CHAPTER XXIII
MUGGS GIVES A TIP
It was evident that the hotel switchboard operator was surprised to geta call from the roof.
"Oh, it's all right!" Verbeck heard Landers say. "I'm up on the roofwith the Misses Whaley. One of the ladies is going to leave the city,and she wanted to call a friend from here--just a whim. I found the doorunlocked."
Then he gave a number. Roger Verbeck made a mental note of it. Heremight be a clew that would lead to something important.
Verbeck crept close to the door, and listened. Presently Landers spokeagain.
"Hello! This is Landers! I'm trapped on the roof of the New NortoniaHotel with Mamie and her sister. Kowen and his crowd are trying to breakthe door in now, but I think it'll take them some time, and then I canstand them off for a while. If you don't come for us, we're caught....Yes, Verbeck and the sheriff. They walked in on us. I got them undercontrol, but some others came. The place is a regular trap.... Thanks!But hurry!"
Verbeck slipped to one side as Landers put the receiver on the hook andhurried out. He followed the Black Star's lieutenant back across theroof, and watched as he met the women.
"He'll come for us!" Verbeck heard Landers say. "It'll take him sometime, of course--fifteen minutes at least. We'll have to hold off thosemen on the other side of the door. If it comes to the worst, some ofthem will get something more than a dose out of a vapor gun. I don'tintend to spend fifteen or twenty years in prison!"
"If we had only gone downstairs----" Mamie Blanchard began.
"If we had, we'd have run into a few deputies. I tell you they plannedto trap us! They've shadowed some of us----"
"Then it must have been you!" Mamie Blanchard told him. "I have not beenout of the hotel, remember. It's your carelessness that got us into thismess!"
"Well, we won't quarrel about it," Landers said. "You women go to theother side of the roof and wait. I'll stay near the door and handlethose men if they manage to break it open."
Landers approached the door, and Verbeck crept after him. The light wasso faint that he could see little--just a shadow where the mastercrook's lieutenant was walking. Verbeck crouched as he advanced, made nonoise, and was ready to stop if Landers betrayed any suspicion. ButLanders, it appeared, did not expect a foe on the roof, and was intentonly upon the door at which the sheriff and Lawrence were pounding.
Verbeck had picked up a piece of timber beside the little refreshmentstand. It was the only weapon he had. He hated to use it, but he feltthat the situation justified its use. Landers was about a match for himphysically, and it was Verbeck's duty to make a prisoner of him, openthe door, and let the others take the women into custody.
Landers was stamping upon the door.
"Get away, or I'll fire through it!" he called, as the pounding ceasedfor a moment.
He sent one shot crashing through the wood and Verbeck could hear achorus of shrieks below. He knew Landers' plan--to delay them as much ashe could. And for what? That was what Verbeck could not fathom.
To whom had Landers telephoned? How could he be rescued from the roof?Would the Black Star and his band face a battle with police anddeputies, attempt to raid the hotel and save Landers and the two women?
Landers had stepped back, and was listening to what was being saidbelow. Verbeck crept forward until he was within six feet of the otherman. He raised the piece of timber.
He sent but one blow home, but he knew as it struck that it would sendLanders crashing to the roof, even though it did not render himunconscious. He sprang past him, and fumbled at the heavy bolts on thedoor, drew them, and threw the door open.
"Up--quick!" he cried.
Glad cries from the sheriff and Lawrence greeted him. They sprang to theroof, two deputies at their heels. They seized the groaning Landers, andrushed across the roof toward the women.
"Torches!" Kowen cried.
The torches flashed. The women were standing near one of the bigchimneys. Kowen led his deputies toward them.
"You don't get away this time!" he said. "It's handcuffs and a cell foryou! You've played your last game with the Black Star, you twobeauties!"
The fair prisoners were led toward the stairs. Landers had beenhandcuffed, and was being carried to the floor below. Verbeck andLawrence followed them, but when they reached the floor below, Verbeckcalled the sheriff aside.
"Landers telephoned from the refreshment stand on the roof," he said. "Ihave made a note of the number; it might lead us to something. But hereis the funny part--he asked somebody to come and rescue him. How theyare going to try it, I do not know; but I think that message went to theBlack Star."
"Maybe he'll try a raid here," Kowen suggested.
"Landers estimated, so he told the women, that he would be here infifteen minutes, at least. But how could even the Black Star get enoughof his men together to raid a place like this in that length of time?It's the roof we have to watch. You remember how the Black Star escapedfrom the roof of the National Trust Building, don't you? He seems tohave methods of which we know nothing."
"Some more of that light stuff, and talking to us out of the air,probably," the sheriff said. "Well, what shall we do?"
"Have your deputies put the prisoners in a room and guard them. We'llstay here by the door and watch the roof!"
Sheriff Kowen gave the orders. He and Verbeck remained by the door,Lawrence with them.
"What's the big idea?" Lawrence inquired.
"Perhaps nothing; we are waiting to see," Verbeck replied.
"Well, can't you let a fellow in on it? If it hadn't been for me, thosepeople would be far away by this time; and you'd be bound and gagged inthat room, waiting for the public to laugh at you!"
"Simply this," Verbeck said; "Landers telephoned to somebody to rescuehim from the roof, and we are waiting to see who comes to do it, and howhe comes."
They waited for ten minutes without hearing or seeing anything. Theyleft the door and walked to the nearest chimney, and stood there,watching, listening, like men who expected something to drop from thesky.
And something did come from the sky--that puzzling, brilliant light theywere learning to know so well. It flooded the roof, swept across it,almost blinding the three men there. Verbeck and Kowen and Lawrence ranback to the open door, shading their eyes with their hands.
