RED FOR DANGER

Taranaki Daily News, 19 January 1935, Page 19 (Supplement)

RED FOR DANGER

By

LINDSAY HAMILTON

(Author of “The Gorgon,” "The Black Asp,” etc.)

CHAPTER 21 (continued.)

"She’s like you,” Timothy concluded. “Fond of a chap and all that, but not in the way I want.” “Wellj- I should never have suspected you of a faint heart,” said Sylvia. "No? Perhaps you’re right. • The trouble .is it takes two hearts to—what is it?—beat as one, as the poets put it.”“Poets,” she scoffed, “you mean penny novelettes.”

It was shortly before lunch that the butler, encountering Timothy alone again, told him that a lady had telephoned earlier in the morning to ask whether he had arrived.

That would be Jill, of course. Nice of her to. ’phone, thought Timothy. She would have received the note he had left in his room and might be a little enraged because he had gone without her. Not until lunch was half Over did he realise what answer the butler had probably given. He made a hurried apology and went to the ’phone. Colonel Clinker answered his call. The news he had to tell staggered Timothy. What a malevolent combination of circumstances! The raiders—they must have destroyed his note or taken it; his own unheralded arrival; Jill’s alarm. He understood all too clearly what she was about. Timothy spent the-' worst half-h Our Of his life trying to come to a decision. His impulse was to dash off .to London at once after Jill and leave the obstinate nobleman to his fate. ‘But a moment’s consideration made that unthinkable. For, if any murderous assault was to be made on Lord Medway, -this journey would afford the opportunity for it. Since he would not be warned he must be protected. There was this consideration also. Jill had laid her plan with admirable skill. Shfe had every Chance of getting away with it, unless—and it seemed an unlikely possibility—the B.S.T.A. Ltd. succeeded in getting hold Of the. incriminating manuscript. Timothy decided in the end that he must escort Lord Medway to Cambridge and back, and if by that time there had been no word from Jill,. to take the quickest means of getting to Town for an interview with Dr. Gray.

Lord Medway prepared to depart soon after lunch and Timothy joined him as he went out to the waiting limousine.

“I’m coming, Sir,” he said calmly. “By all means,” said Lard Medway absently. Then he noticed the chauffeur. “Er—hello—who ate you?” The chauffeur touched his cap respectfully. “Jones, yout lordship—Mrs. Bryce’S chauffeur.”

“Ah, yes, I had forgotten. Carstairs tdld me you were taking his place.” “Who is he?” asked Timothy as, they drove off.

“Mrs. Bryce’s chauffeur.* “I don’t remember him. Is he a new man?"

“Now that you mention it, I believe he is,” said Cord Medway. “But if Carstairs approves of him you may take it he is reliable. Carstairs is as jealous of this car as some men are their wives.” “Is Carstairs ill?” said Timothy. “Why can’t he drive you to-day, sir?” “His mother is in hospital at Exeter and he had a wire to go to her at once. He arranged for this man to take his place. I had forgotten for the moment, Timothy’s desire. for information had evidently exhausted itself in that direction; it took a new turn, disconcertingly.

“You idon’t happen to carry a revolver, do you?” Me? Why on earth—? What do you mean, my boy? . . . Ah, 1 see, a revolver—yes, of course. No, I’m afraid I don’t.” Then, rather nervously: “Why? Do you cafry one? Have you one with you now?” - Timothy shook his head .slowly. ..J"- , “I wish I had,” he sighed fervently, “I’m beginning .to think I shall need it.” . CHAPTER 22. THE LEVEL CROSSING. ' The situation, Timothy decided, was somewhat delicate. Lord Medway believed him to be temporarily deranged in the upper storey, and there was no knowing how he would react if Timothy followed his natural inclination and laid Out the driver without waiting for him to start any trouble. And what if Jones was no more than he professed to be—an innocent good Samaritan? The summons .Carstairs had received might be quite genuine. On the whole, the odds were strongly in favour of his innocence. For if he was One of Hennessey’s gang he could only have secured the post of chauffeur to Mrs. Bryce within the past two days— Since the edict of death on Lord Medway in fact —and that meant crediting the S.S.T.A. with a slice of astonishing luck. It might be, of course, that Jones had sought out Carstairs and posed as Mrs. Bryce’s new chauffeur. But there would be a risk in that, for Carstairs might already have met the new man, or if the post had not yet been filled, he might know it.

