INSIDE INFORMATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18722, 30 May 1924, Page 3

INSIDE INFORMATION.

BY JOHN L. CARTER. , Author of " Peggy the Aeronaut." " Tho Pilgrimage of .'Delilah." " Nymphet.'Veto, '.Copyright.) CHAPTER XIIL • The following morning Daisy and Edith Cox were just going out to lunch when Jeff King called. It was a great shock to Daisy. So it had come at last! "You want to see Mr. Jones, I suppose?" she said, as evenly as she could manage. "Anyhow, he's not in." "Old Jones, by no means!" said King. "Make no mistake, my dear! It's you I've come to see." "I'm sorry, but I'm just going oat to lunch," said Daisy tartly. . Then, to Edith, who was hovering in the background: "It's all right, Edith. I'll be with you in.a minute. Don't go. Wait for mo in the corridor," she said.. And, turning to .King, she said, "Now then! What do you want I can spar© you five minutes —not a moment longer." "I happen to know that you've told Tom Clark,'* began King, with his ugly scowL "Didn't I warn you that something serious would happen if you did?" Daisy was determined not to show fear. ■ "Unless you're out of-the place this instant, I'll go and tell Mr. Jones!" she declared. "And he'll send for the police and_have you turned out." Sing laughed heartily at that. "What! Old Jones! ' The old Puritan bounder! I'm not afraid of him." Just then the office boy returned. It 'was arranged that he took his lunch earlier than the girls so that there should always be. someone in the office. And now Daisy seized her opportunity to get away. "I say, Jimmy, I'm off to lunch, she declared. "Look after everything, won't you ?" _ And with that she dashed down the staircase after Edith Cox. King looked after her angrily, but then he shook his head and laughed. "Later will do," he said to himself. Oh, I'll get even with her in the end!" Then he turned to the office boy. "I say, I suppose I may use the telephone?" he said, turning towards the instrument that stood on Daisy's desk. As he sat down in her chair ho noticed the dictating machine alongside Daisy's typewriter. "Hullo!" he cried, interested. * "So Jones uses these things!" Then he idly switched the current) off and on, much as a boy •will try a mechanical toy. He quickly tired of this and took up the receiver. As soon as he got his connection he turned to the office boy.'.-, v "I say, my lad, you might just go out on the landing, will you; This is a private conversation. And here's a shilling to buy yourself some candy." Jimmy was barely fourteen years of age, and he did not see what he could do but obey. And, in any case, that shililng was a, trump card. Left alone, Jeff King got in touch with Morna Day at the castle. j "It's no use. Daisy's cut up nasty—so I'm going to do as I threatened." "You mean—put Tom Clark into prison for cocaine smuggling replied Morna. "Oh, I'm with you then. He's chucked me over. Let him hangfor all I care!" "Good! I'm going to send that anonymous note round to the Chief of Police at once. I'll tell him to search Clark's rooms at three o'clock." • "Ripping! I hope they give him ten years!' flared Morna. "And what do you want me to do?" "Creep into his rooms and put that packet of 'snow'- that X gave you. into his desk." "Serve them jolly Well right!** cried Morna. "But what s your game? You'll have no hold on her, if you send him 10 gaol." "That's just where I get the pull," he said. ; "I shall toll her I'll save hitn, 011 condition she marries me.' Seel I will too. I'll spring a yarn about having heard a Chink telling a friend in the 'George' that he was . going - to 1 'plant' some cocaine on Tom Clark. And then, I'll get Forbes to swear to having seen a- Chink creep . through Clark's French window, with a' white packet in his hand last night, and come out without it That'll get him off all right. And it will be up to Daisy to marry me first." v "What a scheme!" cried Morna.