The Gray Mask

  CHAPTER XIII

  ALSOP'S INCREDIBLE VISITOR

  When the crowded police van had left, Nora, Garth, and the inspectorstepped into the crisp night air.

  "Garth," the inspector said, "you and Nora ought to have medals orsomething. That pale-face at the head of the gang is Jerry Smith. Hemust have been sent on from San Francisco. If there's a country-widesyndicate of crime he's on the board of directors along with your oldfriend Slim."

  "Some day," Garth said, "that syndicate will be tapped properly."

  Nora, after her experience in the heavy, repellent atmosphere of thehouse, was anxious to remain in the air. She proposed that they walkdown town.

  Garth, aware of her displeasure, scarcely dared suggest an answer to hiscuriosity, but the inspector, in a happier mood, did not hesitate.

  "Maybe, Nora, you'll tell us how you got in that dive as a first classhousemaid."

  "There was only one way I could think of," she answered. "The place wasbound to make cases for Bellevue, so I went to the head nurse and tookher into my confidence. She kept me posted. At every chance I went thereand was apparently ill myself of the same dreadful illness as thepatient in the next cot. About two weeks ago the head nurse telephonedme a case had come in which looked promising. I've been there since.I'll confess, the best I hoped for was the number of the house, but thisgirl grew confidential finally. She had actually worked there. When shefound she couldn't go back for a long time, and learned that I was aboutto be discharged as cured, she whispered a telephone number and a name.She said they would want somebody and it was hard to get just the rightkind. I called up last night and told them about her and my anxiety forthe place. A meeting was arranged with Smith in a cafe. He wouldn't giveme the address, but he agreed to take me there this afternoon. You seehe wouldn't have let me out again until he was sure of me--no afternoonsoff there."

  "Clever, Nora," the inspector muttered.

  She shook her head.

  "Only choosing the best chance. I knew I couldn't trace them in anyobvious fashion. They were too careful. Few customers had the run of theplace. The stuff was taken to the rest. The way they had Black followedlast night to make sure he left no trail shows how they accounted foreverything. He had evidently been seen answering to that generoussymptom of his before."

  Garth noticed that she did not speak to him directly, but her resentmentcould not completely veil her relief at his safety, her appreciation ofthe courage that had urged him to her rescue, her gratitude that hisdaring had brought about the end she had so ardently desired. He hoped,moreover, that there was, about her quiet manner, something to befollowed to that necessary but impulsive moment in the brown radiance ofthe evil house.

  Yet that illusion she did not permit him to hold for long. He left theinspector and her at the flat with an uncomfortable feeling of havingfailed to measure up to the idea of him she had developed. She did notmention Black again, but her restraint persisted. Sooner or later, hetried to tell himself, something would destroy that--probably anothercase that would throw them together, that would make them depend oneupon the other.

  At headquarters one day the doorman told him that the inspector had beentaken ill. The detective satisfied himself that nothing serious was tobe feared, so he smiled, thinking the situation might offer somethinguseful for himself.

  It was really the trivial fact of the inspector's cold that involvedNora and Garth in the troubles of Addington Alsop. Those gathered intoone of the most daring and dangerous cases headquarters had had sincethe commencement of the period of reconstruction.

  To begin with, the inspector's indisposition confined him to his flat.It held Nora there in the part of a nurse. It drew Garth, who wouldhave braved the most virulent contagion to be near her. Most importantof all, it allowed the mighty Alsop to apply for police help withoutfear of detection by the reporters and agents constantly swarming atheadquarters.

  When Garth entered the flat that afternoon, he was, unknowingly, alreadyon the threshold of the strange case; for he had read in the nooneditions the brief paragraph which recited an accident to allappearances common enough. A man had been picked up unconscious in themiddle of a quiet street. Evidently he had been struck by an automobile.Two details, however, arrested Garth's attention. The victim, RalphBrown, he knew as a successful private detective. Moreover, the outragehad occurred during the slack hours before the dawn. Apparently no clueas to its perpetrators remained. Garth spoke of that casually to theinspector. The huge, suffering man was scarcely intrigued. Wrapped in anancient dressing-gown, his throat smothered beneath flannel, he sat inan easy chair, facing the fire, whose coals he perpetually reproved witha frown. He groaned. There was utter despair in the rumbling,animal-like note. Nora laughed.

  "Laugh away," the inspector roared, "but make Garth forget he's adetective if he can't do better than hound a sick man with a cheapautomobile case."

  From her dark and striking face Nora's quiet eyes smiled sympatheticallyat Garth.

  "These unimportant things, father, are sometimes the most important ofall," she said. "Jim's right. It's odd no witnesses can be found."

  As if there had been something prophetic in her words and her attitude,a muffled knock came from the outer door.

  "Why doesn't he ring?" the inspector growled. "You haven't had the belldisconnected, Nora? Good Lord! Am I as sick as that?"

  Nora, a trifle bewildered, moved towards the door. "Queer! And I thinkthere are two in the hall."

  Garth, as he always did, marveled at her acute perception. For, althoughhe had heard no footsteps, no voices, two men followed Nora into theliving room. The one in advance was young, with a frightened andapprehensive face. His companion was older and portlier, with narroweyes and full-blooded cheeks. And those eyes were uneasy. For Garth theydid not quite veil a sense of sheer terror. With a growing discomfort heguessed the cause of this visit.

  Nora's voice betrayed none of the amazement Garth knew she felt.

  "It's Mr. Alsop, father," she said--"Mr. Addington Alsop."

