THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF ALONZA

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 365, 5 March 1932, Page 19 (Supplement)

THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF ALONZA

By

PETER CHEYNEY.

No. vir. THE BITER BIT. Alonzo MacTavish, standing in tlie doorway of his recently acquired house in Regent’s Park, looked a trifle suspiciously at the broken key chain which dangled from his fingers, and wondered. Someone had certainly pushed against him rather forcibly as he had left the cinema theatre in which he had spent the earlier part of the evening. Had the key clia'in been broken deliberately, or was it an ordinary accident which might happen to a very slender and not amazingly strong chain? And supposing it had been an accident. Then, surely the key ring with the keys shoidd have been in his trouser pocket, even if the chain were broken, and not missing, Also, to Alonzo, it was obvious that someone should be after that key ring, for on it hung the key of the Regent’s Park house, and in that house were certain articles of great value in which quite a lot of people might be interested at the moment. Alonzo MacTavish had many enemies. One of the cleverest swell cracksmen in the world, and one on whom the police up to the present had not laid hands, ho had, during his adventurous career, made many enemies, people who, knowing or guessing what was in the house at the moment, would not scruple to gain an entrance by any means. Alonzo took from his pocket a small steel instrument, and with a smile at the idea of forcing his own front door, proceeded to pick the lock. He did this with great care, and having effected an entrance closed the door carefully behind him, mounted the stairs to his firstfloor sitting room, and, throwing himself into a chair, gave himself up to thought. Who of the many crooks in London woidd he the most likely person to have stolen the key ring? Dr. Theodor Ivlaat, that enterprising blackmailer, was in prison, so he could be counted out. Marney, another enemy of Alonzo’s, was in London, but was engaged on other business at the moment. Suddenly the name shot into Alonzo’s mind—Largasso. That was the man! MacTavish lit a cigarette and thought rapidly. In the sitting room downstairs were two steel safes. In one of them lay a collection of uncut stones of great value which Alonzo had “removed” from their rightful resting place some three weeks before, and which, pending negotiation, were kept in the safe. In the other safe, in a sealed envelope, were certain documents which had, two nights before, been stolen from the Andarian Embassy — documents which were of the utmost value to certain political gentlemen who, through various other people, had commissioned Alonzo to steal them. It seemed to Alonzo that there was no possibility of Largasso knowing anything about the Andarian documents, and if he were the pcrsoV who had actually stolen the key ring, the thing he would be after would be the case of uncut stones. At the same time, Largasso was no fool. Surely he did not imagine for one moment that Alonzo, missing the key ring, would not take steps to ensure the safety of the gems. Or did he guess that at the time Alonzo made the discovery that it would not be possible for him to take measures to remove the booty. If Largasso intended to move immediately, then he had struck at the right time. Lon Ferrers, MacTavish’s trusted henchman, was away, and would not be returning until the early morning, and there was no one else of MacTavish’s little band of trusted associates who could be secured immediately in order to remove the gems. One thing was entirely obvious. Somebody had the key to the front door and the keys which opened the two safes downstairs, for all these keys were on the same key ring. Therefore, it seemed to Alonzo that the only thing he could do was to mount guard all night, and in the morning clear the two safes and have a new lock fitted to the front door. Ho walked across to his bedroom, which was on the other side of the first floor passage, opposite the sitting room, slipped on a dressing gown, and, taking an automatic* pistol from a drawer, placed it, fully loaded, in the right-hand pocket of his gown. Then he placed an easy chair at the top of the curving stairway, from which position he could hear the slightest noise on the floor below. Returning to the bedroom, he snapped off the electric light, walked over to the sitting room and repeated the process, and then sat down in the easy chair at the stair-top to await developments. One o’clock struck, but nothing happened. The minutes lengthened into hours, and Alonzo's head was beginning to nod, Avhen, just after three o’clock a flight noise came to his ears from the floor below. He rose noiselessly from the chair, descended a stair or two, and stood in the darkness listening intently. Ho was not mistaken. Someone was moving quietly in the hallway downstairs ! The Surprise. The footsteps moved cautiously in the direction of the dining room. Alonzo grinned to himself. In his brain there aa as not the slightest doubt that the marauder was the enterprising Largasso. Xoav he could hear the sound of the dining room door knob being turned quietly and cautiously; the door opened, and then as quietly closed. Alonzo gave tho interloper time to find and open the safe in the dining room, then lie ran SAviftly and silently doAvn the stairs, flung open the door, SAvitched on the light and received the surprise of liis life! Ho stood there, his pistol in his hand, and an amazed smile breaking over liis/ handsome face, for instead of gazing at tlie foreign and beetlc-broAA’ed features of that old jail-bird Largasso, lie found himself regarding a beautiful Avoman, Avho stood, looking thoroughly frightened, before the left hand safe, with Alonzo’s key ring and its attendant broken chain dangling from her slim fingers. Alonzo returned the automatic pistol to his pocket, took out his cigarette case, and with the same amused smile, found a match and lit his cigarette. “Good evening, or perhaps I should say ‘good morning/” he said. “By the way, you’ve opened the Avrong safe. The gems for which you are looking are in the other safe—the one on the right hand side of tile room. Incidentally, you must be rather tired of standing. Won’t you sit doAvn?” She gave a little gesture of dismay, drew her evening cloak closer about her and threw the key ripg on to the table, ‘

