The Third Man.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXXII, Issue 2802, 18 November 1931, Page 3

The Third Man.

By

C. K. THOMPSON.

(Copyright.)

CHAPTER XI. It was half-past eleven when Inspector Basslnglon retired. Ayesha had sought her room hours before, but the detective-inspector had remained In the quiet of the sitting-room tirelessly piecing together the facts of the case. He was no nearer to a solution when the clock struck the halfhour before midnight, and he rose from his comfortable chair with a yawn, knocked the ashes from his pipe, and made his way upstairs. He was half asleep when he heard midnight strike. He counted the strokes one by one, and guessed, sleepily, that they emanated from the old grandfather clock in the Judge’s study. Suddenly he became wide awake and sat bolt upright in bed. The sound of a loud crash had come to his ears from somewhere downstairs. Quickly he slipped out of bed, put on his slippers and, taking his service revolver from the table, spend in the direction of the lower quarters. Reaching the hall, he paused and listened intently. All was quiet again. Cautiously ho made his way in the direction of the study and, with a quick perk of the wrist, opened, the door. He did not enter immediately. He was too old a hand al the game for that. Ho waited, pressed against the wall of ihe hall, but heard nothing. Then, taking his courage in both hands, he slipped Into flic study ami switched on the light.

First glance showed him that the windows were wide open, hut what caught ids eye and held it was the shattered remains of the chair on which he had been sitting as he questioned Broadway that afternoon, lie made his way to the windows and closed them, after peering cautiously into the dark grounds. Then ho drew the curtains and began Ills examination of the chair. At first glance It appeared as if the chairs had been deliberately attacked with an axe, but, if that were so, what on earth could ho the reason for such an insane Joke? There w?» the mark of a sharp Instrument of some kind on the side of the chair, while the top of It had boon lifted completely off. Ho went to the door and listened. Apparently the noise had not aroused the"rest of the household. Quietly the Inspector made his way along the passage and Into the kitchen, presently coming to a stop at .Urn Broadway's door. Me placed his ear against the wood and listened intently. Thon, nodding to himself, he suddenly threw the door open. Broadway, fully dressed, was sitting on the bed, and In his eyes there was a look of Intense terror. His tongue was protruding and his Jaw sagged. He gazed at the inspector stupidly and then, without warning, began to sob like a child. This spasm passed and then the quiet was disturbed by a sudden outburst of blood-curdling laughter which chilled the Inspector to the bone. Ho gazed al the man in shocked amazement. What was wrong with the fellow? Apparently the man had Just become aware that Basslngton was tn the room, for ho Jumped to his feet and rushed Into a corner, where he fell on his kncscß “Don’t louch me!" ho shrieked. "Go awyiy and leave me In peace! I won t do it again. Help! help I" Basslngton went across the room quickly, grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him roughly. "What’s wrong with you, man?" he said, harshly. "The iron man, the iron man! Don’t let him touch mcl” howled the chaffour, clinging to the Inspector In a paroxysm of mortal terror. "What on earth are you talking about?" said Basslngton, shaking In spite of himself. Broadway broke down and began to whimper like a frightened child. He covered his face with his hands as if to shut out some awe-inspiring sight, and then he laughed that demoniacal laugh again. “The follow’s off hls onion.’ said Basslngton to himself. "I’b bolter got a doctor to look at him.’’ He made as If to leave the room, but Broadway clung to him. The face of the man had changed amazingly from that of ft quiet, if sulky, servant, to something resembling an ape-man of the Jungle. It was absolutely distorted with terror. Basslngton could not make him out at all. Ho tried to shake the man off, but without warning Broadway launched himself through the air and in a moment the two men were fighting hard. . Something had driven the ohautfeur quite mad, and his strength, like that of all madmen, was almost superhuman. By great good luck, Bassington managed to get his gun firm free and brought the butt of the revolver down on the man’s head with crushing force. Broadway collapsed in a heap on the floor, frothing at the mouth. The inspector’s keen eyes darted around the room, but he could not see what he sought. He eventually found it in a corner of the kitchen—a coll of rope, and in a few moments Broadway