The light disappeared and they heard the Black Star's voice. "What haveyou done with my people?" he shouted.
"We've put handcuffs on 'em, you crook!" Kowen shrieked. "And we'll doas much for you one of these days!"
"Watch out!" Verbeck warned.
Some sixth sense seemed to tell him what was coming. And it did--a vaporbomb that burst not ten feet from the doorway. They darted back and awayfrom it. They saw the bright light flood the roof again. Then thedarkness came once more, and they heard nothing more, saw nothing more.
"I'd like to know how he does that!" Kowen said. "Does he hang around inthe sky like a star? Well, he didn't rescue anybody, anyway! That's onecomfort!"
"He hasn't been more than fifteen minutes getting here," Verbeck said."But we don't know how he is traveling, and so we can't judge how faraway his headquarters might be. That telephone number----"
"We can investigate that, at any rate, the first thing in the morning,"Kowen said. "I'll get the telephone people busy. Now I'll take theseprisoners down to the jail and give each of them a nice little room,American plan."
The prisoners were taken away, the excitement in the hotel died down,Verbeck went to Lawrence's suite to smoke a cigarette and get away fromthe crowd for a time, and finally started home.
He was worrying about Muggs, for one thing. He was hoping that the valetwould find some way in which he could be of service, while he was aprisoner in the Black Star's headquarters. He knew that Muggs could bedepended upon to make every effort.
The Black Star's threat--about doing something sensational the followingnight--also came to his mind. Was the master rogue to win again? Wasthere no way in which he could
be stopped, recaptured, put behind prisonbars? Already the city was in the grip of terror. No man could tellwhere the Black Star would strike next. He might loot another bank, or ajewelry store, or raid the jail in an effort to rescue his companionsin crime. The public was considering everything--except the thing thatthe Black Star had actually planned to do.
Mrs. Richard Branniton completed her arrangements for entertaining thedistinguished diplomats, Lord Sambery and Sir Burton Banks, and had nothought that the master criminal might pay her residence a visit whileher guests were enjoying themselves.
Verbeck reached his rooms and threw himself into an easy-chair to rest.He did not fear for himself. He did not think that the Black Star wouldmake an attempt to abduct him again, for prisoners were only in the wayat the master criminal's headquarters. Also, there were half a dozenplain-clothes men in the apartment house, watching everybody whoentered, ready to act in any emergency that might present itself.
It was too early to retire, so Verbeck smoked, and tried to read amagazine, but found that he could not get himself interested. Hedisliked to go to one of his clubs, for all the other members would wantto discuss the Black Star and nothing else.
He started across the room to get a favorite book from the case, butwhirled around and went back, because the telephone had rung.
"Hello!" he called.
"Verbeck?"
"Yes."
"This is the Black Star. Some of my men have informed me how Landers andthe two women were caught. It took courage to climb to the roof the wayyou did, but that is not the point. Those three people are verynecessary members of my organization, and I want them released."
Verbeck laughed into the telephone.
"Have you called the sheriff?" he asked. "He seems to be the man incharge just now."
"I have not called the sheriff yet. I thought I'd call you first, andget you to influence him. You see, Verbeck, I have Muggs here with me."
"What has that to do with it?"
"Simply this--if I have to descend to violence, I'll do it. Nothingshall stop me from having my revenge upon the city. Unless those peopleof mine are released by noon to-morrow, I'll blow the jail off themap--and I'll attend to Mr. Muggs."
"In what way?" Verbeck asked.
"I'll simply have him knocked on the head and dumped into the river. IfI have to be violent, I'll be a proper thug! What have you to say?"
"Nothing, except that you have a wonderful nerve to speak as you do."
"Perhaps you think I can't blow the jail to pieces?"
"I do not say you can't, but I don't think you'll do it--not withLanders and The Princess inside it."
"And maybe you think I'd hesitate about making away with Muggs, do you?"
"I scarcely think you'll do anything of the sort," Verbeck said. "Youwould accomplish nothing, and you'd be hanged for murder after we caughtyou."
"You don't think I am serious," the Black Star replied. "I agreed togive you until noon to-morrow----"
"But I couldn't make the sheriff turn them loose! You may be sure thathe'll guard them well, and see that they stand trial. Why, if they wereturned loose----"
"I'll arrange that. They are to be freed and put in the middle of thepolo field. I'll do the rest. On second thought, I'll give you moretime, Verbeck, if you have to argue with the sheriff. I'm going to bebusy to-morrow night, as I have said. I'll give you until the followingmorning. I'll ring you up then for your answer; and it had better bewhat I want to hear."
"You actually think we'd do such a thing?" Verbeck asked. "We'd lookpretty, wouldn't we, turning three criminals loose because anothercriminal asked it!"
"Not an ordinary criminal--but the Black Star! And I don't ask it--Idemand it! Muggs is here, and I am going to let him speak to you.Perhaps you don't really believe that he is here. He'll tell you that Iam serious and mean what I say."
Verbeck waited, his heart pounding at his ribs. If Muggs only had thepresence of mind, if he----
"Hello, boss!" came Muggs' voice over the wire.
"Hello, Muggs."
"I'm sure here in this big crook's headquarters, boss. I don't know whathe intends to hand me, but it'll be plenty."
"Muggs, what do you want me to do?" Verbeck asked.
"Well, maybe I'm prejudiced," Muggs said, "but I don't care to beknocked on the head and thrown in any river. It wouldn't be a hard jobfor them--the river ain't far away!" That was a hint, at least. "And itain't exactly nice to be croaked with music ringin' in your ears----"
Verbeck heard an exclamation of rage, the sound of a blow, a gasp, andthen nothing more except a little click that told him the wire was dead.Muggs had tried to give a tip, and had not been given a chance tocomplete it.