CHAPTER XXVI
THE BIG BLOW
Reduced to a state of unconsciousness by means of a vapor gun, Muggs wasmoved, some time during the night, to the new headquarters. When heregained consciousness he found himself in a room similar to the oldone, except that it was somewhat smaller. Muggs did not know in whatsection of the city he was.
The Black Star was speaking over the telephone, and as Muggs sat up onthe couch, he hung up the receiver and turned around.
"Well, Muggs, we have had a bit of excitement," the master crook said."Verbeck risked his life to get to the roof of a certain hotel, but hemanaged to get a telephone number that caused us considerable trouble. Ihave just received a report from one of my men. He tells me thatVerbeck, and a squad of police and deputies, have surrounded the oldhouse and are creeping upon it as if it contained a crowd of desperatecharacters. They will have some excitement, too, Muggs, and then willdiscover nothing but an empty nest."
"Yeh?" Muggs asked. "They'll discover you, too, one of these days; andthen I hope they give you life!"
"Inclined toward violence again, Muggs, when I have been treating you sonicely? I am really ashamed of you."
"As if I cared!" Muggs scoffed.
"I am thinking of taking you along to-night, Muggs, when we call uponMrs. Richard Branniton and her guests. But if you are not a good boy, Ishall leave you at home."
The Black Star chuckled and turned toward the end of the table. The bellon the wall tinkled, and a robed and masked man entered and went to theblackboard, which here was installed on one side of the room.
"Number Three," he wrote.
"Countersign?"
"Colorado."
"Report," wrote the Black Star.
"Lord Sambery and Sir Burton Banks arrived on time and now are at theBranniton house."
"Any new developments?"
"None have been learned. We are watching closely," wrote Number Three.
"I have decided to seize Branniton himself to-night, with the other two,and hold him for ransom," the Black Star wrote. "You will have yoursquad attend to it, and be sure that they do not fail. The man whoprosecuted me must be punished."
"I shall attend to it, and warn the men that they must not fail."
"There have been no changes in transportation means?"
"None whatever."
"That is all. Retire," the Black Star wrote.
The man backed through the door and closed it after him.
"You're goin' to run against a snag," Muggs told the Black Star. "You'rebitin' off more than you can chew, and it's likely to choke you!"
"I scarcely think so, Muggs. This little affair is so well planned thatthere can be no failure. It is the master stroke of my career. It willadd to my fame, and, at the same time, it will be highly profitable.When the news gets out, the country will be shocked."
"You go to monkeyin' with the government, and you'll get yours!" Muggstold him again. "Them gents are guests of the government, ain't they?"
"I should think that they were, Muggs. They are here on very importantinternational business. I may mention that it is so important that Iexpect to collect the ransom within forty-eight hours. I understandthere are certain negotiations pending, and that there can be no delay."
The Black Star sat down at the end of the table and began consulting hismemorandum book again, completely ignoring Muggs, who remained sittingon the couch. Muggs' hands were lashed together, and he knew that he wasbeing watched continually. And yet he felt that he had a duty toperform.
"I ain't helpin' the boss at all," Muggs mused. "I tried to, once, and Ifell down. If this big crook puts that over to-night, it'll make theboss a bigger laughingstock than before. Gee, I wish I could dosomethin'!"
Verbeck was wishing the same thing late that afternoon. When it came tolocating the new headquarters of the master crook, the police anddeputies admitted that they did not know which way to turn.
Meanwhile the city was in terror. The Black Star had said that he wouldstrike to-night--and strike hard. Banks and financial institutions weresending in frantic demands that they be given adequate policeprotection. Jewelry establishments were doing the same. Privatedetective agencies were swamped with orders for operatives. From one endof the city to the other, men and women asked the question, where wouldthe Black Star strike?
Mrs. Richard Branniton was not thinking of the master rogue. She wasbusy entertaining her distinguished guests. Luncheon had been served,and they were being shown the city. Then they returned to the Brannitonresidence, and sought their suites to get some rest before the receptionof the evening.
Branniton had engaged four more private detectives, making eight in all,and had planned to have them scattered about the house. But that was theordinary safeguard against ordinary jewel thieves, and had nothing to dowith the Black Star. Branniton was not thinking of the master crook,either. His mind was upon the fact that he was gathering politicalinfluence by entertaining the two famous diplomats.
Late that afternoon, Roger Verbeck went to police headquarters for aconference with the chief and Sheriff Kowen.
"We can't do anything except have our men waiting and ready," the chiefsaid. "I've received about a thousand reports from my men, and thereisn't one of them worth the paper it's written on. They seem to thinkthey've got to report something or get into trouble with me. The papersare right--the police are a gang of fools and court jesters!"
"Well, what can we do?" Kowen complained. "Did we get credit for gettingon that crook's trail? We did not. The evening papers are roasting usbecause we didn't nab him. I'm getting pretty sick of this business!"
"We wouldn't be in this business if you hadn't been asleep and let thatgang get the Black Star out of jail!" the chief reminded him.
"Wait!" Verbeck commanded. "Are we going to fight among ourselves? Isthat a way to catch the Black Star?"
