THE JADE TOKEN

Taranaki Daily News, 14 November 1930, Page 4

THE JADE TOKEN

(By

RALPH TREVOR)

CHAPTER'VI. — (Continued.), There was an unmistakeable touch of pathos, in the elderly man’s voice and Burke could not help feeling that Jeeves was genuine. : ‘‘l understand, Jeeves. I didn’t want, to hurt your feelings but this is a very serious matter. By the way, when does Sir Garvice get his keys back again?” “During breakfast, sir, generally.” “So there, was one occasion when he did not obtain them quite so promptly? When was thati’i “However did you guess . that, sir? I never said so. - But you’re quite right, sir. Let me see now, when was it? To-day’s Saturday, it would be last Wednesday#, sir, that’s right. I’d put ’em down on the little Indian table over there, sir, by the window-seat, tp get' the ■ letters from the postman and when I went to look for ’em they were’nt nowhere.” Jeeves appeared to hesitate and hi© eyes glanced at Burke, apprehensively. 1 “And when you came into the hall again, there they were on the table, eh?” smiled Burke. “And you found Miss Marvin going out for a stroll,” he added, noticing the look of wonderment on the butler’s face. Jeeves passed one hand across his white brow. “Yes, yes, that’s just what did happen, though how you should know that, sir, I can’t imagine. You must be a thought reader, ©ir.” “Perhaps I am,” Burke said, quietly. “I think that will do, Jeeves, thank you.” Burke passed out of the house and made his way across the lawn until looking up, he noticed his bedroom window. A little distance away stood . the .group, of rhododendron bushes from the shadow of which the mysterious ■ figure had glided to a apot almost immediately beneath his window. Eagerly, Burke searched the lawn for some sigh of footprints, but the turf was 'so thick in texture that his task was an impossible one. But; crossing the narrow gravel path Burke perceived that, continuing a straight line he found himself immedi-: ately-beneath the window, of the study —the window he had, a few minutes ago .been convinced had been opened by someone the night previously.. In front of the window and bordering the red gravel path was- a flower bed about six feet deep_ from the .•foot of the . wa11... was • filled with a var-' uety of herbaceous plants including- lup-v ins, and many of them, showing the first blue -budded spikes,a numbs rof ; tall: 'delphiniums# th"e whole edged by wall-} flowers -and' Darwin tulips whose buds stood stately ibut/still’gfeen. '?■ < ’ . For'a.'few minutes Burke stood; andgazed'at it. Sb far as he could see •there were 1 no :■-footprints on the soil; (which was fairly dry and rather lumpy as though ' it had been freshly raked: over. • ■ ' e But just then something attracted his attention-—something, lying on the soil.; i Burke ■ stopped-.. and . picked, it up. It was a button—a black bone button. He had hardly; straightened; his back when a voice behind him said: ' “I always thought one went slughunting, at night; with an electric torch: .and a pin.” . J ■■;.'., : ■'■ • '** The detective spun round quickly and found himself looking into the amused face of Ann Marvin. For. a moment he felt like asking her whether that was her pursuit last night, but hq refrained. He felt that he had other evidence now—the evidence of the button that , lay in the palm of his hand with the fingers closed tightly’ over 'it.'; I ’ “This seems. admirable soil for per- ' ennials,. Miss Marvin,”' he smiled. “I’ve; i never seen lupins in bud quite ,so early,, ■ have you?” / Ann Marvin regarded Burke curiously- ■ ■ ' ' ’’ " ; “I’m, not an authority on gardening, ‘Mtj Burke,” she smiled. “I appreciate the flowers but I never, trouble to ascertain' to what particular properties; l they owe" their Hello!” as a gong sounded, “that; means breakfast. I’ll bet I could race you indoors!” Andaway she raped, fleet- as a gazelle, to-, wards the.loggie with Burke marvelling' at her speed, as-.he .managed to catch; up with her ,in the hall. But during breakfast Burke was; thinking about, the button that was' now safely.tucked away in his pocket.; Where had’ he '-seen. a button ■ like that before?. It was unlike most buttons he -knew for its thread holes were three in number instead of four and set in. a triangular formation—an American ■design.'. ■ ’• ■; " [Burke had just' set down his cup of ; coffee when;he. remembered.* „ ; There was only ■ one man he knewwho wore buttons ‘like that,"and : ,that; was Detective Inspector Robert Ames'. of 'Scotland Yard.; ; • ■ ‘ ' GKAiPDI&R'VIIt - (A QUESTION OF IDENTITY. The theft of the gold crucifix rather cast a gloom over what had promised

