THE BLACKMAIL OF ZERO

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22928, 5 January 1938, Page 19

THE BLACKMAIL OF ZERO

By JOHN GOODWIN

CHAPTER XXX—(Continued'. Cynthia laughed. "That's the way he is. That'B Tony. I'm going to have him out of gaol, and I'm going to save his Bat for him." , She went through the papers Mcßae had brought. "He may be a child at business, but I'm not, Mr. Mcßae, What's the total?" Mcßae grinned. "It's an awfu' lot o' -money," he said, watching her anxiously. "Four thousand pounds." "Four? It seems to be all that. Sure it'll cover you? Suppose you need five?" Mcßae was trembling with excitement. "Five! A thousand in hand! Miss, de'ye know what I'd do if I had that? I'd not only clear the debt, but I'd have that protection filed at the Patent office before night. I'd have the Bat 1 'plane completed in 48 hours, and I'd fly her on Friday at Litchford in the big race where there'll be a gate o' 10,000 people watchin' I I'd show the world what she is. I'd write Tony Holt's name across the sky at 400 miles an hour —an' no more waitin' I"

"That's the stuff!" said Cynthia. "Wait here!" 1

She went into her bedroom, unearthed from its hiding-place in the dressing-table drawer the five thousand pounds that had so nearly passed into Greer's hands. It would have been returned to the bank to-day. But here was a better use for it. She had it on the table before Mcßae.

"Here you. are. Just check it over, will you; you'll find it's correct. I've got the numbers." She sat down at her desk, pulled out a clean sheet of paper, and wrote rapidly. Mcßae looked at the wad of notes and gasped. - "D'ye mean it?" "Of course I mean it!" He took the money with trembling hands.

"But we can't do the ,thing like this I I might be a crook for all you know."

"Mr. Mcßae," said Cynthia. "It's my belief I know a crook from a straight man. I've had a lot of experience of both lately. I'm backing you. Meantime, I'm not taking any chances. Sign this, will you?" Mcßae read what she had written; speechless, he put his signature to it. "Gosh, but you're a great girll Ye've a head on your shoulders." "Sign this, too." She handed him another paper. "Now off with you! I put up the money. I authorise you to act. I want you to do one thing. See Mr. Thomas Devine, solicitor, Lincoln's Inn —here's the address. Give him this note from me. And he'll back you. But don't wait a second. Speed's the wordl Save tlie Bat for Tony—she's going to be wanted! Get to it!" Mcßae stuffed the notes into his "pocket.' He seized Cynthia's hand with a grip that nearly broke her fingers. "You're the right girl for Tony Holt —an' he's the finesVTad livin' I" He rushed out of the room, and the front door slammed behind him.

Cynthia laughed. Mcßae delighted her. She was taking a chance, of course. Tom Devine would tell her she had been a perfect fool. She had let Mcßae — practically a stranger to her —walk off with £SOOO. She had a very soft spot in her heart for Tom; the best of fellows, but always on the cautious side. He played for safety. This was a gamble. It might even be a trap. She could only back her own judgment. As soon as Mcßae was gone she opened the little telephone-box, clicked over the private switch that had been fitted barely half an hour before, put the receiver to her ear, and heard a faint buzzing, like an imprisoned wasp.

"X," she said. In a few moments Chief Superintendent Byrne's quiet voice came over the wire:

"Speaking. X-One." "Do you know anything about a young man called Mcßae, Holt Aeroplane works?"

"Hold on a moment." There was a short pause. "Nothing against Mcßae. Called on you just now, didn't he?" I'll look after him for you."

"Do!" said Cynthia, "he may need it. I want to tell you—" "Needn't tell me anything," cut in Byrne. "Not necessary. My work lies among these sort of people. I know all the crooks in London. But this is breaking the silence rule, All I want you' to do is to stay by it another -24 hours — please don't go out before 10 to-morrow. And listen—" "Yes?"

