XVI
A DRAMA AT THE BERCY WAREHOUSE
Juve passed the whole day at the Cite Frochot. Despite the precautionstaken to keep the failure two days back a secret, the papers had gotwind of the drama: _The Capital_ itself had spoken of it, though withoutnaming his fellow-worker. The staff of that paper was unaware thatFandor was the other man who had so marvellously escaped from the sewer.Blood-curdling tales were told about Doctor Chaleck, Juve, Loupart, thehouse of the crime, the affair at the hospital; but to anyone familiarwith the actual happenings, the newspaper accounts were very far fromgiving the truth.
And Juve, far from contradicting these misstatements, took a delight inspreading them broadcast.
It is sometimes useful to set astray the powerful voice of the Press soas to give a false security to the real culprits.
However, when masons, electricians and zinc-workers were seen to takepossession of Doctor Chaleck's house and begin to turn it upside down, acrowd quickly assembled to witness the performance.
It was with great difficulty that Juve, who did not want too manywitnesses round the place, organised arrangements of a vigorouscharacter.
Installed in the drawing-room on the ground floor, he first had a longinterview with the owner of the house, M. Nathan, the well-known diamondbroker of the Rue de Provence. The poor man was in despair to think hisproperty had been the scene of the extraordinary events which were oneverybody's tongue. All he knew of Doctor Chaleck was that thatgentleman had been his tenant just four years, and had always paid hisrent regularly.
"You didn't suspect," asked Juve in conclusion, "the ingeniouscontrivance of that electric lift in which the doctor placed a studyidentically similar to the real one?"
"Certainly not, sir," replied the worthy man. "Eighteen months ago mytenant asked permission to repair the house at his own expense; as youmay suppose, I granted his request at once. It must have been at thattime that the queer contrivance was built. Have I your permission to godown to the cellars and ascertain their condition?"
"Not before to-morrow, sir, when I shall have finished my inspection,"replied Juve, as he saw M. Nathan out.
The inspector was assisted in his investigation by detectives Michel andDupation. They interviewed the old couple in charge of the Cite andvarious neighbours of Doctor Chaleck, but without lighting upon a clue.Nobody had seen or heard anything whatever.
Toward noon he and Michel, who did not wish to leave the house, decidedto have a modest repast brought to them. M. Dupation, a fidgetyofficial, took this chance of getting away.
"Well, gentlemen," he declared, "you are much more up to this businessthan I, and besides my wife expects me to luncheon. You don't need anyfurther help from me?"
Juve reassured the worthy superintendent and gave him permission to go.He was only too glad to find himself alone with his lieutenant. Theworkmen who were repairing the caved-in basement of the little housewere already gone, and there was no chance of their being back beforetwo o'clock. Thus Juve found himself alone with Michel.
"What I can't understand, sir," said Michel, "is the telephone call wegot toward morning from here asking for help at the office in the RueRochefoucauld. Either the victim herself 'phoned, and in that case shedid not die, as we think, in the early part of the night, or it was notshe, and then----"
Juve smiled.
"You are right in putting the problem that way, but to my mind it iseasy to solve. The call was not given by the murdered woman for,remember, when we raised the body at half-past six it was already cold.Now the call was not given till six, when the woman had been dead somelittle time. That I am sure of, and you will see the report of themedical expert will uphold me."
"Then it was a third person who gave it?"
"Yes, and one who sought to have the crime discovered as soon aspossible, and who reckoned on the officers coming from the CentralStation, but did not expect Fandor or me to come back."
"Then according to you, sir, the murderer knew of your presence behindthe curtain in the study while the crime was being committed."
"I can't tell about the murderer, but Doctor Chaleck certainly knew wewere there. That man must have watched us all night, known the exactinstant we left the house, and immediately afterwards got some one totelephone or must have done so himself."
Michel, becoming more and more convinced by Juve's reasoning, went on:
"At any rate, the existence of two studies, in all respects similar,goes to show a carefully premeditated plan, but there is something Ican't account for. When you came back to the study where we found thedead woman, you found traces of mud by the window brought in by yourshoes. You must therefore have been watching through the night the roomwhere the crime was committed."
