Serial Story The Jade Token

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 428, 20 November 1930, Page 12

Serial Story The Jade Token

(Bj,

Ralph Trevor)

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

INSTALMENT TEN

SYNOPSIS. A murder is committed tn the surgery of Dr. Wallace Langley, he being decoyed from the place at the time. The police find the murdered man. named Conrad Ricks, has come from South America, and had recently asked Jules Conn, an antique dealer, io value a piece of jade set with a valuable ruby and inscribed with hieroglyphics. This jade token 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 vviUi 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 the 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 the 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 the arrest of one Joe Denver.

Sir Garvice Watkin offers his ser vices in the defence of the accused.

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

CHAPTER IX.—(Continued.) He picked up the receiver with a frown of annoyance as he recognised the voice of Inspector Ames at the other encl.

“You’re wanted at the Yard immediately, Mr. Burke. We’ve just had a message through that murder’s been done out Wandsworth way; but per- i haps what may interest you more is ! that robbery’s been done at the same . time —rare jewelled ornaments, ac- j cording to report.”

“What’s the address?” asked Burke infused with sudden life and energy. “Florentine Villa, Romany Road,” Ames told him.

“Then 1 think instead of earning down to the Embankment I’ll get along to Wandsworth,” answered Burke, as he hung up the receiver quickly. Before discarding his dressinggown, Burke turned up his London Directory and noted the fact that Florentine Villa was the home of .Mr. Juan Eguerola, the Argentine million Aire, of whom he had once heard.

Ten minutes later Burke had fetch rd his car from the neighbouring garage, and was speeding along the Kings Road In the direction of Battersea. Turning to the right after passing Clapham Junction, Burke headed towards the common, turned once more sharply to the left until he drew up at the kerb in front of a palatial house where he could see the lights burning in several rooms.

Switching off his engine, he made his way to the house and found a constable posted in the vestibule. He saluted smartly as the light from the hall lamp Hooded the detective’s features.

“The sergeant’s inside, sir,” the constable told him. “ 1 fancy he telephoned to the Yard immediately we got here.”

Burke passed inside and found Sergeant Lawrence in the study, bending over the prostrate form of the millionaire.

“Now for a few details,” said Burke briskly. "Tell me whafa you know about it.”

I Briefly the sergeant explained that ithe constable on the beat had been , summoned by the dead man’s butler 'with the information that at elevcnjforty he heard shots from the dirccition of the study, and rushing in, {found his master lying dead beside the table with a bullet through his heart. Since then he (the sergeant; had ascertained in conjunction with the butler that several gold ornaments of priceless value had disappeared and concluded that the dead man’s assailant had rubbery rather than murder as his objective. Glancing around the room, Burke noted that the place was lined with {glass cases containing a wonderful collection of gold and silver plate, a I considerable amount of it of genuine {antique design. Several of the cases I had been opened and gaps on Hie narrow shelves revealed the fact that the burglar had helped himself. But it struck Burke that it had not been a haphazard selection. Had that been so, the burglar would have contented himself with the contents of one of the cases, whereas not one but several not necessarily adjacent to one another, had been looted. This important fact impressed itself indelibly on Burke’s mind. It told him that whoever had committed the thefts had known precisely what it was he had come to steal. That was important, it was once again the connecting link Between the other mysterious robberies he had in mind at that moment. The butler, an old man nearing seventy, and who was in obvious dis,ress during the time Burke was :atechising him, bore out the sergeant’s statement to the letter. “Was your master in the study all ihe evening?” asked Burke. “No, sir. Mr. Eguerola was in the ;ounge until bedtime, sir. It was there ; brought him his nightcap, if you > understand me. sir. 1 thought he had i retired to bed.” the butler went on, I ‘but now I know that he didn’t." ‘•This room, then, would be in

darkness while he was In the lounge?” “That is so. sir.” j “And he was in the habit of taking a look around here before retiring, I { gather?” I "that was his usual practice, sir. | He had the only key to the room, and there is a patent safely device on all | the windows which connects with the I burglar alarm.” “And when you were attracted by j the sound of the shots and came in {here, did you see anyone else?” j “No. sir. But the far window behind : the blue curtains was open and the I wind was blowing the curtains, sir.” CHAPTER X. What Followed After. ' Burke examined the open window i carefully. The electric burglar alarm ' had been neatly severed by the simple . expedient of removing one of the diamond-shaped panes of glass in the vicinity of Ihe catch. That was all. After waiting" for the arrival of the doctor who had been telephoned for, and who had intimated that Mr Eguerola had been killed immediately, the bullet severing the aorta, Burke took his leave, but not, before, he had noted the revolver that the dead man still clutched in his hand and the marks of a bullet which had been embedded in the window-frame after piercing the long blue curtains that concealed the gaping window.

