CHAPTER XVI
_The Impregnability of Mr. Fell_
Jachin Fell glanced at his watch.
"Lucie will be here at any minute now," he observed. "I suppose yoursense of duty will force you to disclose everything to her?"
Gramont merely nodded, tight-lipped. A knock at the door, and one of hismen entered with the sack of mail they had taken as evidence.
"A lady is coming here at any moment," said Gramont. "Allow her toenter."
The other saluted and departed.
"A sense of duty is a terrible thing," and Jachin Fell sighed. "Whatabout the oil company? Are you going to let Miss Ledanois' fortunes goto wrack and ruin?"
"Better that," said Gramont, "than to have her profit come throughcriminal money and means. She'd be the first to say so, herself. ButI'll tell you this: I'm convinced that there is oil under the land ofhers! If she'll agree, I'll put up what money I have against her land;we'll be able to have one well drilled at least, on the chance!"
"If it's dry," said Fell, "you'll be broke."
"I can always get work," and Gramont laughed harshly.
Fell regarded him in silence a moment. Then: "I think Lucie loves you,Gramont."
A trembling seized Gramont; a furious impulse to shoot the man down ashe sat. Did he have the baseness to try and save himself through Lucie?Something of his stifled anger must have shone in his eyes, for JachinFell laid down his cigar and continued quickly:
"Don't misunderstand. I say that I think she cares for you; it is merelysurmise on my part. Lucie is one person for whom I'd do anything. Istand and have stood in the place of a parent to her. She is very dearto me. I have a special reason for intruding on your personal affairs inthis manner, and some right to ask you in regard to your intentions."
"I don't recognize any right whatever on your part," said Gramont,steadily.
Fell smiled. "Ah! Then you are in love. Well, youth must be served!"
"I'd like to know one thing," struck in Gramont. "That is, why you wereso cursed anxious to get something on my man Hammond! And why you heldthe Midnight Masquer affair over me as a threat. Did you suspect mybusiness?"
Fell threw back his head and laughed in a hearty amusement that wasquite unrestrained.
"That," he responded, "is really humorous! Do you know, I honestlythought you a fortune-hunter from Europe? When I suspected you of beingthe Midnight Masquer, and afterward, I was convinced that you, and verylikely Hammond as well, were very clever swindlers of some kind. There,I confess, I made a grave error. My friend Gumberts never forgets faces,and he said to me, one day, that Hammond's face was vaguely familiar tohim, but he could not place the man. That led me to think----"
"Ah!" exclaimed Gramont. "Gumberts saw Hammond years ago, when he wasescaping from the law--and to think he remembered! Hammond told me aboutit."
"That's why I wanted you and Hammond in my gang," said Fell. "I thoughtit would be very well to get you into the organization for my ownpurposes."
"Thanks," answered Gramont, drily. "I got in, didn't I?"
Without a knock the door opened and Lucie Ledanois entered.
"Good evening, stockholders!" she exclaimed. "Do you know there's acrowd down in the street--policemen and automobiles and a lot ofexcitement?"
"Allow me," said Gramont, taking her coat and placing a chair for her."Oh, yes, we've had quite a strenuous evening, Miss Ledanois."
"Your hand! Why, what has happened?"
"One of Mr. Fell's friends tried to shoot me. Will you sit down, please?You remember that I warned you regarding a shock that would come; andnow I must explain." Gramont gravely handed her his commission from thegovernor, and resumed his seat. "When I say that I have come here, notto attend a meeting of our oil company, but to arrest Mr. Fell, you willunderstand. I am very sorry, Lucie, to have to tell you all this, for Iknow your attachment to him."
"Arrest--you, Uncle Jachin?" The girl glanced from the paper to Fell,who nodded. "And you, Henry--a special officer of the governor's?Why--this isn't a joke of some kind?"
"None whatever, my dear," said Fell, quietly. "Mr. Gramont is to becongratulated. He has discovered that I was the head of a largeorganization of criminals. He has there, under the table, a sack of mailwhich proves that my organization was conducting a lottery throughoutseveral states; we are now expecting the arrival of Federal agents, towhom Gramont intends to turn me over as a prisoner."
"Oh!" The girl stared at him, wide-eyed. Her voice broke. "It--it can'tbe true----"
"It is quite true, my dear," and Jachin Fell smiled. "But don't let itdistress you in the least, I beg. Here, if I mistake not, are yourDepartment of Justice friends, Gramont."
A knock at the door, and it opened to admit one of Gramont's men.