Taking all this into consideration, Timothy decided to wait upon events. Criminals, he had always heard, usually adopt one particular technique and stick to it. They might try the gafl trick again. Very Well, at the leas* sigh of sleepiness, or if Jones fell in any way below that perfect standard of conduct to be expected from a cbmffeur, Timothy would not hesitate. Jones

would find himself faced with a long walk, and possibly a limb or two not quite equal ,to the task. Jones little knew how near he came to such a fate when the car left the main highway some fifteen miles from Cambridge. Timothy reluctantly excused him, for the main road had recently" been tarred, and a slight detour to avoid messing, up the car was within the accepted standard of a chauffeur’s duty. .

So far as Timothy could remember, this Second*class road joined the London to Cambridge road in. six miles or so. They had gone about a mile at considerably reduced Speed When the engine began to spit.

Just as he was about to call a halt the trouble seemed to right itself. The car was running smoothly enough, but it was not pulling well. . A few minutes later the spitting began again, more violently this time; again it cured itself, and the car seemed then to regain its lost power and bound forward.

Timothy saw the reason for the sudden acceleration. They were approaching a level-crossing, and the gates were open. Jones was trying to get across while the road was clear.

A long-drawn hoot came from behind, and Timothy glanced back. A power-ful-looking saloon was approaching at Speed; the driver seemed intent on passing, but, seeing the crossing ahead, evidently changed his mind and drew in behind. ;

Timothy’s nerves had suddenly gone taut. It seemed to him that here was a .very pretty spot for a piece of murderous villainy—no habitation within sight but the lodge at the level-crossing, the view along to the right Obstructed by rising ground, not even c clear View along the railway line, for it curved through a cutting only a hundred yards away. < As though to confirm his sudden sense Of some crisis sweeping down Upon them, the engine bufst into a paroxysm of spitting and gave up the ghost, ahd the Car came to rest with the front wheels well over the rails of the permanent Way; a misfortune which appeared to exasperate the driver of the big saloon, for he hOoted continuously and tried to pass.

Any impartial Observer would have denounced it as a display of bad driving and bad judgment. The road approached the crossing at a sharp angle; there was no room to pass. All the saloon succeeded in achieving was to wedge itself and effectually . prevent Lord Medway’s car from backing. Jones had got out and Was attempting to push tile car forward. There cOuld be no immediate danger from trains, or the gates would not have been open. Nevertheless, it was not a healthy spot for loitering. “I’ll give him a hand,” said Timothy. He had the door open on the off-side, and waS On the point of getting Out When he changed to look out through the teat window. A man was leaning out Of the Saloon. He drew in again quickly, but not before Timothy had recognised him. It was Sinister-face.

Timothy could not imagine a more desperate situation. What they meant to do flashed across his mind in an instant. If Lord Medway descended he would be shot out of hand. The first train that passed Would mangle* the car and its cargo of corpses,- and cover, if not obliterate, the crime. Ten to one the level-crossing keeper waS out of action.

Appalling thought! At any moment a train might come sweeping round the curve and out of the cutting.

Timothy literally bounded out into ths road, and when Lord. Medway would have, followed he hissed a command at him sb savagely that that nobleman shrank back in alarm.

'.“Stay there! 1 . : .Keep down—out of sight”"' Jones was making for the rear of the car Ostensibly to get a better leverage for pushing. “Here you!” yelled Timothy. He caught him by the coat collar and swung him roughly back. The fellow’s blanched terror-stricken face was confusion enough. Maddened with fufy and the need for speedy action, Timothy Struck at it Savagely. Jones reeled out and fell against the front wheel. Perhaps it would have been better to have got Lord Medway out and to have made a dash for the lodge. There might be a telephone there. But it was too late now for a change of plan. The thing to do was to get the car off the permanent way. He braced his shoulder against the rear comer and pushed, expecting a bullet in the back and wondering why it did not come. The car moved forward a few inches and swung back a foot on the rebound. It was at that instant that Timothy heard it—a vibrant sound bursting suddenly into a roar, and the whistling, steam-belching monster of steel was hurtling down on them. There was no escaping the appalling onslaught. The thing was over almost as soon as Timothy ’ realised its inevitable certainty. . He himself was clear of the line, but at the first frightful impact he was hurl-ed-bodily into the hedge, where he lay for a while stunned. When he opened his eyes Sinister-face was stooping Over him with a knife in his hand. His only sensation was one of dazed surprise. So his end had really cornel (To be continued.)