was trussed up like a chicken. Bassinglon then made his way to the study and called up the ambulance. This done, he returned to the chauffeur’s room, sat down on the bed and contemplated his prisoner. Broadway’s return to consciousness coincided with the arrival of the ambulance. He lay on the floor and made great efforts to break his bonds. His eyes wore wild, and in them Bassington plainly saw the light of madness. He wondered what the fellow had seen to put him In such a state. The ambulance men wanted Io release him to take him away, but Basslngton counselled them to let well alone and they carried the chauffeur out on a stretcher, yelling, singing, swearing and sobbing alternately. Once he shouted out something about an iron man, but Basslnglon had given up hope of trying to understand what Ihe follow meant. Naturally the uproar of the past ten minutes had aroused Ayesha and the maid, and to them Basslnglon told a convincing talc. He explained that Jlrn had been out on a bender and had arrived home drunk. He had become violent and the inspector had been forced to knock him out. “I've sent him off to the cooler for the night,” he said, airily. “If 1 can't arrest murderers, I can fix drunks up.” Ayesha and the maid accepted the explanation, but their sympathies wore with Ihe hapless Broadway. Ayesha 1 hought that her uncle had been unnecessarily strict, but did not comment on it. She bade him good night for the scco.nd time within a few hours and sought the seclusion of her room. The inspector did likewise. He was In his office bright and early next morning and the first news that greeted him was a report from Ihe hospital authorities that. In their opinion, Broadway was quite insane. He would be kept under observation for a time, but it was a foregone conclusion that It would be a padded cell for him eventually. He had been quite violent and had to be forcibly- subdued.

“It’s quite plain Io me what has happened." said Superintendent Perry, when Basslngton told him the facts. “He was the third man tn the murder, and the thing has been preying on hls mind. Last night he went mad. conjured up a vision of the Judge still living, took hls axe, or whatever he used, entered the study by Hie window and attacked the chair under the Impression Il was your late brother." Basslngton looked thoughtful. "Jove," he said, "I believe you arc right. I never thought of an axe. I’ll send Green out at once, to look around for one." He summoned the detective-sergeant to his office and gave him hls Instructions. "I’m blessed if I understand, though, what ho meant by the iron man," said the inspector, when Green had departed. "He was bellowing out something about not letting an Iron man get at him. What could he have meant?" “Elementary, my dear Watson!” said Perry, with a chuckle. "He meant the Judge. If over there was a man of iron, It was the late Mr. Justice Basslngton." Basslngton shook hls head as If only half convinced. When Green returned he carried a heavy parcel wrapped up In newspapers find on opening It produced an axe. Perry and the Inspector looked at it doubtfully. H was a well-worn thing and looked incapable of splitting a piece of deal board. Certainly It did not look capable of chopping n man’s head clean off h!s shoulders. "It's lhe only axe on the premises,’’ announced the detective-sergeant. "Well,’’ ’said Perry, with conviction, "Pin certain that thing Isn’t the one we’re after." Basslngton nodded hls agreement. “f made a thorough scorch and that’s all I could find,” insisted Green. “Well." said Perry, “better take a man and go back and search every spot you can think of. You’ll find another and sharper axe, or I’ll eat Basslnglon’s rusty bowler." "Like hell you will I” retorted Basslngton, and the three men chuckled. Green departed almost immediately, after rounding up another plainclothes man. Perry began to pace the floor when lhe two men were left alone. “We’ve got half a case," he said, “but it Is entirely based on suspicion and circumstantial evidence. No Jury would convict Broadway on the evidence we have.” "Brbadway won’t go to any Jury. He’s Insane," said Basslngton. “If wo could fix him with the crime it would clear the matter up, but wc wll not do that until we have direct and Ironbound proof that he Is guilty. M would be a hell of a thing to fit a crime on a man Just because ho is incapable of pleading to the charge, and because we have forged a chain or circumstances around him.” ti “Of course we couldn’t do that, said Perry, deprecatingly. "However, the Coroner might have a few ideas on the matter. The-inquest comes off

