THE JADE TOKEN

Taranaki Daily News, 17 December 1930, Page 12

THE JADE TOKEN

(By

■ • SYNOPSIS. A murder is committed in the surgery of Dr. Wallace Langley, he being decoyed from the place at the time. The police find the murdered man, named Conrad Ricks, has come from South America, and had recently asked Jules Conn, an antique dealer, to value a piece of jade set with a valuable ruby and inscribed with hieroglyphics. This jade token is now missing. Scotland Yard has been perplexed by a series of daring jewel robberies. Curtis Burke, a a brilliant young detective who is given cbntrol of the ease, connects these robberies with the murder of Conrad Ricks. Inspector Ames, an elderly detective, assists Burke. Ames is hostile to Dr. Langley, and feeling . that, he is under suspicion, Langley consults. Sir Gprvic'e Wafkiri a great ■ criminal lawyer. Langley is engaged to Sonia Cranston, a niece of Sir Garvjee. Sir Garvice tells the young doctor.- that there is something suspicious about Inspector Ames. Sir Garvice Watkin invites Burke to his country house for the week-end, and there- he meets Anri Marvin, a friend of Sonia Cranston. There is an atmosphere of mystery about Ann Marvin .and Burke, although attracted to her, suspects her of being a criminal. A gold crucifix, belonging .to Sir Garvice is stolen during the night. Looking for clues Burke finds'a black bone button of an unusual .type. There was only one man he knew who wore buttons like that, and that was Detective Inspector Ames, of Scotland Yard. Burke visits Professor Browning to try and learn somethingibf the his-' tory of the ancient jade token which was stolen from .the murdered man. Another murder is committed, and jewels stolen. Finger-prints lead to the arrest of one Joe Denver. Sir Garvice Watkin offers his services in the defence of the accused. At the trial it transpires that Denver has been a member of “The Long Arm,” a criminal association with ■an unknown head who directs all its operations. .- . . . ; - ' ! . 'CHAPTER XXL—(Continued.) ‘Tni ’glad you are so considerate for our/personal well-being, Mr. Burke,” said Aines. “I think it is always so much nicer to meet a charge on a full stomach. Did you say you would breakfast' with us?” he added, solicitously. “Yes, ‘ please do!” chimed in Ann Marvin, before Burke could find suitable words for a reply. “It won’t take a minute for the eggs.” ’■ “Thanks, but I’ll wait!” said Burke, addrci'sing- Ann. “But please remember that I’m perfectly serious. This is no nionient: for foolery.” Ann .Marvin dimpled prettily and sat down to. the table.

“Oh, please don’t go,” she smiled as Burke moved towards the door. “We don’t really mind people' watching us eat? do wg,?”' and she turned to the inspector for confirmation. . <■ “It will be warmer here, too,” chuckled 'Anics, munching hits toast. 'With'a frowii Burke turned.

/‘Perhaps I had better keep an eye on you,” lie .grumbled. : ■ - :■ ■The tone of Ins voice seemed to hurt the girl and pushing aside her plae 'she, leaned a little way across the table to where he sat. “You’re not really serious, are- you, Curtis?” she asked, gravely. “Serious!” Curtis Burke laughed. What- next would this ingenuous young woman ask him. Serious indeed! Good Lord! ■ Did she. honestly think he was enjoying himself. “I wish I weren’t serious/” he owned. “I 'wish this had never happened.’’ “But -there’s your duty, Mr. Burke,”

RALPH TREVOR)

admonished Ames, in the same genial manner. “You must not allow sentiment to intrude upon duty.” “Please!” Ann turned, to the eljder man at the. head of the little table with a suggestion in her manner which said: “You leave him to me.” “Gooff!” exclaimed Ames, in a relieved voice. “I’m too hungry to talk—just yet.” “Now Curtis, what’s the trouble?” began Ann. seriously. “You don’t really think we look like criminals, do you?” Burke was taken completely off his guard for the moment. He had not expected the conversation to swing round, quite so suddenly and. he met the girl’s eyes challenging him. “If criminals were convicted on appearance,” he told her, “it is just possible that our gaols would be- nearly empty.” “Thank; you!” smiled. Ann. “That’s the -first compliment you have ever paid me. But I’m serio,us. I want to know from what have you gbt the bee that seems to be adorning your bonnet. ■ You’ve been talking a lot' of nonsense about taking —Inspector Ames and myself down to Scotland, Yard to have us charged with some fantastic crime. But you’re wrong—quite wrong, and if you’ll promise to hold your hand for perhaps three or four days you'll not be sorry thaf you’ve listened to me.” . Burke heard her in amazement. There was something oddly convincing about' her words. They rang strangely true and made him feel just the least bit uneasy. He looked along the tabic to where Ames . sat, apparently oblivious to everything except his breakfast which he was obviously enjoying. ; ■'■ 1 “I have not forgotten last night,” said Burke, slowly.,' “Innocent people don’t make it their - business to dupe officers of the law quite so flagrantly.” “But you will forget about it,” went on Ann, “before very. long you’ll be laughinir' about it. You’ll be telling yourself that Ahn Marvin was a damn smart’woman to trick Mr. Curtis Burke So easily. Promise me you won’t do anything silly, Curtj's,” The young man felt awkward. He did not like the familiar way she ad-' dressed him in front of Ames and he began -to wonder what her motive coulcl be. Bitt he told himself also that he wasn’t going to let e ther of them fool him a second time. He-was determined to do what he had suggested take them to Scotland Yard arid risk the consequences. After all, even if he had blundered, the Assistant Commissioner was bound to agree against them. It. wasn’t his place, to prove .any : thing. They had botli acted suspiciously and he was justified in taking a perfectly rlormal course. “I’m afraid it’s no use’your talking like that,” he announced. “I'm in a desperately difficult position and if I am to believe the evidence of my own eyes when I saw you hand the Fanshawe ruby/ to Ames; I cannot do anyelse'except arrest you both on suspicion. Then it will be up to you to clear yourselves—if you can,” he added, significantly. Burke noticed a flash - of pain dart into the girl’s eyes. He knew that his words had hurt her more than she might have liked to admit, but they had hurt him,, also; hurt him just as badly as they had hurt her. “I 6 ay you will do nothing of the kind, Burke!” Curtis Burke turned his head abruptly at . the sound of Ames’ voice and the tone of command in which he had uttered the words. ■

