THE GREAT FAIRFAX MYSTERY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20792, 7 February 1931, Page 12 (Supplement)

THE GREAT FAIRFAX MYSTERY.

By JOSEPH KEATING. ' . . (COPYRIGHT.) ! Author of Marriage Contract," "Flower of the Dark," Etc., Etc.

A STORY FULL OF THRILLING ADVENTURES AND PERILS.

CHAPTER XlX.—(Continued.| 1 When they emerged from the little cori ridor into the room with tho perfumed i atmosphere, Luli Mee was following at [the heels of Ah Sing in a patient, ! obedient fashion. They went up the short stairs 'to the curtained apartment again, and crossed between the sprawling figures on the couches to the divan where the, man they had previously been discussing lay with upturned face. His jirms were stretched out, motionless; the Jong opium pipe had fallen from his fingers to the floor. Mee picked up the pipe and put it on the tray which rested on the fantastic, fourlegged stool beside the divan. Ah Sing, after a pause, leaned over tho man, and stretching out his hand raised one of the closed eyelids. The eye beneath gleamed for a moment in the light front the coloured lantern near the embroidered curtain. , Then the eyelid fell. Ah Sing straightened himself. " I think, maybe, he is dead, Luli M,et!,'' he said, in tho same calm tone as before. The girl took a small mirror from the wall and held the glass oyer the man's mouth. When she examined the glass its surface was bright and free from any trace of vapour, such as might come from human breath. "He is dead, Ah Sing," sho murmured. / Sho replaced the small mirror on the jvali, and returned to the Chinaman's Bid':'. " The police may know now, Ah Sing," she said. Ah Sing shook his head. " They must not know," he answered In his quiet tone. impassively he searched the dead man's pockets, removing from them everything that might give any hint of identification. He handed the items to Luli Mee. . "Hide them," he said. "He bring much danger." The girl's patient, placid faco expressed Sadness. " Police will know man dead, Ah Sing," she muttered timidly. But not- who dead man is." Ah Sing rejoined. " I make that secret. " Police will find dead man," Luli Meo .■ventured. .... Ah Sing nodded, smiling. " One unknown man, mora or less found dead in London —what matter ? he asked., "Nothing. Bring me the wrapper, Luli Mee." The girl passed out behind the curcurtain., The Chinaman remained beside the divan, looking down at the mot ionless figure with a calm smile. There was something formidable in the undisturbed manner of the mighty Ah Sing. No interest in what was going on was shown by any of the dreaming men or women on the other couches. ■■ r CHAPTER XX. A ring at the door-bell caught Warrender's attention instantly. Something he had been expecting to happen—what it was lie could not foretell even remotely. Just when the most urgent necessity—the possibility of the detectives finding and arresting Nina—had arisen for him to be active he had been forced to stay at his flat the whole evening in obedience to the mysterious message he had found waiting him, warning him of danger. If the only interpretation to be put on the message applied to himself, it would not have mattered much. He was quite aware that he was in danger from more than onp quarter, and whether he was attacked indoors or out of doors, made hardly enough difference to interest him. He wanted particularly to be out that night searching for tho Chinaman and Chinese girl who, with Fairfax's strange -client, were, he felt sure, the key to the mystery. Discovering them bd believed he might save Nina. . But the difficulty was to know who had sent the message, and whether or not it meant that the sender was in peril and wanted him to remain in to be at hand in case of need. Was the writer Niria, or Princess Darya? He could think of no other girl—the writing was certainly in a young woman's hand—who might think of him m such circumstances. Was the message a blind, intended to keep him indoors and make him an eaSy victim of some sinister plan his enemies had formed ? Ho looked at the note again while the. ring of the bell, tingled in his ears, and the faint sounds of his servant's footsteps as he went to the hall door to opon it, came up from the floor below. Warrender listened intently. He was sitting beside his fire, a silver cigarette box, containing his favouritesi rested on a small table at his right hand. A half-smoked cigarette, held carelessly between his fingers, sent up a delicate spiral of smoke to the electric light behind him- He was in evening clothes. He had dined leisurely while waiting for the unknown, whatever form it might take, to happen, concerned really to learn only whether the hinted peril threatened himself or others. He heard a knock at the room door. " Come-, in," Warrender said. He glanced at the clock. Ten-thirty! Who was it'! ' The door opened and his man, Sandars, appeared. " Mr. Frederick Tetnell, sir," he announced, " has called, and wishes to see you." '''Tetnell!" Warrender was alert. The name startled him. The relative of the murdered Fairfax, who had been to Scotland Yard, demanding the discovery of the criminal! What did the visit mean at such an nour, /Warrender knew Tetnell, at least, had know him until some time ago when Tetnell had almost disappeared fxom decent society. It was said he had given himself up to the drug-taking habit. " Where is he ?" Warrender asked.' "In the hall, sir," Sandars informed him, hesitating. " I was not sure that you would care to see him, sir. He's in a curious state, sir." i Warrender, thinking rapidly, could not faeiieve that the warning note of danger ht> had received applied to his present caller. Hp had never injured Tetnell in any way. He had, in fact, felt sorry for him in one sense. It seemed a pity that a life which had opened with good prospects should be ruined by the drug weakness. . On the other hand, Tetnell's receni; visit to Scotland Yard suggested tha'i the murder of his relative had been preying on his mind—his demand for the discovery of the assassin had seemed foolish when he should have known that the detectives were doing all in their power, and with a man in such a state any desperate action might be .expected. " Why—what's the matter with him, Sandars?" Warrender inquired, observing nis servant's hesitation. "I do not. think Mr. Tetnell is quite in his senses, sir." J'll see hirn," Warrender decided. " Very good, sir," Sandars went out. Warrender heard stumbling footsteps comnp the stairs, and a moment later Tetnell canic into the room. "Hello, Tetnell!" Warranter's greeting was friendly. At the same time he wondered if his visitor hurl any jveapon concealed about him. surrender had risen to meet him, and was examining him carefttllv as the other man swaying in drunken fashion nenr the fireplace. Tetnell was. a comparatively young man, but had the white, efficiared, face of an old-man. His hair straggled over his forehead, heavy lines made lij's olieeks seem drawn and'sunken in. his clothes were crumpled and dusty, his thin hands trembled nervously. The terribV vice which was said to have taken }rf)!«ipssion of him made his eyes seem gb.zed. looking out like the eyes of a dead miurjrom his deep sockets 1 as • he-stared at \varrender. I want to see you, Warrender," he ■aid significantly. .. ....

