The Third Man.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXXII, Issue 2805, 25 November 1931, Page 3

The Third Man.

By

C. K. THOMPSON.

(Copyright.)

CHAPTER Xlll.—Continued. “Who's the rat?" "Perry sighed. "I’l leave you to It," he said. "If you don't want to be playmates 1» "Let's drop the kidstakes and get down to taws," said Perry Interrupting himself. "This is a nice little mixup, coming on top of the other affair. Do you think the matters are connected?" “I don’t know," said Bassington thoughtfully. "What I can’t get at Is the reason why. Phegan tried to shoot me. I guess he has a set, more or less, on all the police, but why me in particular? I've had no dealings with him, personally, or at least no dealings the outcome of which would incur his enmity." "Think he mistook you for someone else?” "He may have done, but who? If he knows anything he must have known that I was the only man in the house, or at least the only man likely to be In the Study.” "You think he had a companion with him?" asked Perry. "I don't, know whether a second, fellow was with him or not, but there was another person In that garden all right, and it Is that second man we are after. Good Lord! W»:’ve been searching for a third man for weeks, and now we have to search for n second man! Isn't it enough to make a man take his father into the bush and blow his head off?" “The Ihlrd man in the murder may be the second man in this shooting affair,” said Perry shrewdly. Bassington looked dubious. . "Maybe so," he returned, non-com-mi tally. “However, I’m inclined to think that Phegan was not gunning for me on his own account, but was hired by this second cove. Used his gun too perhaps. I’d give a year's pay to know who that second cove is." “By the way," he added, "I suppose Phegan was searched before he went to the hospital?" "Ye, I’ll have the contents of his pockets sent into you. I haven't been been through them myself. Half a minute." So saying, Perry went out and presently returned with a constable who carried a neat packet In his hand. Bassington opened it.

There was a miscellaneous collection of rubbish which he did not give more than a cursory glance. A soiled envelope attracted him however, and he extracted a dirty note from It. Wls eyes 111 up as he read the few crawled lines. The note ran: ••We must have that clock at all costs." Now what on earth was that doing In Phegan's pocket, and to which clock did the note refer? The old grandfather clock? "If this refers to that old thing," said Basslngton, "the search narrows down to one man—-our friend Ike Ableson. He wants the thing badly, but Is he prepared to have the owner murdered to get II?" “Dunne," replied Perry tersely. "But we’ll rope him In pronto." He gave a curl instruction to the waiting constable who nodded and withdrew. "Somehow," said Basslngton ruefully, "I don’t think Ike is the man behind this. That would bo too easy for anything. I never have any easy oases." "Don’t be such a confounded pessimte." growled Perry. “We'll have him here and third degree him." "Ah I" said Basslngton wistfully. "I mean it," went on Perry, “I’ll take him In hand myself and tl\ere won’t be any funny business either. This thing has got to be cleaned up, onee and for all, and soft glove methods are played out." "80 be it," said the Inspector. There waa no trouble in roping Ike in. He eame along willingly and was ushered Into the presence of Basslngton and Perry barely ten minutes after the fiat had gone forth. Ah inspector," he said genially. You have come to a decision regarding the elook, no?" "No Is the word,’ grunted Basslngton. "Then why ..." began Ike doubtfully. Perry look up the tale. "Bend your attention In this direction for a moment Ableson,” he said. "Where were you last night, say, between eight o'clock and midnight? "In bed," replied Ike simply. "Sure?" , •positively Mr Perry, absolutely . . ." began the Jew. . .Mr Shean," finished the superintendent. "Now don’t get funny they boy because I don’t like it. Thia is no place to work off your ragtime hits."

Ableson looked bewildered. "1 don't know . . ."be gasped. Perry picked up the soiled note and thrust it under his nose. "Ever seen that before?'" ho demanded. Ike- looked at It closely. "Sure I have," he said. "But

where did you get it from?” "Never you mind,” said Perry* "Where did you get it from?" The Jew looked flustered and began to shuffle his feet about. ' j "Speak up,"' said the superintendent relentlessly. "Well I got it from Izzy Samuels," ho mumbled. “Izzy used to own that clock and I was trying to buy It back from him from Mr Bassington. I told him that Mr Bassington wouldn't sell under £3OO, and that was his answer to my letter." "Did you lose it?" said Perry with deadly calm. “Not It was pinched from me. My wallet was stolen and that note, he was in It," replied Ike with a gesture. “You didn't give It to a fellow called Stumpy Phegan?" “Who is he?" countered the Jew. Perry did not follow up his line of questions. Instead he asked. "Why is Izzy so bent on getting that clock back?" Ike said that he did not know. He was merely Izzy's agent. He understood that Izzy had sold the clock to the late Judge and now he was dead. Izzy wanted to buy it back and sell It to someone else. “And he is willing to go to the length of murder to get It back, is he?" shot out Perry. The Jew looked at him blankly, and then the superintendent changed his tactics. “I'm going to give you the formal warning now my man," ho said, and did. The Jew looked at him aghast' and was loud in his protestations of innocence of any charge al all. "Did you send Phegan to murder Inspector Bassington last ,night?* asked Perry softly. "No," shrieked Ike. "Did you wait’ll! the garden afterwards and make off with Phcgan's gun?" went on the superintendent relentlessly. “No I" bellowed Ike. “Where Is the gun now?" Ike's voice rose in a crescendo. “No!" he howled.

