DONE IN THE DARK;

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LII, Issue 9186, 5 September 1906, Page 2

DONE IN THE DARK;

-Or- ! THE STRANGEST CASE ON RECORD., By NICHOLAS CARTER, (Author of "Nabob and Knave," "Tangled Threads," "The Silent Partner," "The OJd Detective's Pupfl," "The Crime of a Countess." etc. CHAPTER Kin. ! THE DETECTIVE ART. Nick Carter lost no time in rejoining Click, and Donald Kelsey at their hotel, j "I've got it down pat, boys." he tri- ! ' umphantly declared, upon entering their , room. i "Not the whole case !" exclaimed Chick surprisedly. I "Most of it, Chick." j "And solved *.he mystery*" "The chief mystery." "You amaze me !" cried Kelsey, in ris- , ing excitement. "You have not found Stella?" • "Not yet." . I "Can you give me any hope that she is alive and safe?" "More than I gave you yesterday," re- , plied Nick, hastening to (relieve the young J man of his. suspense. "I now believe that . j&o is alive, and I hope,, that she is sab and well." "Heaven grant it!" cried Kelsey fervontly. "You aw giving me a new lease ' of life, Detective Carter." > '•What have you learned, Nick?" Chick j now asked, scarcely able to suppress his impatience | Nick quickly told them all that he had j aeen and heard at Gihnore's residence,, and described the ruse by which he had averted the latter's suspicion, adding in no small degree- to their astonishment. "But what do you now make of it, Nick?" asked Chick, not quite as quick as the former to make the correct deductions. ' "I don't just see the point." "Nor do I, Mr Carter," put in, Kelsey. ; "It's as piaam as two tunee two, boys," | replied Nick. 'To begin with, Maggie Gil- , more must in &ime way have got into the | home of Stella Ccbuin in Fordham, so craftily as not to attract the attention of the neighbors, and also without the knowledge ol the servant-girl." "That would not have been very difficult." - -"Not at all, when we consider her relation to Stella and the latter's unsuspecting nature described by Kelsey." "She is all I have represented." "Furthermore," continued Nick, "she may have had the add of Gregory, who was, I am now convinced, none other thaa this Professor Karl Kramer, the druggist and chemist, then tinder an effective dis-. guise." "No doubt of it." ' "With some concoction supplied to her by Kramer, the first step of Maggie Gilmore then consisted of drugging Stella and concealing her in some part of the house." "That would have been easy, also." "As easy as ureaking sticks," nodded Nick. "Next in order, Maggie Gilmona probably made use of Stella's wardrobe and succeeded, by means of that and their ' striking personal resemblance, in briefly deceiving Martin Coburn and the servant, and passing- herself off as her cousin." "Sure thing!" exclaimed Chick. "It could have been done in no other way." "Her next etep," Nick went on, "probauiy taken within an hour or two after her entrance into the house, was to kill Martin Coburn with some virulent drug provided by Kramer, «nd which occasioned many of the symptoms of apoplexy.' "Horrible!" muttered Keteey, white with dismay. "That I am fight in that," continued Nick, "appeals in that Dr Horton thought he detected unusual symptoms, a rigid condition of the muscles not usually observed in apoplexy, and the fact that Coburn died 00 very quickly." j "You are right, Nick, for a fortune!" declared Chick, approvingly. "But surely Dr Horton, or some persons acquainted with Stella, -would have seen that this Gilmore -woman was not the former," protected Eebey, not quite able 7 to credit Nick's new theory. "She would not have dared take such long chances," "You are wrong," said Nick decidedly. "The»e raecals have played a deep game, -with a small fortune at stake, and their plans were laid with the utmost cara and precaution. Maggie Gflmore is a daring woman, moreover, and was inspired both with «rarioe and bitter envy, and she wai capable of teking all the desperate chances that the project imposed." "You may be right," admitted Kelsey, "but to me it looks pretty risky." "I observed those characteristics in her when I tat sow her," added Nick. "When yon described Stella Cobum to me, «n entirely different type of girl, I feet began to suspect toe tooth. It was fat thai reason that I brought you to Toronto, Mt Kelsey, for I kaew you would he-aMe to detect the fraud if Maggie Gilmore was 6tiil posing as her cousin." "Indeed, I should sty so!" "Such is not the case, however, and — " "But " "Hear me out," interrupted Nick. "I fot wish to make the case clear to jot." "Ooc" "Having slain Martin Coburn, as described," continued Nick, "it next became necessary not only to get his body to Buffalo for burial, but also to remove that of Stella. Coburn from the Fordham dwelling, in order to avert any possibility of its discovery snd their own exposure." "Oh, by Jove!" cried Chick, with a start. "Then it really was tbe body of Stella Cobum that you saw on the train, Nick, a»d not that of the Gilmore woma»?"

