XV
THE ENEMY'S HAND
In spite of the somewhat abrupt and cavalier fashion in which Staff hadparted from Alison at the St. Simon, he was obliged to meet her againthat afternoon at the offices of Jules Max, to discuss and select thecast for _A Single Woman_. The memory which each retained of theirearlier meeting naturally rankled, and the amenities sufferedproportionately. In justice to Staff it must be set down that he wasn'tthe aggressor; his contract with Max stipulated that he should have thedeciding word in the selection of the cast--aside from the leading role,of course--and when Alison chose, as she invariably did, to try to usurpthat function, the author merely stood calmly and with imperturbablecourtesy upon his rights. In consequence, it was Alison who made theconference so stormy a one that Max more than once threatened to tearhis hair, and as a matter of fact did make futile grabs at the meagrefringe surrounding his bald spot. So the meeting inevitably ended in anarmed truce, with no business accomplished: Staff offering to releaseMax from his contract to produce, the manager frantically begging him todo nothing of the sort, and Alison making vague but disquieting remarksabout her inclination to "rest." ...
Staff dined alone, with disgust of his trade for a sauce to his food.And, being a man--which is as much as to say, a creature without muchreal understanding of his own private emotional existence--he wagged hishead in solemn amazement because he had once thought he could love awoman like that.
Now Eleanor Searle was a different sort of a girl altogether....
Not that he had any right to think of her in that light; only, Alisonhad chosen to seem jealous of the girl. Heaven alone (he called ithonestly to witness) knew why....
Not that _he_ cared whether Alison were jealous or not....
But he was surprised at his solicitude for Miss Searle--now that Alisonhad made him think of her. He was really more anxious about her than hehad suspected. She had seemed to like him, the few times they'd met; andhe had liked her very well indeed; it's refreshing to meet a woman inwhom beauty and sensibility are combined; the combination's piquant,when you come to consider how uncommon it is....
He didn't believe for an instant that she had meant to run away with theCadogan collar; and he hoped fervently that she hadn't been involved inany serious trouble by the qualified thing. Furthermore, he candidlywished he might be permitted to help extricate her, if she were reallytangled up in any unpleasantness.
Such, at all events, was the general tone of his meditations throughoutdinner and his homeward stroll down Fifth Avenue from Forty-fourthStreet, a stroll in which he cast himself for the part of the misprizedhero; and made himself look it to the life by sticking his hands in hispockets, carrying his cane at a despondent angle beneath one arm,resting his chin on his chest--or as nearly there as was practicable, ifhe cared to escape being strangled by his collar--and permitting acigarette to dangle dejectedly from his lips....
He arrived in front of his lodgings at nine o'clock or something later.And as he started up the brownstone stoop he became aware of adisconsolate little figure hunched up on the topmost step; which was Mr.Iff.
The little man had his chin in his hands and his hat pulled down overhis eyes. He rose as Staff came up the steps and gave him good eveningin a spiritless tone which he promptly remedied by the acidobservation:
"It's a pity you wouldn't try to be home when I call. Here you've keptme waiting the best part of an hour."
"Sorry," said Staff gravely; "but why stand on ceremony at this lateday? My bedroom windows are still open; I left 'em so, fancying youmight prefer to come in that way."
"It's a pity," commented Iff, following him upstairs, "you can't dosomething for that oratorical weakness of yours. Ever try choking itdown? Or would that make you ill?"
With which he seemed content to abandon persiflage, satisfied that hisaverage for acerbity was still high. "Besides," he said peaceably, "I'mall dressed up pretty now, and it doesn't look right for a respectablemember of society to be pulling off second-story man stunts."
Staff led him into the study, turned on the lights, then looked hisguest over.
So far as his person was involved, it was evident that Iff had employedStaff's American money to advantage. He wore, with the look of one freshfrom thorough grooming at a Turkish bath, a new suit of dark clothes.But when he had thrown aside his soft felt hat, his face showed drawn,pinched and haggard, the face of a man whose sufferings are of thespirit rather than of the body. Loss of sleep might have accounted inpart for that expression, but not for all of it.
