and you can bet on it,” he said grimly. “This is the second time in a month that somebody has got into my room through that nuisance of a balcony!” Fowler’s eyes went to the single window of the room. It was an ordinary window, against which the night was pressing blackly. “Balcony?” Max said, with a rising inflection .
“No, a passkey. I did not know about the balcony. It might have saved me some trouble had I known.” “It’s not my balcony,” Ausable said with extreme irritation. “It belongs to the next apartment.” He glanced explanatorily at Fowler.
“You see,” he said, “this room used to be part of a large unit, and the next room - through that door there - used to be the living room. It had the balcony, which extends under my window now. You can get onto it from the empty room two doors down - and somebody did, last month. The management promised to block it off.
But they haven’t.” Max glanced at Fowler, who was standing stiffly not far from Ausable, and waved the gun with a commanding gesture. “Please sit down,” he said. “We have to wait half an hour, I think.” “Thirty-one minutes,” Ausable said moodily. “The appointment was for twelve-thirty.
I wish I knew how you learned about the report, Max.” The little spy smiled evilly. “And we wish we knew how your people got the report. But no harm has been done. I will get it back tonight.
What is that? Who is at the door?” Fowler jumped at the sudden knocking at the door. Ausable just smiled. “That will be the police,” he said.
“I thought that such an important paper as the one we are waiting for should have a little extra protection. I told them to check on me to make sure everything was all right.” Max bit his lip nervously. The knocking was repeated. “What will you do 12th - - The Midnight Visitor Page now, Max?” Ausable asked.
“If I do not answer the door, they will enter anyway.