EBONY TORSO

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 August 1939, Page 14

EBONY TORSO

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.

COPYRIGHT.

(By

JOHN C. WOODIWISS.)

CHAPTER HI. (Continued). ‘•Nevertheless, I don't think I'd like to live there,'' remarked Sir Mallard as he gazed up at the gloomy windows, only one of which was lighted. They stood looking at the buildings and the Commissioner was going to move away when the vicarage door opened and thqy saw Galesbourne silhouetted against the lighi as he came into the hall with a poor-looking man in a cap and raincoat. He stood waving as his visitor ran down the steps, and disappeared into the shadows, for the street, was poorly lighted al this point. The watchers saw the Vicar close his door again, and Sir Hallard had just intimated that he wished to explore the back of the building, when a series of distant screams made them stop abruptly. The urgent outcries were followed by a silence, and then another tumult of shrieks rent the night air. far nearer this time.

"Sounds like more trouble," cried Hopton. “Come on!" and he began to sprint in the direction of the alarm. As he turned the corner, he saw a little knot of chattering people gathered round a lamp and made towards them, with the others close at his heels. Pushing his way through the crowd, the detective found a young girl, of not more than 18, dressed in a cheap evening frock covered with a tweed coat. She was sitting on the kerb in an hysterical state, while two women were attempting to calm her. "What’s up?" asked the Detective sternly. ‘‘l’m a police officer; anything wrong?”

Realising she was safe, the girl controlled her sobs anh looked up at the newcomer with wild, terrified eyes. “Oh, there’s a man in Dexter Mews —dead, I think!” she blubbered in a half-dazed way. "I was off to a dance and nearly fell over him.” The information was quite enough for Hopton. “Stay with her, sergeant,” he cried to O’Mara, “I’ll get a statement later. Where’s Dexter Mews?”

“This way,” panted Carlingford from the rear. "Come on!” Accompanied by the Chief Commissioner, the two men darted over the road and under a wide arch leading to a row of stables and coach houses. Two feeble gas-lamps were fixed to me walls and by their light the officers saw the body of a man lying face downwards in the middle of the road and recognised the long blue coat of a policeman. “It’s Hollander!” cried Carlingford, as he and his companions turned the injured man over. “Is he dead?" injuired Sir Hallard anxiously. "No. sir, still breathing, thank God,” announced Hopton. “Go and ring the ambulance, quick. Carlingford. It's touch-and-go!” The divisional inspector had turned to obey the order when he suddenly stopped. “Look there!" he yelled, grasping Sir Hallard's arm and pointing upwards. “See that?”

The end of the mews was closed by a high wall, behind which glowed a dim light that made it stand up sharply against the curtain of fog. The Chief Commissioner swung round at Carlingford’s warning, and was just in time to see a black, shapeless something scramble on to the top of the wall, run along it with the agility of a monkey, and disappear into a bank of shadow. In a second, Sir Hallard had snatched the revolver from his pocket, grabbed Carlingford’s torch, and was sprinting for the wall like a madman. CHAPTER IV. The Commissioner ran down the mews until ho came to the foot of the wall along the top of which the figure had disappeared. He found that it was built of rough stonework. Sir Hallard was an excellent climber and, slipping the revolver into his pocket, began to scramble up its surface, j Twice he fell back, grazing his knee I painfully, but the third effort was more successful; he managed to grip the coping, pulled himself to the top. sat astride and gazed down on the other side. As he was examining the side of the wall, a light suddenly shone from above him and he was hailed by a whisper from Hopton. ■'Hullo, is that you. sir?" asked the detective, crawling forward. "Yes," answered the Commissioner in the same low tone. "The scent’s cold here. I’m afraid. Not a sign of anything!" The other made no reply, but let himself down and joined his chief. "It’s an allotment, eh?’’ he commented as he threw the beam from his lamp on the ground. "Maybe he jumped down on the other side, sir. It’s a .sweet factory, 1 believe. 'Hello! This is interesting!” Ilopton had been walking' round while speaking, and his light had picked up a cabbage that had been recently crushed down and broken. "Did you do this, sir?" he inquired eagerly. "No, I landed at the foot of the wall on a pile of earth." the Commissioner replied. "It looks as if it had only just been broken.’’ "We're on the right track, then." announced the Detective confidently. "Our man jumped for it and came down on this He hadn't the advantage of a light." "Then, if he jumped from that height, why the blazes hasn't he left! any footmarks?" questioned Sir Hal- j lard in a mystified tone. "Always pre-

