THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF ALONZO

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 370, 11 March 1932, Page 12

THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF ALONZO

By

PETER CHEYNEY.

No. XII. THE MURDER OF ALONZO. Mr. Cyrus K. Vanderlen, alias “Blower Joe,” alias “The Shark,” and half a dozen other appellations, applied a match carefully to the end of his expensive cigar and gazed blandly across the smoke-laden atmosphere at Alonzo. “Now, see here, MacTavish,” he said. “I ain't no guy to beat about the bush, I ain’t, an’ believe me, if I could handle this proposition myself, I wouldn’t come to you; but I can’t handle it, an’ I’m wise guy enough to know when a job's too big for me. Live an’ lot live, I says, an* I’m always out to give the other fellow a chance. See?” “Exactly,” murmured Alonzo, knocking the ash from his cigarette. “But what’s holding you up, Vanderlen. Where’s the difficulty? 1 thought that safe-blowing was your speciality.” “So it is,” drawled Mr. Vanderlen, “but this ain’t a safe-blowing job. The house is badly shaped for noise, and if I tried to blow that safe open, I guess I’d have the whole of Brook Street aroused. Besides, Brook Street is one of your swell localities. Everybody’s up late, an’ ten to one someone would be throwin* a party or somethin’ in the house next door, an’ before I knew where I was I should be in the local gaol. Nope! That safe has got to be opened quietly, an’ it’s a Briggs burglar-proof safe, an’ as far as I know there’s only one man alive who can crack a Briggs safe, an’ I take my hat off to him —the cutest cracksman that ever wore an eyeglass — Mr. Alonzo MacTavish!” Alonzo bowed. “Thank you for the compliment, Vanderlen,” he said. “And supposing 1 do the job for you, what exactly do I get out of it?” “You get half,” said Vanderlen, “an’ you’re on the softest thing you ever did in your natural. Don’t you see this American guy Marlin can’t even go to the police about it? The stuff we’re after is a bit of the crown of the Czarina. You know that when the revolution happened all the Crown jewels were pinched by the Bolshies. Well, the Czarina’s crown was broken up, an’ bits of it were sold all over the place. By rights, that bit which Marlin’s got belongs to the present Government of Russia. He bought it for a song from some Russian fellow, an’ if it’s stolen, how can he go to the police an’ ask them to recover what is nothing more nor less than a bit of property which he has himself bought off a thief? The thing’s so simple! I’ve got a plan of the house. You can get in easy through the first floor window at the back. You walk across the room you step into, to a passage, an’ the third door on the right is the room where the safe is. It’ll take you about twenty minutes to get the safe open, an’ then you simply walk away with the goods. I can sell it easy. I got a feller in Amsterdam who’ll give me fifty thousand for it, an’ that means twenty-five thousand each. Well, are you on?” Alonzo appeared to be thinking deeply. At the same moment his fingers pressed a concealed button in the arm of his chair. This button controlled a bell which rang in Lon Ferrers’ room downstairs, and was used as a means of communication between Alonzo and his assistant without the knowledge of any other people who might be in the room. The Morse Code. “I’ll just think this over, if you don’t mind,” said Alonzo, but while he was speaking his finger was pressing out a message in Morse to Lon, downstairs, a message which ran: “Follow Vanderlen when he leaves here.” Then Alonzo casually took a fresh cigarette from his case and lit it. “All right, Vanderlen,” he said. “I’ll do it. But it will have to be done quickly. This dark and stormy weather is just the time for a job like this. When do you suggest the job should be done?” “What’s the matter with to-morrow night?” asked Vanderlen. “This fellow Marlin goes to bed fairly early—about 12 o’clock. All the servants sleep in the basement, so there’s not the slightest possibility of your being disturbed. The first floor window at the back is usually left open, an’ the wall leading up to it is as easy to climb as a ladder.” “All right, Vanderlen,” said Alonzo. “I’ll do it to-morrow night, and the arrangement is that we go fifty-fifty in the proceeds.” “Sure,” said Vanderlen. “That’s right. I’ll come an’ see you the day after.” He shook hands. “So long, an’ good luck,” he said. Suspicion. After Vanderlen had gone, Alonzo walked up and down his sitting-room, deep in thought. He was suspicious. Something about the American’s tale did not ring true. Vanderlen had blown open more safes than probably any other safe blower in the world, and the excuse that the noise might disturb the neighbourhood was a weak one. At the same time he might be speaking the truth, more especially as the safe was a Briggs’ burglar-proof safe, a new and extremely scientific invention, and one which, up to the moment, only the extraordinary skill of Alonzo MacTavish had been able to cope with. Alonzo hoped, however, that Lon Ferrers’ investigations might throw a little more light on the subject. Lon Ferrers’ Tale. It was eight o'clock before Lon Ferrers returned. He appeared to be tired out and sank into the armchair opposite Alonzo with a sigh of relief. “It was a good idea of yours, Mac,” he commenced, “getting me to follow this Yanderlen merchant. There's something behind this. He went straight from here down to Charley's in Limehouse. I suppose he that Charley was a, friend of yours. Anyhow, he hung about there for some time, and had a long conversation with Charley/ I managed to get a quiet word with Charley myself, and he told me that Vanderlen had been trying to pump him about you, and especially he had tried to find out whether you carried a gun when you were on a job, and, if so, what type of gun. He handled the conversation very cleverly, and Charley told him that you carried a .38 Colt automatic. Soon after this Vanderlen went off. He got a cab and drove all round the place, but I didn’t lose him. Eventually he stopped the taxi in Davies Street and went into a Brook Street house by the back entrance.” Did lie? said Alonzo, with a o-rin “and it was No. 17, I’ll bet.” ® ’ “Right every time,” said Lon Ferrers. “How did you know?” Alonzo smiled. “That’s the house where the safe is,” he said. “The house which I am supposed to burgle to-mor-row night. I’d like to know what their game is. Evidently there is something between Vanderlen and this Marlin fob low. Another tiling, why does Vauderlen want to know what sort of a erun I carry?”