“I suppose you Avill telephone for th* police,” she said tearfully. “But it was not the gems that I came for. I didn’t even knoAV that you had any precious stones in the house.” Alonzo dreAv up a chair and motioned her to be seated. “If you arc not interested in the stones,” he said with a smile, “may /I ask what it is you really do Avant? Incidentally, I suppose it was you Avho stole my key ring to-night at the cinema ?” She nodded. “I didn’t actually steal it myself,” she said, “but I paid a man to do so.” Alonzo nodded. He Avas beginning to feel really interested. “It seems to me,” ho said, “that if you did not, know of tho existence of the precious stones Avliicli are in the other safe, that there is only one thing which you did Avant. “Exactly,” she interrupted. “I wanted tho papers which you stole from the Andarian Embassy.” She raised her head and looked at him, and Alonzo realised how beautiful she was. “Listen, Mr. MacTavish,” she continued “I am not a thief, but it was necessary 1 that those papers should be returned. My first thought on heaving that you Avcrc tho most likely person to have stolen them Avas to have conic to you and put my story before you. I have heard that you are kind hearted, that there isn’t any crook in the world who is exactly like you, and that you very often steal things more for the fun of the game than the actual profit derived. But afterwards I thought that you might refuse, and after making inquiries, I found out the name of a man Avho, I Avas told would help me . . “Tony Largasso, I expect,” murmured Alonzo. She nodded.’ “Yes, that was the man. He told me that the papers were probably concealed in this house, and suggested that lie should steal your key ring, and that I might come and try to get them. He s>aid that in any eA'ent, CA*en if you discovered me that you were very soft hearted where women were concerned, and that if I told you my story you would probably tell me Aviiore the papers were, supposing that you had already parted Avith them.” “So there is a story, is there?” smiled Alonzo. “May I hear it?” The Story. “I want you to hear it,” she said.' “You don’t look like a man Avho Avould hurt a woman, and the return of those papers to the Andarian Embassy moans more to me than life itself. I am engaged to the mail in whose charge they Avere, and unless they are returned Avithin 48 hours it means absolute ruin for him. When the theft was discovered, the Andarian Ambassador, knoAving that a foreign country Avas most desirous of getting those papers at any cost, suspected that my fiance had been bribed to hand them over. Denials Avere of no avail, but CA’cntually the Ambassador agreed that if the papers AA’ere returned within 48 hours from this morning that ho would be prepared to let the matter rest and give my fiance the benefit of tlie doubt. Since this morning, neither of us have rested one moment. Separately, we nave been an over making inquiries, trying to get sornei clue which would tell us where the papers were. It Avas by chance that I AA’as put in touch Avith the man Largasso, Avho said that the most likely person to have them Avas you, as it AA’as thei sort of job which you specialised in. Largasso followed you this evening when you went to the Cinema, and it was easy for him, mixing the croAvd after the performance was over, to cut your key chain and take the keys. Ho gave them to me and I paid him for his services. The rest of the story you know.** Alonzo nodded. “I’m not surprised that Largasso Avould not actually do tlie job himself,” he grinned. “He probably guessed that he Avould get a Avarm reception from me if I caught him here. As for my being soft-hearted where Avomen are concerned, I suppose that is true, and in any event,” he continued with a charming smile, “I should be very unhappy to think that any act of mine had jeopardised your happiness.” He rose to his feet, took the key from tho table, and, Aval king over to the safe on tho right-hand side of tho room, opened it, and took out tho bulky packet of documents. He returned to her, and with a boAV, handed the package to her. Slio got up. Alonzo thought that her smile was tlie most Avonderful thing he had ever seen in his life. “You’re Aery good,” she said. “But I’m going to ask you to do one thing more. I’m going to ask you to go round to the Andarian Embassy and hand these documents over to the Ambassador, and to tell him that my fiance AA’as absolutely guiltless in the matter. Needless to say, no action Avill be taken against you. The papers are of much too great an importance to- have any publicity attached to them. Will you do this for me?” She smiled up at him, and Alonzo, looking down at her, marvelled at the beauty of her eyes. He smiled back. “Yes,” he said, “I’ll do that.” “Good,” she sparkled. “My car is waiting round the corner. I’ll drop you at the Embassy, and, please, Avill you take this as a memento of your great kindness?” She unpinned a "small diamond brooch which fastened her cloak and held it out to Alonzo. He took it. •“This is of much more value to me than all the diplomatic documents in tho world,” he said. Stung! Ten minutes later she dropped him at tlie doors of the Andarian Embassy, and with a smile drove off. Alonzo sighed as he watched tho rear lights of her car disappear doAvn the street. Then he mounted the Embassy steps and rang the bell. The Andarian Ambassador, someAvhat surprised at being told of an urgent caller at three o’clock in the morning, received Alonzo in a dressing gown. MacTavish, Avho knew that, in any event, he was safe as there was not the slightest possibility of any police action being taken by the Ambassador, and wishing to make absolutely certain that no blame attached to the betrothed of the charming lady, told the Ambassador fully and completely the whole story of the theft of the documents. It was 20 minutes afterwards, Avhen, having finished his tale, lie took the package from under his arm, and handed it to the white-haired Ambassador. The Ambassador received it with a smile. “I am greatly indebted to you, Mr. MacTavish,” he said. “But there is. one thing Avliich I do not understand. I do not knoAV who this charming lady is, and I have certainly never heard of her fiance, Avho, I can tell you definitely, has never had charge of these papers. Candidly, I did not even know that they

