Nick Carter Stories No. 152, August 7, 1915: The Forced Crime; or, Nick Carter's Brazen Clew.

In a quiet Brooklyn library, famed detective Nick Carter drops in on his longtime friend, Professor Matthew Bentham, only to learn of a baffling series of midnight visits. The professor has been roused three times by a shadowy intruder who slips into his bedroom, yet never takes anything of value. Each encounter leaves Bentham strangely paralyzed, as if some unseen force holds him fast, and the burglar’s face remains hidden beneath a soft‑brimmed hat.

Carter’s curiosity is instantly piqued, especially when Bentham mentions the confidential Chinese documents he safeguards for the government. The case quickly becomes more than a simple theft; it intertwines psychological intrigue with a potential international conspiracy. As the detective pieces together the burglar’s peculiar movements and the mysterious “aura” he exudes, listeners are drawn into a tense cat‑and‑mouse game that promises clever deductions and a race against an unseen enemy.