"Nat Pinkerton, King Of Detectives - The Bloody Talisman" - читать интересную книгу автора (Pinkerton Nat)

Chapter III: On BilsbyТs Trail
Tom Bilsby drove the trunk along Fifth Avenue to Canal Street, and then turned onto Mott Street, the main thoroughfare of Chinatown.

Nat Pinkerton did not fall behind. When he noticed which way Bilsby was headed, he grinned.

"SomethingТs up!" he muttered. "It seems that BilsbyТs errand is connected to the disappearance of Karl Nefeldt!"

The detective made it to Chinatown without attracting BilsbyТs attention. Now he began to act like a foreigner in Chinatown for the first time; he looked around with curiosity and watched the Chinese with their braids and heavy footwear in amazement. However, he did not let Bilsby out of his sight, and it did not slip his attention that when Bilsby appeared with the trunk, several passing Chinamen made secret signs to each other that were absolutely incomprehensible to the uninitiated.

Finally Tom Bilsby turned onto Pell Street and slipped into a dark, narrow alleyway.

The detective could not follow him there, as he would have unavoidably given himself away, all the more so as he knew that in Chinatown every passerby is constantly followed by a hundred eyes.

Therefore he went further down the street, turned back and began to wait until Bilsby returned with the empty handcart. Bilsby was now in a big hurry and, evidently, was glad to be done with his errand.

Nat Pinkerton followed him to the Bowery, and there approached two policemen, gave his name and showed them his badge.

"Follow that hardy fellow with the empty cart!" he ordered. "When heТs gone a bit beyond the Bowery, arrest him and take him to police headquarters to the inspector."

The policemen went on their way. Pinkerton quickly went to see MacConell at headquarters. MacConell did not recognize the old man at first and asked: "How were you let in to my office unannounced? I ordered that no one be allowed in!"

"Nobody at all?" asked the detective, changing his voice.

"Of course, how else! IТm busy with such important matters that I canТt leave them for a moment!"

"But I was let straight in when I gave my name," declared the detective.

MacConell looked up at him in surprise.

"ThatТs odd," he said, "with whom have I the honor of speaking?"

"ItТs odd that Mr. MacConell does not recognize old friends! My name is..."

"Nat Pinkerton!" exclaimed the inspector and jumped up from his seat. "You are an amazing fellow! IТm constantly coming to that conclusion! By the way, I remember now that you left the building opposite the Hotel Victoria looking like that."

Pinkerton sat down, removed his beard and glasses, and told the inspector about everything he had seen.

"The policemen will probably soon bring the prisoner in," he added, "and I think we will find out much of interest."

In fifteen minutes the policemen delivered Bilsby.

"He put up a desperate resistance," reported one of the police, "so we had to put the handcuffs on him."

At a signal from the inspector the policemen left and Bilsby found himself face to face with the inspector and detective. He shuddered when he recognized Nat Pinkerton, since he did not expect to meet him here. But he guessed that the delivery of the trunk had led to his arrest.

"Just today I expressed the hope that we would never again meet under unpleasant circumstances," began Pinkerton, " but unfortunately I see that youТre involved in foolishness again, and I had no choice but to order you brought in."

"I havenТt done anything wrong!" responded Bilsby.