Nick Carter Stories No. 141, May 22, 1915: The duplicate night

At a glittering masked ball in the opulent Carrington mansion, New York’s elite gather beneath a canopy of electric lights, their costumes flashing like constellations on a warm January night. The celebrated detective Nick Carter slips in, unrecognised, alongside his trusted assistant Chick, hired secretly to protect the priceless jewels that glitter among the revelers.

Amid the swirl of princes, clowns and society beauties, a striking figure in a midnight‑black gown studded with diamonds catches Nick’s eye. She moves through the crowd with nervous urgency, disappearing up the grand staircase just as the hall’s clock tolls half past ten. Carter senses that her hurried steps may herald a hidden danger, and the detectives ready themselves for whatever secret the night intends to reveal.