Sentenced to Death.

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 44, 14 May 1927, Page 18

Sentenced to Death.

By

Louis Jracy.

Author o/ ft The Long Lane of Many Windings,” ” One Wonderful Night,” “ Love and the Aces,” ** The Token/* &c., &c.

(Copyright for the Author in the United States and Canada by Edward J. Clode, Inc., New York. All other rights reserved.)

SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. CHAPTER l.—A young officer, Antony Blake, learns from a skilled physician that he has not many months to live. One of the valves of the heart is clogged and nothing less than a mtracie can save him He arrives at a part of Regent’s Park where a pony and governess car are stationed which had passed through Harley Street during his interview. The stout driver has vanished. A vivid flash of lightning causes the pony to bolt. As Antony is walking, in a drenched condition, two men overtake and rush past him, one tall and thin, the other short and fat. The rotund runner falls, picks himself up and tears along. Antony notices a sharp-pointed dagger shining in the grass. He picks it up and examines it, finally flinging it into the long grass fringing the shrubbery. He reaches a small wooden hut. A girl is sheltering there. He shelters there also. She tells him she was to meet her uncle, who was driving a pony in a governess car. The two leave the hut, turning to the left instead of to the right.

CHAPTER ll.—Blake takes her Lo her home. Her name is Iris Hamilton Soon alter he is again in the Park and lie finds the dagger. About

half-past nine he glances through the day’s news. The first item that catches his eye is “Tragedy in Regent's Park. Supposed Murder.” An-

other paragraph details how Dr. EnsleyJones found a long-bladed dagger in the ■body of the dead man. Its description tallies with the one in Blake's possession. He taxis to the nearest police station and tells his story. Blake finds himself practically under arrest, suspected of complicity in the murder of Robert Eastingham.

CHAPTERS 111. and IV.—Furneaux arrives, identifies Blake, hears his story, and then asks the inspector for the knife. Then Furneaux invites himself to Blake's flat. As the two men are making their way to Antony’s rooms, his housekeeper, Mrs. Wilson says that a young lady had

called and left a letter for him. It is from Iris Hamilton and relates to the murder. In spite of happenings Iris Hamilton keeps an appointment. They taxi to the Marble Arch, where Blake phones Mrs. Wilson his change of plans. Iris draws his attention to the fact that the short, stout man whom Blake is connecting with the murder has just passed He has a woman with him

An attempt is make to arrest the fat man but the detective is stunned by a

chauffeur, while Blake, suffering a heart attack can only stand by helpless Iris goes to get help but does not return

CHAPTERS V. to VII. —Blake sees the tall thin man at Albert Gate, and after sending a note to Furneaux, follows him to Soho. Detectives join him and they succeed in finding the haunt of the criminals The fat man walks in nflkl is caught. Blake calls on Iris and prised at her reception. She warns him to go away quickly. An American crook threatens Blake over the telephone. Blake attends a dinner of detectives where the mention of the name of •Natalie Gortrchah-T” strikes terror to or« of the gu T' Mi-' • Hami’i : him up but the conversation is out short.

CHAPTER VII. — (ContinuedL “Miss Hamilton Las been attacked in staccato distinctness of a man in my flat,” he said, speaking with the deadly earnest. ‘‘lt may be useless, but I am going now to her assistance. If necessary, I shall force my way into her house. I think she needs the protection which the London police do not seem able to give.” With that, he was gone. Winter nodded to Sheldon, who raced downstairs after him. Furneaux, too, vanished. ‘‘.That young man is supposed to have a weak heart,” the Chief confided to Inglis, who was far from understanding the true inwardness of the events he had just witnessed. “He struck me as acting with the utmost confidence and determination,” was all that the other could find to say. “That’s my point,” came the cool rejoinder. “I believe he is liable to fall dead at any moment, but he hops off the mark like a hundred yards sprinter. I hope that blessed girl comes to no harm. It is evident she was followed to Blake’s flat, and seized there by some gang vitally interested in stopping her from communicating fvith him further, and with us through him. . . . Well, there was no use in trying to persuade him to remain here, and Sheldon will see that he comes to no harm. Of course, if her captors have dragged her away bodily the birds may have flown long before our two delegates reach St. John's Wood. But even the sternest critic of us poor bobbies may discover that we are not such fools as we look. Our first news will come through Furneaux. Meanwhile, there is not the slightest reason why we should not continue to dine in peace.” Inglis, collecting his faculties, ate in silence for a brief interval. At last he ventured on a comment. “It is a trite thing to say, ‘I told you so,’ but it’s the only remark that meets the case,” he muttered. “But what have you told us?” inquired Winter blandly. “Why, isn't this another instance of that infernal woman’s power?” “It may be. I have no doubt she is ’behind the movement.’ as the political wire-pullers put it. I must, however, make it clear that r tb« information •ou have supplied is known to us ilready.”

“Yet you allow Natalie Gortscliakoff to remain at liberty?” “Y’yes, in a sense. She and her associates will all be collected in due course. It is one thing to make arrests, but quite another to persuade a police court magistrate, a Treasury solicitor, and, ultimately, an Old Bailey judge, that you have acted on valid evidence.” “Still, if you are so well posted in the woman’s infamous record, why am I here?” Inglis, for all his tremors, was a dour Scot, and was inclined now to resent the implication that his first frenzied outburst had fallen cn callous ears. “We want you to explain the true inwardness of Robert Lastingham’s financial undertakings in the Near East. Don’t misunderstand me, Mr. Inglis. I and my colleagues were deeply interested in your brief summary of La Gortschakoff’s activities. It is no small gain that knowledge, obtained from all sorts of shady characters, and often at secondhand, should be verified by a man of your repute. Let us get back to Lastingham. Tell me what you know of him, and, if your dossier goes back far enough, I’ll guarantee that this particular murder gang is broken up for ever—most certainly where London is concerned.” Inglis seemed to be impressed by that last conditional clause. It imposed an instant restraint. He was obviously searching for some sufficiently guarded reply when Furneaux entered. The little man sat down and dug a fork viciously into his hitherto untasted fowl. “Even a comic detective like me must eat if he would live,” he cackled. “I expect a call from St. John’s Wood at any moment now. Will you take it, Chief?”

