The Poisoned Pen(Fiscle Part-3), Arthur B. Reeve [my reading book TXT] 📗
- Author: Arthur B. Reeve
Book online «The Poisoned Pen(Fiscle Part-3), Arthur B. Reeve [my reading book TXT] 📗». Author Arthur B. Reeve
Tried To Read And Could Not.
The Train Had Come To A Stop In The Union Station. Our Man Was
Walking Rapidly Up The Platform In The Direction Of The Cab Stand.
Suddenly Kennedy Darted Ahead And For A Moment We Were Walking
Abreast Of Him.
"I Beg Your Pardon," Began Craig As We Came To A Turn In The
Shadow Of The Arc Lights, "But Have You A Match?"
The Man Halted And Fumbled For His Match-Box. Instantly Kennedy's
Pocket Handkerchief Was At His Nose.
"Some Of The Medicine Of Your Own Gang Of Endormeurs," Ground Out
Kennedy, Crushing Several Of The Little Glass Globes Under His
Handkerchief To Make Doubly Sure Of Their Effect.
The Man Reeled And Would Have Fallen If We Had Not Caught Him
Between Us. Up The Platform We Led Him In A Daze.
"Here," Shouted Craig To A Cabman, "My Friend Is Ill. Drive Us
Around A Bit. It Will Sober Him Up. Come On, Walter, Jump In, The
Air Will Do Us All Good."
Those Who Were In Washington During That Summer Will Remember The
Suppressed Activity In The State, War, And Navy Departments On A
Certain Very Humid Night. Nothing Leaked Out At The Time As To The
Cause, But It Was Understood Later That A Crisis Was Narrowly
Averted At A Very Inopportune Season, For The Heads Of The
Departments Were All Away, The President Was At His Summer Home In
The North, And Even Some Of The Under-Secretaries Were Out Of
Town. Hasty Messages Had Been Sizzling Over The Wires In Cipher
And Code For Hours.
I Recall That As We Rode A Little Out Of Our Way Past The Army
Building, Merely To See If There Was Any Excitement, We Found It A
Blaze Of Lights. Something Was Plainly Afoot Even At This Usually
Dull Period Of The Year. There Was Treachery Of Some Kind And Some
Trusted Employee Was Involved, I Felt Instinctively. As For Craig
He Merely Glanced At The Insensible Figure Between Us And Remarked
Sententiously That To His Knowledge There Was Only One Nation That
Made A Practice Of Carrying Out Its Diplomatic And Other Coups In
The Hot Weather, A Remark Which I Understood To Mean That Our
Mission Was More Than Commonly Important.
The Man Had Not Recovered When We Arrived Within Several Blocks Of
Our Destination, Nor Did He Show Signs Of Recovery From His
Profound Stupor. Kennedy Stopped The Cab In A Side Street, Pressed
A Bill Into The Cabman's Hand, And Bade Him Wait Until We
Returned.
We Had Turned The Corner Of Z Street And Were Approaching The
House When A Man Walking In The Opposite Direction Eyed Us
Suspiciously, Turned, And Followed Us A Step Or Two.
"Kennedy!" He Exclaimed.
If A Fourteen-Inch Gun Had Exploded Behind Us I Could Not Have
Been More Startled. Here, In Spite Of All Our Haste And Secrecy We
Were Followed, Watched, And Beaten.
Craig Wheeled About Suddenly. Then He Took The Man By The Arm.
"Come," He Said Quickly, And We Three Dove Into The Shadow Of An
Alley.
As We Paused, Kennedy Was The First To Speak. "By Jove, Walter,
It's Burke Of The Secret Service," He Exclaimed.
"Good," Repeated The Man With Some Satisfaction. "I See That You
Still Have That Memory For Faces." He Was Evidently Referring To
Our Experiences Together Some Months Before With The Portrait
Part 3 Chapter 9 (The Unofficial Spy) Pg 111Parle And Identification In The Counterfeiting Case Which Craig
Cleared Up For Him.
