CHAPTER XXXII--A NARROW ESCAPE
When the Black Star had entered the aperture in the lodge hall, andthe panel closed behind him, he flashed his electric torch around theinterior of a space about five feet long and three wide.
"Notice our ingenuity, Mr. Verbeck," he said. "Here we haveconstructed, as I remarked, a sort of dumb-waiter between the walls ofthe two buildings. It took considerable time, and great care wasnecessary, but the job will be profitable for all that. Every bit ofmaterial had to be smuggled into the lodge hall, but we did it withoutthe stupid police suspecting anything was wrong.
"I am sorry that I cannot remove your mask and gag and discuss thisbit of work with you, but you might shriek and call down our foes.Kindly give me your close attention now. You see this small cablerunning through the corner? I pull on it like this--similar to theold-fashioned elevators, you see. And down we go!"
The little box arrangement crept downward slowly as the Black Starchuckled his satisfaction. There was not the slightest noise; theholes even had been greased so the cable would slip through silently.Inch by inch the box descended. It was insufferably hot, and the airwas bad. None spoke a word until the descent of the box stopped, andthen the Black Star turned to his prisoner again.
"We are at the bottom," he said. "You see this small button here? Itis connected with an electric light signal that we installed, and whenI press it a certain number of times it conveys a meaning to one of mymen in the bank. The little bulb light, I assure you, is cunninglyhidden. You see, I am prepared for everything, Mr. Verbeck. Perhapsthat is why I am so successful."
He reached out and pressed the button. There was a wait of half aminute, and then a green bulb glowed in the top of the box.
"Ah, the coast is clear!" the Black Star said. "We are about to take afortune in money and securities from the strongest bank in the city,Mr. Verbeck, from a bank that boasts its vaults cannot be opened byburglars."
The Black Star chuckled again, and then pressed against the wall. Anopening showed before them, and one of the Black Star's men stood justoutside, masked.
"All ready, sir," he reported. "The suit cases are on a table beforethe vault's door and you have only to open that door and step inside."
"The watchmen are on duty?"
"In front on the two upper floors, sir, and in the rear on this floorat this time. He has to punch his report box there in ten minutes."
"Guard the corridor, then. I want only the three men with me in thevault room. Should there be trouble, use the back exit, and leave thisfor me and those working with me."
He stepped out as he ceased speaking, and the men behind him carriedthe prisoner between them as they had on the floor above. They were ina narrow side corridor that ran from the offices to an alleyentrance--an entrance used by directors when they attended a meeting,and by bank officials when they desired to get out of the buildingwithout seeing some undesirable.
Along this narrow corridor they walked slowly, bending low when theycame to a place where light came through the windows from the street.They opened a door and passed through an office, opened another door,and were in the vault room.
"Put Mr. Verbeck in that chair at the end of the table and facing thedoor of the vault," the Black Star whispered to his men. "I want himto have the privilege of watching operations. Then, when we are done,we'll pin a nice little note to his breast, put him to sleep, go away,and telephone the stupid police to come here and find him. And thenthe public can have a laugh."
His men obeyed him, and the Black Star turned to the door of thevault. He chuckled again as he reached a hand forward, grasped thehandle, and swung the heavy door open. He looked back at his prisonerand waved a hand in derision, and then stepped into the vault.
The others could see his torch flash, and presently he came out.
"A very good haul, I imagine," he announced, and began piling packagesof bank notes into one of the suit cases. "I am gathering the bigbills--haven't time to bother with such things as fives and tens atfirst. Perhaps, if we have time, I'll take a few packages for the men.Now for some more."
Six trips he made into the vault, and each time he came out with hisarms filled with bundles of bank notes, which he put into the suitcase. On the seventh trip he carried two bags of gold coins and putone in the first suit case and locked it, and then threw the secondsack in a corner of the second suit case.
Securities were the next things he went after. He filled the secondsuit case with bonds, even stopping to flash his torch over them anddiscard those of small value or such as would not be easilynegotiable.
