Serial Story: SCORPION’S REALM

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 267, 23 August 1946, Page 6

Serial Story: SCORPION’S REALM

= s a BY L. C. DOUTHWAITE g

(Copyright)

CHAPTER XXI. * AGAIN THE SCORPION “Why then,” he went on, “I jus’ couldn’t stand it no longer. There’s no place ‘over the Alps’ I knew of could be ’alf nor quarter as bad as that there ware’us. If every busy in London ’ad been queuin’ up outside I’d ’ve ’ad to quit an’ with no place to quit to! An’ then, just as I was nervin’ myself to maltin' a getaway anyway—l thought of the Doctor ’ere —the only gent in London with any power be’ind him as gives us ‘hooks’ a chanst ... I knew if I put me cards -on the table an’ — an’ —an’ delivered the doin’s (this, reference being, Colin rightly interpreted, to the stolen pearls), “e’d see me through ... I waited until dark tonight, when I guessed there’d be no one about, an’ well, you couldn’ve seen me ’eels for dust out’ve that there ware’us . . . ’Alf an hour later I’d got the Doctor out’ve ’is bed, an’ tole ’im all about it. Now ’e’s brought me along to spill it to you ...” Without comment Parrot reached for his overworked telephone, and within ten minutes a police tender had left for the warehouse in Deptford Reach, upon the roof of which, staring sightlessly—and unrecognisably to heaven, lay the victim of the Scorpion’s opportunism. “Any line on where The Scorpion’s parked himself for the moment?” Parrot asked, glancing across at Gage who, his quaintly-trousered legs outstretched, hands folded loosely in front of him, chin sunk into the depths of his stock, 'did not immediately reply. Watching him, Colin derived the impression that the Chief Constable suspected the calm man of a greater knowledge of the Master Criminal’s recent movements than as yet he had seen fit to disclose.

“It’s only a couple of hours ago that Bill here told me tire Scorpion was alive,” Gage said quietly at last. “Since then I’ve—made inquiries. He is jn London. He came from somewhere in the North to-day.” Parrot with, as later Colin came to learn, an exact realisation of how few secrets of the underworld, the fringe of which, at least, this strange altruist’s Intelligence Service was’not able to penetrate, noddecl confirmation. In the circumstances that had been designed especially to afford his escape, but that, in actual fact, had led only to what had been accepted as his own death, The Scorpion had deliberately left every member of His gang then present 1o what he had intended as 1 heir elimination, and in the underworld a little thing like that tends to loosen tongues. “I know,” lie said. “From Tidemouth, probably. . . And, with his interests there, it’s what lie’s doin’ in London that’s worryin’ me.” He turned abruptly to Lord Stonehouse. “Suppose you tell the doctor exactly what happened to-night?” lie suggested.

Tersely, but in detail, Hie F.O. official complied, a relation to which Gage listened in his customary grave silence.

“It is only characteristic of The Scorpion’s methods to have carried the war into the enemy’s'camp, not only by including Miss Denstone in His list of recipients of ‘samples,’ hut to have detailed a sentry in your house lo report progress,” lie said when the tale was complete. “But, however, fortunate for us, as making for premature exposure of the new campaign, it was singularly unfortunate for him that the box was opened in the presence of one with such expert experience of the drug-traffic as River sleigh.” Parrot gave one of his curt nods. “There’s only twe ways a crook comes unstuck,” he said. “One’s through somethin’ happenin’ that couldn’t be guarded against. The other’s through somethin’ happenin’ he forgot to guard against.” Gage said thoughtfully: “With that enormous quantity of cocaine distributed over the length and breadth of this country, with every hour of the drug’s real nature remaining unrevealed, so many more potential victims would be brought into the net. Particularly at this especial time of the day—or rather night; in these restless days so many go to bed in need of a sedative. Hence the man Herriot’s desperate attempts to prevent communication with (Scotland Yard.”

“Isn’t is possible that, not caring to trust the post—not even with letters in code,’’ Colin broke in tentatively, “the Scorpion’s come South to receive Herriot’s report?” So far as concered Gage, however, this seemed not wholly to cover the facts. For the next few moments, while the discussion continued unabated between the others, in the same unchanging position he continued to gaze unseeingly into space. When, eventually, he looked up, it was as if to him there had been no interval since Colin’s suggestion. “Or, now that all the samples have been dispatched from Tidemouth, so that for the moment his work is completed, tb obtain a more personal and immediate revenge against—ourselves?” he said. “If my reading of his character is correct, he’s not the one to allow what happened at Deptford to pass' without some fairly vigorous protest.” He paused. “An argument to which his very definite attempt 1o induce the drug habit in Miss Donstone lends a certain weight,’’ he said. To two, at least, of these present, the suggestion came wilh the force of a hammer-blow. Already Lord Stonehouse’s hand was outstretched for Ihe telephone, but Colin outreached him. At the reply that came in answer to his first breathless question they saw his face whiten. “Miss Donstone left twenty minutes ago, sir,” the parlourmaid informed him.

Colin gluped; steadied himself; glanced at his wrist-watch. The hands pointed exactly to the time it had been arranged that Beth should, start for Tilbury. Trivial as on the surface it might appear, the small circumstance did not tend to reassure him.

Fighting desperately against the chill that with the information had seemed to fasten upon his whole interior economy, Colin put in some rapid-fire thinking. A moment, and from somewhere at the far back of his brain stirred a half-formed recollection of something, some tiny and apparently trivial circumstance that,'regarded only subconsciously at the time of its occurrence, now urgently pressed its claim to relevance. (To be Continued.)

The characters in this story are entirely imaginary. No reference is intended to any living person or to any public or private company.