THE JADE TOKEN

Taranaki Daily News, 5 December 1930, Page 6

THE JADE TOKEN

(By

RALPH TREVOR)

CHAPTER XVl.—(Continued.) It was a dark, yet cloudless night, as Burke stepped out of. the warmth of Hampstead tube station and turned his face in the direction of Layering Road where he knew Ames lived. Burke had never been to Ames’ house before. He knew that; Ames, being a widower, was reputed to ( possess ' a very efficient housekeeper.Added to this he was' none too sure of his topography as. regards north London, but a constable whom he accosted and who recognised Trim, gave him a detailed. description of the almost labyrinthine route he must take in order to reach Layering Road in the quickest possible, time; In spite of these instructions, however, it was only, with difficulty that Burke found the road for which he. was searching. . Lavering Road looked rather prosperous 1 , if the size, of .the houses was any guide to the opulence of ..t'be residents.., They .were large houses set well back' from the road with an occasional tree \ here and there whose branches cast deep shadows across the footwalk. ■ Ames’- house was numbered,47 and once in the road, Burke had little difficulty in. locating, it. He turned in at the gate and noted that, the tall house was shrouded: in blackness save for a faint glimmer of light burning in one of the ground floor rooms to the left of the entrance. Burke strode to the door and knocked boldly on the curved brass knocker. Then he stepped back a pace and waited. But no on© came in response to his knock, so Burke'repeated the salutation. Still no one came and Burke, with a shrug of annoyance and desperation was about to turn away,:when he noticed something that made him pause. A thin black line more accentuated than the dull blur of the door itself ran sharply down one side, and looking closer he discovered that the door wasslightly, ajar. ' . . . /. ' It yielded to the pressure of . his cloved hand, and he found himself look-. ?ng into a darkened square that indicated the entrance hall; The ’house seemed strangely ’ quiet,, like an empty church, as he crept stealthily inside the listened. Further alono-.h.e saw a narrow, ribbon of light flun<r horizontally across the floor. That, he told himself, came from the room- where ;he had noticed. the fqint light .burning from outside. He stole, nearer and once again knocked on the panel. .No reply- Burke turned the handle and entered softly. The room was well furnished but devoid of human companionship. . A small electric table' lamp- with a deep' orange shade stood burning on the; table. Burke's nostrils itwftched. ’;’;Tie? atmosphere 'was heavy with the reek of tobacco smoke.*■ . Still wondering..'what it cotifd ‘mean. Burke., closed the door quietly and turned his . attention to. the room opposite, .where the door stood half open.' Thi4 room was iri darkness, but flashing his r electric £brch,' he. saw that the fire .’in' the' grate had been banked' upand was ' smouldering contentedly' as sorne.’ fires will. At the far end he saw that the window was : concealed byheavy'dark curtains, which had been drawn, across the apeiTurc. There was nothing, to be gained. by, r'qmairiirig' here. Burke was just-about to go out into the hall again . when he heard* someone moving ; quietly a short distance away, .probably in the'direction of'Hie front door. Someone entering the house, .he ' ht)d po doubt. ' Finding his line-of .retreat .unexpectedly cut off. Burke .crossed the floor swiftly towards the parting them and pulling them 'into, position .again to .conceal himself. ■ '' ' ■, ' •'■ He had barely established 'himself in the window recess when he Heard the metallic "click of an electric switch and at the same instant the room beyond.'him. was flooded with- a, soft, subdued light. ' Holding the edges of .the, curtains rigidly, Burke pulled them apart slowly” just-sufficient: for him to. see info the room without making it apparent that he was there: But what he siiw almost caused,, him to utter, a swift ejaculation, for there stood Ann 'Marvin, bright-eyed arid with.a faint blush bloominn- in her cheeks—-Ann Marvin,; the, girl” to .whom , he. had given .his heart. ‘ '' 1 '' ' , Jhat Burke was amazed is but an ineffectual expression ; of his thoughts. He was dumbfounded. Ann .-.Marvin was .in -'-evening- dress.; She-' wore the 5 sa me' exquisite - cloak she had ' worn at the Albemarle the previous . night. Fascinated, he' watched her unclasp the cloak and. throw it across the high: back of one of • the. chairs. Then she crossed to the .- fire, stooped .down ■ and inserted the short iron poker until a spurt of; flame shot upwards from the resultant cavity, and. the once smouldering fire became suddenly aAvelcome blaze., \ BujtkelA ey66. .never r- Left the slim, figure :of the. girl as she; rose from- the fender, hertask . completed, she slowly crossed to the opposite wall and touched a small, ivory, electric bell-push. ;Thc’n she went back once again to the fireside and dropped, with a.’, satisfied sigh, into the leather .upholstered chair at one side. - -/Ik' ■

