Brennan signaled to them a moment later, when the two voices were audible again, to leave. Murphy snapped the padlock on the door and they crept back to their hiding place between the two buildings. "There was no need for us to stay there any longer," said Brennan. "We couldn't hear a word. There's only one way to get what we want and that is to use a dictograph. We'll have to run a wire with an 'ear' on it into that room, somehow. Do you think we can do it, Murphy?" "Sure thing," Murphy replied. "The sooner the better," said Brennan. "We'll try to get it in tomorrow night. With a dictograph we can get every word that's said. We can bring a shorthand reporter with us and get it down in black and white. In the meantime we'll wait here and see them when they come out." Shortly before one o'clock they heard footsteps that told them Gibson and Cummings were returning from their conference. Directly opposite the aperture between the two buildings, where they were hiding, the taller of the two figures stopped and striking a match held the flame, cupped in his two hands, to the end of a cigar. The light of the match flickered only for a second, but in that time John and Brennan saw Gibson's face clearly. Tossing the burned match to the ground he quickened his steps until he was again at Cummings' side and they went from sight around the corner. "He couldn't have done it better if we had asked him to," commented Brennan, referring to the light Gibson had thrown on his face by lighting the match. "I wonder what he'd do if he knew that we were watching him as he did it." "Swallowed da stogie," Murphy suggested. "Tomorrow night, same time and place: 10 o'clock at Second and Spring," Brennan instructed Murphy before they separated. "I'll be there," agreed Murphy, walking from them. "Just a minute, Murphy," called Brennan, "you forgot something." Murphy halted. "What?" he asked. "You forgot to put a 'see?' on the end of 'I'll be there.'" Murphy grinned, waved his hand and went his way. The next morning after only a few hours' sleep, John and Brennan told P. Q. and the "chief" of their discovery. Brennan's plan for the use of the dictograph was approved and they were commended for their enterprise. "If you put this over," the city editor told John, "I'll double your salary." It was P. Q. who suggested that Benton, the photographer, accompany them and endeavor to obtain a picture of Cummings and Gibson together. "That would cinch it," he said. "If we could print a picture of Gibson and the 'Gink' it would be irrefutable proof of the conspiracy." "It would be risky business; might spoil everything," Brennan remonstrated.