THE Murder on the Downs

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue LXI, 12 July 1930, Page 12 (Supplement)

THE Murder on the Downs

By ANTONY MARSDEN.

CHAPTER Vl.—(Continued.) The Arrival of the Enemy. Now, when Lord Meldrum first proposed the impromptu drive, his guest had shown signs of a certain not unnatural surprise; on the way, too, as the slow miles lengthened out behind them, Wale's curiosity had more than once been perceptible. Yet now, as they stood desolate in that empty space: now as they stared unseeing towards the view that would have been "very fine by daylight": now that the blank futility of their quest, in short, had reached its lunatic climax—Geoffersou Wade stood and listened to his host's halting rhapsodies as though the position in which he found himself were the most reasonable in the world. It may have been that he had had time, by now, to grow acclimatised to the old gentleman's eccentricities; or, perhaps, some more potent reason. . . He concurred gravely enough, at all events, in Meldrunv's spasmodic raptures. "The English Channel, sure! Yes, I can.kind o' get the line of it, now- ■" "And out there beyond, the island —" ''The Isle of Wight?" A new sharpness came suddenly into the American's tone. "Say, that's where Jake Knottman served his sentence, isn't it?" Meldrum nodded, and a brief silence fell between theni—a silence : which hinted that, though the ex-convict's name had not been mentioned since they left The Chine, he Was the subject uppermost in both of their thoughts. Then Wade said slowly:

"Say, baron, I've kind o' cogitated what you were telling me back home to-night—'bout Knottman putting up that blackmail threat at you . . . . though maybe I shouldn't mention it ?>

"Go ahead," his lordship murmured. "You gave Jake a bearer cheque, you say?"

"It was the only way I could get rid of him. Most, persistent fellow. Mind you, I told him that it couldn't be met." "And yet Jake seemed satisfied?"

"He was satisfied. Told me himself. Of -course, when he hands it in—er— the day after to-morrow —he'll be no farther on; and in due time the thing will find its way back to me, marked R.D.—or is it N.G. ? I've had them quite a number of times, but I never can rememher which." "Gee, haron, you didn't oughta done that!" Wade's tone was. uneasy. "Don't you see, Jake's liable •to bring a threat of civil action against you, putting him off like that —and then you'll be worse in his power than ever." "I didn't think of that," said the old gentleman meekly. "But Jake did, you het! I allow that was just part of.his game." "I see—l shall have to take steps," was Meldrum's vague reply; and then he went on more cheerfully, "but there'll be time enough to think of that when the cheque is returned. Never meet trouble half-way. Good maxim. I say; what about turning hack?" 4* The two men walked hack in. silence through the tunnel of trees to where ™ they had -left the car; Wade waited in some trepidation for the other to turn— a feat that was liable to prove too much for his skill on the dark hillside. But Lord Meldr.um. drove straight ahead on ** the hard crown of the road.' * ; *» /"We'll go home by the loop," he exit plained. Nor, till tliey topped the crest '■--- where' they had lately stood, arid Wade reminded -him, did he remember to switch on his lights again.; "I am afraid my forgetfulness will get me into trouble some day!" he confided to his passenger. They turned northwards-presently and drove home in silence. ■■■■"■'-■ : »- »v*». ■■<-• - It was considerably past midnight when ithey returned to Tlie-Chine; old Meldrum showing the same . awkwardness ih turning off the main road which Wade had observed before. However, he shot his own drive-gate accurately enough and pulled up while they were still some way from the house.' "Mr. and Mrs. Coverdale sleep on the far side," said Meldrum' "softly, "but we won't risk disturbing them, I think." The cold supper left..by Fay and Tommy was still untouched, as they found to their surprise. The two plea-sure-seekers, evidently,' were taking longer than . they had anticipated over their return. "Shall we wait up for them?" Wade asked. 'But for once Meldrum's reply was both prompt and definite."Oh, no. You are tired, I'm sure, and so am I. A whisky, and then to bed!" As he sipped off his drink, Wade said reflectively: "Y'know, baron, I can't help wondering if we—if you aren't taking a big risk .... about that dud cheque. I mean, he added rather hastily, avoiding the other's eye. Meldrum sighed. One must take risks sometimes, Mr. Wade . . . . when other risks seem bigger." And after a little pause he went on,'half to himself: ! "'But you were right in what you said » this evening. Oh. abundantly right: * It's a great pity Mr. Knottman couldn't * have stopped where he was—if only for I a day or . .-■'"' :

