THE ELUSIVE BLACK DIAMOND

Taranaki Daily News, 3 August 1935, Page 11 (Supplement)

THE ELUSIVE BLACK DIAMOND

CHAPTER 12. UNMASKED. It was the night that Dan Wayne anticipated would see the closing Stage of The Black Diamond case. The care-fully-laid plans made by the detectiveinspector and his Chief for the arrest of the criminal and the recovery of the bullion from the. safety-vault, began to proceed in accordance with schedule. As Dan Wayne’s impersonator and his equally spurious assistant met at nine o’clock outside the entrance of the Yard, several pairs of eyes were watching them from the dark interior of a powerful car drawn up on the other side of the road. Then the two detectives, after a short chat, climbed into Dan Wayne’s car, and, obeying their instructions, drove off into the night. As the detectives’ car sped on along the road for Brightnor, behind them, at a discreet distance, came their pursuers. On into the darkness of the country roads they raced, until at last the littleseaside town was" reached. So quicklyhad they come from London that they found they were ahead of time, and, alighting from the car, they passed the short time at their disposal in the coffeebar of a neighbouring garage. Meanwhile, outside at a safe point of vantage, like wolves waiting for a kill, lurked the occupants of the mysterious car which had followed them. Behind them as they waited appeared two other cars which came to a stop at a dark spot on the roadway. Words passed between the occupants of the three cars, and, when at last Dan Wayne’s car began to move, and gathered speed to race away into the blackness of the sea road, the three cars of all the watchers strung but like hounds in pursuit. A scene of great activity was-taking place also at the little seaside town of Belsey, not a mile, away from Brightnor, in a straight line across -Belsey Bay, For here, an hour before Dan Wayne’s car had drawn up in Brightnor, several cars had arrived near the life-boat station. From them a group of men had alighted.’-' ' ■" The leader made'his way to the local inn a distance of a few yards from highwater mark, and, entering the private bar, approached the tail, military-looking man who stood in' solitary state; 'sipping a glass of whisky. - “Hullo, Colonel," he-said quietly. ‘“You see we’ve got here to time. I hope that you’ve been as successful-’ Did' you get what we wanted?”.

..“Everything’S satisfactory. ,I’ve got two of my men down at the water’s edgo, waiting the word to pugh- off. Thqre’s only, one stipulation, anci that is—l’m coming with you. This is tod good to miss.” “Good! Glad to have you,” remarked the other. “Well, shall we get along? I think it would be wise to be a little before our time in case anything happens to upset our plans.” The two left the inn and made their way down to the shore, where two powerful motor-boats lay; moored to the slipway. At a hail -from the beach the .men in charge of the, boats hauled them ■in-against the slipway? Then, at a murmured command, the whole of the . party clambered aboard the two craft. A sharp order, afld out into the Bay, without a light showing, the two vessels churned their way. ... . . .... ' m • They ran smoothly across the Bay towards Brightnor, to lay-to a few cableslength from the shore. For some time they lay rolling to the swell, until suddenly, across the water, shone the flickering green rays of a signal-light. •“There she goes!” exclaimed the leader.? “The bait's done its work. Now ' to'; close the trap!” . At his call, with a roar from tfieir powerful engines, the two craft leaped forward for the "shore.

The waves of th? incoming tide sounded mournfully on the midnight air as . they grounded on the sandy beach at Brightnor. They sounded especially mournful to the several dark figures concealed at different points among the banks of wind-blown sand on the-shore, who were keeping watch on the' house of Tim- Martin; .the house which had been constructed: from 'the converted concrete pill-box; The hidden watchers lay . breathing silent hopes that their period of waiting would toon .be over for a cold night wind cut through their clothes like A whip. / As the first cay sped from the, direc--tion of Burrschurch to Brightnor, and then advanced along the sea-road, several pairs of eyes were focussed upon the lights. They observed with considerable iptcroEt tfie tall, powerful man and his