He walked up and down the room deep in thought. Suddenly, with an exclamation, he stopped, and turned to Ferrers.

“By Jove, Lon!” lie said. “I can guess what the game is, and believe me, it’s a very clever game, too! However, with a little luck I think X can manage to hold my own. Now, you’ve got to get busy. First thing to-morrow, go and find out all you can about this fellow Marlin. Find out the time that he has dinner. Luckily for me, it’s dark by about seven o’clock at night, and I want to do a little scouting in that house before I break in at midnight, I’ve got a very good idea that Marlin is none other than our old friend, Marney, and you know what sort of a deal I can expect from him!” Lon Ferrers whistled. “By Jove, Mac!” he exclaimed. “If it’s Marney, you'd better look out. He’s sworn to get you! ” Alonzo laughed. “Well, he hasn’t got me yet,” lie said. “Anyhow, you get busy in the morning, and let me have all the information you can by five o’clock.” Alonzo Scouts. At eight o’clock on the following evening, Alonzo walked quietly along Davies Street, and slipped unobtrusively into a narrow passage which ran parallel with the backs of the Brook Street houses. No one was about, for it was the hour for dinner, in what is probably the most select neighbourhood in the world. Arrived at the back of No. 17 Alonzo produced a bunch of keys from his pocket and tried them, one after another, in the wooden door leading to the garden of No. 17. Eventually he found the right key, opened the door, and with a quick glance round, slipped in. He found himself in a well kept garden at the back of the house. The back of the house was in darkness, and Alonzo knew from the information supplied by Ferrers that the household would be at dinner. He crossed the garden quickly, and taking advantage of the footholds which the architecture of the house afforded, commenced climbing up to the first floor window. 1 The window was open, and Alonzo, taking care to leave no marks of any description on the window ledge, scrambled in. Crossing the room in which lie found himself, he entered the passage on the other side and, listening intentPy, commenced to open the doors on the right hand side of the passage. The third door on the right, lie knew, was the library, in which the safe stood, but the second door on the right, according to Lon Ferrers’ information, was Marlin’s bedroom. With a sigh of relief Alonzo found this door unlocked, and pushing it open, entered. He switched on a small electric torch, and commenced a systematic search of the room. Eventually in the top drawer of the large chest of drawers standing by the window, lie found what he sought. The drawer contained two pistols. One, a .38 Colt automatic, and the other a Smith and Wesson revolver. Alonzo examined them quickly. The Smith and Wesson was loaded with the usual six cartridges, but fremi the clip of the .38 Colt automatic, which should have held ten bullets, one cartridge was missing, and in its place was an empty cartridge shell. Alonzo smiled to himself, and fumbled in his pocket. Three minutes afterwards, lie replaced the weapons in the drawer, just as they were before, slipped quietly out of the room, and, five minutes later, was walking along Davies Street, smiling the smile of the innocent. The Burglary. At half past twelve that night, Alonzo repeated the process of the earlier evening, except that he took not so much trouble to remain quiet. Opening the gate at the back of No. 17, he walked across the garden, climbed up to the first floor window, got through, crossed the room into the passage, and opened the third door on the right. Once in the room, he turned on the electric light, taking care first of all that the curtains were carefully drawn across the windows, and took off his coat. In a wide leather belt around his body were the tools he required for opening the safe. Alonzo took off the belt and, with the same quiet smile, commenced operations on the safe. Half an hour afterwards his work was completed, and he swung back the heavy