nearly ten o'clock
Well supplied with money , armed with a loaded revolver , fortified by his official badge , and more alert in all his faculties than he had ever felt in all his life , he passed down the stairs and out upon the street , under the very nose of the waiting `` shadow , '' into whose face he cast a tired-looking glance , without exciting the slightest suspicion . Twenty minutes later he had hired a closed automobile , and was being carried toward the Williamsburg Bridge and Long Island . The car selected was of a type renowned for achievements in speed . It was nearly ten o'clock when he stood at length on the sidewalk opposite 1600 Myrtle Avenue , Woodsite , a modest cottage standing on a corner . It was one of the houses farthest from the center of the town ; nevertheless , it had its neighbors all about , if somewhat scattered . There was no sign of life about the place . The shades were drawn ; it bore a look of desertion .