Juve was about to put in a word, but Michel, launched on his train ofargument, continued:
"Allow me, sir; you are going, no doubt, to tell me that they mightduring your short absence have carried the body of the victim into thestudy in question, but I would point out to you, that on the loosenedhair of the poor creature blood had caked, that some was on the carpetand had even gone through it to the flooring beneath. Now if theycarried in the body just a little while before we discovered it, thatwould not have been the case."
Michel was delighted with his own argument. Juve smiled indulgently.
"My poor Michel," he cried, "you would be quite right if I put forwardsuch an explanation. It is certain that the room in which we found thebody was that in which the crime took place. It is therefore that inwhich we were not! As for the marks of mud near the window, they areours, but transferred from the room in which we were into the room inwhich we were not! Which again proves that our presence was known to theculprits.
"Furthermore, the candle with which Doctor Chaleck melted the wax toseal his letters was scarcely used, it only burned in fact a fewminutes. Now we found another candle in the same state. So you see thatthe precautions were well taken and everything possible done to lead usastray.
"We see the puppets moving--Loupart, Chaleck, Josephine, others maybe,but we do not see the strings."
"The strings which move them perhaps may be no other than--Fantomas,"ventured Michel.
Juve frowned and suddenly fell silent. Then abruptly changing theconversation, he asked his lieutenant:
"You told me, did you not, that you could no longer appear in thecharacter of the Sapper?"
"Quite true, Inspector, I was spotted just the day before the crime byLoupart, and so was my colleague, Nonet."
"Talking of that," answered Juve, "Nonet mentioned vaguely somethingabout an affair at the docks, supposed to have been planned by the Beardand an individual known as the Cooper. Are you fully informed?"
"Unfortunately no, Inspector. I know no more about the matter than youdo."
"And what is Nonet about now?"
"He has left for Chartres."
Juve shrugged his shoulders. He was annoyed. Perhaps if Leon, nicknamedNonet, had not been transferred he would by now have obtained pertinentclues to the dock's affair.
After having enjoined Michel to devise a new disguise which allowed himto mix once more with the Band of Cyphers and going back to "The GoodComrades," Juve went down to the basement to supervise the workmen, whowere now back; while Michel busied himself with the inventory of thepapers found in Doctor Chaleck's study.
* * * * *
On leaving the house toward half-past seven in the evening Juve wentslowly down to the Rue des Martyrs, pondering over the occurrences whichfor several days had succeeded each other with such startling rapidity.
As he reached the boulevards the bawling of newsboys attracted hisattention. An ominous headline was displayed in the papers the crowd wasstruggling for.
"ANOTHER RAILROAD ACCIDENT. THE SIMPLON EXPRESS TELESCOPES THE MARSEILLES LIMITED. MANY VICTIMS."
Juve anxiously bought a paper and scanned the list of the inju
red,fearful that Fandor would be found among the number. But as he read thedetails and learned that those in the detached carriage had escaped, hefelt somewhat relieved. Hailing a taxi he drove off rapidly to thePrefecture in search of more precise information.
"A message for you, M. Juve."
The detective, hurrying home, was passing the porter's lodge. He pulledup short.
"For me?"
"Yes--it's certainly your name on the telegram."
Juve took the blue envelope with distrust and uneasiness. He had givenhis home address to no one. He glanced over the message, and gave a sighof relief.
"The dear fellow," he muttered as he went upstairs. "He's had a narrowescape; however, all's well than ends well."
After a hurried toilet and a bite of dinner, Juve set off again, jumpedinto a train for the Boulevard St. Germain and got down at the Jardindes Plantes. Then, sauntering casually along, he made for Bercy by thedocks, which were covered as far as the eye could see with rows and rowsof barrels.
* * * * *
About two hours later, Juve, who had been wandering about the vastlabyrinth of wine-docks, began to grow impatient.