door of the Brigg’s 6a fe. As he did so a slight sound came to his ears, a sound which seemed to him to emanate from the passage outside. Walking quickly and quietly to the door where the switch was situated he snapped off the light, and returning to the safe, quickly donned the leather tool belt and his coat. As he did so the door opened, the light was switched on, and Alonzo found himself gazing into the barrel of a revolver held by his old enemy, Silas Marney! “Good evening, Marney,” grinned Alonzo, “so you are Mr. Marlin, are you?” Marney grinned. “I sure am,” he drawled. “Say, MacTavish, this is where you and I settle off old scores, I guess. An’ if you’ve got any prayers to say, just say ’em, because I’m going to kill you in a minute. I guess we’ve been a bit too clever for you this time, my lad. You just walked straight into the cutest little trap that was ever planned out for a guv like you. I sent Vanderlen to you with that cock an’ bull story about the jewels from the Czarina’s crown. I knew that was the sort of junk you would fall for, an’ now the rest is easy. I'm going to shoot you like a dog! I’ve waited seven years for my revenge, but I ain’t forgetting that I spent five years in Sing Sing through you, an’ now you’re going to get what’s coming to you. An* I shan’t suffer for it either, see? It’ll be self defence. Vanderlen found out that you carry a .38 Colt automatic, an’ when I’ve shot you, I’m going to put a .38 gun into your hand, a gun with erne cartridge fired. Then, I’m going to call in the police an’ tell ’em that I surprised you at that safe, that you fired at me, and that I shot you in self defence! Well, so long, Alonzo MacTavish!” Marney raised his revolver, took careful aim at Alonzo, and fired. As the shot reverberated through the room, Alonzo crashed to the floor. His body jerked spasmodically. A stream* of blood ran from bis head over the light coloured carpet, staining it an ominous red. At the same moment Vanderlen appeared. “I’ve got him all right,” said Marney. “Quick, Vanderlen. Stick this gun in his hand, an’ then run for the nearest police- . Yanderlen did as he was hid. Crossing

to Alonzo’s recumbent figure he placed the .38 Colt in his fingers. Then* he joined Marney at the door, and together they stood looking, at the still figure on the floor. “Well,” drawled Marney. “That’s the end of that wise guy, Alonzo MacTavish.” As the words left his lips, Alonzo sat up straight, covering the pair with the Colt automatic. “Don’t move an inch,” he commanded. “So you thought that you had got me, did you, Marney? Well, just remember that there are nine live cartridges in this gun, will you? Rather hard luck on you, isn’t it. You see I visited this house a few hours ago. I guessed that you would have the guns all prepared in your bedroom, and all I did was to substitute blank cartridges in your revolver. I knew that you were going to put the Colt automatic in my hand. It looked a most realistic murder, I must say. How do you like this blood ? It cost me a shilling at the local oilshop! “This has been very nice of you, Marney. I see that there are some quite valuable articles in your safe, which I intend to take with me. Just get over to the other side of the room and keep your bands up; otherwise, I’ll fill you full of lead. You know, Vanderlen, you shouldn’t go about making inquiries as to what sort of gun I carried. This was the thing that gave me the clue to your little game.” • So saying, Alonzo proceeded to empty the safe of the small articles of jewellery which it contained. Marney said nothing, hut his face was distorted with rage. As for Vanderlen, he was weak with anger. Having stowed away as much as he could carry, Alonzo made for the door. “I’m looking this on the outside,” he said, “and by the time you succeed in getting it open, I shall he well away. I’ve arranged a little supper party to-, night for a few friends of mine. I know they’ll enjoy themselves, for I’m going to tell them all about the murder of Alonzo. Good night! *' (To be concluded.)