Serial Story The Jade Token

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 425, 17 November 1930, Page 10

Serial Story The Jade Token

(By

Ralph 1 revor)

(Author of “Under Suspicion,” etc.) (All Rights Reserved)

INSTALMEN’

SYNOPSIS. A murder is commilled in the surgery or Dr. Wallace Langley, he being decoyed from the place at. the time. The police find lhe murdered 4 man, named Conrad Ricks, has come from South America, and had recently asked Jules Conn, an antique dealer, to value a piece of jade set with a valuable ruby and inscribed with hieroglyphics. This is now missing.

Scotland Yard have been perplexed by a series of daring jewel robberies. Curtis Burke, a brilliant young detective who is given control of the case, connects these robberies with the murder of Conrad Ricks.

Inspector Ames, an elderly detective. assists Burke. Ames is hostile to Dr. Langley, and feeling that he Is under suspicion. Langley consults Sir Garvice Watkin a great criminal lawyer. Langley is engaged to Sonia Cranston, a niece of Sir Garvice.

Sir Garvice tells lhe young doctor that there is something suspicious about Inspector Ames. Sir Garvice Watkin invites Burke, to his country house for the week-end, and there he meets Ann Marvin, a friend of Sonia Cranston.

There is an atmosphere of mystery about Ann Marvin and Burke, although attracted to her, suspects her of being a criminal.

A gold crucifix belonging to Sir Garvice is stolen during lhe night. Looking for clues Burke finds a black bone button of an unusual type. There was only one man he knew who wore buttons like that, and that was Detective Inspector Ames, of Scotland Yard.

Burke visits Professor Browning to try and learn something of the history of the ancient jade token which was stolen from the murdered man.

Another murder is committed, and jewels stolen. Finger-prints lead to lhe arrest of one Joe Denver.

Sir Garvice Watkin offers his services in lhe defence of the accused.

At the trial it. transpires that Denver has been a member of “The Long Aim,'’ a criminal association with an unknown head who directs all its operations.

CHAPTER Vl. (Continued

There was an unmistakeable touch of pathos in the elderly man's voice and Burke could not help feeling that Jeeves was genuine.

“I understand, Jeeves. I didn't want to hurt your feelings but this is a very serious matter. By the way, when does Sir Garvice get his keys back again?” “During breakfast, sir, generally.” “So there was one occasion when he did not obtain them quite so promptly? When was that?” “However did you guess that, sir? I never said so. But you're quite right sir. Let me see, now, when was it? To-days Saturday, it would be last. Wednesday, sir, yes that’s right. I’d put ’em down on lhe little Indian table over there, sir, by the window-

seat, to get the letters from the postman and when I went to look for ’em they were’nt nowhere.” Jeeves appeared to hesitate and his eyes glanced at Burke, apprehensively.

“And when you came into the hall again, there they were on Hie table, eh?” smiled Burke. “And you found Miss Marvin going out- for a stroll,” he added, noticing the look of wonderment on the butler’s face. Jeeves passed one hand across his white brow “Yes, yes, that's just what did happen, though how you should know that, sir, 1 can't imagine. You must be a thought-reader, sir.” “Perhaps I am,” Burke said, quietly, “1 think that will'do, Jeeves, thank you.” Burke passed out of the house and made his way across the lawn until looking up, he noticed his bedroom window. A little distance away stood the group of rhododendron bushes from t.he shadow of which the mysterious figure had glided to a spot almost immediately beneath his window. Eagerly, Burke searched the lawn for some sign of footprints, but the turf was so thick in texture that his task was an impossible one. But crossing the narrow gravel path Burke perceived that, continuing a straight line he found himself immediately beneath the window of the study—Hie window he had, a few minutes ago been convinced had been opened by someone the night previously.

In front of lhe window and bordering the red gravel path was a Hower bed about six feet deep from the foot of the wall. It was filled with a variety of herbaceous plants including lupins, many of them showing the first blue-budded spikes, a number of tall delphiniums, the whole edged by wallflowers and Darwin tulips whose buds stood stately but still green. For a few minutes Burke stood and gazed at it. So far as he could see there were no footprints on the soil, which was fairly dry and rather lumpy as though it had been freshly raked over.

But just then something attracted his attention —-something lying on the soil. Burke stooped and picked it up. It was a button —a black bone button. He had hardly straightened his back when a voice behind him said: “I always thought one went slughunting at night with an electric torch and a pin.”

The detective spun round quickly and found himself looking into the amused face of Ann Marvin. For a moment he felt like asking her whether that was her pursuit last night, but he, refrained. He felt that he had other evidence now—the evidence of the button that lay in the palm of his hand with the fingers closed tightly over it. “This seems admirable soil for perennials, Miss Marvin,” he smiled “I’ve never seen lupins in bud quite so early, have, you?”

Ann Marvin regarded Burke curiously.

