THE FATAL HOUR.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 149, 24 June 1911, Page 19

THE FATAL HOUR.

fy CARTEit, 'Author ,of •"A Double Mystery," "The Prime of a Countess," "ICendrick'a Pledge," "Man Against Man/ "At Face Value/ etc.

CHAPTER XIX. 'NICK DETECTS A -FORGERY. Jflek Carter was oblivious of the pfealthy doings of Mr Ansan Black. He read the Randall will and the fheeb of instructions attached to it, the pn'e pasted to the other across the top. poth bore the signatures of the. dead millionaire, also thosm of the witnesses fo each signature. \ '..Kick noted that the stipulations in ,jjpth documents were in accord with .what the lawyer ha' already stated; gnd he also noted that tne same persons jbsd not witnessed both signatures. ' For several minutes the silence in the loom was broken only by the faint I rustle of paper as Nick turned the docujnents to examine them, each side of

■jjpth. ;. Presently, as if the light was not as .good as he wanted, he arose and walked the window, on which the morning punlight fell. He stood there for several .pjinutes, with his back toward the lawyer and his face toward the brightly lighted' pane. Anson Black neither spoke nor moved .—save that his eyes followed every jnovement of the equally unite detective. They had taken on, however, a gleam far more sinister, cold, and merciless than that from the partly open drawer, above ■friiich his hand now hung lax and motionless. Nick Carter turned from the window pd resumed his seat. "Couldn't you see?" Black asked, gazjjng across the desk at him. I "See?" queried Nick, returning the pteadfast gaze. "Oh, yes, I could see." "Then why did you go to the winjSow?" "In order to compare Thomas Ran■flail's signature on these two docupants." "Compare them?" ' "I wanted to be sure they are alike." ■"you found that they are, of course." "Yes—exactly alike." ; "To be sure they are," said Black, nrjth a covert sneer. "What did you expect?" V-< . Instead of answering -fche question, Nick glanced again at the two documents, asking deliberately: "How happened it that the same perjone did not witness both Signatures?" "Because the. two documents, were executed at different times. The will, here jn my library, when neighbour's were called in to witness the signing of it. JTlie sheet containing the instructions Ipaa signed in my business office." Nick glanced at the names on it. I "Who is Idalia Grant?" he asked. From Idalia to Delia was not a lon« Jeap for Nick Carter's mentali.ty. I "A stenographer then employed in jjmy office." "And Martin, [Lang?" , "One of. my clerks." "i * "And—"

I "Stop a moment," Black interrupted. Nick looked up from the paper, and I tie eyes of.the two. men met. It was a psychological moment. Something passei between them—intangible, impercep-L-.'iible, yet it was like a deadly chal.tage. : "Vfhy," Black coldly demanded, "are you .asking so many questions—and such questions? Why are these -witnesses of ■special interest to you? If the documents are satisfactory to a probate judge, they ' should invite no exceptions rrorn. ypu. The signatures of Randall " ': -"ire exactly alike, ,1 Nick put in calmJy.

"So you have already said. "Why, then, do , you presume to question'me in this fashion? Your persistent inquiries inrply——" Nick checked him with a gesture. ■ "Evidently, Mr Black," he said slowly; "you have never heard that no person can. write his signature twice—exactly elike!" ■ J

V "Exactly alike!" ■ "It is a-physical impossibility." ; '"But what do you mean by " "By placing these two sheets against the -window pane,, that the light may show through them," Nick impressively -■went on, as if there , had been no interruption, "and by laying one Randall signature over the other, I find that they sre, as I have said—exactly alike." "See here, Mr Carter -" . "Patience, Mr Black." ■ ' The lawyer's (hand moved almost imperceptibly—nearer the dra.wer. "It is a recognised fact in chirography, i es well as in criminology," Nick pointedly added, "that when two signatures are . so written that they 'are exactly alike, that one completely hides the other when they are brought into Juxtaposition—it is a recognised fact, in that case, that one of the two is a—traced counterfeit!" "Counterfeit! Absurd!" Black,'a \thiri, gray lipa twitched viciously. "Be careftil what you say, Mr Carter. Unless you can prove- " "I can prove, Mr Black," Nick now sternly interrupted, "that the Randall Bignature on this sheet of instructions is fi tracery— a forgery! I can convince any judge and jury that " "But you'll do nothing of the kind! Don't move, Carter, foot or finger—or you'll never move again!" \ The lawyer's interruption came , a flash—but not more quickly than tne lawyer's weapon leaped into view. It appeared instantly above the edge of the desk, darting into line with the detective's breast—and Nick found himself ■gazing, not at Black's livid face and fieryeyes, but into the muzzle of Black's levelled revolver. He did not speak for a moment, then asked indifferently: "What do you think of doing with \ (that toy?" "If you move—l shall kill you!" ( Black, you look quite capable of it." 'I am, as you'll ttrta." "Y° u are now showing your hand,