£ Wade nodded.: "Yea," sir! I allow, if e Jake liad his deserts he'd be there for •* life .... or somewhere hotter, baron! - Somewhere hotter, for choice!" "Yes, that would solve both our prob- _ lems, wouldn't it?" agreed his lordship mildly as they made for the stairs. They went up together, treading softly, S and parted at Wade's, door without fur- — ther speech. Between these two middleaged friends, so queerly matched, there had already sprung up a very full and perfect understanding. « * • , • "You're a liar, Craggs!" In a slum tenement off York Road, Southwark. three men leaned forward ! over a table lit by a candle end, which had been fixed into the neck of a bottle. • They were engaged in surly argument, in which the man called Craggs—a weedy, flashily-dressed individual with ox-convict written all over him—seemed to be blustering his faith in some contention which the two others denied. '; "He's out, I tell you! Call me a liar "Oh, come off it, Craggs! You've just been mistook;" , "'Ow could I be mistook? 'Aven't I teen 'irn on. parade, every day till three •weeks back? It was 'im' all right, all right!"

" 'Is sentence runs into next year. Even with all the good marks he could 'ave earned, 'e "

. "That shows 'ow much you know what you're talking about. Strath! isn't it all of a piece with what I told you already—with what we three 'as got together over to-night? Knottman split on" Tom Thorney when 'e was going to escape. D'you think a split don't reap its blinking reward? That's why the blighter's been let loose early! ~ . . No," I ain't arguing; I'm telling you. I was wise to Tom Thorney's little game myself. I know."

His two hearers seemed half-convinced. "All right, get on with it," the first speaker said. "You spotted Knottman at Waterloo "

"Inside the barrier, I was—l'd taken a platform ticket. Knottman walked past and got on to the four-twenty. I was so taken aback and—and curious, I pot on, too. Knottman pot out at Ashtead— that's next stop before Lcather'ead. I got.out after 'im, and followed 'im to a place." "What place?" "I don't know. A country place with a park. It was near dark then, and when 'e turned in at the gate I sat in the hedge and waited. ... I mighc 'live followed 'im in—it was dark enough for that—but it was maybe as well T didn't; for I'd not sat there long before a big car stopped down the. road and a feller stepped out of 'cr and turned in at the same gate as Knottman." "Well? What then?" The man called Craggs hesitated. "Oh, I . . . it. got a bit parky after that, d'ye see, and. I quit. Came back 'ome

The first speaker rapped out an oath of bitter contempt. "Well! Call yourself a pal! MS re's a man docs your best pal down by splitting on 'im, and you just let 'iin'give you the go-by without a word said! Say, what did you follow 'im for all that way if you weren't going to do nothing?"

The third man intervened sarcastically. ";'E ain't said as 'e did nothing, Jim. Maybe 'e waited till Knottman came out again, just to lick is 'and? Borrowed 'alf-a-crown off 'im, Craggs, didn't you, for the sake of old times?"

Craggs turned resentfully, as though this shaft had gone home. "Don't you make too sure I did nothing, neither. I know what's owing to Mister Knottman, better than you! Maybe I 'ad a word with ?im before 'e left, after all ." His tone was boastful now, with the weak braggadocio of the coward whose lack of spirit lias been cast in his teeth. "Maybe I've told you all I did—and maybe I -aven't," he went on, more confidently as he perceived that his boasting had had some effect. "I know my dooty to a pal, without you reminding me. And I know hetter than to gab my comings and goings to the first pup that asks me, What's more!"