■ Inspector Ames had crumpled his table; napkin and .flung it on to , the table'in. front of him. ;,•■

“And why not?” challenged Burke., . “Because I object to you interfering with me in' the course of my duty a”, a police officer.. Isn’t that good enough?” Ames demanded. “No!” flashed Burke, determined not to be talked out of his expressed intentions. “I have only - your word for that and I’m not convinced, that I’d be doing the right thing in withholding my power to arrest.? Inspector ■ Robert - Ames’ face . hardened and Burke neyer remembered having seen the expression on it before t • . , t , “I think it is time, Mr. Burke, for you to listen to me, Throughout the conduct of this- case . you hav.e occasionally been rather troublesome to me. I don’t say that you have been so intentionally, but at the time I didn’t feel disposed to enter into what would have been a somewhat lengthy explanation,', added to which I expect you would have disbelieved me. Even at • this, stage I doubt whether I am wise in showing, you. my hand. Had yon been more experienced I might have done so earlier, \but now I realise that your stubbornness makes me. take a course contrary ■ to my convictions. . If vou were to carry out your intention how; if you marched me down to Scotland Yard and preferred a charge against me, you would not only bling down upon your head the anger of your superiors and lay yourself open to instant dismissal, but you. would prohibit me from bringing to justice one of the greatest, criminals who has ever walked across the'stage of crime—the criminal who murdered Conrad Ricks and who stole the jade token,” Ames paused to allow the , import of his words to sink into the young man’s mind, and during the. pause he. studied Curtis Burke’s face 1 intently. , He noticed that he had gone a trifle palci, He noted, the nervous .twitching Of his colleague’s hands. All these symptoms told him that he had shaken Burke s confidence. ~ “Before I roll back my sleeve and . show you the cards I have concealed there.” pursued, the inspector, “I should like to introduce you'to my daughter, Ann Ames, alias Ann Marvin and a dozen others. . . CHARTER XXII. ■ Curtis Burke was staggered. In that critical moment he felt as if the world had fallen away from beneath him. Ann 'Marvin was the daughter of Inspector Robert Ames! It took several minutes for the significance of the statement to sink: into the disordered condition ot the young man’s mind . Of course the relationship accounted for much that he had hitherto been utterly unable to comprehend, but it did not account for her being in -possession of the Fanshawe ruby; neither did it satisfy his instinctive suspicion against Ames himself. He now realised that Ames was remarkably clever—most crooks had'to be, for that matter —and Burke .himself ' had no doubt Inspector Ames might think himself ’clever enough to throw dust into his eyes by tlie concoction of some- ex- ' tremely ■ plausible story which would serve to make him stay his hand. ■ . Ann Marvin was smiling at Burke’s obvious embarrassment. She seemed to lw enjoying a rather good joke against him. and he thought she would have interpolated a remark had. she not caught her father’s warning glance. “I am waiting to. hear the remainder

of the fable,” announced Burke cynically. -'■ ; . ’ ' • ; “I can see you are going to be difficult to convince, Mr. Burke,” went on Amea, with no sign of annoyance at Burke’s impolite expression of doubt. “Of course, I don’t blame you. I admit it does sound rather romantic, but in actual fact this is one of the most serious moments in/the lives of the three of us. It is serious for me because it may mean the undoing of years of hard and difficult work; for you it may mean disaster so far as, your progressive ambitions in the profession you have chosen; for Ann—” here the inspector paused .to glance at her. “For Ann it may mean all the difference between happiness and misery.. I think you will understand 'what I mean by that Mf. Burke. Though I have been a b o l ice officer for as long as I care to remember, I am hot altogether insensible to the little charming and romantic graces Of life. I have suspected my daughter of being in love, and I know that you are in love, and I don’t want to be the means of destroying something which is more important than mundane duty. However, with regard to Ann. I suppose, Mr. Burke, you have heard of Pringle’s, that world-wide detective organisation? Of course you have! Well. Ann is an esteemed member of that famous firm. She has been ever, since we returned from America five years ago. Not only that—she is also a crook—a very skill crook, if I may pay her an expert.compliment. (To be continued.)