
Manning has spent his career chasing down mail‑order scams, but the latest lead takes him deep into the gritty streets of Chicago’s Loop, where a flashy advertisement promises a carburetor that runs a car a hundred miles on a single gallon of water. The city’s cracked sidewalks, noisy saloons, and endless stream of dubious sales pitches set a vivid backdrop for his uneasy partnership with the skeptical Wheeler, as they close in on the enigmatic Forsythe Company. The promise of a “double‑your‑money‑back” guarantee feels too good to be true, and Manning’s instincts tell him this scheme could be the most elaborate fraud he’s ever faced.
Inside the dim, creaking office of the Forsythe Carburetor Company, Manning meets the charismatic yet guarded founder, whose smooth salesmanship masks something far more suspicious. As the investigator’s doubts sharpen, the uneasy dance between law enforcement and a seemingly harmless inventor begins, hinting at deeper deceptions hidden behind the gleaming guarantees. Listeners are drawn into a tense, noir‑tinged cat‑and‑mouse game that questions how far a con can go before it finally collapses.
Language
en
Duration
~28 minutes (27K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2021-08-25
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1926–2014
Best known for blending science fiction with sharp suspense, this American writer also led a remarkable life behind the scenes in politics and fandom. His work ranges from classic speculative novels to techno-thrillers, with a career that stretched across decades.
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by Frank M. Robinson

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