short tubby companion who alighted from it, as it stopped near The Retreat. They saw also the ray of a torch as it illuminated the keyhole of the massive door; saw the two figures fumble at the lock and enter, and the door close behind them. . , ■ Lights sprang up within the house, and the hidden watchers breathed sighs of relief. . , r , , Then from out of the night sounded the noise of approaching cars, cars bearing no headlights. Almost noiselessly several powerful cars came silently to a standstill near the house, and from them a group of men descended. Then, spreading out, they approached the building and surrounded it. Guns glinted in the hands of four men who crept towards the door, to halt there for a few minutes. Then a ray of light from within the house slashed the darkness of the night as the door opened and the four sinister figures slipped within. Outside, the remaining men gathered closer round. From an upper window a green ray of light showed for a' few seconds, and the unseen watchers on the sands stirred and stole from the shore, to vanish into the dense darkness around the building. A few faint sounds, almost drowned by the surge of the sea, and again silence. - Then into the gloom of the sky a green Verey light leapt upwards, illuminating for a few seconds the black walls of the building and the surrounding country and sea. As if in answer to the signal, a roar from the engines of powerful speed-boats sounded on the air, and leaving a broad swathe of foam behind them two large craft sped towards the shore. They grated on the sands, and out from the vessels poured a swarm of men. The group split up in an encircling movement and ran rapidly round the house. The leader, with a few quiet orders, enclosed .the building in a circle of armed men. Then, . accompanied by three of his force, he approached the. door of the house. Inserting a key in the lock, he opened the door quietly, and, with his men, Stole within. As they, did so, more men gathered round the doorway, while,from out of the darkness other figures appeared. , , Within the house Dan Wayne had completed his arrangements for the reception of The Black Diamond. He -stood watching the entrance door from a concealed position. As he watched, the door began to open. For a few seconds the figures of his two men, McCrea and Gibson, were silhouetted against the faint light from outside. Then the door closed. - ■ .."Everythings all right, boys, snapped Wayne, as he switched on, a; light... Get UP the stairs. You’ll find Fruby there. Keep your guns handy and your eyes opened. The about to start.. Remember—knock ’em cold, before they get a chance to shoot!” The two detectives hurried up the stairs, and, leaving the light burning, Dan Wayne hurried back to the vault, Quickly W pressed the bell-push dangling fi’oni the wire his men had fitted, and, approaching the vault, began. to finger the dial, humming a tune to himself. ■ Suddenly, at the top of the stairs, there appeared a .man carrying an uglylooking automatic. At the sight of Dan Wavne apparently working at the vault, he’.Uppped and held UP his hand as a signal for caution to the men following on' his heeh?, Silently the four smister .figures stole down the stairs, their weapons poised to shoot, Apparently unconscious of tire waten,ers; ' Dan Wayne spun the dial of the ’combihatidn, and jerked on the handles of the door. Slowly it began to move upder his manipulation. ..Then, hetero the detective-inspector had time to‘ pull the door open, a voice spoke from behind him. "Stick ’em UP, Wayne! Take a look at The Black Diamond.” Dan Wayne turned to stare at the four men who, guns in hand, surrounded him. Then, slowly, he raised his harids. His trap he knew had closed, and he knew that whatever might happen, The Black Diamond WPUM. never escape alive from the retribution which awaited, him. "Thanks for the good work,” continued The Black Diamond. “You thought you were smart, you poor cop! I let you get away with it most of the time, knowing that you would do the work and that all I should have to do would be to collect the stuff when you found it. Where’s that fat pig of an assistant of yours? Upstairs, I suppose, searching for beer! We'll soon got W He turned to his companions. . "One of you boys nip upstairs. You. 11 find a fat bird up there. Just sock him one or two and come back You "two, run your bands over this see ho hasn’t got a gun.” He waited until the two men had searched Dan Wayne roughly, then he waved his gun towards the vault. "Get that open and get busy, but don’t strike any lights. There’s enough stuff in there to blow up Broadway— Get over there, Wayne," be added. "All right, Black Diamond,” replied Dan Wayne- „ The gangsters placed their weapons in tfieir pockets and pulled op the door of the vault, watched closely by The Black Diamond. Dan Wayne strode quickly, with, his hands in the air, until his back was pearly against the sheLf where his automatic lay concealed. Into the vault stepped the two men. Then from within, there sounded a Startled oath. The Black Diamond dashed for the door, but, before he reached it, he turned with automatic raised, to fire at the deteptive-inspector, his face convulsed with rage. But he was too late, ter, as he turned, two stabs of flame came from the detective’s hand, and the gangster’s weapon flew from his grasp under the impact of the heavy bullets. He shook his helpless hand, and with a growl of rage sprang like a maniac across the chamber at the detective,

Dan Wayne slipped his weapon into his pocket as his adversary dashed at him, and dodged the attack for a moment. Then he sprang at Ris enemy, For a few moments the smash and thuds of heavy blows sounded as they fought up and dowp the narrow chamber. Twice The Black Diamond lashed heavy blows which almost’ landed on the detective’s jaw, but each time Pan Wayne managed to evade them. Then the superior strength and skill of the trained man told. Two lightning righthanded blows smashed into The Black Diamond’s face. He moved his head instinctively to dodge the second blow, and Dan Wayne’s left smashed, upwards ip an arc, with the weight of Ris powerful body behind the sledge hammerpunch, Back snapped The Black Diamond’s Read, apd Re sank slowly to his khees, his arms waving in the air in futile efforts.

Dan Wayne slipped a pair of handcuffs on his adversary's wrists, and. pulling a whistle from his pocket, blew three shrill blasts. From the floor, above there came the sound of hurrying • feet as Fyuby and several detective?, led by the Assistant Commissioner,, rap down the stairp into the underground cflamber. Thep, from tfle safetyrvault came four more detectives, dragging with them the two gangsters who had entered it at The Black Diamond’? command. The prisoners were immediately dragged out from the vault to the car? waiting on the road outside.