."You have forced mc to show it." "We have come to a definite understanding—one that will cost you your life." *' *' 'JBlack » "Place your hands on the desk, where I can see them," snapped the lawyer, interrupting. "Now, if you move them, I Will instantly kill you." 'As I have already remarked, Black, you look quite capable of it." Mr Anson Black did, indeed, look £apable of any degree of crime. Though l ui3 face was colourless, its every feature was as hard set as if cut in stone, . Ha expression one of develish determination. In the ghastly grayness of his flinty countenance, moreover, his piercing black eves gleamed with a light that conyinced Nick Carter of his murderous as he was already convinced of Ms identity with the burly ruffian seen "by p a tsy Garvan the 'previous mght. 1 _. 'became further obvious that Anson Black was a, bad man to have driven in-

to a. corner; that, when seriously threatP r ° VOk , ed , t0 desperation* he flouJd not shrink for an instant from seizing the bull by the horns. WatcWng Nick steadily, keeping him constantly

fI,P r°M amm^ late ly, quick steps and the rustle of skirts sounded in the hall, and two women hurried into the room. «yed w°fe BlaCk ' S gaUnt ' ***'

The other, still stained and dyed to gipsy hue, was Frisco Fan. Though he instantly recognised her, Nick decided that he could gain nothing by revealmg the fact. -He merely glanced sharply aVher, and, finding an immeajate aggressive move too hazardous, with an air of indifference he coolly awaited whatever might follow. Neither woman betrayed the slightest perturbation or surpriue at the scene that met her aze; and Black at once commanded, with undeviating gaze at the detective:

"Look sharp, both <5f you; but don't divert my aim! Take these cursed rags from my foot," Frisco ,Fan waved, the elder woman aside, then hastened to obey, dropping upon her knees beside the lawyer's chair, and tearing the bandages from his foot and ankle in a way that plainly evinced the subterfuge with which ho had failed to dupe the detective. "You don't seem to be in very bad shape, Black, after all," Nick calmly remarked, with a,.cynical smile. "Not half as bad shape as you'll be in, Carter, when I'm through with you," Black retorted, scowling.

"That remains to be seen." "Very little you'll see of it." "There you are, Anse," Frisco Tan ex> claimed, rising.

"Reach mc the phone. Place it co that I can use it and. watch this infernal meddler at the same time!"

"Whom are you going to phone?" •"I want Lang to come here on the rush. I can't handle this fellow alone."

•'Nor with Lang to help you, give mc half a chance," Nick put in. ■ "Lang be hanged!" cried Frisco Fan. "I can do anything he can do. What do you want?" "Step back of him, then, and get his guns if he has any," Black commanded. "In my hip pockets," said Nick, alert for a chance to turn the tables by some hook or crook.

Black watched him as a cat watches a, mouse, however, with his revolver Steadily trained on Nick's breast, while Frisco Fan quickly proved that she was as good as her word. Lifting Nick's coat, she removed hoth of his revolvers and laid tliem on the floor several feet away. Then, having caught sight of a pair of handcuffs, she also removed them, opening them with the dexterity of one tolerably familiar with them—or intolerably. "Keep him covered, Anse," she curtly said. ''Never fear that I'll get in the way of a bullet. I'll fit him with his own bracelets without doing that, you can bet." , "Indirectly, young woman, you have done as much- once before, but very little good it did you," said Nick. "You may go as lame thie time." "I guess not," sneered Frisco Fan, as she snapped the irons around Nick's wrists. "One failure is enough. Experience is a good teacher. Bring a piece of the clothesline, Mollie; about four yards." 1 ?■" >■'-->-'".■

Black's wife hastened from the. room, presently returning with the strip of line.

Frisco Fan reeved it through the de-1 tective's. arms, then passed both ends over his shoulders and drew his manacled wrists hack of his head, where she securely bound them, and then fastened his elbows together in front of his face— a position -which, of develish ingenuity, rendered him utterly incapable to make any successful effort to escape. ■"There!" she exultantly cried, while Black, after having watched her in silence, now loudly" laughed. "I reckon that'll hold you, all right. It's up to you. now. Mr. Nick Carter, to take some medicine you'll not fancy. "Hlf no one kicks, I'll be the one to hand it to you."

Nick looked up at her mocking face from between his twisted arms.

1 "Don?t let your foot slip," he retorted, with ominous oignificance. "If you do, the medicine coming to you will be administered—through a wire!"

CHAPTER XX. A LAST RESORT. It was ten o'clock when Chick Carter prepared to leave home that morning, to look up the three men with whom Frank Randall had engaged to play cards on the night of the t'axicab murder.

