“They not only need attention, but they will get it at once. It has been an interesting game so far. Now let us push it through to the end. There was never much mystery concerning the murder. I could have named the murderer of Townsend within an hour after viewing his body, but the girl had to be found before a word was said. Then came the developments concerning the Great Diamond Syndicate, and that organization had to be cleaned up.” “Why were you so sure of Mantelle after the interview at the café?” asked Chick. “I know he rather overdid the thing there, but still I could see no proof.” “When I lay on the couch in the rooms of the syndicate,” replied Nick, “I saw some peculiar jewelry lying on the chief’s desk. Well, Mantelle wore that identical jewelry at the café. I could not believe it at first, for I did not remember seeing the chief take the stuff away in the hurry of his departure.” “But it was the same?” “It certainly was. I saw that when I took the pin and the ring from Mantelle to-night. Well, you see how that connected him with the syndicate? And there never was any doubt that the syndicate was at the bottom of the murder.” CHAPTER XXIII. THE DEN OF THE SYNDICATE. “And now what is the layout, Nick?” asked Chick when the prisoners had been disposed of and the detectives had returned to Nick’s house. “To clean out the den of the syndicate.” “I thought the fire did that.” “But there is another, where the smaller fry hang out, as this record shows,” replied Nick again, referring to the paper. “To be sure, there are only the little fellows left; but great oaks from little acorns grow, Chick, and I think we had better make a clean round-up while we are about it.” “And what are your plans?” “You know the Dominion saloon?” “Sure. It’s a crooked joint, although the police have never been able to get a line on it.” “Right you are, Chick. Well, that is the hangout for the little fellows of the syndicate. I want you to go there and try and get a job as a waiter, or helper of some sort. They are always putting on ‘extras’ there. Get into a good disguise, and I will join you later.” Without further parley, Chick went into the costume room, and within half an hour he was on his way to the Dominion. It was some time later when Nick followed him, also in disguise. He took a cab, and was soon within a block of the saloon, a resort that was operated in the interests of one of the toughest gangs in New York. Here he dismissed the cab and strolled up to the place he sought. He did not enter immediately, however. Pretending to be under the influence of liquor, he stood for a time in front of the place, hands in pockets, glancing tipsily at the show posters in the windows.