CHAPTER XXII
THE TRAP
For the space of ten minutes after that staggering discovery Dollops,who had followed closely on his "Gov'nor's" heels, stood watching himtrot round and round that field, not unlike one of the colts on theother side of the hedge.
Presently, as Cleek stood by a clump of golden gorse, Dollops saw himthrow back his head and give a little laugh of triumph.
"Dollops," he called to the watching lad, "cut back to the Inn, and tellMr. Narkom to send Lennard up to Cheyne Court with the car. I'm goingback to nose around again, and may need them both."
"Yes, sir," said Dollops, obediently, "and shall I come back?"
"Please yourself," was the laughing reply. "I shall want you to keep aneye on the Wynnes, though. There's something there I'm not quite sureof----"
Dollops showed a sudden outburst of joy.
"You trust 'em to me," he said, excitedly. "I always did say as 'ow thatyoung party was up to no good, but I'll look after 'em all right. Youleave 'er to me."
With a little nod, Cleek turned back and Dollops sped off on his errand.At the beginning of the lane, however, his mind always on the alert, helooked back, and like his master a few minutes before, he had thesurprise of his life. The field was one unbroken seat of grass and gorsebushes. Cleek, too, had disappeared!
For a moment Dollops stood stunned by the shock. Then he moved as if toturn back, but he had had his orders and as there had been neither sightnor sound of anything suspicious he turned once more, and ran as hard ashe could in the direction of the village.
It was some half an hour later when the limousine drew up outside thedoor of Cheyne Court, and Dollops hopped out of it.
"Gawd send 'e's safe," said he, his teeth chattering like a monkey's.
"It gave me the fair 'ump, Mr. Narkom, when I looks back and 'e wasgone, vanished clean off the map, so to speak. Wot if 'e ain't 'ere,after all? S'pose those devils, Pentacle gangers they was fer sure,nipped 'im? I ought never to 'ave left 'im! That's wot I oughtn't to'ave done. An' if anything 'appens to 'im it'll be all my bloomingfault!"
The Superintendent frowned, though to tell the truth, he was as anxiousas Dollops himself over Cleek's strange disappearance. He jumped out ofthe vehicle in Dollops' wake and entered the house.
Just then the ballroom door opened swiftly and Cleek came out, his eyesshining and a look of utter satisfaction on his face.
"Thank goodness you're safe, Cleek!" the Superintendent said, stridingup to him, "though how you got here, without being seen beats all, forwe had a man on the road you know."
Cleek smiled.
"Precisely, Mr. Narkom," he replied, serenely, a queer little smile onhis face. "All roads lead to Rome, you know. By the bye, is Lennardoutside?"
"Yes," said Mr. Narkom. "But what is it? Don't tell me you've discoveredthe truth at last?"
Cleek gave out a little triumphant laugh.
"Discovered?" he said. "No, I am only at the beginning yet," and hefairly pushed Mr. Narkom before him out of the house.
"Lennard," said he, "streak it to the Natural History Museum,Kensington, and drive like the wind. There isn't a moment to spare."
The door of the limousine flashed open and shut again, the car leaptforward and sped down the drive and into the lane. A second later it wason its way Londonward, the astonished Superintendent and Dollops beingleft to wend their way slowly toward the village.
They found the Inn there filled to overflowing with a crowd of men whosebusiness soon showed itself to be that of ferreting out facts, true oruntrue, for an inquisitive world--reporters on every paper in thecountry that boasted a column of police news. The disappearance of LadyMargaret Cheyne had recalled the romantic history of the whole family,and both Sir Edgar and Lady Brenton writhed at the amount of publicitythey were being forced to endure at the hands of the press. When, too,it leaked out that the famous jewels were missing, public excitement ranriot.
Meanwhile Petrie, Hammond, and their satellites kept faithful watchround Cheyne Court, and so concentrated were the efforts of the localpolice that when late in the afternoon the gaily-painted caravans of atravelling circus camped out on the vacant meadow adjoining the Courtestate, for the first time in local history, no notice was taken of it,save by the youthful denizens of the neighbourhood. To them an inquestcould hardly be expected to offer the same absorbing interest as thejoys of "Professor James' Marsupial Circus," which legend was inscribedon the carts and gaudy placards that were hastily pasted up. Kangaroos,Muskrats, Civet-cats, Opossums, and other specimens of Australian faunawere promised to be shown at the opening performance on Monday, and itwas no wonder that the youthful section of Hampton were content to spendevery hour of their leisure in a vain effort to quench their suddenthirst for natural history on the cheap.
