"GAY VENTURE"

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 November 1940, Page 10

"GAY VENTURE"

By

CHAPTER XIX. (Continued i. “I see what you mean, Eve, but will you be happy?” “Happiness is relative, Joyce. Since Keith has gone it seems that I must just make the best of things.” Joyce hugged her. “Oh, my dear, I hope you will be happy.” “At any rate I shall see you happy, Joyce,” said Eve. “Jack is a good business man and I hope will be able to reorganise the Flying Club or, if not find something good for Dicky. Now I must write to Jane. She, at any rate, will be pleased with the news.” One way and another Jane was busy all the morning. Next day she and Joyce would have to pack and get ready for their journey and Eve was anxious for one more afternoon of fishing. The river was still high, but running down fast. By tea time it was fishable and Eve told Sagar that she was going out. “I may be late,” she said, “but don’t wait dinner. I can get something when I come in.” I “You’re not going on the moor?” said ' Sagar. Eve assured him she was not' and getting her rod from its rack, | started.

All day Eve had been wondering whether she had done right in promising to marry Jack Sagar. It was an intense relief to get her mind off the problem even for an hour or two. Fish were rising well and she was so busy she forgot the time and was startled to find it was growing dusk. She packed up and started back.

Eve left the river and cut across a field to a stile leading to the road. As she neared the stile she saw a man walking slowly down the road in the direction of the Close. To Eve it seemed that there was about him something vaguely familiar. The man wore a shabby blue serg4 suit and a very old and stained soft felt hat. He was bearded and looked as if it had been weeks since his last visit to a barber. Some instinct made Eve pull up and wait until he had passed the stile. Then she had full sight of him, slouching along with his eyes fixed on the ground. She drew a quick breath. “Tarver,” she said in a horrified whisper. Eve was badly shaken. She had been so certain that the man was dead that to see him alive made her feel as if she was watching a ghost and sent cold chills crawling down her spine. For a few moments she felt too confused to think but her brain cleared quickly and it came to her that, in some way or other, the man had found where she was and was after her. There could be no other reason for his appearance here in Devonshire. She went quietly up to the stile and, sheltering behind the hedge waited and watched. She saw Tarver reach the drive gate of the Dower House, stop and look towards the house. Then he turned away and went on down the road. Eve waited until he was quite out of sight before she ventured to climb the stile. Then she hurried to the gate and up the drive. All the way up to the house she was racking her brain as to what the man wanted, the reason for his trailing her. She wondered if it was her duty to ring up the police. She got a mental picture of the arrest, the trial, Tarver in the dock, herself in the witness box and decided that it was not good enough. She determined to keep silent and see what would happen.

She was late for dinner but Joyce had supper for her and at ten, declaring she was tired, she went up to bed. It was pleasant to get out of her clothes and stretch herself between the cool sheets, but sleep would not come. She began to wonder afresh about Tarver. How had he escaped the sandstorm, how had he got to England and why? Surely he must know his danger. Scotland Yard would of course have all the details of Kemp’s death, as well as a full description of his killer. If anyone recognised Tarver he' would at once be arrested. Again, why should he follow her. He could not expect to get anything out of her. The more she thought the more hopelessly fogged she became. She heard the hour strike—eleven then twelve, she tried hard to stop thinking and at last began to succeed. Then all in an instant she was more wide awake than ever. Through the wide open window which was quite close to the head of the bed she had heard a sound.

In a flash she was out of bed and at the window. Again came a sound and now she knew what it was. A french window below had been opened and closed again. Naturally she thought of Tarver and a nasty spasm of fright shook her. But Eve had far too much character to give way to panic and she stood motionless, listening intently. There came a fresh sound, very faint indeed yet, after a while, distinct enough for her to be certain that two people were talking in the room below.

The idea occurred to her that Holt had let Tarver into the house. However much her feelings had changed towards Holt’s master Eve had no liking for the man. The more she saw of him the more thoroughly she distrusted him.

She thought of calling Jack Sagar then decided against it. She would go down herself and make certain whether it was Tarver before raising any alarm. She put on slippers and her dressing gown, and softly opening her door stole down the stairs. The hall was dark but by this time she knew every inch of it and she made not the slightest sound as she crept across to the door of the morning room. The door was heavy and fitted tightly. Even when she put her ear against it all she could hear was a faint murmur of voices. ' Eve thought of the garden door. This >pened out from a sm.all room called

T. C. BRIDGES.

(To be Continued).

the workroom on the north side of the house. She slipped back through the swing door into a very dark passage, groped her way through it into the workroom and had no difficulty in unlocking the garden door. Then keeping close under the creeper-clad wall she reached the nearer of the two french windows of the morning room. The curtains had been neatly drawn at bedtime. She knew that because she had been into the room to fetch a book before going up. Now one was slightly awry, leaving a narrow opening which gave a view into the room. One light only was on but that was plenty to show Eve the two people who were beneath it. It was all she could do to believe her eyes when she saw that they were Tarver and Jack Sagar.