"Exactly." "I now see tbe whole game." "It became quite obvious to me, Chick, the moment I discovered the great resemblance between the two girls." "Certainly." i "The trunk in the parlor was put theTe ( only afi a blind, in order to dispel any j suspicion that possibly might arise," j Nick went on. "Also, a telegram was sent from Toronto—^probably from Gilmore, yet apparently signed by Maggie — stating that she was too ill to come to New York." ' "That was designed to show that she was ait home, and that it must have been Stella Cobum who was seen in Fordham and Buffalo." "Precisely." lAl 'A most crafty scheme!" "Her pretended illness, moreover, seems to explain why she was not seen in Toronto at that time." ■ < "Confined to the iouse, eh?" j "Certainly," nodded Nica. "They ! keep no servant to expose them, and her physician, Doctor Celley, who obviously is one of the gang, could testify that he had visited near daily, and that she had not left her home." "Thus cleverly concealing hex absence." "That certainly must have been their scheme." "What more?" enquired Kelsey, in amazement. "With Martin Coburn and Stella drugged, the next step was to get both bodies to Buffalo," proceeded Nick. "In this move Kramer again assisted Maggie, and i presumably tbe young chap I saw with him, and whose identity we must soon try to establish." j "We'll do that ail right, now that we've ' got iso fax," laughed Chick, significantly. I "The movements of the rascals at this stage were very shrewd," continued Nick, smiling. "While I think I now see plainly 1 how the tarick was turned." "How so?" "The young chap whom I saw enter with Kramer, otherwise Gregory, must have remained in the house," explained 1 Nick. "In his male attire, however, and disguised with a false moustache which, he ! had worn, Maggie. Gilmore left the house at five o'clock— not the young chap himself, as I inferred. ■ In this disguise, Chick, she travelled on the six o'clock express to Buffalo, taking with her the trunk containing Martin Cobuxn's body." "Ah, I see!" "Gilmore was then in Buffalo, awaiting her, Maggie Gilmore then resumed nerj female attire, and the body was taken from the trunk and made ready to be Teplaoed in the casket the moment it ar- ] rived." J "Exactly," nodded Guick,/ vastly tickled ! by the shrewdness' with, which Nick was finally shedding light upon the mystery. "An hour after Maggie," continued the great deteotive, "Gregory and the young ! chap left the Fordham house. The latter must then have worn some of Maggie Gilmore's clothing and was heavily veiled. ! They. left jjordham with the casket con- | taining Stella Cobuirn's body. Natmrally, ' I did not then think of such a scheme as that, and so I failed to penetrate tbe fellow's disguise." '"You'd havo been a wonder, Nick, if you had seen through it." I "Once safely upon the train, after hav- | ing delivered the casket at the baggagecar," continued! NJck, "both Gregory and I bis companion must nave discarded their disguise, the latter resuming male attire, which he probably had in the portmanteau they earned, and into which the discarded garments were then placed." "No doubt of it, Nick," nodded his assistant. "And that's why you could -not locate the suspected couple r on the train." "Precisely." < ' "The faofc that they had become two men, instead ol a man and a woman, would have baffled nearly any one." ' "That's about the size of it, Chick," Nick gravely assenetd. . . "But, Detective Carter " "Be patient a few minutes longer, Mr Kelsey, and I shall have finisnttu" "All right, sir." "Upon reaching Buffalo next morning, the two men evidently slipped out of the station and rejoined Meggie Gilmore at the house,, where Gregory resumed his das^ guise and was seen by me a little later." "While his companion discreetly kept out of sight." "Certainly." "It's as plain as the nose on your face," declared Chick. "A little later," continued Nick, "the casket arrived, and w«a not opened by Kearney, the undertaker. He no sooner had left the house, however, than Gregory and Gdknore must have opened it, and quickly changed the bodies, putting that of Martin Cobuin where it belonged, and probably concealing the drugged form of Stella in some part of the house." . "That's just the way you were fooled, Nick, I'll wager my life upon it." "I think it hits the nail on the head, Chick." "But they left the house in Buffalo, and Maggie Gilmore is now here in Toronto, said Kelsey. [ "Certainly »h« v," laughed Nick. "VeTy much here." | "But " "Oh, it's easily explained," Nick again interrupted. "Next morning Gilmore and his wife — the latter still pretending to be Stella Coburn— returned home. Gregory and the other chap, however, had disappeared. It is a safe wager, now, that they -remained beiund to look after Stella Coburn and get her out of the house bej fore an investigation, if one arose, should be made." "You think she was still drugged?" enquired Chick. Nick gravely nodded in assent. "Yes, Ido ihink so," said he. "It would not have been safe for them to have revived her. The probability is, I think, that they have devised some way by which to remove her from Buffalo to Toronto, and that she ia now in their custody." (Continued on p*ge> 8.)