The rebuked one sprang up, and u quarrel seemed imminent, when the third man roughly intervened. "That'll' do, you fools. -What's Knottman, anyway? We've something better to do than sit here yapping about him " Craggs pulled up a heavy bag from -between his feet, and began spreading out before them a miscellaneous collection—purses, a watch or two, a pocket book." "I ain't lost my touch in quod," he observed complacently. And the conversation which ensued becamo strictly professional. CHAPTER VII. In the Small Hours. It.was past midnight when Fay Maynard, patiently waiting in the Rolls on the south side of Canute Road, where Tommy had parted from her, saw from tho corner of her eye a taxi draw into the i;ank nearly opposite, and set down its-.fare.- ; •■■ ■ ' "." . . It' was ,Jeb Kennedy. She recognised him •instantly in the light of the taxilamp, as -he'paid the driver. He walked the little way which separated, the cabrank from the tobacconist's, and turned in at the doorway over which the screened light still burned. Of Tommy there was no sign. She had made up her. mind, that Jeb had given his shadower the slip, and was already wondering what to do should Jeb reappear, when she heard Tommy's light step on the pavement behind her. He climbed in without a word; and to the girl, the arm which slipped tightly round her shoulders brought a sensation of unutterable relief. "Oh, Tommy, I'd nearly given you up!" "He's in?" .She nodded. "I paid off my taxi round the corner," Tommy explained. "Once I was sure he was going back to earth, I thought I'd better give him a few minutes to dig himself in, in case it occurred to him to take a slant up and down the street from his window."

"No one has looked out," she said. "That light's been burning on the first floor ever since you left. But where have you been?" She heard him chuckle in the dark. "Been on a sort of Cook's tour, baby!" In a few words, he told her how he had followed'Jeb' by the ferry to Cowes, and had heard him inquire for Parkhurst. "Parkhurst ? , That's i where—" "Yes. Mjght have.'guessed as much. Jeb's been' to call on Knottman personany" " ■••■ '■■'- ' ;' "And you? What have you been doing?" "Well," said Tommy in reply to Fay's question. "When Jeb miked off in the Cowes' taxi—there was only one —I thought first of hanging on. behind to complete the party. "That seemed risky, though not to mention the personal inconvenience and all that sort of thing. Then it occurred to me that Jeb was bound to come back —unless Knottman offered to put him up for the night!" He was exultant laughing, flushed with the excitement of the chase. "Well, the Cowes ferry and the Yarmouth one had already closed down, and there was only one way Jeb could make the return trip—Ryde. So I went to Ryde by cab—oh, a beautiful cab, my dear! Took more than an hour. I changed my helmet and goggles for Geoff's hat on the way; they'd been good camouflage, but I thought Jeb might think it odd if they turned up on this Ryde boat, too. "I hadn't long to wait before Jeb showed up in the Cowes taxi. We crossed to Portsmouth, took a fresh taxi each, and here we are!" The girl listened eagerly. "But, Tommy, if Job has seen Knottman the game's up—" Tommy shook his 'head. 1

"I don't think lie.lias seen him. ,i don't know muck about the way a prison is run, but it seems very unlikely they'd let Jeb drop in at 10 o'clock at night and have a chat with the patients. 1 reckon Jeb's applied for an interview, and will go back to-morrow or whenever his application's put through. Meanwhile, he reports progress to his friend—perhaps he'll sleep there':" They both stared doubtfully at the lift windows. "It looks more like an office than a house," whispered Fay. Tommy resumed: "At noon to-mor-row the' sale's clinched. If Jeb delays till then we can laugh at him. If notwell, we shall have to ilnd some way ot keeping him from Knottman, that's all. Mean while,-we can only watch and pray. . . . .'Did you warn Geoff?" "I've sent him word we're here," Fay answered. "I had no time to explain."