Burning the thing is a 'he'?" "I only got a fleeting glimpse of it as it disappeared,” said Hopton, still busily examining the turf. I “It just ran along the top of that j wall, Inspector," the Chief assured him. I "You've tried crawling along that suri face, and know as well as I do it's a trick climb for an active man. and yet this thing skipped along it like a two-year-old. "Did you notice the curious huddldd way it moved and its queer, forward stoop?” "I only got a glimpse of it sir,” rei peated the Inspector. “Sounds as if | you thought it might be a monkey?” i "Possibly some large specimen of j ape," replied Commissioner. The action strongly suggested it." j "But the footmark? Those long tai lons . . ?” I "A trick, my dear man, pure and ■ simple. A kind of shoe fixed on to the ! animal's foot to set us on the wrong i track.” "Um. that's an idea," agreed the Detective. "But I think we’d better be moving and try to find the way out of here, sir.” “Very well. Inspector,” said Sir Hallard, leading the way. "We’ll have this place thoroughly searched by day-, light and see if we can't find something to prove my theory.” Five minutes later they were back in the mews, pushing their way past the policemen controlling the crowd of noisy people who still lingered although the victim had been removed. They found Carlingford and O'Mara carefully patrolling the road in the hope of finding some clue as to the identity of the creature which had attacked the unfortunate man. Several officers had been dispatched after the Commissioner in case of necessity, and the Divisional Inspector looked very surprised to see Sir Hallard back so soon. “I was a bit worried about you,” he said in a low tone, "but I had to get an ambulance; that poor devil was in a pretty bad state: otherwise I’d have followed you. Did you get another sight of the thing, sir?” “It was hopeless,” replied Sir Hallard. “As black as pitch, and foggy into the bargain. There’s an allotment and a factory yard on the other side of the wall. They must both bo well searched by daylight tomorrow morning. Inspector. One never knows what your men may come across.” “Did you ever see anything like the way it scuttled along the top of that wall, sir?” asked Carlingford in an awed voice. “Talk about speed . . .’’ “Yes,” the Commissioner broke in sharply. “I’m glad you saw it too, Inspector. It seemed hardly possible.”" “It looked to me more like some animal," commented Carlingford dubiously. "Anyway, one thing’s quite certain. Inspector Hopton; your theory that Mr Galesbourne’s the guilty party is wrong. We all saw him distinctly, standing in the hall of the Vicarage at the very moment the crime was actually taking place here.” There was a note of malicious triumph in his voice as he macle the attack on his brother officer’s conclusions.

"That’s your opinion,” retorted Hopton coldly, “it’s quite possible you’re right, but time will show." "1 don’t think it’ll show anything much more clearly than what we saw just now.” sneered Carlingford. “I’ve never come across a more perfect alibi."

never come across a more perfect al- | ibi." ■ "Exactly," nodded the Scotland Yard ! man sarcastically. The Divisional Inspector would no doubt have proceeded to exploit his success a good deal further if Sergeant O Mara had not pulled discreetly at his sleeve. "Excuse me, Sorr,” he said in a low tone. “But here’s Father Galesbourne coming.” Carlingford turned at the warning and saw the Vicar, dressed in a long I caped cassock and biretta, pushing his I way through the throng. i "I hear there's been some more trouble, Inspector,” he said gravely as | he joined them, “and hurried across from the Vicarage to see if I could oe of any assistance. Nothing serious, 1 hope?” Another oi these extraordinary crimes, sir.” replied Carlingford in a deferential manner. “An officer found half strangled..” 1 m very sorry—very sorry indeed. Il makes one realise more forcibly than ever what a deep debl of gratitude the public owes to the police. I mustn t waste your valuable time, but 1 came to say that I've arranged for hot coffee to bo served al the Vicarage fur your men, Sir Hallard, in case any of them have time for refreshment. It’s so bitterly cold to be out at night.” I oats very kind of you, sir." answered the Commissioner. "I expect some of the officers will be only too glad to avail themselves of your kind offer before morning." “Yes . . well, good-night to you.," said the Vicar nodding again. "I hope you'll be able to rid the district of this terror; goodnight!" A chorus of goodnights answered him, but as he walked away he was apparently struck by an idea and came back. "Oh. pardon, my curiosity." he began, in a self-deprecatory manner. “But there’s a rumour that some of your officers actually saw the criminal. Is it true?" | (To be Continued.)