the day after to-morrow, you know." Reports came through during the day from Green, but they were reports telling of failure to find any axes. From what Basslngton understood from the telephone messages, Green and his henchman were literally pulling''the place to pieces. Ho wished them joy. When ho arrived at the house that night, Green was still there. Basslngton smiled to himself as ho saw the woebegone expression on hie colleague’s face. “Look here, inspector,” said Green, “there isn’t any axo here. We’ve dug up practically the whole of the garden without success; we’ve oombed every room, the hedges, gardens, bushes and all, and axes are ns plcntful as frog feathers." "Go home, my man, and sloop on it,” advised Basslngton, and Green and Detective Jackson were off like homing pigeons. "I am having a visitor to-night, Uncle Bili," announced Ayesha just before dinner. "Hammersmith, I suppose?" ho asked, with a'twinkle in his eye. “Is my young daughter falling in love with that awful man?" he chaffed. “Terrible world, this. Last night I gained a beautiful daughter, and now, dash my buttons, within a few hours I’m going to lose her again." The girl blushed rosily. “What nonsense you do talk!" she said. "Why, we are only friends. He saved my life once, you know, Uncle Bill.” “Where do you get lids ‘Uncle’ stuff from?” he demanded. "Sorry, Daddy," she smiled, and he kissed her lightly.

Hammersmith arrived In time to dine with them. He was well dressed and was quite al ease. Life, it would appear, was looking up for him. Well,

thought the Inspector, he had plenty of money, and, even though the stigma of the criminal was hanging over him, it might not be for long. By tacit consent, no mention was made of the murder during the meal, but when It was over and the girl had left the men to their oigars, Hammersmith soon steered the conversation around to it. Basslnglon told him about Broadway. “The plot thickens, all right," said Hammersmith, thoughtfully. “It really looks as If you have the right man at last. It is a pity you cannot And that axe, although an axo may not have been the tool used on that chair.” “What was used on the chair was used on my brother, and by the same man," said Basslngton. “Of course, whether that man was Broadway or not, we have yet to discover. Frankly, 1 don’t think I ever shall." Hammersmith laughed. “It’s not like you to be so pessimistic, Basslngton,” he chaffed. “Haven’t I got enough to be pessimistic over?" retorted the inspector. “I notice that they have begun to ask questions in Parliament abaut this murder. They seem to think wo are super-sleuths of the Sherlock Holmes variety. If wo were, it would be all right. All I would have to do would be to sit in the old dressing gown, play ‘Yes I We Have No Bananas’ on a concertina—no, a fiddle—and, lo and behold, the murderer would write a note and let me into his dread secret. He spoke bitterly. In all hls ex “ porience he had never come up against such a problem. There were plenty of unsolved- murders in Sydney and he had no doubt that there wouldi bo plenty more, but the thought that a prime had been committed under his nose practically, and he was powerless to solve the subsequent riddle, was playing havoc with hls nerves.

With an Irritated gesture he threw the stub of hls cigar into the fireplace. “Lot us Join Miss Basslngton,” he said. "She can play some tunes to sooth tho savage breast, and then I’ll , leave you.” "No need to do that Inspector,” murmured Hammersmith. Basslngton wagged a finger at him. "If you go stealing my new daughter away from me, there’ll be ructions," he warned with a smile. Hammersmith sighed wistfully. "Never fear Basslngton. I’m going to "play square with that girl. Until my name ceases to stink in this city, she’ll have no cause for heartaches," ho said earnestly. Basslngton held out his hand and Hammersmith took It in a firm grip. "Good man," said Basslngton quietly as they left the room. To ibe continued.)

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