BIRDS of PREY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 29, 4 February 1933, Page 12 (Supplement)

BIRDS of PREY.

Author of "The Exquisite Lady," "Stone Blunts Scissors,"' "The Jtan IFfto Laughed," etc., etc.

CHAPTER XXI. McGrory stood watching her, revelling in- hor anguish. The man's back was turned towards the door, which had been opening gradually, slowly, silently. As McGrory was about to placc the redhot iron against the cheek of the almost insensible girl, a voice spoke harshly from the door: "Stop that, McGrory; Drop that poker and up with your hands! Just in time, I think!" It was the voice of Detective-Inspec-tor John Lynton. The poker fell from McGrory's nervous fingers. He stood motionless, not daring to look round. The poker fell to the floor, and the red-hot end slowly began to burn yet another hole in the threadbare carpet. Kstelle opened her eyes. The voice—that voice which she had longed to hear—the voice of. John Lynton spoke again. "Pick up that poker, McGrory. Want to set the house 011 fire? Put it back in the fender. Not in the fire this time. Turn round, McGrory. Let me have a look at you." .McGrory turned slowly. He dreaded looking into the piercing blue eyes of Detective-Inspector John Lynton, who had caught "him red-handed in this vile act of cruelty. All the spirit had left the- bullying creature. He was beaten. •A vision rose before him of a prison cell, a short walk one morning about dawn and a sudden drop—out of life. He looked at the man whose unexpected interference had—from his point of view —been so untimely. Blank astonishment came into his eyes; he stared. This was not John Lynton. A dark young man, dressed in a neat brown suit, and wearing a small black moustache.

"Who are you?" asked McGrory. The young man-laughed.- It was not the laugh of Inspector"John Lynton, but that of Ben Sherwood. All Estelle's hopes of release were shattered. She knew that laugh; it could belong to no one other than the man whom ehe dreaded just as much as McGrory. She stared at the man before her. Was he the murderer from whom she had fled in terror not so long before? His make-up was marvellous; there was no trace of the Ben Sherwood she knew, and yet — that laugh! There is something intensely individual in a person's laugh, and this time Sherwood had not disguised it. Also, he had given a pcrfect imitation of John Lynton's voice; no one but Sher\/jod could have deceived her so utterly. And yet she waited. Ho spoke, and the voice was the voice of Ben Sherwood. '"I am surprised at you, McGrory. What on earth has this young lady done to tou that you should take such a cruel revenue? Beautiful women are not so plentiful. Do you not think we should do all in our power to preserve such

beauty?" . . ~ f McGrory could do nothing in the face of the automatic which Sherwood held in his hand, and which was pointed unerringly at his chest. "I see that you do, continued Sherwood. "Well, if that's the case, why deprive one of these rare ones of her beauty," ■ „• _ "Stow it!" said McGrory. "Don't talk to me like that, McGrory. When you address mc, remember to say 'sir.' You've been fooled all roundfooled by this girl first when vou. I know all about that. Just sit down in that chair, McGrory. iow remain quite quiet and no nonsense. Remember, the slightest sign of resistance and out you go from this world 'Which you're leaving anyway, ne soon as the police get-hold of you. Did you succeed in doing in the man whose address I gave you?" "Whoso address you gave mc ; - "Not so. loud, please. I don t know how many people there are in this house. I rather gather that you're alone in it, from nay previous visit, when I as taking the part of old man Vickers. "What?" gasped McGrory. "A few minutes ago, said Sherwood, "you failed to recognise me, McGrory, partly because I'd given you the impression .before you saw me that 1 was somebody else. Suggestion is a great deal-, vou know, in the art of impersonation. It never occurred to you that I wasn t Vickers, partly because you met mc looking like Vickers, partly because you met me where you might have expccted to meet Vickers. I was very grateful to you, McGrory, because I would certainly have walked into that trap set for ine by Inspector Lynton if it liadn t been for your warning. In exchange, and out of that feeling of gratitude, I gave you the address of the man you wanted. Have you succeeded in dealing with lnm as you desired?" "I have," said McGrory, viciously. /'That's good, and I'll tell you why. I wanted that man out of the way, too. He was the head of the gang, McGrory, who squealed on you—the gang for whom I worked for some time. But you've still to get your revenge on the man who impersonated that poor boob, Thompson, and took the money from Inspector, Lynton." "Wasn't it the same man?" "Oh, dear, 110. The chief doesn't mix up in these things. He pretends that he's the brain, or he used to, McGrory. You say he's out of action?' "Yes," said McGrory. "I shot him." "Splendid! He was one of the men I wanted out of the way. There's another, McGrory. Do you know who it is?" "Inspector Lynton ?" "I've not got much use for Lynton because he's a police officer," said Sherwood. "But I don't wish him any particular harm. Think again." "Old man Vickers," said the other. "He's dead," said Sherwood. "Ho was in the way, so I removed him. In exactly the same manner, McGrory, as this other person is in the* way, and is also going to be removed." Fear came into McGrory's eyes as Estelle watched himr She was striving to understand what lay behind Sherwood's grim pleasantries. ."Not—not me?" McGrory said, haltingly. 1 "Yes, my friend. When you met me this evenin" and told me how you longed to get your own back on the man who had squealed on you I gave you the , chance. I wanted that man out of the way. I wanted one or two others out of . the way, too. Vickers, for instance. He's ' gone. You're an important addition to the mortuary, from my point of view. . You know too much about mc. If at , liberty you might try to get me out of the way. It's going to be the other ' way about. But when you came to me 1 to-night and told me that you wanted to . get hold of this man whom I had 1 known for so long as my chief, I was nothing loath to give you the address 1 and directions you required. Now I 1 have come to finish you. I had no 1 thought that I was to have the pleasure < of seeing Estelle Desmond here." ' As he was speaking he walked to the c chair in which McGrory sat, and sud- t galvanised himself into activity.] t

