THE TENTH EMERALD

Waikato Times, Volume 118, Issue 19658, 19 August 1935, Page 4

THE TENTH EMERALD

Etc., Etc.).

SYNOPSIS. Clive Anstey is the rronagins director or the Continental branch ol' Anstey ana White, jewellers and art dealers. Same months ago an emerald cross, containm,, ten stones, once the property ot Lou» XIV, came into his hands, lie sent It to his firm in London. J Arnold Mortimer, who has done consul erable business Tor Anstey a " cl ' with collectors, takes charge ot the cioss and offers to find a customer lor it. mu wnile It is in his possession his nat burgled and the cross stolen. For certain reasons Clive suspects !! timer of faking the robbery, and v.uu> to him from Paris under the name ° Eden, posing as a collector of Egyptian emeralds. The halt is success ful. for after an interval Mortimer Ay r , that he has been fortunate enough to nna Eden three exceptionally line sXon ®:j.' „ nt Ann Littlejohn, in an effort to bus™?? 1 her widowed mother’s Income, anct x ° , , tain necessary delicacies for her ctupp brother, takes a Job at Simon’s Curio -hop in the Brompton Road. Betty Marks ls h-”- fellow worker, an'd is engaged to \ ictor, old Simon’s son. , IV ,„ ' Joe' Bland, an' ex-C.I.D. man, not on tne straight, Is In Mortimer’s pay. Mortimer has a hair-brother Raipn. whom he uses as his pawn. The relation between the two is kept secret. Mortimer often lias business with out Simon, and Is a regular visitor to ine shop. He is in love with Ann. He invites Ann', Betty and Victor to dinner In his nai. While the party is in progress, Eden calls, and is invited to join them. Ah el dinner Mortimer produces the tnree emeralds. Suddenly there is a crash on the landing outside. Phelps, the elderly butler, lias apparently fallen down the stairs with a tray of crockery. (Eden, for his own ends, has previously “ arranged this crash with Phelps). On re-entering the room two or the emeralds are missing. CHAPTER Vl.—(Continued.) "Quite likely,” said Mortimer carelessly. "He is too old, and that’s a fact. He’d only do it again, and probably kill himself the next time.” Betty shivered. "I’m glad he didn't. I should have had nightmare for ■weeks.’’ “At the sight of a corpse,” scoffed Victor loftily. "Death’s nothing. We’ve all got to die sometime.” “This was almost too much for Eden’s composure. 'He either had to say something or choke. “Well said,” he approved with tremendous gravity, and began to recite a passage from the burial service. His voice trailed off and ceased abruptly in the middle of sentence. He was staring with curious fixity at the corner of the table where the two emeralds had been.

Following his gaze Mortimer saw that they were no longer there. Perhaps Eden had picked them up. But if so, why did he stand there still holding the stone he had been examining and looking so bewildered? “Did you—?” began Eden looking at Mortimer. "But, of course, you couldn’t have done. You went straight out.” He turned to look at Betty questioningly. She flushed angrily as though he was silently accusing her, and spoke up with a pert toss of her head. “They were on the table when I left the room. There was only you left, you and—” she turned to Ann with a smile of ill-concealed vindictiveness. “Of course, you were left, too, weren’t you, Ann?” "They’re probably on the floor,” said Mortimer calmly, and his quiet matter of fact tone eased the growing tension. Nevertheless, ho was frowning.

But the emeralds were not on the floor. They searched high and low In the most likely and unlikely places. If the emeralds had been in the room they must surely have found them. There was only one possible conclusion. Someone had removed them. Mortimer straightened up. He was smiling, but it, was a bleak smile. “One of you is playing a joke on me,” he said with the air of one who is determined to show that he can take a joke as well as another. “Come on now. which of you is it?" There was no response.

