Page:Burton Stevenson--The marathon mystery.djvu/27

Rh Higgins—th’ Marathon,” and he jerked his head toward the door.

“Oh, yes,” said Simmonds. “You’re the janitor of the Marathon apartment house, just across the street.”

“Well, what’s happened at the Marathon?” demanded Godfrey. “No ghosts over there, I hope?”

“There’ll be one,” answered Higgins, his eyes beginning to pop again. “Oh, my God!”

“Come,” repeated Godfrey sharply. “Out with it! What is it?”

“It’s murder, that’s what it is!” cried Higgins hoarsely. “I seed him, a-layin’ on his back”

He stopped and covered his eyes with his hands. Simmonds had quietly opened a drawer and slipped a revolver into his pocket. Then he took down the receiver from his desk ‘phone.

“That you, sergeant?” he called. “This is Simmonds. Send three men over to the Marathon right away.”

He put back the receiver with a jerk. Godfrey twirled the janitor sharply around in the direction of the door.

“Go ahead,” he commanded, and pushed rather than led him out into the storm.

They made a dash for it through the rain, which was still pouring in torrents. Halfway across the street, they descried a cab standing at the farther curb, and veered to the right to avoid it.

“Here we are,” said Higgins, running up a short flight of steps into a lighted vestibule. “It’s in soot fourteen—second floor.”