled to me as being on your staff and he tumbled to you at the door. He knows we’re working on the case, and he tried to put it over me to find out how much we’d found out.” “What did you tell him?” “That we had found out nothing and suspected nobody. And that was dead right, for we don’t, yet.” “Did you find out whom he suspects?” “Oh, no. He’s too fly for that. But I’m certain he’s laying for the two that he thinks did it.” “He probably thinks right,” said Nick. “He makes a starter for you, Patsy.” “That’s what I thought,” said Patsy. “Anyhow, I’ll stick to him and see who he talks to and how he talks.” “That’s right,” said Nick, “and I’ll leave it to you, while I go on other lines.” Nick went away, and Patsy placed himself for a long watch. Spike Thomas still stood at the corner, keeping a sharp eye on all who passed or appeared on any of the four corners. CHAPTER IV. OVERREACHING A SHARPER. An hour passed, during which Spike Thomas waited as patiently as Patsy, on the opposite corner, patiently watched him. At the end of that time Spike showed by his action and his vigilance that the person or persons for whom he had watched had come into view. Presently two men crossed from the lower side of Thirty-fourth Street to the corner where Spike was standing, and as they passed him, carelessly nodded to him. Spike spoke to them and they halted. What passed between them of course Patsy could not tell, but it evidently ended in an invitation to drink on the part of one of the two strangers, a man who in his outward appearance looked like everything else but a thief and burglar. As Patsy was preparing to follow, he suddenly became aware that a man had stopped on the pavement immediately in front of him and was regarding the group across the street most intently. Looking at this man closely, Patsy quickly recognized a celebrated detective from Chicago. Stepping up to him, Patsy called him by name, revealing himself to the Chicago sleuth. “What do you know of those men over there?” he asked. “Are you after them?” asked the Chicago man in return. “I am after the one who is on the corner that they spoke to. He is Spike Thomas, a New York crook, second-story man.”