"What's the matter?" demanded Staff, deeply concerned.
"You ask me that!" said Iff impatiently. He threw himself at length uponthe divan. "Haven't you been to the St. Simon? Don't you _know_ what hashappened? Well, so have I, and so do I."
"Well ...?"
Iff raised himself on his elbow to stare at Staff as if questioning hissanity.
"You know she's gone--that she's in _his_ hands--and you have the faceto stand there and say '_Wel-l_?' to me!" he snapped.
"But--good Lord, man!--what is Miss Searle to you that you should get soexcited about her disappearance, even assuming what we're not sureof--that she decamped with Ismay?"
"She's only everything to me," said Iff quietly: "she's my daughter."
Staff slumped suddenly into a chair.
"You're serious about that?" he gasped.
"It's not a matter I care to joke about," said the little man gloomily.
"But why didn't you tell a fellow ...!"
"Why should I--until now? You mustn't forget that you sat in this roomnot twenty-four hours ago and listened to me retail what I admit soundedlike the damnedest farrago of lies that was ever invented since theworld began; and because you were a good fellow and a gentleman, youstood for it--gave me the benefit of the doubt. And at that I hadn'ttold you half. Why? Why, because I felt I had put sufficient strain uponyour credulity for one session at least."
"Yes--I know," Staff agreed, bewildered; "but--but Miss Searle--yourdaughter--!"
"That's a hard one for you to swallow----what? I don't blame you. Butit's true. And that's why I'm all worked up--half crazed by my knowledgethat that infamous blackguard has managed to deceive her and make herbelieve he is me--myself--her father."
"But what makes you think that?"
"Oh, I've his word for it. Read!"
Iff whipped an envelope from his pocket and flipped it over to Staff."He knew, of course, where I get my letters when in town, and took achance of that catching me there and poisoning the sunlight for me."
Staff turned the envelope over in his hands, remarking the name,address, postmark and special delivery stamp. "Mailed at Hartford,Connecticut, at nine this morning," he commented.
"Read it," insisted Iff irritably.
Staff withdrew the enclosure: a single sheet of note-paper with a fewwords scrawled on one side.
"'I've got her,'" he read aloud. "'She thinks I'm you. Is thissufficient warning to you to keep out of this game? If not--you knowwhat to expect.'"
He looked from the note back to Iff. "What does he mean by that?"
"How can I tell? It's a threat, and that's enough for me; he's capableof anything fiendish enough to amuse him." He shook his clenched fistsimpotently above his head. "Oh, if ever again I get within arm's lengthof the hound ...!"
"Look here," said Staff; "I'm a good deal in the dark about thisbusiness. You've got to calm yourself and help me out. Now you say MissSearle's your daughter; yet you were on the ship together and didn'trecognise one another--at least, so far as I could see."
"You don't see everything," said Iff; "but at that, you're right--shedidn't recognise me. She hasn't for years--seven years, to be exact. Itwas seven years ago that she ran away from me and changed her name. Andit was all _his_ doing! I've told you that Ismay has, in his jocularway, made a practice of casting suspicion on me. Well, the thing got sobad that he made her believe I was the criminal in the family. So, beingthe right sort of a girl, she couldn't
live with me any longer and shejust naturally shook me--went to Paris to study singing and fit herselfto earn a living. I followed her, pleaded with her, but she couldn't bemade to understand; so I had to give it up. And that was when Iregistered my oath to follow this cur to the four corners of the earth,if need be, and wait my chance to trip him up, expose him and clearmyself. And now he's finding the going a bit rough, thanks to mypublic-spirited endeavours, and he takes this means of tying my hands!"
"I should think," said Staff, "you'd have shot him long before this."
