"How are you, Gibson?" laughed Old King Brady. "I've got La Croix!"

"You've cheated me!" snarled the inspector, furiously.

"Bless your heart, you've got the matter twisted. It was you interfering
with our game. We've been after this man two months. And you ain't going to
skim the cream off our hard work, I can tell you."

"You lie, Brady--"

An angry light sparkled in the old detective's eyes at this insult and he
doubled up his fist, strode over to the inspector and struck him in the
face.

"Don't you dare insult me, you cur!" he exclaimed.

Gibson reeled back swearing, and seeing the old detective coming at him
again, he rushed from the room shouting wildly:

"I'll pay you off for that blow!"




CHAPTER XVII.

RECOVERING THE DIAMONDS.