By GERARD FAIRLIE.

He moved with amazing speed, and from his coat pocket took several lengths of thick cord. This he wound round McGrory and fastened securely so that the man was in a very short time as powerless to move as he had made Estelle. He then moved round, so that he was standing directly between tlie two chairs. '•'Almost as neat a job as you've made of that poor girl. I came ready for it, you may notice; I had everything in my pocket that I might require. I'm going to finish you off. You've ceased to be useful to me. You've done in the only other fellow I wanted ot get rid of. Well —now you must go yourself." When a bully finds himself bullied in his turn he usually crumples up like a pricked balloon. JVlcCrory was no exception to the rule. He had bullied all his life, and now that Ben Sherwood was obviously the master, and was giving him a taste of his own medicine, McGrory began to whimper; a noise which disgusted both his hearers. He implored for mercy, he offered to become Sherwood's slave, to do anything that the man would require of liim if only his life were spared. Sherwood spat into the fire. It was a perfect and convincing demonstration of the disgust which Estelle felt. Sherwood turned to the girl. Gently he removed the gag from her mouth. He thrust it into McGrory's mouth, fastening it sccurcly. The words ceased abruptly. From that moment Sherwood paid him 110 attention. Instead he walked over to the girl. "So we meet again, Estelle." Estelle regarded him coldly. She knew how to deal with this man better than she had been able to deal with the bully, McGrory. Undoubtedly by his timely appearance he had saved her from torture. But she was in no mood to remember this in his favour. She could not forget his savage appearance as he had knifed the man who had been his companion, the last time she had seen him. He had confessed to having killed Vickers; he had confessed to having been the instrument whereby the man to whom he had referred to as "the chief" had lost his life, for he had given all the information and all the details necessary for the execution of the crime, and she could not forget the extraordinarily warped ingenuity of mind which had arranged for one of the men whom'lie wanted out of the way to destroy the other.

"So we meet again, Estelle," repeated Sherwood quietly.

"My name is Desmond." "Are wo to be so frigid with caeh other, wo who were once partners? Don't forget that, Estellc. You and I wero partners—in crime. It isn't for you to ride the high horse with me. You may not have gone so far as I, but still the fact remains that you're not so darned innocent as you're trying to make out. I'm right, aren't I?" "Yes," acknowledged the girl, dully. "Now we have a basis for what I'm about to propose. I have a grudge against you, listellc. You fled" into the night and left me in the lurch when I might have beep thankful for your help. It was not long before you acquainted the police Avith information regarding me which, had tliey been able to get hold of me, would have made tilings extremely awkward. Would have cost me my life, in fact. You owe me reparation for what you did then, don't you ?" "No, no, a thousand times no! You killed a man. You deserve to —" "To liang for it, eh? That's a matter of tho point of view. I was due to lose my . freedom for many years had I not done away with the Dude. I maintain that you owe me reparation. Where would you have been now if I hadn't arrived just when I did this evening? That brute there would certainly have tortured you and killed you when he had satisfied his lust for cruelty. So you owe me your life. Aro wo agreed?"

"I do owe you my life, I can't deny it. But you owe mo something:. You brought me into all this, for it is you who are responsible. You took me from the stage with the high promise of a wonderful chance of fame and fortune quickly. You told me of a fictitious play which wanted backing; that the two thousand, if wo got it, would be treated only as if we had borrowed it, and that it would be repaid within a month of the start of the play—and I believed you. You owe me reparation for that, Ben, and don't forget it."

Sherwood was rather taken aback by the girl's spirit.

"And, Ben," said Estelle, "these ropes are hurting me."

