Mystery of Darling Point

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVI, Issue 3427, 1 October 1932, Page 6

Mystery of Darling Point

n ISglp g n „ n 0 BY ROBERT KNOCK. (Copyright). U nnnnnnnnninnnnndnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

CHAPTER XIX. In the dark interior of the ambulance Vance Barnaby raised himself on one elbow. Through an aperture he could see the caps of the two men seated in front. Close at hand someone was groaning in agony. Vance had suddenly become aware that some funny business was going on. The ambulance had been travelling rapidly for a considerable length of time, and the hospital should undoubtedly have been reached long ago. To make matters worse, they had started on an exceedingly bumpy road. He decided that the city had heen left behind and that they were now in the open country- Grimly he strained to get closer to the little window in front. "What's the game?" he jerked out. One of the men looked round and laughed unpleasantly. "You'll soon see —so close yer trap!" With that he raised a brutal nana and thrust Vance back. The Secret Service man swallowed his feelings and resigned himself to waiting. Shortly, the car swung round almost at right angles and ground to a standstill There came the sound of a gate being opened. Then the car was ] driven through, and the gate shut behind it. A moment later there was another halt. This time the two men came round to the back of the ambulance and opened the door. One of them spolw. "We'll attend to that damned spy first. The other two can wait —they'll most likely go west before daylight, anyway!" Vance gritted his teeth at the callousness of the tone. The next instant he was bundled unceremoniously out of the ambulance. ' He saw that a primitive-looking farmhouse reared its weatherboard walls nearby, and that the place seemed to be surrounded by tall, gloomy trees. A ghostly sort of mist prevented him seeing very far. The two men half carried, half dragged him up the wooden stairs on to the verandah. The door was kicked open and he was taken into the house. Then one of his captors lit a hurricane lamp. They were in a sparsely furnished living-room. A door on the further side of this was now opened. They showed Vance into the pitch darkness beyond. He stumbled against something and fell with a thump. Finding himself on a hard, narrow bunk, he sat up with an effort. "Pleasant dreams," called the man with the lantern, closing the door and bolting it from the outside. Vance did not answer. He was not in the mood for repartee at that particular moment. For the next few minutes his shoulder occupied his attention. He did what he could with the bandages already there, rearranging them and getting some slight ease; but the wound still throbbed terribly. He heard the car backing and turning somewhere outside, and guessed that it was being garaged for the night. There were heavy footsteps about the house for a while, then came the scraping of chairs being drawn up to a table, the shuffling and dealing of cards, and monosyllabic remarks from the two men about their game of poker.

"The top o' the morning, my very dear Mister Barnaby!" he bowed, with very hoarse mockeryHe brought in a plate of food and a mug of coffee, and set them down on a small stool. Then he thrust his big broken-nosed face closer to Vance. "I sincerely hope your appetite is all right —" the leering smile changed to a brutish snarl—" Mister Nosey Policeman 1" And the huge hand came out once again and ground against Vance's face. Vance madej an effort to retaliate, but the other forced him down on the bunk. "By heavensl" panted Vance. "I only hope I meet you again some dayl" With a chuckle, Broken-nose backed to the door. " 'Someday' is right! Now yer better hold yer tongue and eat that breakfast. Then yer can tidy yerself up—you'll be havin' visitors before long." With that he went out and slammed the door. Gently rubbing his face where it had felt the ham-like fist of Broken-nose, Vance turned his attention to the food. Though not particularly appetising, he decided he had better eat it. Anything likely to give him strength must be promptly utilised. He had .just finished when he heard a car driving up to the house. Several pairs of feet sounded on the wooden floor of the living-room. Then the door of his prison was unlocked and flung open. Johnny Warren stood there. He was immaculate as ever in a leather motoring-coat, with a brown suit underneath, a soft brown tie, with socks to match, and gleaming brown shoes. He stood there smiling, his eyes amusedly regarding Vance, his hands in his pockets. He glanced for ,an instant at Broken-nose, who stood behind him. "All right, Billy, you don't need to wait." He came further Into the room. He took out a cigarette with his left hand and with his left hand lighted it. He kept his right hand in his pocket. Blowing out a cloud of smoke through his smiling lips, he addressed Vance: — "Well, we meet again, Barnaby." "Apparently," was Vance's short reply.