For A Moment Or Two Burke And Kennedy Spoke In Whispers. Under The
Dim Light From The Street I Could See Kennedy's Face Intent And
Working With Excitement.
"No Wonder The War Department Is A Blaze Of Lights," He Exclaimed
As We Moved Out Of The Shadow Again, Leaving The Secret Service
Man. "Burke, I Had No Idea When I Took Up This Case That I Should
Be Doing My Country A Service Also. We Must Succeed At Any Hazard.
The Moment You Hear A Pistol Shot, Burke, We Shall Need You. Force
The Door If It Is Not Already Open. You Were Right As To The
Street But Not The Number. It Is That House Over There. Come On,
Walter."
We Mounted The Low Steps Of The House And A Negress Answered The
Bell. "Is Mr. Gonzales In?" Asked Kennedy.
The Hallway Into Which We Were Admitted Was Dark But It Opened
Into A Sitting-Room, Where A Dim Light Was Burning Behind The
Thick Portieres. Without A Word The Negress Ushered Us Into This
Room, Which Was Otherwise Empty.
"Tell Him Mr. Montez Is Here," Added Craig As We Sat Down.
The Negress Disappeared Upstairs, And In A Few Minutes Returned
With The Message That He Would Be Down Directly.
No Sooner Had The Shuffle Of Her Footsteps Died Away Than Kennedy
Was On His Feet, Listening Intently At The Door. There Was No
Sound. He Took A Chair And Tiptoed Out Into The Dark Hall With It.
Turning It Upside Down He Placed It At The Foot Of The Stairs With
The Four Legs Pointing Obliquely Up. Then He Drew Me Into A Corner
With Him.
How Long We Waited I Cannot Say. The Next I Knew Was A Muffled
Step On The Landing Above, Then The Tread On The Stairs.
A Crash And A Deep Volley Of Oaths In French Followed As The Man
Pitched Headlong Over The Chair On The Dark Steps.
Kennedy Whipped Out His Revolver And Fired Pointblank At The
Prostrate Figure. I Do Not Know What The Ethics Are Of Firing On A
Man When He Is Down, Nor Did I Have Time To Stop To Think.
Craig Grasped My Arm And Pulled Me Toward The Door. A Sickening
Odour Seemed To Pervade The Air. Upstairs There Was Shouting And
Banging Of Doors.
"Closer, Walter," He Muttered, "Closer To The Door, And Open It A
Little, Or We Shall Both Be Suffocated. It Was The Secret Service
Gun I Shot Off--The Pistol That Shoots Stupefying Gas From Its
Vapour-Filled Cartridges And Enables You To Put A Criminal Out Of
Commission Without Killing Him. A Pull Of The Trigger, The Cap
Explodes, The Gunpowder And The Force Of The Explosion Unite Some
Capsicum And Lycopodium, Producing The Blinding, Suffocating
Vapour Whose Terrible Effect You See. Here, You Upstairs," He
Shouted, "Advance An Inch Or So Much As Show Your Heads Over The
Rail And I Pump A Shot At You, Too. Walter, Take The Gun Yourself.
Fire At A Move From Them. I Think The Gases Have Cleared Away
Enough Now. I Must Get Him Before He Recovers Consciousness."
A Tap At The Door Came, And Without Taking My Eyes Off The Stairs
I Opened It. Burke Slid In And Gulped At The Nauseous Atmosphere.
"What's Up?" He Gasped. "I Heard A Shot. Where's Kennedy?"
I Motioned In The Darkness. Kennedy's Electric Bull's-Eye Flashed
Up At That Instant And We Saw Him Deftly Slip A Bright Pair Of
Manacles On The Wrists Of The Man On The Floor, Who Was Breathing
Heavily, While Blood Flowed From A Few Slight Cuts Due To His
Fall.
Dexterously As A Pickpocket Craig Reached Into The Man's Coat,
Pulled Out A Packet Of Papers, And Gazed Eagerly At One After
Another. From Among Them He Unfolded One Written In French To
Madame Marie De Nevers Some Weeks Before. I Translate:
Dear Marie: Herr Schmidt Informs Me That His Agent In The War
Department At Washington, U. S. A., Has Secured Some Important
Information Which Will Interest The Government For Which Herr
Schmidt Is The Agent--Of Course You Know Who That Is.