“ I'm not an authority on gardening, Mr. Burke.” she smiled. “1 appreciate the Howers but I never trouble to ascertain to what particular properties they owe their beauty. Hello!” as a ffonc sounded, ** that means break-

fast. 11l bet I could race you indoors!” And away she sped, fleet as a gazelle, towards the loggie with Burke marvelling at her speed as he managed to catch up with her iu the hall.

But. during breakfast Burke was thinking about, lhe button that was now safely tucked away in his pocket. Where had he seen a button like that before? It. was unlike most buttons he. knew for its thread holes were three in number instead of four and set in a triangular formation—an American design.

Burke had just set down his cup of coffee when he remembered.

There was only one man he knew who wore buttons like that, and that was Detective. Inspector Robert AmeF of Scotland Yard.

CHAPTER VII. A Question of Identity.

The theft of the gold crucifix rather cast a gloom over what had promised to be a thoroughly delighful weekend at Bio Court. Sir Garvice having consulted Burke Io ascertain what he had discovered and been told that he had certain suspicions but. was md

yet at liberty to disclose them, locked himself away in his study and left the young people to find their own amusements which they managed to do tolerably well.

Dr. Langley was secretly perturbed at the theft and plied Burke with all manner of questions, none of which the detective would answer.

“There's nothing at all to worr about.” Burke told him casually. * r r

putting the matter in hand. I have a theory that it is yet another Jink in the chain of mysterious occurrences I am at. present investigating. But I’ll gel them yet. Someone’s bound to make a slip sooner or later and wticn that happens, I'll be like the

vulture ready to sweep down upon them—relentlessly.”

The doctor said no more about it. The fact that he and Sonia were to be married in lhe near future—Sonia having expressed her willingness

without any very great amount of argument—caused a certain amount of quite natural elation.

Burke found Ann Marvin truly delightful. There was something about this girl that fascinated him beyond measure. The unusual occurrence of the night previous seemed hardly to have affected her. She mentioned it casually remarking that it was the first time she knew that thieves had a religious turn of mind and that Burke would probably find that lhe culprit was a bishop or some other equally respectable person, and when it came time on Monday morning for Burke to leave he had persuaded himself that, in spite of the evidence of his own eyes, Ann Marvin was altogether 100 nice a person to have a hand in a burglary.

On his way back Io London Curtis Burke realised that lie must get something moving, but at the same lime he felt that his respite at Bio Court had not been altogether so much wasted The theft of the crucifix had interested him up to a point. Sir Gar-

vice had told him it was valuable—irreplaceable, in fact, and that, information singularly coincided with the information in his possession regarding j the series of robberies whose invest!- 1 gallons he had under bis charge. Iu each of these widely different and diffused cases, the only things which had been taken had been articles of historical significance—rarities iu the realm of jewellery.

Behind all this he felt sure that one i '•’■'v he would find the master mind — j super intelligence who directed the , operations and who had at bis com- ' mand the full resources of lhe underworld and the cleverest crooks who haunted darkest London. Instinctively as the train thundered through the series of tiny wayside stations at which it was not scheduled Io stop, Burke's mind turned Io a contemplation of Inspector Ames. That button in his pocket was rather alarming. and coupled with the suggestions Hung out by Sir Garvice Watkin. Burke felt himself in an awkward .position. If he had not had a great deal of respect for Ames, if he Had not secretly admired the man and felt that his detective abilities were thoroughly sound, he would have had uo hesitation in going to the Chief Commissioner and laying before him the facts of the case as he now knew them. But Curtis Burke knew that be could never take such a course. He must give Ames a chance to clear himself of the cloud of suspicion that had blown up into his mind. Ames would either refute all the suggestions and proceed to prove him wrong or else, realising that the game was up, would quietly disappear and never be heard of again. Either of these two courses Burke felt would suit him admirably, for he had no wish to see Ames publicly pilloried, and that was what would happen if the truth were revealed.

At the same time, Burke realised it was going to be a particularly delicate task and one which would demand a great deal of skill and tact. One false step would mean that Ames would be given the opportunity of hauling him before his superiors on a charge of making unfounded allegations against his professional honour, which Burke knew was so serious a charge that, were he unable to prove them up to the hilt, it would mean his ignominious dismissal from the force. And, after all, what could he prove? Sir Garvice Watkin’s suspicions were founded upon nothing more nor less than elementary deduction. They could be dismissed right away from the point of view of conclusive testimony. And what of the button? Did lhe fact that Inspector Ames possessed a suit of tweetls having buttons of the peculiar design of the one he had found outside Rio Gouri conclusively mean that Ames had been there on the night the crucifix was stolen? Burke knew that it did not. The fact that Ames had a suit with such buttons did not mean that it was the only one of its kind in London or elsewhere. For all Burke knew there might be hundreds precisely similar. (To be GonLiuued),