"Just for a little while, Estelle. Only until you give me your word. You wouldn't break your word once you had given it. Listen, Estelle, it was through me that you've been drawn into all this. But you must agree that when you left me in the lurch like that, left me to go straight to the police, to my enemies, to toll them of my deed, why then you were not playing fair. I suggest that those two things be wiped out and that wc start again from the beginning. You still owe me for your life, a rather bigger matter than anything I might owe you. Shall we have it that way?" "I suppose I must," she said. "I'm afraid so," said Sherwood. "It's better to owe me for that, you know, than not to owe me for it. Supposing I hadn't arrived until five minutes later? And this is what I want in return, Estelle; nothing very difficult. I want you to come away with me." Sherwood saw the girl stiffen. "Don't worry. I don't demand anything of you. I want you to come away with me more or less as a hostage until I am free of the country, then you may do anything you like, for all I care. I shall hate to part company with you, but I will play fair; you may do precisely as you like, only before I release you from your bonds you must promise that you will come with me." Estelle could not see what the man would gain by it. Why, if he was letting her go, should he stipulate that she must go out of the country with him first ? And then the truth dawned. He was sparing her life, and in order to do this without endangering his own, it was necessary to take her with him as hosttage until he was safely out of the country. But would she not be spoiling all John Lynton's chances of "making good" of capturing this clever criminal who had fooled him so completely ? "If I release you," Sherwood said, sensing that she was wavering, "you will be pestered by the police again, and they will be able to persuade you to give me away once more. I don't want that to happen until I am well out of their clutches. I've got more money than I can hope to spend for quite a considerable time. What's more, as soon as McGrorv here has gone, there'll be no one else, excepting the

police, who arc my enemies. So you see, Estelle, that's all I want of you, that you'll come with me and be out of harm's way until we touch the French coast. Then do as you like. You needn't think that I'll leave you stranded. I'll give you enough money to return to London, to do anything you like, within reason. Which is it to be t" Estelle was thinking. • "Listen," said Sherwood. "It's nearly seven now. There's a boat train leaves Victoria at 8.20, Newhaven to Dieppe, and then you're your own mistress once more and can say what you like about me. There'll be no trouble about passports. I've got one that will suit you: I always carry odd ones about. It's very reasonable, Estelle,' I don't ask much of you, do I ? Think—you . owe me your unblemished beauty. You owe me your life. This isn't much to ask of you in return, is it ?" He was treating her fairly. It was little to ask of her, that she should be his companion as far as Erance, after which she could return immediately and lay all her information with the police. He had not even demanded her silence. He had given her a free hand in everything, excepting ,the few hours during which he would escape. But v.hat was the whole point of the matter. By agreeing to his proposal, she would be conniving at his escape, assisting .him to evade the law, which to Estelle meant — John Lynton, Was it right to buy her life at such a price and by so doing help a murderer to fly from justice, help him to escape to another country where, who knows, ho might possibly continue his abominable crimes? The girl was finding the decision a difficult one. For there was still about Ben Sherwood a lawless gaiety and irresponsibility which had appealed to Estelle when she had first met him on the stage. Although he deserved to be hanged the thought that he might meet his death through her appalled the girl. Better to leave things as they were, and help him to escape from the country. It would be impossible for him to return, and—and Estelle did not fancy herself in the role of criminal catcher.

"All right, Ben. I'll do it." "Word of honour?" insisted Sherwood gently. "Word of honour," said Estellc. Taking from his pocket the knife which h© always carried —the sight of which made the girl shiver with disgust —he cut her bonds and set her free. He then took her hands in his own and raising her to her feet, wiped the white marks on her wrists where the cords had cut into the flesh. "Poor little girl. Never mind. This bnite won't live to do that to any other girl." "Doft't kill him, Ben. Leave him here to be captured by the police. If he's got to die let him die at their hands." "No interference with me. I can't possibly, do what you ask. If I leave McGrory to fall into the hands of the polico it might happen just too soon for my own safety." All the time he was gently pushing her towards the door, and she was now through it and in the passage. Sherwood released his hold oil her arm., "Stop here for a few minutes, Estellc. See how I trust you." With that he returned through the door and closed it. The man acted with a rapidity which was characteristic. Everything that was inflammable within reach he piled in front of the fire and round McGrory's chair. Curtains, woodwork, sheets from the bed, everything that he could lay his hands on which would serve the purpose; and as lie did eo he spoke quietly; "You wanted to burn her, did you, McGrory? You were going to kill her through fire. You, yourself, are going to go out through fire then. You've chosen your own exit. I shouldn't have thought of it but for you." A few minutes later Sherwood canio through the door to the waiting girl outside, closed it and hurried her into the« street. (To to be continued Saturday next.)