Leaving Wandsworth, Burke motored straight to Scotland Yard and inquired for Ames. To the young man’s surprise he was told that Ames had left soon after telephoning him, and it was assumed that the inspector had gone out to Wandsworth himself.

Burke felt, annoyed and not a little mystified. He ’phoned Aines’s house, and a feminine voice told him that Inspector Ames had not been home all day. What did it mean? A sudden suspicion Hashed into Burke’s mind, and for the first time since his conversation with Sir Garvice Watkin he experienced a real sense of suspicion against his colleague.

Had Burke known that as he left the house at Wandsworth Inspector Arnes had been so close to him that he could have stretched forth one arm and touched him, his suspicion might have been strengthened. And before Burke's car had turned the corner, headed towards Clapharn, Ames had entered the house, nodded genially to the sergeant in charge and set about his task with the thoroughness of the old school.

Arnes worked for some time in silence, paying particular attention to the looted showcases. Here it was h<“ discovered a number of finger-prints, and having made a record of them and asked the old butler a few questions

* of a far different character from those asked by Curtis Burke Ames went out into the night again. When he arrived at Scotland Yard he found that Burke had gone off with the flying squad to a district in Peckham, in the hopes of picking up a trail. Ames smiled when the information was given to him. It was Ihe amused smile of a man who felt supremely ,' confident of himself. Let Burke go | down to Peckham us often as he liked. ! Ames handed in his specimen fingerI .print to the officer on duly, with instructions that a report was to be Me upon it immediately. He would Jen minutes later a police officer . handed him the complete record of one Joe Denver, alias “Slim-fingers.” , Ames studied the records carefully j for some moments; then he turned Lu the walling constable—“l see by this that Denver will have been out for nearly twelve months. Get me his address. 1 want him." The constable walked briskly from the room, leaving Ames deep in thought. The grey dawn was breaking as Inspector Ames and two other plainclothes men walked unconcernedly down Navalda Street, in the neighbourhood of Soho. They stopped outside a house whose windows were guarded with drab, brown shutters, and knocked peremptorily on the door. After a lew moments a window was cautiously raised from above and a woman’s head appeared. “W’atcha want—eh?” The voire was tinged with irril.abilily, “Gome down and open the door, Matilda. There’s a good girl.” said Ames. “Nolhing’s going Io happen if you du as you’re told.” As soon as the window was closed Ames nodded to Ihe officer who stood on his lei’l. The young man sprinted up Ihe street and was soon lost, to Then Ihe door opened cautiously a few inches, and Ames planted the toe uf his bout provocatively in Ihe aperture. "Il’s rather early lo be paying visits, I Matilda," he smiled; “but you’re going to invite me and my friend inside. We’ve never seen your decorations in the early morning light, have we, Reeves?” he asked, turning lo his companion and winking. “1 ain’t dune nothin',” grumbled Hie woman as she opened the door. “What ’ave you got agin me now?” “Matilda, I'm surprised al you.” chaffed Ames easily. "You and Joe getting on all right. I suppose?" They had followed the woman into the dingy room at the front, where Ames was quick to note that a candle was still burning in a bottle. “Joe!” exclaimed the woman indignantly. “1 ain't seen Joe. these six months, and 1 don't care if 1 never see 'im again. “’E ain’t no good to me.” “Fancy that.” mused Ames. “1 had an idea that you and he had been having a chin-wag best part of the 'night, or perhaps you always go to bed fully dressed?” The woman's lips curled scornfully. “Think yerself bloomin’ smart, don't yer, Mister Ames? But 1 tell yer 1 ain’t seen Joe.” ‘Thanks!’’ murmured Ames. “I’m going to believe you this time, Matilda. 1 think we’d heller cut along,.Beeves. Sorry lo have troubled you, Matilda.” (To be oonllaued.;