CHAPTER XX. Tarver, wearing the same shabby suit in which Eve had seen him a few hours earlier, was sitting in an arm chair. He was smoking one of Jack Sagar’s cigarettes, and on a table beside him was a half empty tumbler. Eve had a sideways view of his dark, evil face. She noticed that he seemed perfectly at his ease. That was more than could be said for Jack Sagar, who sat facing | him. Sagar was leaning forward in his , chair, the arms of which he gripped . with savage force. His good-looking face was disfigured by a scowl which ! made it almost repulsive. If Eve could see she could not hear. The two sashes were firmly closed and the thick plate glass cut off sounds. It was maddening to watch the lips of the two men moving alternately, yet to be unable to hear a word of what they were saying.

When Eve had got over the first shock of amazement her wits began to work and Eve’s wits were quick. She was able to see that Tarver had some hold over Sagar and that he was letting him know it. But what was that hold? Eve’s mind went back to that steaming night when she had first met Keith and had first seen Tarver. She remembered Kemp’s words. “Do you want to hog it all? There’s plenty for two.” Was it—could it be Sagar’s property to which they were referring? The more she thought of it the more likely it seemed. And yet what could be the secret which gave these two vultures their hold over Jack Sagar? Now Tarver had stopped talking and Sagar was speaking. Plainly protesting, yet protesting, it seemed, uselessly. Presently Eve saw him put his hand into his breast pocket—he was still in evening clothes —and take out a billfold. She saw him count out notes. She saw him hand them to Tarver'who took them greedily yet without any sign of gratitude and tucked them away in his own pocket. Then as he rose from his chair Eve realised her own danger and stole swiftly away. Regaining her room, Eve looked at her watch. It was half-past one. She felt exhausted both in mind and body. She got into bed, and though she did not in the least expect to do so, went to sleep. In the morning she was first down to breakfast. Presently Sagar came in and Eve gave him a quick look. He did not show a sign of anything unusual and Eve was astonished. He suggested a ride. Eve said quietly that she would ride with him. and, and they rode together up on the Moor. When they reached Western Tor Eve pulled up and got off. “I want to talk to you, Jack,” she told him. A look of faint surprise crossed Sagar’s face. He dismounted and sat down on the boulder which Eve indicated. Eve went straight to the point. “Jack, how do you come to know Youd Tarver?” she asked. Sagar’s face changed and hardened. All of a sudden he looked ten years older. He was angry, too. “I guess you’d better explain,” he said. “That's easy,” said Eve. “I couldn't sleep last night. I heard a noise and came down. There were voices in the morning, room. I went round outside and looked through the window. The curtain was not quite drawn and I saw you and Tarver.” “You heard what we said?” he asked harshly. “No.” said Eve honestly. “I couldn't hear but, from what I saw, I gathered that the man was blackmailing . you. You gave him money.” Sagar sat tight, studying Eve from under half-closed eyelids. Then he shrugged. “No use telling you lies, Eve. You were right. The swine was blackmailing me.” He paused again a moment, then went on. "I reckon I ought to have told you before, but I believed the fellow was dead and thought I'd let sleeping dogs lie. You told me yourself he was lost in that sandstorm. It wasn’t till yesterday, when I had a letter from him. that I knew he was alive. Now you’ll have to have the whole story.

“I’ve told you I was living in Montana before the old man died and left me the place. Montana’s a rough State. One night I was in a saloon in a little town called Gold Star. Tarver was one of the bar tenders in the place. Four of us were playing poker. They were Ben Wallace. John Harknell. a man named Lamotte, and myself. “Lamotte had Indian blood. A queertempered fellow who hated losing. Tie was losing pretty heavily that night. Suddenly he turned on Ben and accused him of cheating.

“Ben was my friend, and since he was lame from a fall and couldn't fight I tackled Lamotte. It was the rule of the saloon that everyone gave their guns to the bar tender when they came in so there wasn’t any shooting. But there was a devil of a fight. Lamotte was a bigger man than I and a foul fighter. He kicked me in the groin and laid me out.” He stopped and shrugged again. "Fights in a bar room aren’t pretty. Eve. I was mad clean through and I reckon the things I said to Lamotte wouldn't bear repeating. The least was that I’d kill him. Harknell. too and some of the others didn’t like Lamotte’s way of fighting and Lamotte cleared out. I was pretty bad. and they laid me on a saddle blanket in the corner till I was able to walk.