to be a thoroughly delightful weekend at Rio Court. Sir Garvice having consulted Burke to ascertain what he had. discovered and 'been told that he had certain suspicions but was not yet at liberty .to disclose them, locked himself away in his study and left , the young people to find their own amusements which they managed to do tolerably well. Dr. Langley was secretly, perturbed at the theft and plied Burke with all manner- of questions, none of which the detective would answer. “There's nothing at all to worry about,”' Burke told him casually. ‘‘l’m putting the matter in hand. I. have a theory that it is yet another-link in the chain of mysterious .occurrences I am at present investigating. But I’ll get them yet. Someone’s bo find to make a slip sooner or later and when that happens, ■ I’ll' be like the- vulture ready to sweep down upon them—relentlessly.” The doctor said no more about itThe fact that he and' 'Sonia were to be married in the near future—-Sonia having expressed her willingness without any very great amount of argument-— caused a certain amount of quite'natural elation.

IBurke found Ann Marvin truly delightful. There was something about this girl that fascinated him beyond measure. The dnusual occurrence of the night previous seemed hardly to have affected her. She mentioned it casually remarking that it was the first tinao she knew that thieves had a religious turn of mind and that Burke would probably. find that the culprit wa£ a bishop or some other equally respectable, person, and when it, came time on ' Mon< day morning for Burke to leave he had persuaded himself that, in spite ■ of the evidence' of his oryn eyes,- Ann Marvin; was altogether too nice, a persop to have a hand in a burglary; ' J On his way- back to London, Gurtis Burke realised that he must get; some-' thing moving, but at the. came time he felt that his respite at Rio 'Court, had; not been altogether so much wasted time.'- The theft of the crucifix had interested him up to a point. .Sir .Gar-, vice had <told him it was irreplaceable; in fact, and that inforina-j tion singularly coincided with the . information -in his; possession regarding the series of robberies whose investi-; gatione he had under his charge. In; each of these widely different and dif-j fused cases, the only things which .had been taken had been articles of histbri-j cal significance—-rarities in ’the ' realm; of jewellery. ■ '.; ’ ■ I Behind all this he felt-sure that oqe day he would find the master' niind—i the super' intelligence who directed the ; operations and who had at his’ coin-J mand’the full resources of \the pfider-; .world and the cleverest "crooksi -who; haunted darkest London. .'•

Instinctively as j the /.train thundered' through the series of tiny waysidA eta-; tions at which it was not scheduled to ©top, Burke’s mind turned, to-a con-; temptation of Inspector Ames.. That', button in his pocket was rather, alarming, and coupled with the suggestionsflung out by- Sir Garvice Watkin, Burke felt himself in an awkward position.- •• , If- he had riot had a great deal ofj respect for Ames, if'he had not secretly admired the man and felt that his detective '.abilities jwer© thoroughly sound, he would have had no hesita-’ tion in going to the Chief Commissioner and laying before him the facts of the case as he now knew them.

■But 'Curtis Burke knqw that he could never take such a course. He must give Ames a chance to clear himself of the cloud of suspicion 1 that had blown up in hi© mind. Ames would either” refute all the suggestions and proceed to prove him' wrong or else, realising/that’the gairie was up, would quietly disappear and never b© heard of again. Either of these two courses Burke felt would suit him admirably, for he had no wish to see; Ames pub-’ licly pilloried, and that was what would, happen if the truth were revealed. At ■ the same time, Burke realised jt; was going to be a particularly delicate task and one which would demand a great deal of 'skill and tact. One false ©tep would mean that Ames would be given; the opportunity of hauling him before his superiors on a charge of making unfounded allegations against his professional honour, which Burke knew was: sb serious a charge that,; were he- unable to prove them qp to the; hilt, it would' mean his, ignominious dis-; missal from the force. And, after all, ■what could he prove?. Sir Garvice Watkin’ssuspicions ■ were founded upon nothing' more nor less than; elementary deduction. . They could be . dismissed; right away from'the point of view of conclusive testimony.. And what of the; ■'button? Did the fact that Inspector. Ames possessed a suit of tweeds l.aving buttons of the peculiar-design of the one he had found outside Rio Court, conclusively mean that Ames, had been there, on , the night the crucifix had been stolen? IBurke knew that it did nut.' The fact that Ames had a. suit of clothes with such buttons did not mean; that it was the only one of its kind in London or elsewhere. For all Burke knew there might be hundreds precisely similar. (To Be Continued.)