JOHN LYON, DETECTIVE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 386, 12 August 1911, Page 2

JOHN LYON, DETECTIVE.

•"Copyright.' s

Being a Strange Chronicie from the F3ote-book of John Lyon, Elucidator, Known as the " Lion of the Law."

By the Author of " The Castle Mystery," etc., etc.

PART 6. "Ha ! I think you have done wel n coming to me. I wish, before gong any further, to pledge you to se :recy." " For what reason ?" Miss Hen 'ietta asked, sharply, raising hei :.irrow brows. " Because I will enter Mount Laurc vithout consulting the police, whicl is in itself an offence against the law you may have heard I am a freeance of justice, and I am sometimes •.ompelied to run counter to the es .ablished rules of law and order tc Obtain my results." " I will promise not to speal ibout the matter for a day or two ;hen," she rejoined, reluctantly. "A 1 east, not until you have made youi nvestigation. You will do that at Dnce, I suppose ?" Lyon glanced at the clock, " Three minutes ago I pressed f jutton which will bring a. powerful lHtomobile to the door," he said "In half an hour I will be in Ain;ree." " Then we will leave you," Gladys •xclaimed, rising in a manner whict indicated that she was accustomed to cutting short her aunt's visits. "Anc I only hope you will find the mum —' She checked herself abruptly and £ ;rave of colour mounted into hei ;heeks. Then, bowing rather curtly she led the wa;; to the stairs. Lyon, standing in the doorway aad a startled light in his keen eyes " Find the mum " Now what the dickens, did sh< mean by that ?" CHAPTER 11. ■ THE MYSTERY OF A MUMMYCASE. The Lion of the Law was well dis guised when Lesage dropped him 01 Victoria Road, Aintree. He intended to enter Mount Laurel without bein? seen, and he did not want to run thi risk of being recognised by Miss Hen rietta Orme, who would probabl; contrive to make his presence plaii to all and sundry, if he gave her th> opportunity. It was just two o'clock when he se' off up Victoria Road, and as he wa! twenty minutes ahead of the earliestrain that his clients could catch h' hoped to make a burglarious entn into the suspected house before the] arrived.

He was in the guise of a respect able tramp, and what appeared to b' a fortnight's growth of stubbly bean concealed his clear-cut lineaments Bidding farewell to Lesage who ivai to put up at the Roebuck Hotel hi shuffled up the hill with droopinj shoulders and the aimless air of oni on the march to the nearest work house. Highview Avenue could b< reached by turning to the left anc passing through two other precipitous streets, but he did not intend tc enter by the front way. The building plot at the back would present a lest noticeable point for breaking in ; i: he should by any mischance be seer his disguise would give credence tc the excuse that he was a wayfarei seeking a resting-place. Tramps are not averse to taking their ease in a vacant house if they can find 3 way in.

The field mentioned by Miss Henrietta was easily discovered, and proved more convenient than Lyor had dared to hope. The road at the bottom end had only been roughly laid and fenced, and Was in a quagmire condition which precluded it from being used by any traffic save an occasional pedestrian. Having made certain that he was unobserved, the detective slipped under the fence and slouched along in the shadow of the hedge. It was easy to select Mount Laurel from the description which he had. Highview Avenue contained only a dozen detached villas, and the two flanking Miss Orme's residence were the onlj ones vacant on that side of the road That on the left hand was an eccentricallj shaped building, tall and ivycovered, with turrets and strange projections stuck on apparently at random. The grounds were thickly wooded, principally with fir trees, and the whole domain bore that desolate and neglected appearance common to houses in Chancery. With a nimble spring Lyon gripped the top of the wall and was over like a flash. Alighting on hands and knees he writhed under the branches of a tree which swept the ground, and from this safe retreat surveyed the premises closely, employing a powerful pair of glasses to examine the windows. He saw nothing to arouse his suspicions.

The house was silent and seeminglj deserted, and the glasses proved be yond doubt that nobody was watching his movements. Convinced of this, he lost no time about gaining access to the building for he was in terror lest Miss Henri etta should call to see whether Ik had arrived and how he was getting on. A glance into her garden as he passed had brought a smile to his lips. It was typical of its ownerlaid out with a primness which suggested that the flowers were dusted regularly every morning. A large tabby cat was purring in the centre of the lawn, and numerous parrots were visible through the vista of the conversatory. " Heaven Jireservs mo from the old

maid wlio glories in ner proiession ; - Lyon murmured as he slipped amoiu the bushes. " Miss Gladys is al' right, though, and I might fall ir. in love with her myself if J. had time Ah, here, we are !" He paused by the back door, whicV was concealed from outward observation by trellis-work, thickly growr. with ivy and Virginia creeper. Here he could work in peace, and his first action was to softly shake the door.