Constable Roberts, however, had looked with a keenly professional eye atProfessor James and his caravans, for these vehicles invariably speltgypsies, and gypsies and jewel thefts went hand in hand.
Accordingly, when at about five o'clock of the following day Cleekappeared in the neighbourhood of Cheyne Court, that worthy stopped himand begged the favour of a word immediately.
"Gypsies, sir," said he with some disgust in his voice, "they've plankedthemselves there in this field," he pointed in a general direction,"since this morning and whether to send 'em away or not just beats me."
Cleek stood at the side of the motor, and regarded the Constable with aface as blank as a brick wall.
"Gypsies, eh, Roberts? Surely all circuses are not composed of gypsies,are they?" he said, finally. "It's a funny time of the year to start acircus, I must say. I thought they appeared later in the season!"
"So they does, sir," responded the Constable, emphatically, "an' whatmakes it more funny still, I don't believe there ain't no animals atall, sir--leastways, not live ones."
"Well," said Cleek. "You don't mean to tell me it's a circus of deadanimals, do you? That is a bit too much."
The Constable shrugged his shoulders.
"No, sir, I don't go so far as to say that, but what beats me is thatyou can't see no signs of any animals about and what's more you can't_smell_ 'em, either. And I never knew no circus wot yer couldn't smell'arf a mile off."
Cleek laughed, but in an instant was serious again.
"Come to think of it, Roberts," said he, "you're right on that point. Ithink I'll take a look round on my own before I join the Superintendent.Can you come with me? No, I think it would be better not. We mightfrighten the birds away, and perhaps it's just as well, if they are noton the straight, to catch them red-handed. As it is, you've done enoughto earn promotion twice over." Speaking, he jumped back into the car.With a few words to Lennard, they drove away into the oncoming dusk.
With the blinds pulled down, and Mr. Narkom's faithful locker at hiscommand, Cleek got busy, so that when some few minutes later he hadreached the little camp, a burly Australian swagman dismounted from thecar. Swaggering up to what was presumably the tent of the proprietor, hegave a loud "Coo-ee!" that might have been heard easily on the otherside of the river.
It had the desired effect of bringing out "Professor James," a man ofdecided Cockney appearance and little trace of ever having been out ofthe country.
"Cooe-ee," sang out the stranger, "your little bunch of carts is like asight of home. Say, pard, trot out one of your blessed kangaroos. I'llgrease yer palm, all right."
The lined, swarthy countenance of the Professor looked even more glum atthis request.
He shook his head.
"Circus not ready yet; can't do anything for you," he said gruffly.Thereupon the stranger plunged his hand into his pocket and brought outa L5 note.
"Give us a look of a kangaroo for the sake of old country," he said,roughly, and held the note significantly before the "professor."
The man's eyes gleamed, and it was evident that the offer was a verytempting one. But he had obviously received other orders.
"Clear out," he said, threatening
ly. "I don't want you or your preciousmoney hanging about here."
He came forward with clenched fist and the stranger recoiled a little,then, turning on his heel, he gave an uncomfortable laugh.
"All right, Guv'nor," he said, "no harm meant. But of course if you'regoing to be nasty----"
He lurched away in the opposite direction, singing at the top of hisvoice an old-time music-hall ditty while the "professor" looked afterhim somewhat regretfully.
* * * * *
It was nearly seven o'clock that evening when Mr. Maverick Narkom,pacing uneasily up and down the little room which he had taken at theHampton Arms, saw the door swing open and shut again without a suspicionof a sound. He looked up to find Cleek standing within a few paces ofhim.
"At last!" he ejaculated. "Gad, my dear fellow, I never was so thankfulto see you in my life! Things seem to have got into an awful messsomehow since you've been gone. You'll never guess what's happened,Cleek; after all my instructions to that stupid idiot Roberts he's letthe Hindoo gang escape. They went up to the station, so I'm told, andmade their get-away."
"It does not matter," said Cleek, calmly. "I have come to the end of theriddle at last, my friend."