"Precisely," agreed Iff mockingly. "That's just where thebone-headedness comes in that so endears you to your friends. If Ikilled him, where would be my chance to prove I hadn't been guilty ofthe crimes he's laid at my door? He's realised that, all along.... Ipassed him on deck one night, coming over; it was midnight and we werealone; the temptation to lay hands on him and drop him overboard wasalmost irresistible--and he knew it and laughed in my face!... Andthat's the true reason why I didn't accuse him when I was charged withthe theft of the necklace--because I couldn't prove anything and atrumped-up accusation that fell through would only make my case theworse in Nelly's sight.... But I'll get him yet!"
"Have you thought of going to Hartford?"
"I'm no such fool. If that letter was posted in Hartford this morning,it means that Ismay's in Philadelphia."
"But isn't he wise enough to know you'd think just that?"
Iff sat up with a flush of excitement. "By George!" he cried--"there'ssomething in that!"
"It's a chance," said Staff thoughtfully.
The little man jumped up and began to pace the floor. To and fro, fromthe hall-door to the windows, he strode. At perhaps the seventh turn atthe windows he paused, looking out, then moved quickly back to Staff'sside.
"Taxicab stopping outside," he said in a low voice: "woman gettingout--Miss Landis, I think. If you don't mind, I'll dodge into yourbedroom."
"By all means," assented his host, rising.
Iff swung out of sight into the back room as Staff went to and openedthe hall-door.
Alison had just gained the head of the stairs. She came to the studydoor, moving with her indolent grace, acknowledging his greeting with aninsolent, cool nod.
"Not too late, I trust?" she said enigmatically.
"For what?" asked Staff, puzzled.
"For this appointment," she said, extending a folded bit of paper.
"Appointment?" he repeated with the rising inflection, taking the paper.
"It was delivered at my hotel half an hour ago," she told him. "Ipresumed you ..."
"No," said Staff. "Half a minute...."
He shut the door and unfolded the note. The paper and the chirography,he noticed, were identical with those of the note received by Iff fromHartford. With this settled to his satisfaction, he read the contentsaloud, raising his voice a trifle for the benefit of the listener in theback room.
"'If Miss Landis wishes to arrange for the return of the Cadogan collar, will she be kind enough to call at Mr. Staff's rooms in Thirtieth Street at a quarter to ten tonight.
"'N. B.--Any attempt to bring the police or private detectives or other outsiders into the negotiations will be instantly known to the writer and--there won't be any party.'"
"Unsigned," said Staff reflectively.
"Well?" demanded Alison, seating herself.
"Curious," remarked Staff, still thinking.
"Well?" she iterated less patiently. "Is it a practical joke?"
"No," he said, smiling; "to me it looks like business."
"You mean that the thief intends to come here--to bargain with me?"
"I should fancy so, from what he says.... And," Staff added, crossing tohis desk, "forewarned is forearmed."
He bent over and pulled out the drawer containing his revolver. At thesame moment he heard Alison catch her breath sharply, and a man's voicereplied to his platitude.
"Not always," it said crisply. "Be good enough to leave that gunlay--just hold up your hands, where I can see them, and come away fromthat desk."
Staff laughed shortly and swung smartly round, exposing empty hands. Inthe brief instant in which his back had been turned a man had lethimself into the study from the hall. He stood now with his back to thedoor, covering Staff with an automatic pistol.
"Come away," he said in a peremptory tone, emphasising his meaning witha flourish of the weapon. "Over here--by Miss Landis, if you please."
Quietly Staff obeyed. He had knocked about the world long enough torecognise the tone of a man talking business with a gun. He placedhimself beside Alison's chair and waited, wondering.
Indeed, he was very much perplexed and disturbed. For the first timesince Iff had won his confidence against his better judgment, his faithin the little man was being shaken. This high-handed intruder was soclose a counterpart of Mr. Iff that one had to look twice to distinguishthe difference, and then found the points of variance negligible--somuch so that the fellow might well be Iff in different clothing andanother manner. And Iff could easily have slipped out of the bedroom by_its_ hall door. Only, to shift his clothes so quickly he would have tobe a lightning-change artist of exceptional ability.
