Nick Carter Stories No. 121, January 2, 1915: The call of death; or, Nick Carter's clever assistant

A daring vault heist in Westchester County has left the police baffled. The burglars slipped past the bank’s defenses, stealing nearly two hundred thousand dollars before a citizen’s gunfire wounded one of them and sent the loot fleeing. Detective Nick Carter, called in for his unrivaled eye for detail, quickly identifies the mechanical signature of the infamous cracksman James Nordeck, a seasoned master of vault‑breaking.

Carter’s senior assistant, Chick, provides a grim portrait of Nordeck’s criminal record, confirming the detective’s suspicions. Yet Carter insists the real mastermind lies behind the seasoned thief, a shadowy leader who orchestrated the whole operation. With a generous reward advertised and the trail growing cold, the investigation turns to uncovering the hidden hand that pulled the strings, promising a tense race against time before the culprits vanish forever.