The young. man’s brain was in a turiault.. What was Ann Marvin doing, at the house of Inspector Ames ? . Why did she appear to move about this room as ;if—as if she were- accustomed, to its conventions? Then qui.te- suddenly ; Burke's inirid flew back to-,that; incident at Rio Court—the incident of tfie theft of the jewelled crucifix arid the* finding of the button outside the window, the button identical in. pattern with those worn on the/dlothes of'.'lnspector Ames.But before Burke had -time to adjust his ideas around this new aspect, and compare it with Ann Marvin’s pro-testations'-of. innocence at dinner the previous night', tfie door opened quietly and Ames himself- entered the. room. The Inspector paused with one hand on the handle -as he closed it behind him and Burke saw his pye? travel over to the -fireplace beside, which, Ann was sitting; He-saw! that, she turned her head slightly, as she heard the click , of .the lock., when ,the door- closed.. . ■ Ames walked' leisurely across to where the girl. w0 sitting and Burke thought that' -there was an - apprehensive look- in the. riian..l ■ < “Well, did. you-get it? asked Ames as he stood, rather nonchalantly with his' back to the -fire, his' hand plunged inconsequently into the .pockets of his reefer’.jacket. ' i - ' The girl did riot reply, but for answer Burke saw her hold out her hand and he -saw that in the hollow of the- white nalm there reposed an enormous uncut ruby of exceptional, brilliance. “Give it to me4” ; ", .'/ ;A- '■ ' ■ 7 There'was a note of command, authority in. Ames’ voice as one- hand emerged from his pocket and shot- out towards her.- ■ A Aa- .A A But the girl withdrew her hand suddenly. Obviously the movement was a wholly , unexpected one so far as Ames was concerned, for his-manner changed, abrupty. . * ; A

“Wily this display of stubbornness?J he demanded, curtly. “I thought argued this matter out earlier in ■ the day.” . T. Burke saw Ann Maryin rise slowly from the depths of her chair t<? face the white-faced man who confronted her. , ’/'J,' “Do you want to destroy -the whole thing?” she asked quietly. “Don’t you see it wquld be absolutely fatal’for you to do anything rash with things as they are.”. Anu- paused as she looked searchingly ‘ into the eyes of the man who stood before her. Ames shrugged his shoulders. “Any difficulty ?” he asked.' . “Perfectly simple,” Anh confessed. “The directions were uncannily correct. But we’ll have..', to.’, be careful. You haven’t forgotten about / .Burke, have you? He suspects something about that Rio Court affair.. He. told m> so last night, you remember, Well have to be very. careful or. else W.e’re likely to fall for it.” ' ./.. . Ames looked • tliougjitfiil”.a t ’nd ; .stroked his square chin. . . ' ' “I haven’t forgotten Burke,’ he told her, “but at the moment I’m. more interested in that stone you’ve got there. My taste for jewellery and precious stones is becoming frite- extraordinary,” he mused, and Aurke, dumb with the shock he had -received, saw a smile come to the Inspector’s: lips. - /‘But perhaps you’re right, Ann.” he heard Ames say. “I think I’H sleep on it. Nothing like sleep for bringing one to a more normal frame of miijd, my dear,” and takin« the girl by the arm he led her from the room, switched off the light and closed, the /door. . Burke waited for a few moments, a dull pain eating into his heart. What was to be done now? He felt the need for fresh air. 1 Cautiously.'his hand groped ..for the - catch on the long French. window. .It moved easily and ,a . moment later he stepped out into the garden at the back of the house: . . Ann. Marvin I - Ann Maryin—a thief! The words hammered into his brain with- disconcerting. 1 .severity. The. thought of what he had Just witnessed wag 'terrifying.; To think. . that Ann Marvin—the only. Ahn Marvin, who meant anything to'him—was a common crook!' , ■'. * -'. '< ' And Ames —yes, .of .course, there was Ames! It was curious how 'he had momentarily forgotten Ames- He "must act—and act swiftly. Ames —Inspector Ames -of Scotland Yard, was the “Long Afm”--the power behind crime of -whom. Sir Garvin W’atkin had spoken during the trial for murder of Joe Denver; ■ ‘ Curtis Burke unlatched the trellis gate, at the; side of the house made liis way quickly round to the front. '■ ' ■? -j" >7 : ' 7 ' ■ " -. CHAPTER XVII.: . :-. BURKE AND THE BUTTON. ‘ Curtis’Burke made his'way rourid to the front of Inspector JAmte’i. house with a feeling of considerable trepidation. His in hid was in', too great a confusion to.be able to think-with any degree of consecutive cohesion. The little drama he had just witnessed, had left him numb, but at the same time, its significance had not been utterly lost upon ■’ • C(T>b be '