On the whole, Staff decided, this couldn't be Iff. And yet ... andyet ...
"You may put up that pistol," he said coolly. "I'm not going to jumpyou, so it's unnecessary. Besides, it's bad form with a lady present.And finally, if you should happen to let it off the racket would bringthe police down on you more quickly than you'd like, I fancy."
The man grinned and shoved the weapon into a pocket from which its gripprojected handily.
"Something in what you say," he assented. "Besides, I'm quick,surprisingly quick with my hands."
"Part of your professional equipment, no doubt," commented Staffindifferently.
"Admit it," said the other easily. He turned his attention to Alison."Well, Miss Landis ...?"
"Well, Mr. Iff?" she returned in the same tone.
"No," he corrected; "not Iff--Ismay."
"So you've changed identities again!"
"Surely you don't mind?" he said, grinning over the evasion.
"But you denied being Ismay aboard the Autocratic."
"My dear lady, you couldn't reasonably expect me to plead guilty to acrime which I had not yet committed."
"Oh, get down to business!" Staff interrupted impatiently. "You'rewasting time--yours as well as ours."
"Peevish person, your young friend," Ismay commented confidentially toAlison. "Still, there's something in what he says. Shall we--ah--beginto negotiate?"
"I think you may as well," she agreed coldly.
"Very well, then. The case is simple enough. I'm here to offer tosecure the return of the Cadogan collar for an appropriate reward."
"Ten thousand dollars has been offered," she began.
"Not half enough, my dear lady," he interposed. "You insult the necklaceby naming such a meagre sum--to say nothing of undervaluing _my_intelligence."
"So that's it!" she said reflectively.
"That is it, precisely. I am in communication with the person who stoleyour necklace; she's willing to return it for a reward of reasonablesize."
"She? You mean Miss Searle?"
The man made a deprecating gesture. "Please don't ask me to name thelady...."
"I knew it!" Alison cried triumphantly.
"You puppy!" Staff exclaimed. "Haven't you the common manhood toshoulder the responsibility for your crimes yourself?"
"Tush," said the man gently--"tush! Not a pretty way to talk atall--calling names! I'm surprised. Besides, I ought to know better thanyou, acting as I do as agent for the lady in question."
"That's a flat lie," said Staff. "If you repeat it--I warn you--I'lljump you as sure 's my name's Staff, pistol or no pistol!"
"Aren't you rather excited in your defence of this woman?" Alison turnedon him with a curling lip.
"I've a right to my emotions," he retorted--"to
betray them as I seefit."
"And I," Ismay put it, "to my freedom of speech--"
"Not in my rooms," Staff interrupted hotly. "I've warned you. Drop thisnonsense about Miss Searle if you want to stop here another minutewithout a fight. Drop it! Say what you want to say to Miss Landis----andget out!"
He was thoroughly enraged, and his manner of expressing himself seemedto convince the thief. With a slight shrug of his shoulders he againaddressed himself directly to Alison.
"In the matter of the reward," he said, "we're of the opinion thatyou've offered too little by half. Twenty thousand at the least--"
"You forget I have the duty to pay."
"My dear lady, if you had not been anxious to evade payment of the dutyyou would be enjoying the ownership of your necklace today."
As he spoke the telephone-bell rang. Staff turned away to his desk,Ismay's voice pursuing him with the caution.
"Don't forget about that open drawer--keep your hands away from it."
"Oh, be quiet," returned Staff contemptuously. Standing with his backto them, he took up the instrument and lifted off the receiver.
"Hello?" he said irritably.
He was glad that his face was not visible to his guests; he couldrestrain a start of surprise, but was afraid his expression would havebetrayed him when he recognised the voice at the other end of the lineas Iff's.
"Don't repeat my name," it said quickly in a tone low but clear. "Thatis Iff. Ismay still there?"
"Yes," said Staff instantly: "it's I, Harry. How are you?"