Discovering it to be bolted top and bottom, in addition to being locked, he turned his attention to the scullery window. To remove the pane was a simple matter, for he always carried a box containing a diamond, a pot of treacle, and a sheet of brown paper when on such missions. When the glass had been cut and fell gently into his hands he laid it on the grass, and then squirmed through the opening into the mustiness of the scullery.

An empty house soon gains an eerie appearance, but a partially furnished one is worse. Mount Laurel had never been entirely denuded of its fittings. There were carpets on the floors, a few pictures on the walls, and a little old-fashioned furniture all hoary with dust and mildew. The intense silence of the place, taken in conjunction with the sickening graveyard odour, was enough to try the strongest nerves.

Lyon, however, was not subject to such qualms. Noiseless as an expert burglar, he moved from room to room, scrutinising everything, with close attention. The visit of the policemen had confused the issue more than a little ; there were plenty of finger-marks and footprints in the dust, but as he could not tell tc whom they belonged they were of no use at all.

Working upwards, for he had commenced in the cellar, he reached the topmost floor ere anything rewarded the suspicions which he had formed. The back attic was entirely empty, but in the front room he found a coffin-shaped.box resting on the floor. The lid had been wrenched away and was hanging in one corner and both, as he noted instantly, were absolutely free from dust.

Dropping on his knees he stared at the contents of the casket. It consisted of yard upon yard of linen bandages, and a single glance showed him their nature.

" Mummy wrappings " he muttered with a low whistle. " Phew ! 1 can smell the thing, too—like a whifl from the British Museum. I wonder how on earth these things came here ?"

Gingerly enough he commenced hauling the mass of linen from the box and dropping them upon the floor. As the last swathe came up he felt something moist and cold upon his fingers, and glanced downward quickly. Then a cry burst from his lips.

They were spotted with human blood !

Lyon's jaw set squarely as he rubbed his hand on the linen. He saw now that the last layer of bandages was streaked with crimson, and that the bottom of the chest was daubed with it. Moreover i was the life blood of a person who had been alive within the hour. Mount Laurel had yielded a darker secret than he had guessed. Alert now as a hound on the scent, he scrutinised the box with the uttermost minuteness, but. without result. No mark or label marred the surface of the mahogany, and the lid proved to be as bare of all clues. Rising he lit a match and put the flame to a Russian cigarette—his unfailing stimulant to thought. Not until the weed had been reduced to a heap of dry ashes did he move again and then it was to bound hurriedly down the stairs. A policeman was just stalking past the hou'se, and Lyon had decided that it would do no harm to let the authorities know of his sinister discovery in the empty house. The constable proved to be an old acquaintance —Lyon knew every man in the Liverpool force —by the name of Beisner. In a few succinct sentences the detective related the main facts of the case, and the constable followed him back up the front path with a startled expression.

" I have searched the house thoroughly," the former observed as they mounted the stairs, " and can guarantee .that the body—for body I suppose there is—is not concealed We shall probably find it in the garden."

Beisner grunted an affirmative and then ran violently into Lyon as that worthy stopped abruptly on the threshold of the front attic. Fo -.' an instant the elucidator remained motionless, then he started forward with a muttered word of astonishment.

The coffin-box and the mas. 5 of mummy wrappings had completely vanished ! CHAPTER 111. THE MESSAGE OF THE DOME. Lyon wasted no time in idle ex clamation and conjecture. Brushing the stupefied man in blue aside, he darted to a back window and ran his eyes over the waste-ground at the back. Seeing nothing to arouse his suspicions, he hastened to once more subject the house to a painstaking search, this time including the garden. The result confounded him utterly . The mummy-case and its contents had disappeared as completely as if they had taken wings and lied. More puzzled than he would have cared to admit, he returned to the front attic, and its bewildered occupant. Beisner suspected Lyon of having played some trick and his manner was a mingling of dudgeon and curiosity. Without paying any attention to his flow of questions, the investigator commenced a hunt

for possible trap-doors, even going so

far as to rip up the flooring by the i aid of a jemmy, j Undeterred by the fact that he met

■n-itn no success, no w cr-t iappiui: round the walls. 13 y tin.' mantelpiece he paused for a. second, and ;:"!.<>' a sharp glance at the constable, win.

was peering out. of the window, pocketed something tliat lie found there, Thou he came to a ha!;, fumbling in his pocket for another cigarette.

