“THE UNLATCHED DOOR”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 January 1941, Page 10

“THE UNLATCHED DOOR”

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT. COPYRIGHT

By

FRANK PRICE.

(Author of "Africa Flight," "Outpost in China,” etc.)

CHAPTER IL (Continued). There was a strange silence during which they stared at each other as if they had been deprived of the power of speech and movement; then Borden burst out: "The little Calendar girl! What the h He checked himself. Putting his right hand behind him. he laid the revolver on the table and spoke again, but now in the suave tones Barbara had often heard at High Layley; "This is a delightful surprise. Miss Calendar, but what do I owe it to?" "I want you to give me Nancy Winterton’s letter so that I can take them back to her." said Barbara breathlessly. "What do you know of her letters, he asked with sudden harshness. "She told me you were using them to force her to do something against her will —that you threatened to send them to her husband if she refused. But you didn’t mean it. did you? You couldn't do anything so cruel?’ "There isn’t much I couldn’t do if I'm put to it!’ he said brutally. "She’ll soon know if I meant it —and so will her pious husband! Those letters are cn the way to him now —sent off five minutes ago!” "You sent them’?" Barbara, dazed by the avowal, was remembering how she saw Borden’s servant slipping the big envelope into his pocket. "I certainly did — as I told her I would!" "You coward! You unspeakable cad! Oh, if I were only a man " Overwhelmed by distress for her friend and anger against the man who boasted of what he had done. Barbara ; prang towards Borden with both .hands raised as if to strike him. She saw a smile spread over his face; her wrists were seized and she was drawn forward and crushed against his chest. "You little beauty!" he cried. "Why have I never seen you like this before? You’re fifty times better worth loving than Nancy!” His face camo 'down, his eyes gloating on her lips. She felt his breath on her cheeks; his lips were approaching hers, Struggling frantically, she strove to thrust him away. For a moment it seemed that she might as well try to brush a mountain aside, then he appeared to stumble and with a wild effort she freed herself and sent him reeling back against the writing table. She saw that he was still smiling that loathsome smile, saw his right hand fall over the revolver, saw him looking at her with an air of amusement.

All al once his expression changed. Pear leapt into his eyes and his face seemed to sag and grow old. He stood up with the revolver in his hand, pointing towards her and something told her that this time he meant to shoot and shoot to kill. Desperately she thing herself on him. grasped his wrist and ■trove to wrench the weapon from him. He tried to shake her off but she clung to him and the revolver. There was a deafening report which seemed to be instantly echoed and to merge into the poisy backfiring of a motor bicycle in the street outside, Now there was a liny, round black iiole in the very middle of Borden’s forehead. His muscles relaxed, the smoking revolver came easily into her hands and the man sank down, down, down, until ho lay crumpled and motionless at her feet. Somewhere she heard the soft clash of a closing door. CHAPTER Hl. Barbara stood staring down at the awkward heap which only a moment before had been a man full of passionate life and vigour. One of her gloved hands held the smoking revolver as far as possible away from her; the other was pressed tight against her mouth as :f she were crushing back a cry, though if was doubtful if she could have uttered a sound just then if site had wattled io. Horror and apprehension he'd her ■o rigidly still that she did not even tremble All about her she seemed to liear the echoes of the report which had sounded so deafening m the contined space of the room. They went on ami on. growing gradually (aimer with what he look al first for an illusion of increasing distance, then she realised that it was no illusion. The sounds were, receding and she knew what they were.! She was listening to the back-tiring of: a motor. She had heard it in the street ■ ( uside the window simultaneously with ; ■die report of the revolver, and it had gone on ever since, as the engine mak-[ mg it travelled along. Ever since! I She felt as if she had stood there for' hours. Was it credible that no more; time had elapsed than would take a; motor cycle to pass out of hearing.’ I The sounds died at last and there was • silence. Now the shock was influent--; mg her in a different way Her mind; was clearmi’. and with the begmiim;.: ; ■.f conscious thought, fear for herselfj closed down on her. Roger Borden was bead - killed by a bullet from his < wir revolver this revolver which '-.lie was; :ow holding m her hand. Iknv had | happened ' She tried l- rvm<-mb<-r; • ■ reconstruct lhe movements of that; brief frenzied struggle while he - wove turn the muzzle away fr-.m her elf , She couldn’t do ,t: culdn’t : ememmr moment when h<-r !’mg.-i .... the trigger or the barrel w.c , tu:: .d ’ that a hot fired would fmd mar;., there on his forehead where ■he looped Quickly (‘.c.’.n till.! again, a dark reel ‘.ream was *' •...’■■ from that tmy round hole which die had .een appear >•> ■.tuidmly before i.e fell Above her head •.here had been a’ blinding slash ami that stuimmg >• ; ■■•: j i jerking movement of H :rm h;n d and her own a-, ib.r wi-:i|; n the- were' 'Higgling fill - kicked a: the ex; ; ■ •>!,. m echo n<. it w.isn't an -..a

instinctive, unremembered effort by which she had wrenched the weapon round to point at him?

