THE MYSTERY OF THE PEARLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21225, 4 July 1932, Page 15

THE MYSTERY OF THE PEARLS.

By JOHN LAURENCE.

(COPYRIGHT.)

Author of "The Riddle of. Wraye," "Mystery Money," "The Double Cross Inn," etc. THRILLING STORY OF MYSTERY, ROMANCE AND ADVENTURE.

. SYNOPSIS. While Stuart Reeves is driving his sports car nt .night through a lonely part of Surrey tho lights fail and he asks his whereabouts at a house near by. The young man who has answered his knock appears rather reluctant to talk, but when lie learns tho make of Reeves's car—which is the fastest on the road—he invites him indoors and introduces him to his sister, Mary Reynolds. IJeeves asks if he can use the telephone, but is told that it is out of order. Immediately afterwards it rings, to tho momentary confusion of Reynolds and his sister. After answering it, Reynolds becomes more cordial and presses him to stay the night. An older man, who is introduced to Reeves as Tommy Merton, arrives. Reeves, feeling tired out, then retires for tho night. CHAPTER I.—(Continued.) Reeves certainly did feel sleepy, heavy almost. It was Reynolds who showed him to his room. " I think you've got everything you ' want," he said. " Breakfast's at nine and goes on till half-past ten, so you needn't worry to get up too early. 1 don't suppose the garage people will get out here much before ten. You're not one of those six o'clock larks, I hope ? " Reeves smiled. Early morning rising was not one of his failings, and ho said so, forcibly. Reynolds agreed, with definite relief in his tones, that early rising was not a thing to bo encouraged. Reeves wasted no time tumbling into bed. It was thoroughly comfortable, and in a few minutes ho was dozing off. The small windows—there were three, each hardly wide enough to admit a cat, as he put it afterwards—looked out, he judged, over tho back of the house. The night was much too dark to see, however. Despite their announced intention of going to bed, Reeves' last hazy recollection of anything as he fell asleep, was the murmur of voices from downstairs. He awoke suddenly. A faint flush of dawn was showing through the windows and there was a crisp feeling of a chilled earth in tho air. Reeves lay there listening, wondering what had awakened him. His lipe were parched, his throat dry, and he slipped out of bed and poured himself out a glass of water. He stood by the windows ancf gazed idly out as hi! drank thirstily. The windows looked on to a broad, neatly-kept lawn. He could see the glistening heavy dew on the rose bushes. Their fresh perfume came to him and brought back that summer evening when he had walked through such a garden as this to tell a gentle-faced, whitehaired old lady that hei son had been acquitted on a charge of murder, largely—though Reeves had not told her that—through his own belief in the boy's innocence. He shivered slightly as he began to feel the chill of the early morning air, and turned back to bed. "Hello!" Reeves stood quite still and looked at the door.. He had the most distinct recollection that it had no key in the lock when he went to bed, for ho had tried to fasten the door as an elementary precaution, sleeping in a strange house, among people whom he did not, know. And now he could see the end of*the key, and knew beforo ho softly tried the handle that tho door was locked on the outside. " Locked in ! "

He grinned cheerfully. Well, if lie hadn't felt quite certain about Reynolds and Merton they had only acted in the same - way toward him. After all, ho could not blame them. They didn't know him, and. the breakdown of his car might be only a clever ruse to get into the house for the night. It would not be tho first time the ruse had been tried and the occupants found themselves, in the morning, minus their most valued possessions. " Well, I may as well be warm, even if I am a prisoner," he reflected. He lay looking up to the ceiling, thinking of the oddness of the situation, and the more he considered it the more odd some aspects of it appeared. There was that sudden breaking off of Mary Reynolds' sentences. There was the queer change of attitude toward him from a very definite desire to get rid of him to the pressing friendliness for him to stay, after Merton had rung. And, of course, tliere was the denial that the telephone was working. And now he had stayed they had locked him in! He heard the sound of a car on the other side of the house, a sound which died away almost immediately, but made him sit up quickly. He put on his jacket and stood by the window listening. There had been something vaguely familiar in the sound of the exhaust. Ho heard quiet footsteps coming round the brick path, but the sloping roof hid whoever it was. •There was a sharp whisper, so close to him it seemed, that Reeves involuntarily turned round to see if there was anyone in the room. He chuckled to himself at his quickening pulses as ho realised- the sound had come through the open window/ of the bedroom next to his. The tone was so low that, if he had not been listening ho would have not caught the words or the reply. " Got them ?"

