High Doom

Waikato Times, Volume 116, Issue 19455, 20 December 1934, Page 4

High Doom

THE FIVE OF HEARTS. Sebastian Martin, Foreign Minister, met death In an aeroplane crash, but Detec-tive-Superintendent McKnight, who roum. an Ingenious little weapon In' the wreckage which he took as a clue, thinks there has been foul play. Shortly after the crash Bill Cleveland, McKnight’s journalist nephew, who Is friendly with Rosemary Martin, daughter or the Minister, is shot ut while boating with a friend, Brian Clarke, on the Thames. A medallion is found in the bushes from which the shot tame.

Sebastian Martin was one of the Five of Hearts of Bonchester School, a mutual bond of affection formed In youth for his widow, Mrs Peggy Martin. The others, who dedicated their celibate futures to her after her marriage, were Premier Hubert Tullis, Sir Michael Loder, specialist; Gerald llarker, artist; and John Martel, famous singer, Had the bond been broken, an'd was there now a vendetta? These theories are bolng investigated by Mcknight and Carswell, his assistant, and at the same time they are keeping in mind Enrico Paola, an Italian', who wanted a locked diary belonging to Martin. 'CHAPTER XLI, He turned on McKnight with a blazing face. “You’re here at last, then,’ he said, in a voice he strove to control. “Your confounded habit of never being there when you’re wanted nearly lost you your job to-night.’’ McKnight turned slightly pale and his gorge rose. The Insolence of this man, exalted though his position was, irritated the detective, and not for the first time. A glance at the safe told him all he wanted to know. It stood open and there appeared to be no signs of any disturbance. With a wave of his hand Tallis gestured the two constables and the inspector out of the room, and docilely they filed out, leaving McKnight alone with the Prime Minister. The inspector threw the detective a commiserating glance as he departed, but it was wasted on McKnight, who .stood stiffly to attention before the Prime Minister, a dull crimson ilush flooding his face. “ Now, then, McKnight,” began Talcrlsply. ‘ What do you know about this affair?” -i “ I know merely that a burglary has taken place here, sir,” replied 'McKnight, in a cold voice. “I have been sent for, presumably in an official capacity." “ Official capacity be damned!” burst Tallis. “ I had you sent up here because when I fobnd out, the first thought that entered my mind was that you had been very persistent to get it, and having had some experience of your confounded ways of butting in. . . ” “So far, sir," interrupted McKnight smoothly. “ I have no idea of the extent of your loss.” He was determined to keep his temper with this very choleric gentleman. “My loss!” repeated Tallis. "Whoever broke in here to-night opened that safe and took away the calfskin diary you were so anxious to see the other day. That’s all. Nothing else. But it’s the damnedest thing he oould have taken. lie oould have stripped the place if' he’d wanted to, if only. he’d left that." He flung himself .down in a chair and his anger seemed to leave him to give plaoe to a worried frown. ’ *7 “Look,here, McKnight," he went on. "This is the most dreadful thing that could have happened.' You don’t know the half of It. If Peggy should ever get to know, and, of course, now she will know. . . ” he broke off with a groan. McKnight looked down at him curiously. The axniety he was suffering seemed to make him look even older than his years. “ I am sorry, sir," was all the detective could find to say. He threw a glance at the safe, and saw that it had quite evidently not been blown or cut open. It must have been opened by someone with much «- perience at the job, somoono with sensitive finger and a keen ear for. falling words. / “They found a pane of a,window cut out with a diamond," Tallis explained. “ The burglar alarms had all their wires cut. 'Two policemen out in the front street heard or saw no sign of him and one man >at the back swears that no one passed him since nine o’clock. Look here, McKnight, you’ve got to get that book back. I’m relying on you to get it back into my hands. Forgive me for what I said Just now. Of course, I didn’t mean you had any hand in the affair, but you’re the only man who can recover it." “ Thank you," replied the detective a little primly. He was a little less capable of forgiving and forgetting than the other. But he was not In any position to ride the high horse and when Tallis invited him to sit down, he consented with a good grace. “ You’re sure nothing else was taken 7” he asked, and Tallis nodded emphatically. “I’ve had a'thorough search made, and he does not seem to have disturbed even the papers in the safe, lie came for the book and he got it.” “ Then I don’tVthink wo need look very ’far for the mirglar, Mr. Tallis,” said McKnight, and lie rose at once to bis feet with a satisfied gleam in his eyes. Here was his chance —the chance be had 'been awaiting ever since that motor-car blaze, from which he was still limping slightly. “ You mean you know. . . ” Tallis said wonderingly, then his face cleared and he too stood up. “By jove, yes, lliat fellow Paola. The very man. Who else? Ho swore lio’d get it, and flic devil lias succeeded. Do you know where to find him?” “ I know his bolt-hole,’ returned McKnight crisply. “I’ll go straight lo the Yard, and get a search warrant. Leave it to me, Mr. Tallis. I’ll get the book and I’ll get Paola. Things will be a whole lot less unsafe once he’s under lock and key. I’ve heen looking for a chance to round him up for some time.” Flying Search-Party. “Is he wanted for anything else?" “ Not that I know of for the moment, sir, but the time may arrive when I’ll And it mighty convenient to have him where 1 can talk to him. I’ll waste no time here, Mr. Tallis. I’ll get right off and collect him. Leave it all, lo me. I’ll hand you hack that book and no one will be any the wiser.”

lie left Immediately, followed l>y Tallis’s good wishes and went at once J to Scotland Yard, where he swore out a warrant lo search Paula’s house in Chelsea. Then he collected Carswell and three of four of his men, and. commandeering a Plying Squad car. was soon on llie way to Chelsea. He instructed the driver lo pull up some lillle distance from the road that was their hjeelive. They all got out of the car and Mcknight proceeded to detail them lo life I c posl- • lions. One man he slalioned al one end of the road and another at the