"You see how simple it is, Mr. Verbeck, when a man with brains plansthings?" he asked. "Quite a bit of wealth here, what? More than manyordinary men would earn during their lifetimes. And I take it as anevening's diversion, after some weeks of preparation, of course, andmake it, instead of a lifetime's work, only one bit of work out ofmany good ones. I am going to make one more trip. I have heard of acertain diamond necklace that is kept in this vault, and I want it, ifit can be found quickly. If I do not get it to-night I'll have to robthis place again, and I have made it a rule heretofore never to striketwice in the same place."
Even his own men marveled at the man's composure. Here he was robbingthe strongest financial institution in the city, entering a vaultconsidered impregnable, and without showing the slightest nervousness.Apparently he was in no great hurry to get away. He might have been aman in his own home, showing his friends treasures taken from aprivate safe.
Then came the sound of a distant shot, the sound of breaking glass, aman's shriek. The Black Star hurried from the vault and stoodlistening, and the faint light from the street showed that there wassome concern in his countenance. One of the watchmen came running infrom the corridor.
"The red signal!" he exclaimed. "The signal from the lodge hall!"
"Quietly, quietly, my man," the master criminal said. "Nothing ever isgained by getting into a sweat when quick thinking is necessary. Givethe signal and go out the rear way--all of you."
"But you, sir?"
"I'll take care of myself--go! Undoubtedly those fools upstairs arefrightened at nothing."
But a fusillade of shots from the lodge hall above gave the lie to hiswords.
"Something appears to be wrong," he said. "I suppose we may as wellget out of here and into our between-the-walls box. Pick up the suitcases, men. I am sure I don't imagine what has happened. There is noway in which the police could have been informed. If you were not myprisoner now, Mr. Verbeck--but you are, and so is Muggs. I was going tobring Muggs down here and leave him with you, but he'll have to missthis share of the fun, I think. One moment, Mr. Verbeck, until Idecorate your breast with a sarcastic note."
He reached in his pocket and brought forth the note he had prepared,and stepped toward the prisoner, reaching to his lapel for a pin.
"We'd better hurry," one of his men suggested.
"Are you afraid, when I am here beside you?" the Black Star demanded."Such a man has no place in an organization like mine."
"I'm afraid for you, sir--that's all."
"Your solicitude for my welfare overwhelms me. Start on, my man, andI'll be with you almost instantly."
The three men started toward the door with the suit cases. The BlackStar bent forward to pin the note on the breast of the man before him.And then the chief's whistle came.
With the crashing in of the front door of the bank, the Black Star wasa changed man. He grasped his prisoner by the shoulders, jerked himfrom the chair, and dragged him across the room to the office door.Through the offices police poured in upon him. His hand dived into hispocket, and came forth, holding a round object about the size of atennis ball. He hurled it on the floor in front of the advancing foes.
There was a roar as the bomb struck, a hiss as the cloud of vaporspread. The Black Star laughed mockingly, and backed toward the wall,shielding himself behind his helpless prisoner's body. He touched thewall, and the opening appeared. He went in, still c
arrying hisprisoner, and in the little box he laughed again, aloud, and tugged atthe cable.
"Quite a bit of excitement, Mr. Verbeck," he observed. "But here weare, safe and sound, and with the suit cases filled with loot. Now Iwonder what brought those police down upon us. I suppose I'll have togo through my organization and ask a few questions. And if there issuch a thing as a traitor--ha!"
He tugged at the cable again, and the box ascended.
"Listen to the poor fools pounding on the wall!" he exclaimed. "Theywill have difficulty, I imagine, finding how that opening is caused.You notice, my dear Mr. Verbeck, that when I opened it either above orbelow, I press the wall with my hand. That is merely a trick, shouldsome one be observing too closely. As I do that, I touch the realspring with the toe of my shoe. Men can press with their hands all dayand not find it."