* I'll do my share. Once Daisy's tied up to you, I know I "can get Tom all right. I'll go and slip that cocaine in his desk right now." r ';* ... " "And I'll let the police have the letter. It's all ready written. Bye-bye.? And with that he hung up the receiver. Tell Miss Bond, he said to the office boy as he went out that she knows where to find me if she's in trouble of any sort," and with that he went out chuckling. ■ When Daisy and Edith Cox returned, the office boy told them that the gentleman had used the telephone. But it was only when .Daisy began to transcribe a message from one of the cylinders that she began to :be suspicious. She turned sharply to the boy. "Look here, Jimmy, have you v>*n playing - with this dictating machine again? Don't_say you haven't!" "I swear I have never touched it!" protested-the boy indignantly. . "Then who has?" she .demanded. "Nobody—unless it .was that gentleman," retorted Jimmy. > 7 Anyhow, somebody's been playing with it," insisted Daisy. The lever has been pushed over to the recording position, besides, this cylinder was only half used and now it's been used right up to the end. I do wish people would leave things alone I" ' . , , She thought no more ;of it for a moment, but set the transcribing mechanism in motion, and busied herself in rattling off the first half of the cylinder, which contained two letters of Mr. Jones. And now, when . she started to; type what I she thought was a third letter, she got a surprise. ; The . voice - was utterly { afferent from that of Mr. Jones. The' dic-tating-macliin© reproduction of -a voice is rarely like the ordinary voice, so that, for a time, she did not " recognise the voice of Jeff King. In any case it tab most indistinct. . , "I say, Edith, somebody's been 'talking in'. And it's net Mr. Jones!" "Can it be King?" cried Edith aghast. "Wait a minute," said Daisy, and she moved the sound-box needle back and listened again. And this is' what she heard: . - " "Hullo! Is .that Exchange?" 7 'l say ! It. ; was King—telephoning," she cried to Edith. "And. he must:have knocked the machine with his elbow and set it going. He'd never notice. '. It runs absolutely silently." V . - At last she had heard ' the whole of King's telephone message/ The seriousness of it made Daisy bite her lip in alarm. . ~ , "Good gracious, . Daisy! What s;; happened?" gasped Edith. Daisy's only, answer was to pass the cylinder over to Edith. Her lace w«b ashen with horror. _ Edith was slipping the cylinder on to her machine, when, in her agitation, she let it fall to the -floor, " where it lay broken to fragments.: _ v - r . „ Daisy never noticed this. 'What time is it now?" she said. "Half past two And Jeff King is going to have Mr. Clark's room searched at three o'clock. And already Morna Day will have put that cocaine" into his desk." Oh, my God! what shall I do?" Daisy was sick with horror. What was to be done It would not be possible to reach the studio in time; that was out of the question. But suddenly she remembered that there was still the telephone. And so she rang up eagerly. . / She w-s in a cold perspiration of terror lest she could not get Tom, lest her warn-;. ing should reach him too- late. At last there came a reply. She heard the re-, ceiver being lifted. .. , "Hullo!" she cried. Is that Mr.Clark?" / • 1 . , ■ : . , . There ' was a pause for a moment, and then' she heard a low soft voice. ■ "Who is that please?" - ■ _rJ ( . She shook with fear. It was Morna Day ; again. , She was betrayed indeed! ! Instantlv r Daisy did her utmost to disguise her voice into a deeper. v gruffer one, though she doubted if anybody would : take it for the voice of a man. She told Morna that she Wanted xto speak to f Mr. Clark = .at once on most Dressing business. ; •\; - vo*;* : r : '$'ct

-77— ■■ « r , . " There was a wait, and Daijty, hdp«« .*™ , prayed that Morna was bringing » im the telephone. Bat her' hopes foil tjhjfns 'g : : ground, for. the next »h« heap" -.' iidma Day's vdiea again,. "! lf§| p||p ~'~ " I'm sorry, but yon mutst. gints your business," she said I curtiv. \ • « Daisy racked her brains 'to <w|eove r " 'some topic that might convince Morna Day of the messenger's harmlessness. */ 1 1 It's his friend, Tom West," she said,, upon; a sudden inspiration. There was another pause: and then she g 1: heard Morna 'Day' 3 deliberate - insulting : laugh of disbelief. -)>' •' Ssorry, old thing she said. " You're not taking me in this afternoon. Good- • bye." Ana with that, she rang off.' .