Milk A

"AKve?" asked Kelsey, eagerly. ' ' Without a doubt. ' ' "But why do you think bo, Detective Carter?" the young man nervously cried, springing up from his chair. "Why do you thank they have not killed hst and ' disposed of her body, as they killed Martin Coburn, her uncle?' "I have a very good reason for thinking so. ' "Please state it." "Because if that had been their design ( . they would have executed it in Fordham, my dear, Kelsey, and not have taken the chances of transporting both bodies to Buffalo," declared Nick. *" "I hope you may be right," said Kelsey, 'more hopefully. "But* what ooject can they have in this?" 'I'll tell you," said Nick, never at the end oi his resources. "They were, determined to secure Martin Coburn' s lifeinsurance, and they finally have done so. They know that there still exists, however, a possibility that the forgery of the cheque settling the claim may be disfcovered and an investigation instituted." "In which case — -" "In which case," echoed Nick, "their scheme is to have Stella Cobuin alive, and to force her, probably through threats against her life, to admit that she endorsed the cheque and received the money ; also, that it was sh© who was seen both in Buffalo and in Fordham; and that the death, funeral, and burial of her' uncle were all aboveboard, and precisely as they have aimed to have them appeaT. "Thunderation !" cried Chick, gleefully. "There's no getting around that'argument, Nick." v "So I Tepeat, Mr Kelsey, I believe Stella Coburn to be alive and. here in Toronto," said Nick, who found considerable enjoyment in the young man's display of relief. "You are making a mew man of me, Mi , Carten," Kelsey gratefully Tejoined. "I cannot but feel that you are correct in these remarkable deductions." "Pretty nearly so, at least, ' nodded Nick. "But what is to be done next, sir?" asked Kelsey. "Can't we now inform the police and have Gilmoxe's house raided " "We can, Mr Kelsey, but we snail not," • replied Nick firmly. "There are several things yet to be done, and- we will get at them without delay. But no police in mine, not by a long chalk!" , i '*What are your -plans, Nick?", enquired Chick, seeing plainly by the light in Nick's eyes 'that now there was desperate ' work to be done. "My plans may be briefly stated," said Nick. "It is now only two o'clock, and we have most'of the afternoon before us. Before sunrise to-moonrow, Chick, we must - learn who Gilmore'e confederates are, the pasties who assisted in the- fraudulent cases of Hard and Thompson, and I want also rescue' Stella Coburn." "That's the talk(" exclaimed Chick, ap"There is plenty of work to be done, but I reckon we are good for it." "My plan is to divide the work between us," replied Nick. "Le me do my share, , cried KeJeey, eagerly. , "You shall have a finger in the pie, all ,'. right," laughed Nick. "I want you, Mr Kelsey, to see what you can learn from the burial records about Hurd %nd Thompson, and any facts that you otherwise i can gather. Be discreet, however, and make no enquiries that might put guilty parties 1 on their guard." ■ ~* v "Trust me tor that," nodded Kelsey. "Bear in mind that I am a lawyer." ) "Very good. Later we will have the bodies of those men exhumed and learn precisely of what tihey died." "A good scheme, Nick." "As for you, Chick, I want you to get after that chemist, Kramer, and see what you can discover. Don't proceed directly against him, but contrive to learn of whom his household consists, and what sort of a place he has out there." "You leave Kramer to me," said Chick*, (significantly. "Meantime, Nick, what do you intend doing: "I'm going to have another interview with James Gilmore and his rascally wife," declared Nick, with ominous austerity. "I'm going to harass them a little; and, if I fail to force them into a confesion, and into producing Stella Coburn, I will take the scamps out of their house in irons." "You are likely to invite- some,' rather desperate move on their fiart," suggested Chick, a bit apprehensively. "That's just whaib I want, for it will Be ready for any desperate move they dare make, Chick — don't you forget it. Now you and Mr Kelsey start out on your separate lines of work, and I will presently return for my second bout with the Gilmores." "Jt'fi to be to a finwh this time, eh?" laughed Chick. "Yes," declared Nick, rising. "And the finish will be a knock out!" (To be continued') te Yfcu must feel happy in this lovely cotfc lage you call your own?" "How can I, when* I think of my family that owned an estate of tihousands of acres, with a castle and a whole regiment of servants?" u Why, when did they lose *V" "During the eleventh century." 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