She could not tell. Her mind was a blank as to those frantic moments; but it was fearfully clear as to the present. She was alone with a dead man. holding the weapon which, had killed him. She had entered his flat surreptitiously without a witness, and she could give no explanation of her presence. Whatever happened she could not shield herself behind Nancy. Her lips must be sealed as to her motive for being there! If she were founc —if the report which had sounded so loud to her. had been heard by others and people came knocking at the door and forced an entrance, what would her position be? There seemed only one answer to that: She would be accused of murder and arrested on the spot!

She pressed her left hand against her breast to still the tumultuous beating .-f her heart, which she could hear .hudding like a steam hammer and listened for any sound of movement in the building. Footsteps and voices came to her but she identified them as being in the street below and they

.passed and faded. Inside the tints she ! could detect no sign of anyone stirring an’d she began to hope for escape. She told herself that, just as she had taken the noise of the motor cycle back-firing for an echo of the report of the revolver. so others hearers might have taken the report for part of the sounds from the street. If that were so chance had befriended her in one respect, at least. If she could get away unseen. . The weight of the revolver was dragging on her arm. She looked at it with horror. Memories of the detective stories she had read and discussed with her father came to her mind. Clues — finger-prints! Thank heaven, she was wearing gloves! Stooping with averted face, she laid the weapon on the floor beside Borden's body and stood up. It was as if a load had been lifted from her shoulders.

Her impulse now was to run from the room and the flat, but the magnitude of the crisis in which she found herself had made all her senses curiously alert and she forced herself to remain where she was while she examined the floor of the room with her eyes. Her vanity bag lay on the carpet a couple of yards away, where it had fallen when she made her desperate leap at the revolver. She could see nothing else of hers. She stepped lightly to the bag and picked it up. The silver chain was unbroken and the clasp was fast but she opened it to make sure that nothing had fallen out. All her belongings were in place; there was Borden's card, the one he had given to Nancy, (he means by which Barbara had found her way here. She was tempted to tear it into minute fragments and throw it into the waste-paper basket beside the writing table, but she retrained. Better take it away! She fastened the bag. slipped! the chain over her arm. and went) quickly and silently over the thick ) carpel to the door. She had a horrible feeling that the! fixed eyes of the dead man were following her and that she must turn! round and meet them, and she had toj resist it with all her strength. She was!

sure that if she looked at him again her nerve would break and she would run madly from the flat down to the street, possibly screaming out her horror. That must not happen! She had to reach the street without, a sound. She aw an electric light switch on the wall beside the door and knocked it up a flick of her hand. She had never been afraid of the dark, and the blackness which enveloped her now brought comfort and reassurance. She stepped into the narrow hall and moved cautiously towards where two dim oblongs of light showed the position of the front door faintly illuminated by an electric bulb on the landing. The door was as she had left it, closed but not latched, and she had opened it lightly when she paused, listening breathlessly There were footsteps outide. Site judged that someone had come up the stairs and was er ing the landing. 1: was the tread of a sr.ati Was he coming to Boniei: - flat * Her heat ! seena-d : < stop beating and her throat was so constricted that she could not swallow Then the steps ceased and immediately she heat I the thrill, distant trilling of an electric bell Apparently she wa; safe but -lie mu-*, wait and deku- was terrifying. She iteld the door as it was, with her ear to ;he .slight opening, and listened She heard the impatient shuffling ■ t a ! quickly repeated ringing of (he bell and the opening a door Then eame ! a \oice a young Wotnan -. Barbara thought but .shrill with, irritatn n ’ You. i.< it’.' Wlia: do you want A:.J what do you mean by digging your mat voice r.-j In u It a- a har-.»i, (•■ice wnh a ‘.rare of ■ me acre.-:’. bar.i co.iM • • . jenti'/. tbo.p.n ■n,- ' Wei! Von l.o.now'" p.-.i We '»'•)’ ! '■ V, p • ’» j ■ . i • f t . • (’• ?> ’ ' I .« • • .. < «•