" T give in." he said, with a short laugh. " Kither I have been dreaming or I am going mad. We had better go, I think. I will report at the station that I have been here." " I've got all the facts down in my book," Beisner returned, giving him a long stare. " I'd better get along on my beat if you've got nothing else to tell me, sir."

Lyon made no rejoinder, hut led the way to the door. In silence the pair passed out, and after nailing a board over the scullery window, separated.

The moment that the elucidator found himself alone he dived a hand into his jachet pocket, and produced the piece of paper that he had found on the mantlepiece. Opening it out, he saw that it bore a pencil-written message abrupt and to the point.

"He confessed. The message is on the cross of St. Flora's." "He confessed!" The words seemed to Lyon's mind, to have a underlying meaning. He read it over several times and then walked with a briskness that was scarcely compatible with his disguise in the direction of the High Street. There was a St. Flora's Church in Walton Road, and he meant to visit it, but first he would don more suitable garb at the hotel.

" I wonder what Miss Gladys knows about this ?" he ruminated as he covered the ground with long strides. " Her words are doubly significant now. If she did not start to say, ' I hope you find the mummycase,' then I'm a Dutchman ! I must pay a visit to Miss Orme when I have seen the church."

Entering the hotel he made his way to the room engaged by Lesage, poking his card under the nose of the indignant landlord, when that individual strove to stay his progress. In a few minutes he Had washed and resumed his everyday attire, and ir company with his assistant set ofl for Walton Road, which was distant only half a mile. St. Flora's proved to be an ornate and imposing structure, very evidently under the patronage of the well-to-do. The long, narrow windows were without exception filled by beautiful examples of stained glass, and every detail of the interior decorations bespoke a rich congregation. The structure was topped by an expansive dome and a gilded cross, said to be a copy, in miniature, of the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral.

Standing as far back as possible. Lyon focused his field-glasses on the dome. His expectations were more than realised. Some square, flat object had been secured to the base er the gilded cross with string and was distinctly visible with the aid of the powerful lens. How it could have come there was a mystery, but he fclthat nothing would surprise him af ter the affair at Mount Laurel. Miss Henrietta Orme's fears seemed tc have introduced him to the strangest case that had ever come within hif experience.

The church was not open, hut the detectives made small bones about breaking in, and a skeleton key prov ed enough for their purpose. Once in side, Lyon led the way up to the dome without hesitation. " We will need a rope," he whisper

Ed back to Lesage, after making ; cautious- examination from the sal lery. " I can climb on to the lcdgi and lasso the cross from there. I' you can't find anything else, cut i length from one of the bell-ropes." Lesage hurried away, to return almost immediately ' with a coil o stout rope over his arm. "I'll lock the door," ho called m the elucidator scrambled cut. " 1 anybody comes, I'll keep 'em bad--till you're down again. (b><>d luck and don't break your neck !" A running noose made in the rope. Lyon scrambled out on to ihe narrow gallery and stood for an instant pwaying in the rush of the wind. Kai beneath him the country lay spread out like a map. To the left. Liverpool loomed from a dark haze ol smoke ; on the right a wide patch oi emerald green marked the posit ior of Aintrce racecourse.

Steadying himself he waited until ; lull came in the breeze and lassoed the golden cross as neatly as a cowboy might have done. He could se< the black package clearly imw. am he jerked the rope until it dangled directly over the spot where the mysterious object rested.

This accomplished, he hauled himself on to the precarious foothob 1 provided hy the ledge, and by the ah of the rope crawled like some gigan tic fly up the slippery surface of the dome. The perilous journey iv:i:more than half achieved, and his I'm gers were within reach (if the packet when Lcsage's voice rose shrilly U his ears.

''Back!" his assistant should] ii affrighted tones. " There's a mai levelling his rifle at you from lh< nppositc house. Down, for voir life !" (To he Continued.)