BY 1 T.L. MORRISSEY

opposite end. Theh he sent one man round to the back of the short row of houses, and with Carswell and the fourth plain-clothes man 'he walked determinedly up to the door. ’ The house looked as blind -as before, all Windows shuttered and no gleam of 'light showing from them. They mounted the steps quietly, and McKnight raised the heavy knocker and beat a panderous tattoo upon the door. The echoes of the sound came back to them with that peculiarly eerie sound that seems characteristic of houses when they are empty of all human habitation, and Knight's heart sank within him. He gave one more thunderous knocking on the door, and after they had waited another five minutes he signed to his companions to lay their shoulders to the door. ... Several heads had been thrust out of open windows at the sound of McKnight’s knocking, and now these awakened onlookers were Belted to the sight of a police raid in full force. The three men drew back, and tneu shoulders struck the door near the handle, and the wdodwork creaked with the strain. Twice more they were forced to draw back, until Anally the door gave way with a splintering of wood, and they were precipitated Into th ßubbi’ng his shoulder, McKnight took an electric torch from «,arswe'll’s hand and hashed it round the hall- That the place was empty was obvious from the Arst, and McKnight voice echoed hollowly from the uncarpeted iloor when lie spoke.

CHAPTER XLH. The Oall for Help. “Too late,” he said gloomily, tlien ho -snapped his Angers -logo her. ini - ably. “1 was a fool to think the fellow would come back here afterwards, Of course, he’d guess ,we d suspect him at once and come and look for him herb, He did see mo from the window that day. I was sure He was- speaking more to himself than to his companions, then lie raised his voice and instructed the plainclothes man to call in.the other three. "I don’t suppose it’s very much use," he .said to Carswejtl, but I guess wo will have to search the place. He wont have left any traces I'm afraid though, if I’m to judge by the way he managed that Job On the Prime Mlm is-ter’s safe. That fellow has a pretty nerve with him, I’ll say that.” “It looks as though this wasn’t his first experience at the game,” said Carswell with a flash of shrewdness. “Have you thought of looking up his -ante-c.eden.ts or, record? I 'think you d find they knew all about him on lire Continent.” „ . “I haven’t done so yet, ’ replied McKnight. “But I can .promise you that will be my first task in the morning. I want Mr Paola very badly. There’s one or two little -things I want to talk with him about." , It was only too true as he had said. After nearly an hour’s most exhaustive search of -the house and the yard, no sign or trace of habitation was found, save a pile of ashes in the kitchen grate over which McKnight poked hopefully but unsuccessfully. “As clean as a whistle," he said with a sigh, as they gathered in the liall again after the search- “Now, where 'has the devil gone? And I promised the P.M. . . .oh, Lord, this is what comes of allowing yourself to be ridden by personal animosity. Well, boys, I think we’ll be leaving here. There’s nothing else for us to do to-night." Forlornly they trooped out and got into the car. It was now close on to midnight, and when the car came •to Sloane Street McKnight prepared to drop down. “I’ll look you up in the morning. 'Carswell," he promised. “In the meanwhile, you might, if you don’t feel too sleepy, browse rouhd and see whether our people have anything down against the Signor. My memory tells me we haven’t, but it may be wrong." He rolled 'into bed as soon as he entered.his flat, for the disappointment of the evening bad told upon him more than he would have liked to confess. 1-Ie had been so anxious to lay his hands upon the sinister Italian that now the man had slipped, through his Angers lie felt again creeping over him the half-formed conviction that never would lie be able to weave the threads of this case into one .strong . visible whole.

8.0.8. by ’Phone. He fell asleep soundly as soon as his head touched the pillow. But Ills -day’s work was not yet over, and it seemed to him that he had scarcely been ■asleep more -than a few minutes when be was awakened by the ringing of the bell of the 'telephone at his b-ed-.slfle, Instantly awake, he .seized the receiver and listened. For a moment no sound came 'to his ears, and he called— “Hello! Hello! Who’s that?” Then there came to his ears a sound like a .strangled scream. Twice It was repeated.—" Help Help!” -the voice called, then M-c Knight distinctly heard a sound as though a chair had been pushed ever, a scuffle of feet, and then once again the brooding silence.

That voice! McKnight could scarcely believe his ears. It was the voice of that woman. Teresa -Poola, calling for ids help. He knew lie was not .mistaken. He prided himself on his memory of voices, and though he had only spoken with her two or three times lie knew beyond all doubt that it was -she. Of course, she had his card With his private address and telephone number on it. Site was in trouble and she had called to him, as he h-a'd hoped she would. Trembling, witli eagerness, he rattled the receiver hook.

. “Exchangel Exchange!” he called. “Urgent .police business. Scotland Yard. Trace that call that came to me immediately and ring when you get it. Don’t fkil. -Most important.” Giving the astonished operator no •time to protest, he slammed down the receiver and began to dress feverishly. Then he sprang again to the telephone and called the number of an all-night garage near by. Oocasionlly he ordered a car from them, and he Instructed them to send round at once a light fast car. Traced. “No. No 'driver,” he concluded impatiently. “I’ll drive myself.” Presently he heard the sound of a car’s horn in the street below as a signal, and, fuming with Impatience, lie sa t down by I lie telephone, trying to nuister his eagerness till the call came through. Five .minutes he waited, an'd then the bell rang. “We’ve traced it. sir," came an excited vpiec, that of the .supervisor Hits lime. .NlvK'night’s number had evidently been turned tip. and. his prestige added further weight, to his commands.

“Well, well, where did it originate?’ snap|>od*Me Knight. “From a house named ‘The Firs,’ .iusi oulside High Barnel," came Hie reply. '

(To bo continued.)