NEW “STAR” SERIAL X ESQUIRE

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18465, 17 May 1928, Page 14

NEW “STAR” SERIAL X ESQUIRE

By

Leslie Charteris

CHAPTER V.—(Continuel). Bill gave a brief-account of Spider’s killing. Franklin raised his eyebrows. “Bigger than you thought, then?” he said. “If possible,” Bill replied quietly. “There were certain things which, foobvious reasons, weren’t allowed to come out at the inquest, which gave me the idea from the start that it wasn’t going to be a small case.” Franklin nodded. “For the love of Michael,” pleaded Terry, “can’t you two stop talkin' crime? So sayin’ our hero advances down centre bearin’ a cocktail in one delicate hand.” “So there is balm in Gilead,” said Franklin, twinkling. He accepted the drink, and Terry turned to me. “A lesson,” he said, “for your private education. Toujours la politesse, you know. Same like manners, only more so. Infallible sign of the gent. Why don’t you take a correspondence course?” Singly and in couples the others join ed us, and at length Harvey announced dinner. It was a more festive meal than any since Schofield's murder. The party were regaining their spirits. Between us—Bill and Terry and Franklin and I—we had to arrange to defer as long as possible the news of Spider’s death. Sir John would have to know sooner or later, as Spider had departed with the promise that he would write further about the Spur Cigarette businessAfter coffee and liqueurs we drove over to the Manor above Markhatm, whither we had been bidden to a ball. It was after 3 a.m. when the two cars discharged us again at the doors of Mannering House, and we assembled in the library to partake of coffee and sandwiches. When Harvey brought in the coffee he brought also a note for Bill. “A constable brought this about ten, sir.” he said. Bill topk the envelope from the salver and tore it open. Then he quietly replaced the sheet of paper it contained and tore the whole into small pieces, dropping them on the fire. I looked inquiringly at him as he passed me his cigarette-case. “Horse-face.” he said laconically. “Found?” I demanded. “Yes. They found him about eight o’clock at Taunton. I had his description circulated.” “Attaboy,” cried Terry- “Likewise Attababy. Then again tally-ho. So the chase prospers?” “A few snappy leading questions ought to clear up a whole lot of ground,” I said. “There won’t be any snappy leading questions, lawyer-man,” said Bill. “For the simple reason that Horse-face is by now too busy answering inquisitive archangels.” Terry and I stared at him for a moment as his meaning dawned on xis. “He was found,” said Bill, carefully preserving the ash of his cigarette, "in a railway carriage—probably the one in which Terry left Spider, as Spider's cigarette case was found on him—at Taunton Station. The local line apparently has sheds there, and they dis covered Horse-face when they were cleaning out the carriages. He must have been dead some time—he’d ob viously just travelled on and on until somebody spotted him. Being dead, he wouldn’t worry about getting out.” And then, across the room, the tele phone bell rang sharply. Sir John picked up the receiver, then .looked across in our direction. “It’s for you, Terry,” he said. “Forrard away,” said Terry. “I hope it’s a he. It’d be appallin-ly embarrassin’ if it wasn’t- Don’t listen, anyway, Tony, just in case. You’re much too young. I shan’t be a moment.” He started to cross the room. At that moment the lights went out. CHAPTER VI. In which some domestic theatricals take place at Mannering House. With the cutting off of the light it seemed as if some hidden switch had cut off the conversation. The darkness could be felt. After the bright glare of the lights placed at each end of the room, the faint red glow of the dying embers seemed only to intensify the blackness that was everywhere else. Out of the sudden hush that had succeeded the murmur of conversation came Terry’s cheerful voice. “Moses benighted,” he remarked. “Gather round for a ghost story, will t you? All about skeleton hands and luminous eyes in the garden. Dead bodies aroppin’ through the ceilin’. And incidentally, who’s the humorist?” There was a chorus of protest, which was at its height as a great bulk flung itself past me. • I heard it cannon against the door, and then Bill’s voice, curt and incisive, rapped out a command- “ Left window, Tony. Terry, righthand one. Jump to it.” Blankly I moved to obey, and even as I did so I knew that in the dark ness the window for which Terry had

been detailed opened- I felt the breath of cool air on my right cheek, and swung round, every muscle tense. It may have been that my eyes had become accustomed to the darkness, or I may have been sd placed that the faint starlight outside, admitted as the curtains parted, showed me what none of the others can have seen—the dim outline of a man’s crouching form . . . I moved towards the window without a sound, the heavy pile of the carpet muffling my footsteps. And I was within striking distance of him when Ann broke the silence. “ What are you all so quiet for?” she said. “ Terry—trot along outside and see if you can see what’s wrong.” Terry told me afterwards that he thought very swiftly. Of the whole bag of tricks, two effects fairly leaped to the eye—(a) that the, sudden extinction of the light was quite certainly not occasioned by an act of God or the King s enemies, but with malice aforethought; and (b) that the member of the seance selected for love and kisses was indubitably himself; and, though he had seen nothing, he had felt the draught as the window opened. . . . Wherefore, as I have said, he thought swiftly, endeavouring to recollect the positions of different people when the lights went out. Besides himself, probably only Bill and I had moved any distance,- and so, with that assurance that there was nobody in the immediate vicinity of a straight line drawn between himself and the window, he acted. “Sure thing, che-ild,” he agreed, very distinctly, that there might be no mistake as to his position. And as the last syllable passed his’ lips he executed an agile and noiseless two paces left close. Close by me came a crisp thud, and I heard the bullet smack into the wall, and leaned forward on my toes for the spring. Even as I poised myself a tongue of flame lashed the darkness, and the roar of Terry’s Colt deafened me. As suddenly as they had died the lights sprang to life again, dazzling in their intensity after the strain' of staring into the dark. As I straightened myself sight returned. I saw the blunder I had made. Like an idiot, I had been concentrating all my attention on the first entrant, and those who had followed him in had ranged themselves along the wall unnoticed. And since the first intruder was now lying on the ground unconscious, with a dark stain spreading on his coat, my efforts ; in that, direction had been unnecessary. There were five men standing in a rank between the windows, and every one of them held in each hand an automatic capped with a barrel-shaped attachment—a quintet of nondescript ruffians in coarse clothes; but it was not on them that my eyes fixed themselves after the first cursory glance. A man was standing before the heavy curtains, clad in impeccable evening dress, hat in hand. His overcoat was thrown open, revealing a broad expanse of white shirt between the hanging ends of his white silk scarf. Between the fingers of his right hand he held a cigar. As my eyes rose to his face. I saw that he was masked. Even so, I observed the clean-cut lips and the square, shaven jaw. “ Good evening” he said quietly. I glanced round me. The others were as petrified as myself. Terry was standing very still, the still smoking revolver in his hand. By the door I saw Bill leaning against the wall, his eyes half-closed. For some seconds nobody moved. I see that you are armed, Mr Mannering. ’ t The mask spoke again suavely. So for your benefit I must inform you that should that weapon happen to—er—explode, it would mean the death of everyone in the room.” “ How immensely amusin’,” remarked Terry. He dropped his revolver into his pocket and lounged over to the table. “ And for your benefit,” he continued. selecting a cigarette froip his case, ‘ I must inform you that should any of your unpleasant-lookin’ pals’ weapons happen to—er—explode, you personally, will proceed to Kingdom Come in their company. Which brings us to a deadlock, doesn’t it?” He lighted his cigarette calmJv The mask bowed. (To be Continued).