"Here they are, sir--the chief agent and a deputy. Shall I let them in?"
Gramont nodded. Two men entered the room, and Gramont dismissed his ownman with a gesture. He saw that the agents both nodded to Fell.
"Do you gentlemen know this man?" he demanded, rising.
"Yes," said one of them, regarding him keenly. "Who sent for us?"
"I did." Gramont gave his name, and handed them his commission. "I havebeen investigating a lottery which has been conducted in this state fora long time by an organization of very clever criminals. Jachin Fell isthe man at the head of this organization. To-day I rounded up the entiregang, and procured all the evidence necessary. Under that table is asack of mail proving that the lottery has been extended to other states,and that part of its operations have been conducted by means of theUnited States mails.
"The lesser members of the gang are in custody. The police departmentwill not arrest this man Fell; his influence and that of his gang isextensive in political fields and elsewhere. I have called up thegovernor, and have been told not to arrest him. I have disregarded thesefacts, and I now call upon you to hold him in custody as a Federalprisoner. He has boasted to me that you will not touch him--and if youdon't, there's going to be a shakeup that will make history! Now go toit."
The chief agent laid Gramont's commission on the table and looked atJachin Fell. For an instant there was a dead silence. Then, when theFederal man spoke, Gramont was paralyzed.
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Gramont, to have to refuse----"
"What!" cried Gramont, incredulously. "Do you dare stand there and----"
"One moment please," said Fell, his quiet voice breaking in. "It isquite true that I have organized all the criminals possible, Mr.Gramont, and have put the underground lottery into a systematized form.I have done this by the authority of the United States, in order toapprehend Memphis Izzy Gumberts and other men at one crack. Thesegentlemen will tell you that I am a special agent of the Department ofJustice, employed in that capacity through the efforts of Judge Foresterand Senator Flaxman. I regret that this had to be held so secret thatnot even the governor himself was aware of it until this evening. Theconflict was quite unavoidable. Not a member of that gang must becomeaware of my real identity."
Fell turned to the two agents, who were smiling.
"I would suggest that you take this sack of mail, and arrange with thechief of police in regard to the prisoners," he said. "The chief, ofcourse, must suspect nothing."
Gramont sank into his chair, the automatic dropping from his hand. Hewas suddenly dazed, thunderstruck. Yet he had to believe. He was dimlyaware that Lucie had gone to Jachin Fell, her arms about his neck. Hestared from unseeing eyes.
Realization smote him like a blow, numbing his brain. He saw now why thegovernor had conferred with Judge Forester and the senator, why he hadbeen ordered off the trail. He saw now why Fell had preserved secrecy sogreat that even to the chief of police his impregnable position wassupposedly due to influence higher up.
He saw how Fell must have been working month after month, silently andterribly, to form one compact organization of the most talentedcriminals within reach--headed by Memphis Izzy, the man who had laugh
edat the government for years! And he saw himself, furious, raging like amadman----
Gramont dropped his head into his hands. The pain of his forgottenwounded arm stabbed him like a knife. He jerked his head sharply up, andwas aware that the agents had departed. He was alone with Lucie andFell, and the latter was rising and holding out his hand, smiling.
"Gramont, you got ahead of me in this deal, and I congratulate you withall my heart!" said Fell, earnestly. "Neither of us suspected the partplayed by the other man; but you've done the work and done it well. Willyou shake hands?"
Gramont confusedly took the hand extended to him.
"I've been a fool," he said, slowly. "I might have guessed thatsomething unusual was----"
"No; how could you guess?" said Fell. "There are three men in BatonRouge who know the truth, and three persons in this room. That's all,outside of the regular government men. I had not told even Lucie, here!I dared not. And I dare say nothing even now. To the underworld at largeI will be known as the crook whom not even the government could touch;in days to come I may be of untold service to my country."
"I'm so glad!" Lucie took Gramont's hand as Jachin Fell dropped it, andGramont looked down to meet her brimming eyes. "For a moment I thoughtthat all the world had gone mad--but now----"
Jachin Fell regarded them for an instant, then he quietly went to thedoor.
"If you will excuse me one moment," he said, "I shall speak with yourmen who are on guard, Gramont. I--ah--I will be back in a moment, asEliza said when she crossed the ice; and we may then discuss business.If you agree, I think that your company may proceed upon the originallines, and we shall set to work drilling for oil without delay----"
Gramont scarcely heard the words, nor did he hear the door close. He wasstill looking into the eyes of Lucie Ledanois, and wondering if themessage they held were really meant for him.