“Right-o,” agreed Winter. “You see, Mr. Inglis,” he went on, beaming at his thoroughly mystified guest, “the sequence of events is simple enough. Furneaux, who says the maddest things but is a very Solomon in judgment, realised at once that it was useless to worry the average telephone operator over a disconnected phone, so he went to the booth downstairs. There he got in touch with the St. John’s Wood police station without needless delajL and was assured that a close watch was. being kept on Mr. Blake’s flat. Of course, he_ had arranged all that while Blake was coming here in a taxi. Therefore, when Miss Hamilton called there she was not interfered with, but it is simply impossible that she can have been abducted by any storming party without immediate and probably effectual interference by the police. Am I right, Frog?” “You’re a positive wonder at sucking your wretched subordinates’ brains,” snapped Furneaux. Inglis, rather startled by this impertinent retort, gazed blankly at the two men, but Winter’s tolerant smile was reassuring. “Any man, particularly a very small man verging on the freak class, may be pardoned if he is a trifle incoherent when suffering from the pangs of hunger,” he said. “I can vouch for the fact that my unfortunate colleague has subsisted on a biscuit and a glass of sherry since nine o’clock this morning. Therefore, what he means to convey is that it was he who provided for the safeguarding of Miss Hamilton if she elected to brave the perils of St. John’s Wood by night. For my part The telephone rang. “Station sergeant, St. John’s Wood, speaking,” said a voice when convinced

that the chief himself was at the other end of the wire. “Our inspector and three constables saw a car drive up to Mr. Blake’s flat shortly after Miss Hamilton entered. Three men and a woman alighted and went in. Our party followed, but the constable told off to detain the chauffeur and ’cuff him if necessary was found later lying senseless on the pavement. He has just been brought in and has recovered sufficiently to say that while he was making for the car the driver flung a spanner at him. The sky has clouded over rather heavily during the past hour, so it is nearly dark, and our man hardly realised the nature of the attack before he was knocked silly by a blow between the eyes. Luckily he will not be blinded. There was a tremendous dust-up on the stairs and one of our chaps was actually pinned to a door by a knife driven right through his arm, while the inspector was knocked down the stairs. So, I am sorry to have to report that the three men and the car got away, because our crowd unfortunately did not think it advisable to carry automatics. But they have got the two women, who are now in Mr. Blake’s flat. They will remain there, awaiting your orders, sir.” “You mean Miss Hamilton and the wohian who accompanied her assailants?”

“Y’es, sir. She says she is Mrs. Hamilton, the young lady’s mother.” “All right, sergeant,” said Winter. “I’ll be hearing from Mr. Sheldon soon. He is nearly there by this time. 111 stand fast till more news comes through. Of course, the wounded men are being attended to?”

Yes, sir. I think the police-surgeon is just getting out of his car outside.” “Capital. Tell the inspector I’m sorry he had such rotten luck. It’s largely my fault. I should have warned him that he might come up against a tough gang. Let it be understood henceforth, at any rate, that all men engaged in this Regent’s Park affair must be fully armed. Nor should they hesitate to shoot. Make a memorandum of that, will you? I’ll send a note confirming it later this evening.” He replaced the receiver, and glared angrily at Furneaux.

“If you, mannikin that you are, would only learn to behave at least as a colourable imitation of a grown man and learn to smoke a cigarette between courses we shouldn’t have our meal interrupted by these movie stunts,” he growled. “However, Sheldon is a sensible chap, and he’ll let us finish our dinner quietly. My apologies, Mr. Inglis. Not for many years has my placid existence been so rudely disturbed. We, of the C.1.D., lead sheltered lives as a rule. Even to-night it is the uniformed police who get it in the neck and other parts of their lusty bodies.

By this time Inglis was beginning to guess the truth. Though their speech was cryptic and their bickerings wholly unorthodox, when the Big ’Un and Little ’Un of the Yard —in such wise were Winter and Furneaux known to the criminal classes of London — began to bait one another in a scandalously undexjartmental manner it was

high time for the wrongdoers on whose track they were at the moment to scurry into hiding. Just as experienced hounds give tongue when hot on the trail of a fox so did these two betray excitement by bandying taunts But one had to know them intimately before this queer trait conveyed its lesson.

Sheldon, hurrying to the door of the Milano, came on Blake leaning against a wooden pillar and seemingly unable to move. On the way the detective had given Signor Pucci, the tremendously fat proprietor of the “Milano,” a warning glance which prevented any scurry among the cafe's employees, so not a man among them moved, and the small establishment did not boast a gold-laced commissionaire. “A cab,” gasped Blake. “Get a taxi, quick! I’ll be—all right—in a few seconds.”

Sheldon did not attempt to argue, but lie made a mild protest when his

companion was evidently himself a£* in soon after the taxi spurted on its vra> ‘‘You’re taking far too many chances in this rather strenuous game,” urged. “You can't stand it. You re had warnings in plenty, but they cannot go on indefinitely. It will do nobody any good that you should drop dead. Your services have been of extraordinary # value already. Why not cut clear of the whole caboodle to-morrow, arid go off to some Q u * e spot in West Wales, or on the York shire moors? Let me have your ad dress and I’ll promise to write. ’ Blake seemed to test his condition W drawing a few deep breaths. (To be Continued.)