Taylor case," explained Dillon. "I want you to give Mr. Garrick
every assistance, Herman."

Garrick nodded with a show of cordiality and Herman replied in
about the same spirit. I could not fancy our getting very much
assistance from the regular detective force, with the exception of
Dillon. And I noticed, also, that Garrick was not volunteering any
information except what was necessary in good faith. Already I
began to wonder how this peculiar bargain would turn out.

"Just who and what was Rena Taylor?" asked Garrick finally.

Inspector Herman shot a covert glance at Dillon before replying
and the commissioner hastened to reassure him, "I have told Mr.
Garrick that she was one of our best stool pigeons and had been
working on the gambling cases."

Like all detectives on a case, Herman was averse to parting with
any information, and I felt that it was natural, for if he
succeeded in working it out human nature was not such as to
willingly share the glory.

"Oh," he replied airily, "she was a girl who had knocked about
considerably in the Tenderloin. I don't know just what her story
was, but I suppose there was some fellow who got her to come to
New York and then left her in the lurch. She wasn't a New Yorker.
She seems to have drifted from one thing to another--until finally
in order to get money she came down and offered her services to
the police, in this gambling war."