"I rather thought you'd have the good sense to keep out of our affairs after last night. But I sec I was wrong." Vance smiled slightly. "The —er —Chief seemingly can't do without me... Any more valuable jewellery you'd like me to get hold of?" Johnny was silent for a moment, but the good-humoured expression did not lessen. When he spoke it was in musing tone. "Yes, Barnaby, there's something about you that appeals to me. I'm sorry you're in the Secret Service. You wouldn't by any chance consider an offer of a little partnership with me, would you?" "Many thanks," murmured Vance, "but I find the Service quite excitingenough." The other tapped the ash from his cigarette. "Anyway, I'm sorry I took such an unfair advantage last night. I realise now that you were scarcely in -x condition for a rough-house. However, you're going to get a chance to remedy the matter." The Secret Service man's gaze became a little more intense. "Just what do you mean?" he ask-

Vance determined that he had better make the best of things, so he settled himself as comfortably as the hard bunk permitted and tried to get some sleep. But oblivion was a long time coming. His mind was still in a turmoil from the exciting events of the night. He found himself re-living all that fastmoving drama once again, from the moment of his entry to that gathering of important officers in the Whisperer's tremendous criminal organisation, to the moment of the timely arrival of the police under the command of Seymour Woolfe.

ed sowly. "That you and I are going to have another go at each other in the very near future!" said Johnny calmly. "Orders have been given to keep you here for the time being—but if I can manage it, you're going to stay here till you're as fit as a fiddle. And then we'll try each other's mettle —with or without boxing rules, according to circumstances." Vance was puzzled for a moment. What could Warren's motive be in pursuing such a course? Surely not the mere love of fair play. Suddenly, however, a ray of light appeared. Was it possible that Josephine unwittingly had something to do with Johnny's attitude? "Well, what do you think, Barnaby?' the other questioned. "I'll be looking forward to it." Johnny's smile broadened. "That," he observed, "is what I like to hear. Well, the—er— preliminaries "being over, I'd better call in someone I've brought along to attend to that shoulder of yours. We have to get you nicely patched up in good time, you know!" Johnny went to the door and looked out. "All right, doctor! This way." The next moment Dr. Marcus Drum entered carrying a little black bag. He paused and blinked through his spectacles, a look of great surprise upon his round face. "Bless my soul!" he ejaculated. "Bless my soul!" I seem to be meeting you in all manner of—ah —exciting circumstances, my young friend. Bless my soul—bless my soul!" "I think," murmured Johnny Warren, as he leaned nonchalantly against the door, "that you might leave your soul alone for a moment and attend to our friend's shoulder." "Of course, of course," nodded the doctor. "I—ah —was forgetting that we must get back to the city as soon as possible—and we have a good twenty miles to go, have we not?" He opened his bag, took out what

And now, in spite of all, he was well and truly a prisoner. It was only at this moment that he realised how cleverly he had been kidnapped. That it was of the Whisperer's doing he did not doubt for a moment. But for what purpose? It was this question which contributed most to prevent him obtaining any peace of mind. If the Whisperer had wanted to settle accounts in his customary expeditious fashion, Vance would surety have been disposed of soon after beino- captured in the ambulance. Instead, he was being kept prisoner . . . at least for the present moment. Vance clenched his fist, uneasily conjecturing what Mr Whisperer's little scheme could be this time. Dawn came at last. Vance wakened, from a doze to find the grey light beginning to fill the room. The stiffness and soreness of his body quickly caused him to remember what had happened and where he was.

He discovered that the room possessed one small window, but as that was covered by heavy steel netting he could see no chance of escape in that direction.

His captors were evidently early awake. He heard them moving about.

Presently the door was unbolted, and a man appeared. He was a big burly individual, and when he spoke Vance remembered his voice from the night before; lie was tlic one Avho had given him that ruthless thrust in the face during the ambulance ride.

he wanted, and was soon busily engaged with Vance's wound. Giving the fresh bandages a final pat, he rose to his feet and picked up the little black bag. "I shall—ah—no doubt be seeing you again to-morrow, Mr Barnaby. Providing you don't exert yourself in any way you should be all right Well a h i suppose we must be going." "Good-bye, Barnaby," said Johnny Warren from the door. The doctor was the last to go out. At the door, he turned and beamed a farewell. Then the door was slammed shut. But Vance was amazed. For he was prepared to swear that before Dr. Marcus Drum went out his left eye had closed deliberately in a wink of encouragement ! (To be continued.)