"Don't ring me again unless it's something urgent. I'm attending to details. This line you are only to use for emergency calls. Understand, Miss Rolles?"

The voice ceased abruptly. Cynthia turned the switch back to exchange. Emergency! The chief of police didn't seem to think this was an emergency. She was annoyed. It would have to be urgent before she would trouble the great man again. What of her partner? Where did Van come in ? It • was a shock to feel that Van was out of it; definitely and finally. He wouldn't dare to get in touch with her; that way lay peril to them both. Van's place was vacant. She would have been glad of that. But, perverse though it might be of her, she realised how much she was missing him. Two hours later the telephone rang. It was not the police. An excited voice with a strong Scotch burr grated on her ear.

"That Miss Rolles? Mcßae speakin'! We've won the game! I paid off that judgment debt by noon an' stopped them takin' possession. Saved the works —saved the Bat 'plane for Tony Holt." "Well done," cried Cynthia. "Thanks to you, Miss Holies! An' your lawyer—he's an ace! Are ye listenin' ? I've got the protection papers, filed at the Patent Office in Holt's name an' the fees paid—the receipt I'm sending to you by registered mail. I'll have the Bat finished an' rurinin' by Thursday. Come over twelve o'clock and I'll take ye for a flight in her; we'll go ringin' round the country. That's all now —I'm busy. Goodbj'e, and God bless ye!!" Cynthia hung up, her eyes shining. There was a faint click in the hall outside, a tap at her door. John Vandon himself walked in, cool, smiling, debonair as ever! "Hullo, partner," he said. "Alone and dreaming?"

Cynthia sprang up with a faint gasp. "Van!" she cried. "You? tVhy have you come?" ; He dropped into a chair. "Why shouldn't I come?" lie, said. "Don't you want me?" "Do you know this house is watched by the police?" said Cynthia. "I bet Zero knows it, too," said Vandon. "He must be a fool if he doesn't." He took out his cigarette case.

(COPYRIGHT)

A TALE OF MYSTERY, EXCITEMENT AND ADVENTURE

CHAPTER XXXI. OETKB OK RELEASE "Do you mind if I smoke? Don't worry about the ■ police. They don't want me —just yet." He struck a match. "I'm expecting they'll pull mc in one of these days. But not until they're ready." "You see, Cynthia, it isn't any use pulling a man in for trial without pnoof. Anyway,- they wouldn't arrest me in your house; tjie last man who did that caine to a sticky end, and the Yard haven't forgotten it. Before you pull your man you must have proof that he's the one. "The same rule applies to Zero. That's precisely the reason the police will never get him. He'B a shy bird, and their machinery creaks too hard. He'll drop into my little net— not theirs. How are things with you?" "I'm frightfully worried!" " Not about the Greer-Hartigan incident, I hope? That's ancient history, Cynthia. I'll tell you, if you wish, exactly what it was I did." "You needn't," said Cynthia. "I'd as soon forgot about last night. I've got a pretty good idea what happened after you left me." "Of course you have!" The twinkle came back to his eyes. "It worked out quite differently from any thing I expected; what are we all but blind instruments in the hands of Fate? I haven't a doubt you hit on the truth. You've sense, and you know far more than all these people who talk such a lot about silence." He blew a light cloud of smoke, and looked at her through it with admiration. "You're the ideal partner," he said, "and tho beauty of it is, neither of us can possibly give each other away. You've been wonderful." "I think it was very clever of you." "I am clever," said Vandon, "but last night 1 had a good deal of luck, too." "The newspaper account was rather different from what really happened," said Cynthia. She opened the drawer of her desk in which she had put the news sheet cutting that described Hartigan's sensational end. Vandon's eye caught a gleam of bright metal in the drawer. "Hullo!" he said quickly. "What have you got there?" Cynthia closed it hastily, with, a flush of annoyance at herself She gave a self-cons(yous little laugh, and felt extraordinarily foolish. "Nothing," she said. "Come across, partner," said Van., and rising deliberately, he opened the drawer. Then he looked at her, his lips trembling with laughter. Among the papers lay a little pearl-handled revolver. ... "Aren't you afraid of it?" he said. "No. What is there to be afraid of?" Cynthia picked it up. "I got it at the Civil Service Stores," she said. "Isn't it nice?" "Charming," said Van. "I had no idea the Civil Service was so bloodthirsty I" "I'd forgotten it was there for a moment," she said, laughing. "I suppose it sounds silly, but I'm alone so much, such queer people come up here, and such queer things happen in this house that I thought it was rather a good idea." Vandon looked at it as it lay in the palm of his hand, a small, dainty toy, but capable of deadly work. He opened it and saw five little, meat brass bulleted shells. "All the comforts of a home," he said. "I don't know that it's so silly, either. Ever fired one of these little chaps?" "We used to shoot at floating bottles from the deck of ray. uncle's yacht. I couldn't hit anything smaller than a barrel—l used to like to hear the shots go plunck into it. I never fired it at anything alive and moving. "You can hit a barrel?" said Vandon. "You're a dangerous young woman I Put it away, it's making me feel all dithery—let's get to business. Havo you heard from the Cipher since yesterdav. < "Zero? Yes." "Good! Let's see the letter. I noticed you were looking a bit thoughtful." Cynthia hesitated Then she fetched the Cipher message from her room and showed it to him. Van chuckled aloud as he read it.

