“The Anderley Affair”

Taranaki Daily News, 2 May 1930, Page 13

“The Anderley Affair”

By

JOHN LAURENCE

CHAPTER XXIX.

FLOYD A PRISONER.

Jost as Marley had been knocked unconscious in the train smash, Oster had glanced at the'clock a little uneasily. “It’s about time-Marley ’phoned,” he remarked. “It’s getting on for six o’clock. He would be down there at one. Say an hour for his lunch. By three at the. latest he ought to have got in touch with that Trenehard girl.” “You seem devilish uneasy about her,” said Arnheim. “What did you find out when you looked through her things this morning?” Oster rose without replying and went to the telephone. - “I’m going through to the Cable, Arnheim,” he said. “And get your secretary to come to it. Better think of a good excuse why you wanted to talk to her.' Letters or papers mislaid. Hallo, Hallo ?” He replaced the receiver with an impatient gesture. “The cursed thing’s out of order,” he eaid uneasily. “Go and ask Miss Trenchard to come down, Arnheim. I want to talk to her.” . There was a menace in his tones look up. “What’s wrong?” growled Entleman. “You’H see quick enough,” snarled Oster, whose nerves were evidently rapidly getting on edge. “I’ve been waiting for Marley.' to .come back.. I expected he’d have news. He ought to be here by now, tfftlbss-r-unless he found the telephone out. of order, and got scared.” Arnheim. turned at the door. He had never seen Oster appear worried before, and some of the latter’s nervousness communicated itself to him. He found Floyd' with Mrs. Sanders, and asked her curtly to come downstairs with him.' As she entered the room she knew that something was wrong. Oster was standing near the fireplace, and there was a look in hie cold blue eyes which gave her a feeling of fear. And the next moment her apprehension was replaced by knowledge. “Shut that door Arnheim, and stay, by it,” said Oster sharply. “Now Miss Anderley, what have you got-- to say for,, yourself ?” ‘ Arnheim. moved' forward, and Oster s voic'd! rose/ : . • “Stand.-.where you are. I ean do all the talking.. And you too, Entleman. “Afraid I shall overpower you all?” asked Floyd boldly. “If you don’t mind I will; sit 'down. It’s not customary for a lady to be allowed to stand. “So you admit you are Miss Anderley?” asked Oster. “Why not, ' Mr. Oster,” answered Floyd, “You seem to know all about me, .though''in what way I resemble. Miss Anderley 1., really. don’t know. “I had a look through your room this morning,” continued the other quickly. “All ■ your, .clothes are. marked “F.A.,” and they are all a little more expensive than a typist out of work could buy. Floyd smiled inwardly despite the position' she; was in. That was a mis- ( •take, she reflected. But it had not I occurred to her that her clothes would be examined, and she would not have had time to buy a complete new outfit if it had. She wondered where Marley was as she waited the next step. . “Mr. Marley has gone down to Brighton,” eaid Oster, echoing her thoughts. “I wonder what your dear, cousin Miss Trenehard will have to say about you to him.” I ' , Flovd gave a little gasp and looked at each of the three men in turn. Arnheim’s dark glasses hid the expression in his eyes, but his lips were compressed in a cruel line. En tieman was glaring at her savagely, and his mouth was working spasmodically, his hands clenching and unclenching ' themselves as though he would have liked to have closed them round her throat. Oster was cold , and calculating in his attitude, and it was he whom she feared most. . • .Ar, “So that astonished you, eh? I .wonder how long she’s been a paid spy? he asked. .-“Never mind, Marley wnl know how. to deal with her. I shouldn t be- surprised if he brings her back: with him. A nice pair you 11 make. Who syour friend in- black?” H-i took a menacing step towards her ’ and Floyd instinctively shrank back in her chair. She bit her hps to prevent herself showing any sign of the fear which was strangling the words in her throat. . . “Who’s your friend in black, repeated Oster harshly. “Do you think L believed your tales, eht-Do you