“No what?" demanded Perry. “Do you think you're a parrot?" “What would you say if I told you that Phegan had made a statement Implicating you?" “That you were a liar." roared Ike. "And you’d be right," murmured Bassington sotto voce. "Well," said Perry after a pause, “I'm going to have you charged with vagrancy for a start." "You can't,' yelled Ike thrusting his hand Into his pocket and pulling out a wad of notes which he hurled on the table. “I've got plenty of money, you can’t call me a vagrant." Bassington went to the door and called a constable. He, spoke a few words and Ike was formally charged. "Now run the rule over him," directed the Inspector. The first thing brought to light was an automatic revolver which the Jew had in his breast pocket. Perry pounced on It eagerly and examined H. The magazine was loaded with six cartridges. Bassington calmly searched In his pockets and brought to view a match box which he opened and up-ended on the table. A battered bullet rolled out of it. , 11 dug that out of the wall In the study," he said In explanation. He then felt in another pocket and produced two spent shells. "I couldn't find the gun, but I found these under the bush," he further explained. "Oh," said Perry shortly. " don t think it needs a gunsmith to tell the similarity. Ike old man, I think you're for it.” The Jew, will! sweat pouring out of him turned a white face in the superintendent's direction. “I don't know anything about it, he cried. CHAPTER XIV. "What a fool the fellow was Io carry that gun about on him,” said Bassington some time later. "Ho must have been pretty sure of himself. “He was mad," said Perry tersely. "Do you reckon he’ll make a statement?" "Might when he’s calmed down a bit," said Bassington. “Now what about having Izzy Samuels roped in? I'd dearly love to question that fellow." “I'll sec the boss,” returned Perry. "We might be able to have the Melbourne boys arrest him, charge him with something and have him remanded to Sydney. We'll want good grounds for the arrest however. “But if Ike makes a statement implicating him, it ought to simplify matters," said Bassington. “Let fl have Ike In.” When the Jew was brought before them and a question put to him, he said he would make a statement. He did so. ’ . He said that when Izzy samueis had come out of gaol he had come to Ike s shop and stayed there for a week. The stock in the shop was Izzy’s and

Ike had been looking t after th® place while he had been In gaol. As the result of a conference Ike had purchased the business and stock, with the exception of an old grandfather clock. "He told me that he was keeping It as a special present for a friend of his," said Ike. "He left for Melbourne nt the end of the weak and I heard no more from him. About a week before the judge was murdered he called In the shop ..." “Who?" out In Bassington. "The Judge. He was looking for antiques and immediately he saw the clock wanted to buy It. He offered me £3OO for It, but I told him It wasn't mine, that I would see the owner and try and arrange a deal. “I wrote to Izzy telling him about it and who the purchaser was, and he wrote back to say that the judge could have it, and no one else, and that ths price was £250. "Il surprised me that ho would be willing to lose the odd £5O which had been offered, but it was none of my business, and eventually the dock was sold. It was delivered on the morning of the day the judge was murdered. "On the day I came to see you Mr Bassington I had received a note from Izzy telling me to get the clock back at all costs. That was the note you showed me a little while ago. I tried to buy the clock from you as you know, failed, and telegraphed to Izzy. He wired back that I was to got the clock no matter what risks I ran. "I may as well tell you,” said Ike In a burst of confidence, "that I owe Izzy about £5OOO and had to do as he told me.” "Anyhow,” he went on, continuing his story, “that night my shop was broken into by the man Phegan, and I caught him by balling him up with

my pistol. He begged me to let him go, and I promised to do so on condition that he did me a small favour.” “Such as shooting me up?" snorted Bassington. "The favour," said Ike, ignoring the Inspector, “was to go with me to the Bassington home and spy out the land. I thought there might bo a chance of stealing the clock. We went together and hid In the grounds until the house became dark and quiet. "We wore behind a bush when the Inspector there entered the room Into which we were looking. Phegan wanted to shoot him and then go and get the clock, but I explained to him that the clock was not a little table affair, but a massive thing which would take many men to lift. I also told him that I was not there to.steal It that night, merely to spy out the land. “Suddenly the fool raised the gun and fired through the window before I could stop him. I was astounded a few moments later to see the inspector jump through it and more astounded when the fool Phegan fired again. I did not stop to look but rushed away silently. You know the rest. After Phegan had been captured and taken into the room I crept silently back and found the gun. Then I went away again. That Is ah 1 know." Bassington looked at the Jew keenly. , “There is one thing you haven’t explained," he said with deadly emphasis, “and that Is, how did Phegan get the gun?" “I gave it to him.” “Don't answer this question unless you want to," went on the Inspeotoh “I put it to yo s u that you fired the Shots and not Phegan 1" “It's a foul lie," screamed Ike. To ibe continued.)