were stolen, as I have had no need to £0 to our safe, for the last three days!’!

- “What!!” exclaimed Alonzo. “You did not even kno\\ r that the papers were stolen ?” The Ambassador shook his • head. “I had no idea,” he said. Alonzo said good-night hurriedly, and made for the streets. There not a taxi cab in sight, and it took him five miqptes to procure one. Then, telling the man to drive like the devil, he sat back in the cab, a slight smile playing about his mouth. Five minutes later they arrived at Alonzos house. He paid off the man quickly and turned to the door. It Avas open! He Avalked in, turned into the dining room, and snapped on the lights. The right hand safe Avas open. Alonzo walked over to it. As he had thought, the case of gems Avas gone. In its place, propped up on the shelf, Avas a note addressed to “Alonzo MacTavish, Esq.; Knight Errant.” With a rueful grin Alonzo opened the note and read: “My dear Alonzo, —You did fall for it beautifully, didn’t you? I’ve often heard of your Avonderful cleA’erness and made up my mind to try conclusions with you. Largasso told me that you kept the jeAvels in the right hand safe. He also told me about the Andarian papers. More important, he told me that you Avere always nice to a pretty woman. I got him to steal your key ring and immediately had duplicates of the keys made. I intended that you should discover me at the safe. I thought that little, fairy tale I told you about my imaginary fiancee and the Andarian papers rather good, didn’t you? Then, all I had to do A\'as to get you out of the house, drive hack immediately, open the door and the safe with my duplicate keys, and get aAvay with the goods. Anyhow, I did giA’e you my brooch, and I did smile prettily at you, didn’t I? By the way, if you ever come to U.S.A., come and see your very grateful Philadelphia Kitty.” Alonzo, his sense of humour coming to his rescue, sat doAvn and laughed heartily. He turned over the brooch in his fingers and the tiny diamonds sparkled at him, rather like Philadelphia Kitty s eyes had sparkled. He got up, and mounted the stairs slowly. .‘ V itor bit,” murmured Mr. Alonzo MacTavish, and went to bed. (To be continued daily.)

Peculiarities of Authors. The French historian, Mezerai, wrote only bv candle light, even in the day time and in the middle of summer. He never failed to conduct his visitors to the door with a candle in his hand; and, whenever he wrote, a bottle of Avine was placed on the table. Varillas, contemporary of Mezerai, wrote only by daylight. The French ad\*ocate, Cujas, always wrote and studied while stretched out on a carpet with his books around him. Magliabecchi, a learned Italian of the se\’enteenth century, passed all his life in the midst of books. 11 is meals Avere most frugal, and a fcAv eggs, with a little bread and water, his ordinary food. His usual bed was the chair he sat on and surrounded by his books his thoughts were Avholly absorbed in study.