He thought recognised Reynolds's voice. There was no doubt about the owner of the voice which replied from somewhere below. The tones were those of Mary Reynolds, clear and quiet.

" Yes, Billy. Tommy and I will be up in a moment. Don't talk, Billy. He's left the windows open. I'm coming up to get somo beauty sleep."

A door opened and shut softly, and Reeves got into bed. Five minutos later, he heard the key turn in the lock of his door so quietly that if he had not been waiting for it, he would have missed it. They had locked him in so that he would not find out by chance Mary and Tommy had been out together most of the night!

" Now, what are those two doing out at this time in tho morning and Reynolds sitting up for them ?" ho asked. " And what have they got ? I wonder if they wanted me to go to bed so that they could lock me in?"

It was certainly queer, to put tho best construction he could upon it. Billy Reynolds had taken particular care to say none of them were early birds, but his sister and Merton had apparently been out driving together and had only returned with the dawn. And they had taken the precaution of locking him in his bedroom while they did so. Queer, decidedly queer. After all, their movements - could not possibly interest a perfect stranger who was presumably sleeping. He must have dozed again, for his next recollection was hearing someone tapping at his door 'and announcing it was eight o'clock. Reeves got up and dressed. Old as the house was, it had been fitted with the modern convenience of a hot and cold water basin in tho bedroom. From somewhere downstairs came tho chimes of a quarter to nine. He wandered out on to tho lawn. There was every promise of a wonderful day. The house faced south and that corner was a veritable suntrap. A moss-grown brick pathway led round the house to the drive, where Reeves saw his car.

He lifted the bonnet and his hand rested for a moment on the radiator. Itwas still warm. Tho engine had been running within the last few hours, certainly since it had failed last night. Reeves switched on the headlights, but without any effect. He pressed the selfstarter and obtained no response. Tho faint sound of a small stone jumping from underfoot made him turn quickly round. It was the manservant, who, had appeared so silently that only tho accident of a kicked stone mado his presence known. >

" The garage is sending a man out in about half an hour, sir, with a spare magneto."

It was on the tip o/Rceves's tongue to mention the radiator.

" You've''bccn in the army, by the look of you," ho said pleasantly, v " In (ho Irish Guards, sir," answered the other. " !Lmiss it sometimes." There was a *oto of genuine regret in his voice, and his eye's lighted up at some memory.

" Mr. Reynolds said you had a pretty good knowledge of cars." " Always liked them, sir. I did five years in a garage on the main LondonBrighton road."

"Mr. Reynolds is not up yet, I suppose ?"

" He's not an early riser, sir. He asked me to say that if you came down first, there was no need to wait breakfast. Anything I can do for you, sir?" " I think you did enough last night, thank you, bringing the car along." Reeves moved away. He had an odd feeling that the manservant was watching him, but he refrained from turning round. In the dining room he found the breakfast _ table laid, and a dark-eyed primlooking maid was waiting. CHAPTER 11. Reeves looked at the maid unobtrusively. Her hands were not those of a servant.' The semi-transparent pink nails were beautifully manicured, her hair smooth, velvety almost. In heir dark, nearly black eyes, half-veiled by long black lashes, he thought he detected a reflection of the smile on her lips. She moved with the easy grace of her slim figure, and spoke with an unaffected air of breeding which astonished him. She made him feel, indeed, that it was a very definite privilege to be served by her. Merton appeared as he was half-way through breakfast. " Morning, Reeves. Morning Bridget. Almost overslept myself." He lifted tho cover of the entree distt' before him. " Kedgreo. Good girl, Bridget. You know my weakness. Did you have a good night?" "Yes. I always sleep well in the country There's the man from the garage, I fancy." Reeves nodded toward the window. " Sanders will tell him what is wrong," said Morton. " You motor a lot?" Yes. It's a hobby of mine." It's a business of mine, .unfortunately," said Merton. " I've got a wandering commission from a big firm to boost their cars. Mine's a Collins Racer." " I thought agents had a fixed district as it were ?" "So they have. But my job's purely advertising in a way. I tour round and stay at hotels and boost my own car. Of course it is kept in perfect condition and attracts attention. You know how motorists get talking, and how most of them change their car each year? When I find out where they come from I give them the name and address of the local agent and tell them in the strictest confidence he's a personal friend of mine, and if they mention my name they'll get preferential treatment. It's marvellous how it works."