"The end!" gasped Mr. Narkom. "Man alive, tell me."
Cleek held up a restraining hand and gave a little satisfied laugh.
"Patience, Mr. Narkom. Perhaps I ought not to have said so much, forsome few things remain to be discovered," he responded, serenely, "butthe first thing to do is to get all the jewels, where they can be easilysecured to-morrow in broad daylight."
"What jewels?" exclaimed Mr. Narkom, who had apparently lost sight ofthat factor of the case, in view of the murders which occupied his mind.
"The Cheyne jewels, of course," replied Cleek, "and most of all, the'Purple Emperor'----"
"Good Heavens, I had forgotten them. It's that poor young girl I havebeen thinking about," said Mr. Narkom, excitedly. "Ten chances to one,but what she's murdered, too, and----"
"I think not," responded Cleek. "I have just one more thread to gatherup, and then to-morrow I rather fancy she will be in a position to clearthings up for herself. But I've so much to tell you, that it's difficultto know quite where to begin. And we can't talk here. Come down toCheyne Court with me."
"Delighted," responded the Superintendent with alacrity, but once in thecar, the two sat in silence, for Mr. Narkom saw how deeply Cleek wasabsorbed in thought, until the rusty gates were passed. But once the cardrew up at the house, Cleek roused himself from his reverie.
His voice full of excitement, he said, "get the constables stationedround the house, right out of the way. Put them and the other men wherethey won't be able to see or hear what goes on at the back. Then makesome excuse of having to examine the body in reference to new evidencethat I have brought back with me. I'll join you there in half an hour."
Mr. Narkom gave a nod of comprehension and vanished up the path wherehis men had been stationed, leaving Cleek to carry out his plans.
Thirty minutes later, with his customary soundlessness, he came up outof the gloom of the neglected gardens and entered Cheyne Court, joiningthe Superintendent in the ballroom, where in a hastily constructedcoffin lay the body of the stranger--a stranger no longer to Cleek.
He stood with frowning brows and regarded the dead man steadily.
"So it was a failure after all, Blake," he said, softly. "After escapingthe price all these years, to be caught like a rat in a trap for thesake of a purple stone! Well! life is a queer mixture at best. Butyou've drunk your glass to the dregs, Blake, and it owes nothing atleast to _you_!"
"_Blake_," ejaculated Mr. Narkom, "do you mean to say that you havefound out--that this--no, no--surely not--not James Blake--the head ofthe Pentacle gang? The greatest set of rogues that ever saw their namesin the calendar. Not _that_ Blake, Cleek?"
Cleek smiled.
"The very same," he responded, gravely. "Give me but a few hours now,and I will put the whole gang into your hands, but now there's somethingI want to finish up here. I didn't want to do it this morning, and Idon't know but what we are too late now. Try and find the very centre ofthis room for me, there's a good fellow, and stand there while I do alittle measuring and counting."
Mr. Narkom took out his torch and sent it sweeping round the great room,until he found what he took to be the exact centre and announced thefact.
"Good!" said Cleek. "We'll make sure to save time. Now, let's see; hereis one piece of wood. Now for the five others."
He paced slowly over the floor, marking at regular intervals with apiece of chalk a little dark piece of the parquet flooring.
"Three, four, five, six--the six points right enough. Now to find thecentre."
Kneeling down, Mr. Narkom watched him draw long white chalk lines frompoint to point.
Finally he gave a little satisfied grunt, stood up, and surveyed hishandiwork.
"Move a little away, Mr. Narkom, and if we aren't too late, we shall seewhat we shall see," he cried, excitedly.
Advancing into the centre of the room, he bent down over the centrepiece of wood. As he did so, there came the horrible moaning cry,causing even Mr. Narkom's hardened nerves to fail him. With a crash thetorch fell from his fingers, leaving them in total darkness!
"I forgot; I ought to have warned you--it's quite all right," saidCleek, taken aback.
"Gad, Cleek, it startled me. What is it?" whispered the Superintendent."Have I ruined your plans?"
Cleek felt for his own torch and snapped it on so that the little discof white light fell distinctly upon the floor.
"Never mind," said he, serenely. "It doesn't matter now, I have learntall I want for the present. Come, let's get out of this. _That_ is theanswer to the riddle, and we are only just in time."