"Get rid of him as quick 's you can," Iff continued, "and join me here atthe Park Avenue. I dodged down the fire-escape and caught his motor-car;his chauffeur thinks I'm him. I'll wait in the street--Thirty-thirdStreet side, with the car. Now talk."
"All right," said Staff heartily; "glad to. I'll be there."
"Chauffeur knows where Nelly is, I think; but he's too big for me tohandle alone, in case my foot slips and he gets suspicious. That's why Ineed you. Bring your gun."
"Right," Staff agreed promptly. "The club in half an hour. Yes, I'llcome. Good-bye."
He turned back toward Ismay and Alison, his doubts resolved, all hisvague misgivings as to this case of double identity settled finally andforever.
"Alison," he said, breaking in roughly upon something Ismay was sayingto the girl, "you've a cab waiting outside, haven't you?"
Alison stared in surprise. "Yes," she said in a tone of wonder.
Staff paused beside the divan, one hand resting upon the topmost of alittle heap of silken cushions. "Mind if I borrow it?" he asked,ignoring the man.
"No, but--"
"It's business--important," said Staff. "I'll have to leave you here atonce. Only"--he watched Ismay closely out of the corners of hiseyes--"if I were you I wouldn't waste any more time on this fellow. He'sbluffing--can't carry out anything he promises."
Ismay turned toward him, expostulant.
"What d' you mean by that?" he demanded.
"Miss Searle has escaped," said Staff deliberately.
"No!" cried Ismay, startled and thrown off his guard by the fear itmight be so. "Impossible!"
"Think so?" As he spoke Staff dextrously snatched up the uppermostpillow and with a twist of his hand sent it whirling into the thief'sface.
It took him utterly unawares. His arms flew up too late to ward it off,and he staggered back a pace.
"Lots of impossible things keep happening all the time," chuckled Staffas he closed in.
There was hardly a struggle. Staff's left arm clipped the man about thewaist at the same time that his right hand deftly abstracted the pistolfrom its convenient pocket. Then, dropping the weapon into his ownpocket, he transferred his hold to Ismay's collar and spun him roundwith a snap that fairly jarred his teeth.
"There, confound you!" he said, exploring his pockets for other lethalweapons and finding nothing but three loaded clips ready to be insertedin the hollow butt of the pistol already confiscated. "Now what 'm Igoing to do with you, you blame' little pest?"
The question was more to himself than to Ismay, but the latter,recovering with astonishing quickness, answered Staff by suddenlysquirming out of his coat and leaving it in his assailant's hands as heducked to the door and flung himself out.
Staff broke into a laugh as the patter of the little man's feet washeard on the stairs.
"Resourceful beggar," he commented, going to the window and rolling upthe coat as he went. He reached it just in time to see the thief dodgeout.
The coat, opening as it descended, fell like a blanket round Ismay'shead. He stumbled, tripped and fell headlong down the steps, sprawlingand cursing.
"Thought you might need it," Staff apologised as the man picked himselfup and darted away.
He turned to confront an infuriated edition of Alison.
"Why did you do that?" she demanded with a stamp of her foot. "Whatright had you to interfere? I was beating him down; in another minutewe'd have come to terms--"
"Oh, don't be silly, my dear," said Staff, taking his revolver from thedesk-drawer and placing it in the hip-pocket of tradition. "To beginwith, I don't mind telling you I don't give much of a whoop whether youever get that necklace back or not." He grabbed his hat and started forthe door. "What I'm interested in is the rescue of Miss Searle, if youmust know; and that's going to happen before long, or I miss my guess."He paused at the open door. "If we get her, we get the necklace, ofcourse--and the Lord knows you'll be welcome to that. Would you mindturning out the lights before you go?"
"Staff!"
Her tone was so peremptory that he hesitated an unwelcome momentlonger.
"Well?" he asked civilly, wondering what on earth she had found to flyinto such a beastly rage about.
"You know what this means?"
"You tell me," he smiled.
"It means the break; I won't play _A Single Woman_!" she snapped.
"That's the best guess you've made yet," he laughed. "You win. Goodnight and--good-bye."