Up in the lighted room Jeb found the Englishman waiting. The place was furnished as an office; being, in fact, the premises of an agency with which Jeb's firm had sometimes occasion to deal.

When Jeb decided to leave Texas he was in something of a quandary; he had no wish to take his own employers into his confidence; he dared not even ask them the address of Knottman's ex-part-ner lest he should arouse suspicion; he knew only that Knottman was in gaol, and that his affairs were in the hands of one Sturt in London.

With no time to lose; he converted what little property he possessed into cash and set out to beat Wade to Southampton. But he had no friend there, nor even the name of anyone to whom he could apply, save only the unknown Baker, manager of the agency in Canute Road. From New York he had sent Bnkcr, therefore, a lengthy cablegram stating that he was crossing on business connected with his own firm, and asking Hakcr to obtain him, if possible, an interview with Knottman in gaol as soon as he landed. Baker looked up as his new acquaintance, citiue in. "Well, Mr. Kennedy? "What luck?" "Damned little!" the Texan growled. The other poured out a drink and motioned him to a chair. "I did what .1 could," he shrugged. "But as i warned you this evening, I had very little hope that you'd see Knottman to-night, i told the governor that your affair was of some urgency, and that as Knottman was due out quite soon, I hoped he'd not debar him from an interview that might help him in making a fresh start." "You saw the governor yourself?" Kennedy asked. "I did. I've been at some pains to oblige you, for the firm's sake. But rules arc strict, you see. And I must say the governor seemed very little inclined to let Knottman see anyone." "He didn't tell you Knottman was. coming out?" interrupted Kennedy. "Yes sir. It seems I'm just a few hours too late. They turned Jake Knottman loose this morning—" "This morning!" Baker stared. "Yeh! Seems there's a bit o' mystery about it, anyway. I saw the governor's secretary, and he Avas dumb as a fish. Knottman's let loose before his time; no reasons given; and no questions answered, what's more, as to where a man can find him. Seems like they've kind o' smuggled him away in a bag! All that the sccrctary'd tell me was the address of his business partner in Fenchurch Street London."

"Well, you can get Mr. Knottman's address from him. There's a good train to town about breakfast time.

"Say, Mr. Blake, you don't get mo quite clear! This here business I'm on is a bit more urgent than that. If I go by your breakfast train, I can't make Sturt's ollice by nine, I guess? And without troubling you with a lot ol details, I may say that if I show up at Stint's a few minutes too late, my whole trip's liable to be just wasted! I gotta go right now." "But there's no way —" Kennedy leaned forward. "Your car's across the road, you said? Will you loan lies or hire her to me?. I'm a bit short o' money till I'm through with Knottman —" In truth, Jeb Kennedy's passage had left him no more than a few dollars in his purse. "I allow they'll not let a stranger have a car from a garage, not without hiring the driver, too; and that's more than I'm worth." Baker was silent, staring doubtfully at the card of introduction which Kennedy had presented from his firm. And the other went on persuasively —"Your linn and mine's done business for a good while now, huh ? I'll lay they'll be ready to show tlieir gratitude in a substantial way, Mr. Baker, if you can oblige me this how? And myself, too . . you'll understand I'd not be making this rushtrip if there wasn't big money in it? Baker rose with a nod. The firm whose credentials Kennedy bore was too good a client of his to be slighted; and the American's last words argued no common urgency. Indeed, he would never have waited here so late for his guest's return, had not the other already succeeded in impressing him with the paramount importance to the "firm's business" on which Jeb professed to have come. "You can drive her, of course?' "You bet . . . say, let me drop you at your home as I go?" "No, thanks, I live close by. But I'll get out the car right away, if you're pressed for time." "That's real friendly of you* Mr. Baker, and I shan't forget it!" , The Englishman was already leading the way to the stairs. "That's all right. I'm happy to oblige your firm, since the: matter's urgent." "You've said it, sir! It's just the most urgent ever.' I can give you my word." (To be continued daily.)