"What's the matter with Muggs?" the chief demanded.
"The chances are that Muggs is not able to do anything," Verbeckreplied. "I can imagine that he is being watched closely since he gaveme that little tip over the telephone; and I'm hoping that nothing worsehas happened to him. Muggs, you may be sure, will help us if he gets thechance."
Nightfall found them still at police headquarters. They had sent out forsomething to eat. The police reserves had been gathered. Kowen had hisdeputies ready. The Black Star, they knew, might strike at eight in theevening, at midnight, at three in the morning. They had to be ready.Their one hope was to get a quick alarm, to reach the scene in time tocapture the master rogue, or at least important members of his band.
The residence of Richard Branniton was a blaze of light. Guests werearriving--prominent men, beautiful women, bejeweled leaders of thecity's society. An orchestra was playing in the ballroom. Men and womenwere greeting one another, laughing and chatting.
The Branniton residence was surrounded by wide lawns studded with bigmaple trees. Here and there were dark spaces not reached by the lightsfrom either the house or the street. Two blocks away was a small park.
At nine thirty o'clock several men approached this park singly, eachacting as if he was going about his business or hurrying to his home.They followed the walks, and now and then they passed and whispered afew words to one another.
More men happened to walk through the alley in the rear of the Brannitonhouse. Some of these men had bundles beneath their arms. There was adoor in the alley wall, and before it was a caterer's wagon. Men werecarrying refreshments into the house.
At one of the corners of the residence, in the rear, there was a smallveranda that was shrouded in darkness. While the caterer's men werecarrying in the provisions, several of the other men, who had been inthe alley, slipped through the door and sought the dark veranda.Crouched there, they waited.
Here and there a shadow flitted across the lawn from dark spot to darkspot--but the shadows were men. A big limousine stopped on a side streethalf a block away, the shades drawn at all its windows. A truck stalledon the
other side street, apparently, and four men in it worked at theengine. Finally one left, saying he would telephone for help.
Across the avenue from the Branniton residence a crowd had gathered towatch the guests arrive, muttering when two police officers urged themto move on. In the crowd were several men who gave one another knowinglooks now and then.
The last guests arrived. The hour of ten struck. Inside the Brannitonhouse the orchestra was playing and couples were dancing. Mrs. RichardBranniton was beaming upon her guests, and her husband was seeking tomake an impression upon Sir Burton Banks and Lord Sambery. Branniton hadhopes of receiving an important diplomatic post abroad.
As the hour of ten struck, the men beside the dark rear verandaunfastened the bundles they had been carrying, and put on black robesand masks. More men approached the house from the other side, keeping inthe shadows, and when they reached the darkness near the wall put onrobes and masks.
At ten minutes after the hour of ten, thirty men had gathered beside thedark veranda, and fifteen more were scattered near the house, on guard.In the midst of these thirty men, the Black Star suddenly appeared.
"I want no mistakes!" he whispered. "Is every man in his proper place?"
"Yes, sir," one of them replied.
"One of the waiters is a man of ours. Has he reported?"
"Not yet, sir."
They waited a few minutes, and another man slipped around the corner ofthe house.
"Everything is ready, sir," he reported. He was the waiter.
"How soon can you do your part?" the Black Star asked.
"In about five minutes."
"Off for about three minutes, and then on again!"
"Yes, sir," said the waiter, and he slipped away and reentered thehouse.
The Black Star whispered a command, and the men scattered, keeping wellin the darkness, but gradually surrounding the house, except in front,where it was brilliantly lighted.
And suddenly the lights in the house went out!
Feminine shrieks, boisterous laughter, jests came from those within. Tothem it was a joke--a fuse burned out at a critical time. Brannitoncalled upon his servants to ascertain the cause of the troubleimmediately and remedy it.
Then, as suddenly as they had been extinguished, the lights came onagain. The waiter had manipulated the switch in the basement as theBlack Star had instructed.
Mrs. Richard Branniton's guests shrieked in alarm now. The doors hadbeen closed; the shades had been drawn at the windows. And before eachdoor and window stood a man dressed in a black robe, with a black maskover his face. Each one so dressed held a weapon menacingly before him.
A voice from the hallway caused them to turn. They saw a tall mandressed in a robe, his face covered with a mask--and on the hood of hisrobe was a flaming star of jet.
"Do not make a move, ladies and gentlemen!" he cried. "I am the BlackStar, and these are my men! We will use violence if we are forced to doso, though we'd rather not. I may mention that the few detectives youhad in the house have been taken care of, and you are absolutely at ourmercy. The telephone wires are cut, too. We are here to make acollection of rare jewels and ornaments, and to carry away with us threemen."
"You crook!" Branniton cried, rushing toward him.
The Black Star raised his arm. A vapor gun exploded. Richard Brannitoncrashed to the floor. Women screamed.
"He is not injured--merely rendered unconscious!" the Black Star calledout. "If you faint, ladies, I am afraid that nobody will be able to takecare of you, so please don't do it. Line up against that wall,ladies--and the gentlemen against this one. Remember--my men will fireat the first move any of you make!"