“Time is getting on,” he said with a toueli of exasperation. “The joke lias really gone far enough. I’ll admit,- I was fairly taken in.” Growing an-gry then at the continued silence his eves went from -one to the other of them, questioning and insistent,. “I can hardly think,” said Eden, ppeakin o- with deliberation, “that anyone would he quite so fatuous as to rdny such a pointless trick.” He handed Mortimer the emerald he had been examining. “You’d better take this ■before it follows the others.” -He struelf a match and lit his pine. There was a long uncomfortable silence. Only one possible explanation remained. It dawned on all of them, last of all unnn Victor. And Victor, when an illuminating idea did find Its way into his brain, was not the man to hide it under a bushel. It never oocurred to him that the same illuminating idea was keening the others silent. He only realised that here was a situation worthy of his great gifts. Tie stormed forward to take possession of the centre of the stage. “Well, they’ve gone,” he proclaimed. as though the fact needed hammering into thick heads. “And they're not in this room. We've searched it. Nobody could have come in. One of us”—tie glared around ns if to -cow ttic culprit into adiect, confession —“one of us is a thief.” A pause for dramatic effect, -then another glare for each. “There’s only one thing for it,” he declared, and actually struck the unoffending 'table.with his (Ist. “Everyone must agree to be searched.” CHAPTER VII. Victor’s succinct expression of his views was not, received with the prompt appreciation lie had expected, 'l'lie innocent should have jumped at the opportunity of establishing their innocence: the guilty should have looked uncomfortable. What actually happened was that Mortimer frowned impatiently, Ann appeared not to have heard, Eden re-lit his pipe—evidentlyit was drawing badly—and Betty, though it was clear site approved, was unwilling to commit herself. “ Well,” demanded Victor, “it’s plain enough, isn't it? One of us lias got it.” “This is my affair,” snapped Mortimer. " Please don’t butt in.” Victor’s' bomb had failed to explode. It had been kicked contemptuously aside. lie relapsed into offended .silence. “ H is jus I possible that someone j was hiding in ibe bedroom," said ’ Mortimer, reflectively. "There was I lime enough for him lo have slipped * in while we were ail out on I lit: landing.”

“ Hut. I went through the bedroom,” Betty obieofod. “to powder my nose.” " So did I,” said Ann. Even so. thought Mortimer, it was just possible, in that ease the intruder had' probably already made his escape. Hut. Phelps was still out thero picking up broken hits of crockery. He could lint have failed lo see anyone leaving the llat.

By LINDSAY HAMILTON (Author of “The Black Asp," “John Smith—Blackmailer,”

(To he continued,).