It was already fifty minutes past the appointed hour, and the detectivebegan to feel uneasy. Why was Fandor so late? Something must surely havehappened to him! And then what a queer idea to choose such a meetingplace!
Suddenly, Juve started. He recalled his talk that afternoon with Michel;the reference made to the affair of the docks in which the Beard and theCooper were implicated. What if he had been drawn into a trap!
The detective's reflections were suddenly cut short by unusual andalarming sounds.
He fancied he heard the shrill blast of a whistle, followed by the rushof footsteps and a collision of empty barrels.
Juve held his breath and crouched down under the shed in which he stood;he thought he saw the outline of a shadow passing slowly in thedistance. Juve was stealthily following in its tracks when he caught asignificant click.
"Two can play at that," he growled between his teeth, as he cocked hisrevolver. The shadow disappeared, but the footsteps went on.
Disguising his voice he called out: "Who goes there?"
A sharp summons answered him, "Halt!"
Juve was about to call upon his mysterious neighbour to do likewise,when a report rang out, at once followed by another. Juve saw where theshots came from. His assailant was scarcely fifteen paces from him, butluckily the shots had gone wide.
"Use up your cartridges, my friend," muttered Juve; "when your get tonumber six, it will be my turn."
The sixth shot rang out. This was the signal for Juve to spring forward.Leaping over the barrels, he made for the shadow which he espied atintervals. All at once he gave a cry of triumph. He was face to facewith a man.
His cry, however, changed into amazement.
"You, Fandor?"
"Juve!"
"You've begun shooting at me, now, have you?"
For answer, the journalist held out his revolver, which was fullyloaded.
"But what are you doing here, Juve?" he asked.
"You wired to me to come."
"That I never did."
Juve drew the telegram from his pocket and held it out to Fandor, but asthe two men drew close together, they were startled by a lightningflash, and a report. A bullet whistled past their ears. Instinctivelythey lay flat between two barrels, holding their breaths.
Juve whispered instructions: "When I give the signal, fire at anythingyou see or toward the direction of the next report."
The two men slowly and noiselessly raised their heads.
"Ah," cried Juve.
And he fired at the rapidly fleeing figure.
"Did you see?" whispered Fandor, clutching Juve's arm. "It's Chaleck."
Juve was about to leap up and start in pursuit when a series of dullthuds, the overturning of barrels, stifled oaths and cracking plankssmote his ear. These noises were followed by the measured footfall of abody of men drawing near, words of command and shrill whistles.
"What's all that now?" questioned Fandor.
"The best thing that could happen for us," replied Juve. "The police arecoming. These quays are a refuge for all kinds of tramps and crooks whofrom time to time are rounded up. We are probably going to see a'drive.'"
Juve had scarcely finished speaking when several shots rang out; thesewere followed by a general uproar and then a great blue flame suddenlyrose, died away and flared up again. A thick smoke permeated theatmosphere.
"Fire," exclaimed Fandor.
"The kegs of alcohol are alight," added Juve.
The two had now to think of their own safety. Evidently bandits had beentracking them for more than an hour, guided by Doctor Chaleck.
But they soon found that their retreat was cut off by a ring of flames.
"Let us head for the Seine," suggested Fandor, who had discovered abreak in the ring of fire at that point. A fresh explosion now tookplace. From a burst cask a spurt of liquid fire shot up, closing thecircle. It had become impossible to pass through in any direction.
They heard the cries of the rabble, the whistles of the officers. In thedistance the horns of the fire engines moaned dolefully. The heat wasgrowing unbearable, and the ring enclosing Fandor and Juve narrowedmore and more. Suddenly Juve pointed to an enormous empty puncheon thathad just rolled beside them.
"Have you ever looped the loop?" he asked. "Hurry up now; in you go;we'll let it roll down the slope of the quay into the river."
In a few moments the cask was rolling at top speed. Juve and Fandorguessed by the crackling of the outer planks and by a sudden rise in thetemperature that they were passing through the fire. All at once thegreat vat reached the level of the river. It plunged into the waves witha dull thud.