-/• Daisy sank into her chair with a groan. This was terrible! If Morna Day was tgoing to take all telephone messages, which was not improbable because Tom was usually very busy with his correspondence, in the afternoon, unless acting, it was hopeless to think of getting in touch. " A quarter to," said Edith Cox at last; "You must do something if you want to save him." ■ Then Daisy thought of a brilliant idea... "I've got it!" she cried. And so she again rung up the telephone exchange of the studio. It was daring, indeed- a dangerous expedient, but she was willing to take all risks, if only she could help Tom. - ; ' Trunk call." she said. * From London, for Miss Day. Most urgent." That thoroughly deceived simple Man' of the studio exchange. "One minute, and I'll put von ' through," she said. "Hold on, please d Dais' had to wait about five minutes, but at last she heard Stoma's voice ana knew that her ruse had succeeded. Ringing off she instantly rang up Tom once again, and, to her joy, it was Tom's . voice that replied. . "Is that you Tom ?** she cried. ** Oh, thank God! Be quick The police are go* ing to search vOur study at three o'clock ana Morna has put the packet of cocaine in the right hand pigeon-hole of your desk. Take it out instantly and throw it in* the fire. Don't waste a minute And as soon as the police have gone come straight over and see me." > With that she rang off, and i'ell back in her chair exhausted. And Tom, at the other end of the wire stood for a moment aghast. But he did not dream how narrowly ho had escaped. But the truth was dawning. Where was Morna now? What, had taken her oS so suddenly ? Of course Tom . could not know . how Daisy had staked her all on the chance of that trunk call rose, and had , won. When Morna Day had received the notification of that trunk call she had gone straight to the studio exchange, it being well known that the department-to-depart-ment installation was not satisfacorv when taking a trunk call, and a resort to the exchange was - invariably ■ made. So, much to her chagrin, v . she had been obliged either ■> to miss- that call or to leave Tom's rooms. Then no sooner had she gone than Tom had received that amazing message from Daisy. "Good Lord I What's Morna's game ?" he cried.

He then went across to the desk arid found that little packet. , He was still bewildered, but then he realised tho truth : "Good God!" he cried. "They're trying to plant this on me!" j j He was just about to put the packet in the fire when the door opened and Morna returned. She looked' at him anxiously and then at the desk. _ Tom watched her with a secret twinkle in his eye. _ "I wonder, Tom, if you'd like to walk down to the loch with me," she said. V : Tom realised that? she wanted . .to.; get him out of the sway so that the police could- carry on the search in his absences "Oh, no, not just yet. After tea, perhaps," he said. "What time is V i-v She gave a start and turned to look afc . the clock on .the mantel. "About : three ; minutes to," she ; said.; "Why do you want to know f" ' 1 "On, nothing," he --said.'. He there; lighted a,cigarette and, as be threw rtbeij match into the fire, he also managed <0 drop the packet into a glowing hollow i»t the back. And then he breathed . jnore ; freely. -jj „c i .• • . _ I Barely had he done this when; the door* ; was opened and three plain-clothes polices ; men entered and shewed Tom a • warrant to search - his rooms. ; - Then they got sto business, after insisting that neither Tom ■ nor Morna should leave the room/ ' And : the while , - they I,; searched l Tom watched Morna ana .her eager eyes with frank amusement. ; "Be careful with \ the desk," he said, : v just for the ■'! satisfaction *of seeing: her start, "I don't want things turned : upside down." ■ ' •-' ■ At last the men searched the desk. He ; was ; interested ? to ;■ (see how ; much C' more seriously:. they took: * their • work now, that . they were at work upon the desk.: He , was . amused to • see; the excitement in Morna,'s face as she watched, almost .-fear-;-:-. fully, for the moment when the announcement should be made. And then at last, " the men had to acknowledge that .they had f found nothing,? and with ; many apologies : they withdrew. (To be continued i daily.)-