rtlortiincr went out to question him. Phelps was quite positive that no one had passed either in or out. Then the tliicf, whether an intruder or one of the party, must he still in the flat. Unless—ho thought suddenly of the i bathroom; a clever cat-burglar might J succeed in escaping by way of the window. The window, however, proved on examination to be closed and secured on the inside. Nor was there any sign of a lurking intruder in the bedroom. Mortimer returned to the sittingroom looking rather grim. 11 We’ll talk this over quietly,” he said. “ Suppose we sit down. Viotor, be good enough to pass round the port. A -whisky for me. You, Mr Eden?' 11 Thanks—a whisky.” Betty tossed down half her port in one gulp. Ann refused a drink but nibbled salted almonds. She could not help admiring Arnold’s cool handling of a delicate and very trying situation.. “ You are my -guests,” began Mortimer, weighing his words carefully. “ This , must be extremely distasteful to you, I know. I ask you to remember that as your host it is 'far .more distasteful to me. And, in addition, 1 shall be the poorer by several thousand pounds if the stones are not found. I -make this apology beforehand for any discomfort that may be forced upon you.” Eden nodded, dispassionately encouraging. 11 1 take it that no one could have entered and got away again?” “ I am satisfied of that-,” said Mortimer. “ And the -stones -could not have vanished of their own accord. To be brutally frank, one of you must have taken them—-on a foolish impulse perhaps; or it may have been done as a joke, and the joker is afraid of admitting it now that the thing has taken a serious aspect. It is only fair to give that person -a chance to return the stones without being held up to suspicion.” He placed a soft dinner-mat on the centre of the table. “ I shall turn out, the lights for a full minute.” he went on. ” But first. I think the scene should ho re-enacted in case they have been hidden anywhere. What has been bidden can be recovered with equal facility. Is that agreed?” “ Very sensible,” approved Eden. “ Very.” “We shall then return to our places.at -the table. I shall switch off the lich-ts, and when I put them on again I exnect to see the missing gems on this dinner-mat.” They took up their positions -as they had been when the crash occurred — Eden over by the window, Ann by the sideboard, aqd Betty and Victor at the table. “ One moment,-”- said Eden with a ■curious smile. " "Let me have that emerald asain. I want to demonstrate a possibility.” Mortimer gave a dry laugh. “Is that necessary?” “ Not in the least," Eden's smile was gently mocking. “ Don’t be alarmed.- It won’t disappear. If it does. I hold myself responsible to °“ Very well,” Mortimer handed him the emerald. “ Are you all ready? I want you to do exactly as you did before, but don’t hurry.” Victor followed him out closely as before. A moment later Betty went to the bedroom. Ann, instead of facing the sideboard, turned to watch Eden with a look of perplexity in her eyes. It was hard to believe that, such a man could be a common thief; yet it was almost as though he had read her thoughts, for he pivoted -suddenly and caught her watching him. That amused smile of mockery flickered in his eyes again. “Exactly as before,” he admonished. and there was something in the wav he said it that made her flush guiltily. She had remembered the grapes. But. of course, he could not. have seen. He had been facing the window. The farce was played out to the end .—for farce it seemed to Ann now that her actions were empty of motive. And now Eden added a further touch of absurdity to the proceedings. He cooly -announced that the third em- ! crald was missing. When Mortimer ! turned on him, not quite certain how to take this ill-timed jest, he -said at once: . • , “ There are several coats hanging in the vestibule. The emerald Is In the right hand pocket of mine.” Of course, thought Ann! Whoever ' had taken the stones might have concealed them in the vestibule or the - bedroom. But what a curious way to i draw -attention to this possibility! - Ali most as though he knew himself to ibe suspected and was laughing at i them. .. , : “ I hrd not overlooked that possiI bllitv,” said Mortimer dryly. | He repaired to the vestibule, followed bv Eden and, of course. Victor. Mortimer felt in Eden’s coat pocket. But ! he drew his hand out empty, and there ! was a scowl of dark anger on Ins i face. , , , “Is this another joke. he demanded sarcastically. “ Try again," said Eden. I assure you it’s there all right.” “It is not —and you know it, snapped Mortimer, and his eyes narrowed to pin-points. The silence Hint followed was pregnant with horrible possibilities of violence. Then Eden broke into a laugh. “I had quite forgotten. There s a hole in the pocket." He felt alone the hem. and presently located a hard lump, tie dived his other hand info jho pocket atid drew out the emerald. Mortimer took it without a word. It, was plain that his restraint was wearing thin. , . , Yearn the puests took their places at Hie table. Two “clicks” in rapid succession, and the room was plunged ■ in darkness. It was ceric sitting there in the dark, j -\tm began to count the seconds. Her 1 cars were alert to catch the sound of a movement. 'How plainly one . could i hear!—Vidor's heavy' breathing; j Bctlv’s attempts not to breathe at all. j Why. the girl was all quivering and , tense 1 Curious how one could sense such things in the silence and the dark. Surdv the minute was nearly up. To break llio queer hypnotic effect of i die silence, she called out to Moitimer: “ How long yet?” “Half a minute. ’’ came-the reply, and it sounded remote and far away. Would the stones he there on the table? Would they? Just to know one way or the other! Just to know; it was even more important than the result, whatever it was. The real point at issue had shrunk into insignificance, and the longing for the suspense to and was growing lo monstrous proportions.