Just as he was about to depart, however, .Patsy Garvan put in an appearance, not much the worse for liis knockout by Jake Marvin, and he speedily wormed out of Chick the line of work then in view. "Say, that's all right, barring one thing," Patsy forcibly protested. "What's that?" Chick asked, surprised. "Mc!" "You!" "Sure! Ain't I to have a hand in tho work 1" "You've done your part of it!" "Done it be hanged!" "Besides," Chick added, laughing, "you're a dead one." "Dead one—l guess not!" "There's a wreath on the door for you. You're as good as laid out and embalmed! Everybody knows you're dead. You •can't l>e resurrected just because you want to butt anto this case again. Keep quiet and cool, like a well-behaved corpse, and we'll bury you in a few days with all the solemnity and pomp you can ask for. I'll get you a broken column, Patsy, and-—"

"Say, cut it out," Patsy hotly interrupted, glaring at Chick's twinkling eyes. "None of you will lay mc out, you can bet on that. And I'm not going to hang round here like a bolonga in a meat shop, not if there's anything doing. I'm going out in disguise, and mix in somehow." Chick turned grave in a moment when he saw that Patsy really felt hurt over being deprived of his customary part in tfhe work of his associates. "You wait here a while," he replied, laying his hand on the loyal youngster's shoulder. "Unless I am much mistaken, Patsy, I shall ferret out something that will necessitate my having help. One can't follow up three, you know, if it should be play of that kind. I -want you where I can reach you by phone in -ease you are needed." "Well, that's more like it, Patsy allowed though still restless and doubtful. "I'm not going to he shelved, mind you, if there's any part of the work where I can fit in." ■ . "Don't' you worry, saad Chick con- ! fidently. "You'll hear from mc later, all right." ' ! He somehow felt sure that he was .about to make a discovery and become more active in the case. He turned fiia attention, first of all, to looking up Benjamin 'Black, whom he knew to be one of the law firm employed by Randalls uncle, a fact that appealed with some significance to Chick and started lum in, that direction, _■». '

-Half an hour later he entered the building in whiwh -the office of the firm was located, designing to have a look at young Black, of whom he had only a verbal description. An elevator was just descending, and Chick joined a group of men awaiting it in the corridor.

He had arrived in the nick of time. As the car stopped on the street floor, he saw through the iron lattice a face that instantly impressed him. It looked abnormally pale, and wore an expression of anxiety and abstraction that Chick was quick to notice.

It was that of a dark, well-built man, smoothly shaved,- and as he stepped out' of the car'one of the group of waiting men greeted him.

"Hello, Ben!" he exclaimed. "Bound off?"

"After a drink," was the terse reply, hurriedly made. "I'm feeling a bit off colour."

"By jove, he looks it'," thought Chick. "Ben Black, too, as sure as I'm aJive and kicking. Something has occurred to annoy, if not alarm him, or he wouldn't look like that. I'll do more than ask where he's bound—l'll see for myself." ' Chick proceeded to shadow him. Ben Black made a bee line for the nearest salpon, where he verified his assertion by taking a drink of -whisky limited only by the capacity of the glass. Chick bought a cigar and furtively watched him—noting his tremulous hand, the single gulp with which he drained the. glass, the nervousness with which he hurried away—and Chick also drew a promising •conclusion.

"It's a cinch now that he's my man," he said to himself. - "Off colour is right, inside and out. Only a. man up against trouble drinks like that. What — again!"

■ Ben Black had left the first saloon only to hasten into a second, in which he drained another glass. The double potation seemed to steady him—hut did not dispel his look of anxiety. He departed move slowly and headed for the nearest subway station. Chick Carter continued to shadow him. Ben Black went home and hurried into the house—precisely tJwo hours after the holding up of Nick Carter by Anson Black and Frisco Fan.

It was a hint at this by telephone, a3 soon as he could be found and informed, that occasioned Ben Black's perturbation and brought., him home post-haste.

Chick knew that' something had alarmed him, though iio could not conjecture what, and he sought a favourable place of concealment from which, he could watch the house—a wall dividing a neighbouring estate from the somewhat secluded avenue. It was then nearly noon. Minute after minute, for more than two hours, Chick persistently watched the house, without a sign of anything to repay his vigil. Soon after two o'-elock, however, a neatly dressed,"veiled woman came out and walked briskly up the evenue, passing within a dozen yards of the watching detective. Chick gazed after her, almost impelled to follow her and temporarily drop his former quarry, 'when she turned abruptly and approached a house also in view from his hiding Harlow residence. . There she rang a hell and talked briefly with a girl who came to the door, and for whom she continued to wait. In a very' few minutes the girl returned, clad in her street garments, and departed in company with the woman. ' (To be Continued next Saturday.).