It Is Necessary That You Should Carry The Packet Which Will Be
Handed To You (If You Agree To My Proposal) To New York By The
Steamer Tripolitania. Go To The Vandeveer Hotel And In A Few Days,
As Soon As A Certain Exchange Can Be Made, Either Our Friend In
Washington Or Myself Will Call On You, Using The Name Gonzales. In
Return For The Package Which You Carry He Will Hand You Another.
Lose No Time In Bringing The Second Package Back To Paris.
I Have Arranged That You Will Receive Ten Thousand Francs And Your
Expenses For Your Services In This Matter. Under No Conditions
Betray Your Connection With Herr Schmidt. I Was To Have Carried
The Packet To America Myself And Make The Exchange But Knowing
Your Need Of Money I Have Secured The Work For You. You Had Better
Take Your Maid, As It Is Much Better To Travel With Distinction In
This Case. If, However, You Accept This Commission I Shall
Consider You In Honour Bound To Surrender Your Claim Upon My Name
For Which I Agree To Pay You Fifty Thousand Francs Upon My
Marriage With The American Heiress Of Whom You Know. Please Let Me
Know Immediately Through Our Mutual Friend Henri Duval Whether
This Proposal Is Satisfactory. Henri Will Tell You That Fifty
Thousand Is My Ultimatum,
Chateaurouge.
"The Scoundrel," Ground Out Kennedy. "He Lured His Wife From Paris
To New York, Thinking The Paris Police Too Acute For Him, I
Suppose. Then By Means Of The Treachery Of The Maid Louise And His
Friend Duval, A Crook Who Would Even Descend To Play The Part Of
Valet For Him And Fall In Love With The Maid, He Has Succeeded In
Removing The Woman Who Stood Between Him And An American Fortune."
"Marie," Rambled Chateaurouge As He Came Blinking, Sneezing, And
Choking Out Of His Stupor, "Marie, You Are Clever, But Not Too
Clever For Me. This Blackmailing Must Stop. Miss Lovelace Knows
Something, Thanks To You, But She Shall Never Know All--Never--
Never. You--You--Ugh!--Stop. Do You Think You Can Hold Me Back Now
With Those Little White Hands On My Wrists? I Wrench Them Loose--
So--And--Ugh!--What's This? Where Am I?"
The Man Gazed Dazedly At The Manacles That Held His Wrists Instead
Of The Delicate Hands He Had Been Dreaming Of As He Lived Over The
Terrible Scene Of His Struggle With The Woman Who Was His Wife In
The Vanderveer.
"Chateaurouge," Almost Hissed Kennedy In His Righteous Wrath,
"Fake Nobleman, Real Swindler Of Five Continents. Marie De Nevers
Alive Stood In The Way Of Your Marriage To The Heiress Miss
Lovelace. Dead, She Prevents It Absolutely."
Craig Continued To Turn Over The Papers In His Hand, As He Spoke.
At Last He Came To A Smaller Packet In Oiled Silk. As He Broke The
Seal He Glanced At It In Surprise, Then Hurriedly Exclaimed,
"There, Burke. Take These To The War Department And Tell Them They
Can Turn Out Their Lights And Stop Their Telegrams. This Seems To
Be A Copy Of Our Government's Plans For The Fortification Of The
Panama Canal, Heights Of Guns, Location Of Searchlights, Fire
Control Stations, Everything From Painstaking Search Of Official
And Confidential Records. That Is What This Fellow Obtained In
Part 3 Chapter 9 (The Unofficial Spy) Pg 112Exchange For His False Blue Prints Of The Supposed Coaling Station
On The Pacific.
"I Leave The Secret Service To Find The Leak In The War
Department. What I Am Interested In Is Not The Man Who Played Spy
For Two Nations And Betrayed One Of Them. To Me This Adventurer
Who Calls Himself Chateaurouge Is Merely The Murderer Of Madame De
Nevers."
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