"Aha! A change of tune! Zero is wise to the Hartigan case —nothing gets past him. Clever fellow! He approves your action; and, what's more, he approves mine. He makes no threats this time—be doesn't ask for money. If you need help you can rely on it— from him! Zero's on your side." He folded the message and gave it back to her.

"What d'you make of that, Cynthia? Zero's a good fellow, after all! The most interesting thing you've ever had from him by a long way. A new move."

"I was thinking that. Should you say he's scared?" "No, I wouldn't say scared. There's a curious point about this message, if you think a moment. It was sent through the mail, and if the police are watching your house and you —as, of course, they are, since yesterday—they're certainly censuring your mails, too. This letter was posted last night; not a donbt but it passed through the hands of the Yard and was opened and read before you got it." That had occurred to Cythia already. She was sure Byrne had read the Zero letter; that ho knew all about it. He had not even asked to see it. She looked at Vandon thoughtfully. "But, of course, Zero knows that. He meant that letter to be read by the Yard men," continued Van. *'it>'s intentional. He's perfectly willing for them to road his messages; incidentally, he's defying the police."

"Surely he's playing into their hands?" she said. "It should be easy to trace those letters."

"Very difficult. Even amateur poisonletter writers in a small town with a squad of detectives hunting 'em often get away with it for a year, and sometimes for ever. The net may be closing round him, but Zero won't back away from you; he'll fight it out to the end. He can't get it alone. He's been challenged and he plays the game for the love of it—that'-s the type he is. He's a master player. "There's a fascination in it, you know, Cypthial" Vundon laid his cigarette down deliberately. "Playing a big game, a dangerous game, facing all tbe odds, and beating' 'em. Playing to win!"

"Yes," said Cynthia quietly. "That's so. I've felt that myself. It's the hunter's instinct, I suppose—trailing a dangerous beast. It does become fascinating; when one commences a thing one can't give it up." Van nodded. "That's it! There are two ways of getting a tiger. One way is to go into the jungle yourself, alone or with a friend, and trail uo, the tiger yourself—confident that you'll get him before he gets yon., That's my way." ; "Of course, there's a certain amount of danger to it. It's not the sort of game a woman ought to take a hand in, when you come to think of it.; Some women are very clever hunting. Those are exceptional women. You've' gone a long way On that trail; farther than anybody. And I feel I oughtn't to have tempted you." He paused. "Don't you think you'd better jdrop it P" (To be continued daily)