“Lest you resort to subterfuge, however, and appoint some one who would make trouble for us, Nick Carter for example, instead of rigidly following our instructions, which is imperative to the safety of your daughter, we appoint a representative who should be entirely satisfactory to you--Mr. David Mack, your junior partner. “It is up to you, now, to command him to rigidly follow our instructions. Any deviation from them will be fatal to your hopes--and fatal to your child. “David Mack will hear from us later. A personal interview with him is necessary. He must do precisely what we direct. As long as he does, he will be in no personal peril. If he attempts trickery, however, he will meet the fate of a trickster. No more need be said. There remains only to act. And upon how you act--all will depend. “David Mack must make no move, however, until he hears from me. He will be given explicit instructions, which he must follow to the letter. Beware of any deviation from them--and of the vengeance of “RALPH REDLAW, Chief of the Needy Nine.” Twice from beginning to end, without once looking up from the pencil-printed sheet, Nick Carter read this threatening communication, with its amazingly audacious demand. His face did not reflect his thoughts. If he read between the lines the answer to Chick Carter’s pertinent question, or even a hint at the answer, his serious, unchanging countenance did not reveal it. John Madden watched him anxiously. David Mack gazed at him with fixed and searching scrutiny. Neither banker broke the silence until the detective looked up from the printed sheet. “Well, what do you think of it?” Mack then asked bluntly. “Isn’t it the limit? Could you beat it?” “How to beat the rascals is a more pertinent question,” Nick replied, with grim austerity. “True. That goes without saying.” “What are your views, Nick?” Mr. Madden asked, more gravely. “I am anxious for your opinion.” “The scoundrels mean business, Mr. Madden,” Nick replied, glancing again at the letter. “I take no stock in this signature, Ralph Redlaw, Chief of the Needy Nine. The name is fictitious. Furthermore, I don’t believe that there are nine persons engaged in this felony. Crooks seldom take chances by trusting so many confederates unless the size of the conspiracy requires it. That is not essential in this case. Four or five, or even three, could have done the job as easily as nine. This entire signature is only a blind.” “Surely,” Mack nodded. “That’s my opinion.”