think that bluff worked for one minute ?. What <lo you suppose we came down here for... ch? So we could get T ou alone, Miss Floyd Andprley, so ie could screw the truth out of you “And do you think you ever .will? eaid. Floyd morp balc!l y ftn 9 hc fclt“Da you think J.’m the only one. who knows? The worst you can do is to murder, me, and that won't be the first murder you’ll have to suffer for.” “Who's the- .maiu in.bjack ?” repeated Oster. ... He took a otridc forward and. seized, her wrist.. The pain of his iron grip •was. excruciating and brought the tears to Fiord’s eyes. It was the. grip which had left Entleman helpless, and she, thought the very bones were going to crack. • . “I-don’t know,” she muttered, afraid to speak in her natural voice. ‘ That’s —that’s why I went there.” Why she eaid that she did not know, 1)111' it had a curious effect on Oster. He dropped her wrist and looked at her searchingly. “That was why you went there? he demanded. Floyd held her painful wrist to gain time while she thought. It was obvious that: her ' eha nee remark had gained'a respite for her and she must build up her story carefully? ’ Every hour might he of importance now, for she was certain of this—that Chalmers would leave no stone unturned to find her, even if lie had not al,ca<l y known of the existence in this house near Rcigate. <-jhe—the police always thought—the map who killed Mr. Oakes might, have gone in. the., direction of Condor House,” she saici 'slowly, “Mr. Arnheim was followed by them—and they saw Mr. Marley and Mr. Entleman. Mr. Entle-

(To bo Continued).

man had —bad been seen at Mr. Oakes’ flat the day after the murder.” “That was the journalist,” growled Entleman. “I’d like to wring his neck.” “One murder’s enough,” said Oster coldly. “Go on—how did they know Marley ?” Floyd knew that he was listening carefully to everything she was saying, weighing it up in his mind, prepared to trip her is she made a mistake. I Whatever story she told now must be a consistent one, she kept repeating to herself. “Miss Oakes came and, saw me and told me all about Marley,” continued Floyd,, who deliberately related certain incidents which she believed would be within the other’s knowledge, and so add the semblance of truth to her story. “Marley was her husband.” “That doesn’t explain how' you came here,” said Oster. “I’m coming to that,” said Floyd, racking her brains to find some plausible excuse without giving Lena Oakes away. That would happen fast enough when Marley returned, but sufficient for the hour was the evil thereof., “Your servants talk, you know.” There crossed her mind the story of the servant Annie who had left Condor House after seeing the man in black. “One of your servants left after be-. Ing frightened out of her life, and she was seen by the police. They believed what she told them. They got in touch with Miss Trenehard and—and threatened her if—if she didn’t do what they told her. That was why she asked for 1 month’s holiday and I took her place.” “Yes, why you? You’re no detective. Yob don’t look like one and you don’t behave like one,” said Oster jeeringly. “Come, Miss Anderley, you’d better tell me' all the truth if you value. your safety.” “I took her .place because I wanted to do something to bring you to justice, Mr. Oster,” cried Floyd defiantly. “And I persuaded the . police I could do it.” “Put the screw on her, Oster,” interrupted Entleman. “If the police are after us, the sooner wo are out of here the better.

“Bah, don’t be crude,” returned his companion. “You can only think of violence.”

“And he’s not the only one,” reflected Floyd, holding her painful wrist. Sire had been frightened out of her life in the first few minutes she was in that room, for she did not know whether these men would murder ’ her or not. But her spirits had been steadily rising as she told her story. Little by little she had realised that all three were more frightened than she was, that the fact they had been watched unknown to themselves had got on their nerves. She had little doubt that all three men had been confident their scheme was not being queried, and now, like a bombshell, had cofffe the revelation that the police, and that meant the Government, had not swallowed the story which had been told them. To Oster-it meant that the authorities still, to some extent, believed in Sir Henry Anderley, though a warrant had been issued for his arrest. It puzzled him. There was something inconsistent somewhere, but he could not see where, unless Floyd had deliberately milled them with the story about the police. But if she had, how had she got into Condor House? And the answer came to him that, it was possible that she had done so through Arnheim’s secretary without the intervention of the police at all. She would learn from Chalmers who were the people accusing Sir Henry. But Oster wasn’t satisfied in his own mind. The mystery of the man in black, the theft of the two maps, had something to do with Floyd, but he could not see what. The return of Marley might clear up the connection of Floyd with..the other girl and that in its turn might clear up the other mystery. Marley was ■ the key. He cursed Marley under his breath.

“Take her to a room she can’t get .mt of, Arnheim,” he said curtly. “And if Mrs. Sanders cuts up nasty lock her up as well. I can rely on Robinson and Jackson, and they can come in the house. Put Robinson on guard. If she escapes he’ll know what to expect.” Outside the room Floyd found Arnheim was very different once he had got out of the range of Oster’s cold blue eyes. "Go on, up to the top of the house,” he. said roughly. "You can go in the attic, and think yourself lucky you're alive, my lady.”