Reeves rather liked Tommy Merton. There was an air of refreshing youth about him, despite his grey hair. The man was v<;ry much alive, keen. To Reeves, too, he seemed to be wasted as a motor agent. Reeves pictured him more as the head of an old family, the, benevftlent ruler over acres of farm land and ' hunting country. They had both finished their breakfasts beforo .Mary Reynolds and her brother appeared. The morning light confirmed Reeves's overnight impression—more than confirmed it—and he looked at her almost fascinated by the graceful curves of her lissom figure.- « " I really meant to be down first this morning," she cried. " But I overslept myself. You slept well, Mr. Reeves?" " Excellently, thank you." They all very anxious to know how he slept, he reflected. " What are you going to do to-day. Tommy ?" " I'm going to take it easy, my dear, ,and rest my weary old bones." ! " Old fiddlesticks," she scoffed. " Anybody would think you were old enough to "be my father, the way you talk, Tofnmy." Billy Reynolds laughed and, to Reeves's astonishment, he saw Bridget deliberately wink at him, as though they had some secret joke between them. But tho moment she caught Reeves's look the smile faded from her face and she moved round tho table so that her back was to Beeves. He could have sworn ' her shouldors were shaking with laughter, as she removed Reynold's plate. Mary's remark was evidently one of those family remarks which are not understood by outsiders, and Reeves had a feeling of being out of it. He had more than that. He resented the obviously more than friendly, affectionate terms Mary and Tommy Merton were on. He was much too old for her and by the time she was at the best years of her womanhood Merton would-be a comparatively old man. Sanders came in and announced that tho speedway had been put right, and Reeves promptly rose. I am eternally grateful to you all," he said, his eyes looking into Mary's. "And I hope if ever the opportunity comes my way I shall be able to repay you for your kindness. May I leave you my card ?"

It was Billy Reynolds who took it and dropped it into his pocket, Billy who walked with him to his car. " We've all been very pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Reeves, and my sister and I will always be happy to see you when passing this way." " I may take advantage of- your offer sooner than you expect," laughed Reeves. " I like this district from what I have seen of it."

He drove off with a feeling of regret at leaving very pleasant people, with a feeling that he had wished they had asked him to stay, though he could see no reason at all why they should. It was partly because lie was puzzled by the happenings of the night, but more because of Mary Reynolds. Ho could still feel the touch of her cool slim fingers in his as he bade her good-bye, hear the bell tones of her voice as she smilingly replied, " Say au revoir but not goodbye, Mr. Reeves." He wished she had meant it. He drove slowly along'until he was about a mile away and pulled the car up beside the road and lighted a pipe.

" It couldn't have been mine I heard," he reflected. " Though I thought I knew the sound of the exhaust. Funny the radiator was warm though. Wonder how the juice is going ?" He looked at the petrol gauge. Four and three-quarter gallons. Reoves was methodical where petrol consumption was concerned. Mechanically he noted the speedometer reading. Since the last one he had put in the tank seven gallons, so that he had used two and a quarter.

He stared at his figures with a puzzled air. For the last five thousand nples he had averaged eighteen miles to the gallon. But if these figures were right he must have been doing more like 25, an inexplicable jump. The unexpected surplus of petrol was still worrying him wlion lie resumed his jotirney,.. was still in tlje back of his mind a- mile farther along the road where he came to a narrow bridge crossing the River Mole, and saw a sergeant and a policeman standing there, signalling him to stop.