Warrendar noticed the accusation, almost a threat in the reckless tone of the unsteady man. " Sit down, Tetnell," he invited, pointing to the armchair at the opposite side of the hearth. Really he would have preferred to be rid of his visitor. Many serious matters; were pressing for consideration. But Tetnell was the murdered man's relative, though why he should have chosen such a time to call was puzzling. Unsteadily, holding on to the back of tlie chair, lie seated himself. To Warrender ho appeared to be under the influence of some drug recently taken. " Look here, Warrender," he said, ' '1 went down to Scotland Yard the other day." " Yes," assented Warrender. " I know you did." "Oh you know, do you ?" Tetnell laughed. " I suppose you know why I went there ?" Warrender nodded.

" I wanted to know," the other informed him, " why they hadn't found the murderer of poor old Fairfax." " Everybody's doing all that can be dono to find him," Warrender observed. Tetnell laughed again. " They're pretty slow about it," he sneered.

"It's a very difficult mystery," Warrender rejoined seriously. "Mystery!" scoffed Tetnell. "The nnestion is—are they looking in the right place?" Warrender sat on the arm of the chair facing his companion. ( "What do you mean, Tetnell?" he asked. Tetnell's lifeless eves stared at hirn from their deep sockets. "I mean, Warrender," ho answered, " if anyone's to blame for getting old Fairfax killed—it's you ?"

Warrender, meeting the fixed stare across the hearth, realised that the other man was in earnest, and needed to be watched. " You're wrong, Tetnell," lie said gravely. _ ~ " Let's'. Ret at it," challenged Tetnell. " Why did you fix on a weak old man to take charge of the wretched jewels ? " They should never have been left with him if I had had my wish. I wanted to fake charge of them myself, Warrender told him. " That's what yon say," jeered the other. " You knew that if they had been left with you everybody would have known when they disappeared that you had stolen therri. " I tell you you are wrong. Tetnell. Warrender replied calmly, allowing no movement of his companilon to escape attention. Tetnel struggled up from his chair. " Wrong am I?" he retorted furiously. " Funny isn't it, Warrender—when "you-go into the-office, Fairfax is alive the clerk goes out—and the old man is murdered ?" " Yes, that, is true," Warrender assented. " Yes—vou know it s true." raged the other. " Who was alone with Fairfax ?" " That is the mystery," Warrender said. m " There is no mystery! Tetnell shouted. " You were alone with the old man—Warrender —you killed Fairfax!" The metal barrel of a revolver drawn from Tetnell's pocket gleamed suddenly under the light.. Warrender realised his peril. He sprang up, caught the other man's wrist. The report of a shot rang out smashing the electric light bfehind Warrender's head, filling the room with the acrid smell of exploded powder, and plunging the place into darkness. At the same time Warrender heard the door bell ringing, and while he flung his assailant back into the chair, seen dimly in the red glow of the fire, heard Sandars voice as he ruished into the room shouting excitedly: "What's the .matter, sir?" " Get lights, Sandars," Warrender said. He heard Sandars go out, yet was conscious that someone else was in the room, and when the servant returned with an electric torch, Warrender was startled to see. standing in the middle of the room -with the brilliant glare upon her face. Mrs. Neath, the mysterious woman who had been terrified by the vision she had seen threatening him at their first meeting. Why had she come here ? Had the detectives taken Nina ? CHAPTER XXI. For the moment, the question of Nina s safety made Warrender forget his own. He was eager only to know whether or not she was still free. Instinctively lie guessed that it was on her account that Mrs. Neath had appeared so unexpectedly in the room, coming, as it seemed, out of nowhere. He had certainly heard the ring of the hall bell, and that, no doubt, he reasoned, thinking rapidly, had meant she had really come into the flat by ordinary means, but the sudden revelation of her presence, by the light flashing on her face, had surprised him. The next instant his eye pierced the shadow behind her, and he saw the huddled form of the man who had attempted to shoot him. " Get this man out of the room, Sandars," he said. _ . Sandars turned the light of the electric torch upon Tetnell, who was lying huddled up in the chair into which he had been flung. Tetnell was whimpering in a cowardly fashion, his weak body shaking with fear, as lie nursed the wrist which Warrender had gripped and twisted until the revolver had fallen from his grasp after the shot which had smashed the electric bulb had been fired. Warrender's prompt action had jerked the weapon upwards and sent the bullet into the ceiling. Ihe murderous attack had seemed extraordinary. Warrender had never harmed the other man in his life, and might have been taken unawares, had not the mysterious warning he had received kept his mind alert for the unforseen, though Tetnell was the last person in the world who might have been expected to make such an attempt. Warrender could only think that if the other man had come there intending to kill him", he must have been a victim of some nightmare engendered in his muddled brain under the influence of a drug urging him to avenge the death of his relative. . Now, when Sandars approached him, Tetnell seemed helpless ..with fear. His outburst had utterly exhausted his strength. He allowed the servant to lead away without offering any resistance. Warrender, with the electric torch, found the plug of the lamp on his writing table near the window, and was glad to see mat '.he wires connecting the lamp had not been injured. Ho touched the switch and the light came on. To improve matters lie took off the green shade covering the lamp He dared not mention Nina's name until Tetnell was out of the room. Even a word in the hearing of such an enemy might lead to disaster. Warrender had no thought of punishing his misguided assailant, but realised that he would have to watch him closely in future As soon as the door closed behind Saundars and the other man, he turned quickly to the strange woman. " Mrs. Neath," he said eagerly, is Nina safe? " " For the moment, yes, ' she answered slowly. " But how long the dear child will be safe is hard to say. lliat is what I have come to see you about, Mr. Warrender. Many dangers arc gathering round her—seem to be coming from many directions." Mrs. Neath put her hand to her face with a gesture, of agony, as if she saw something that pained and frightened her. " Sit down, Mrs. Neath—won't you ?" Warrender said, deeply concerned. He know of one danger threatening Nina—the peril of the detectives discovering and arresting her, which he feared above all, just then. Were there other dangers of which he knew nothing ? He felt the keen aohe at his heart which the thought of Nina always brought there. It was unbelievable how intensely he loved this | girl whom he had seen only three times. (To bo continued on Saturday next.)