  The inspector had already struggled to rise. He conceded the importanceof this unexpected call. He apologized for his failure.

  "Nora's got me wound up like a mummy--"

  Alsop broke in rapidly.

  "No politeness, inspector. I must speak to you. I'm up against it.They're after me."

  He sat down heavily. The young man, whom he introduced as his secretary,Arthur Marvin, lighted a cigarette with trembling fingers. Garth watchedthem both while the inspector explained that they might speak freelybefore him and Nora. Alsop, he knew, because of his genius fororganizing money and industry, and his utter ruthlessness in dealingwith those whom necessity had thrown within his power, had madedangerous and active enemies. Garth was aware, moreover, that recentlyAlsop had publicly defied certain organizations which had asked what hebelieved to be too much. The detective could understand the financier'sposition. His death might be a cheap risk for outside fanatics to taketo destroy his leadership against the forces of radicalism, for therewere few men strong enough to replace him. Alsop had a newspaper in hishand now, and was holding it out to the inspector, while with hisforefinger he tapped the paragraph which told of Brown's accident.

  "No accident," he muttered. "That man worked for me--a precaution anyfool would take. Well, he must have found out what he was after lastnight, and they got him, and thought they had killed him. They tell meat the hospital he's still unconscious."

  Nora smiled at her father.

  "A cheap automobile case!" she reminded him softly.

  Alsop handed Garth a crumpled, torn, and soiled post-card.

  "That came in the noon mail. Must have been picked up by somebody anddropped in a post box. I figure Brown, before they got him, threw it outof a window, or some such thing. Anyway that settled it. It brought mehere for a quiet talk."

  Garth read the card. A single line, almost undecipherable, sprawledacross the back:

  "Danger to-morrow night. Brown."

&n
bsp; "That means to-night," Garth said. "Had you planned anything importantfor to-night?"

  Marvin laughed a little. Alsop spread his hands.

  "The conference with capitalists and politicians at which we settle oncertain legislation that will put some of these foreign anarchists onthe skids, snatch American labor beyond their influence, and give thehonest business man a chance to make a fair profit by driving his men ashe should. See here, inspector. I'm not afraid of good Americans. Theymay put me out of business, but if they do, I'll know I've been beatenin a fair fight. It's these damned foreign anarchists and some sorecentral Europeans I'm afraid of. I expect some important men from WallStreet and Washington to-night. I can't let them walk into a bomb, and Idon't want any high explosives myself."

  The inspector grunted.

  "Nasty situation. I'm no politician. Fight crime. We'll see what we cando. It's a good thing you found Garth here."

  Garth, who had not ceased to study Alsop's face, realized that the manhad more to report--something which he shrank, however, from mentioning.

  "What is it, Mr. Alsop?" he asked. "You've something else to tell us."

  Nora, who had clearly noticed the same symptoms, nodded approvingly.Alsop flushed and glanced at Marvin. The secretary knocked the ashesfrom his cigarette. The trembling of his fingers was more apparent.

  "You should tell that by all means, Mr. Alsop," he said in a low voice."That's what I want to find out. If I don't get some explanation of thatI'll doubt my sanity."

  Alsop cleared his throat.

  "A ghost story," he said with an attempt at a laugh. "Fact is, Marvinand I and some of the servants are haunted by a veiled woman."

  Nora came closer. The inspector turned back to the fire a littlecontemptuously. But Garth had no doubt that this hard-headed businessman was serious.

  "Go on," he said softly. "You think this ghost is connected with adangerous conspiracy against you?"

  "I can only tell you facts and let you judge," Alsop answered. "Idaresay you know about my house on the river near the city line. It islonely for that neighbourhood, and very old. I've always heard storiesabout a ghost, a veiled woman on the upper floor--some connection withthe suicide of a beautiful girl long ago. You know the sort of thing.It's always told about old houses. The point is, I saw that veiled womanlast night, and she gave me rather too much evidence of spirituality."

  "Why do you connect a ghost with anarchists?" the inspector demanded.

  "Because," Alsop answered, perfectly seriously, "I believe the thing wasafter my papers."

  Garth laughed outright.

  "Then why suspect your visitor of being a ghost?"

  "Because," Alsop said patiently, "this visitor had every appearance ofwalking through a locked door."

  Nora alone was thoroughly impressed.

  "Tell us," she urged.

  "I've a safe in my room," Alsop said, "and as an extra precaution, whenI've had important papers at the house, I've locked my door. I wentupstairs late last night. There was no light in the upper hall, but aglow came from the lamps downstairs. In this sort of radiance I saw thefigure of a woman, clothed in white, her face hidden behind a whiteveil, come apparently from my room, cross the hall, and disappear. Icried out. I sprang for the door. It was locked. Marvin and I searchedthe house. My daughters are in Florida. The only women in the place wereservants. There seemed no way in or out of the house without thecollusion of one of these. And I've had them a long time. It's hard tosuspect them. Besides, Marvin has had much the same experience. Tellthem, Arthur."

  "As a motive," Marvin said slowly, "I might mention the fact that Ioften take my work upstairs--letters of Mr. Alsop's to answer,statements to make out. The first time the thing happened was Thursdaynight. It must have been after midnight. I was in bed. I awakened withthat uncomfortable feeling of being no longer alone. At first I sawnothing. The only light in the room came from a dying moon. I had beennervous for several nights, fearing an attempt on Mr. Alsop. I nevercould get him to take that very seriously until to-day. At any rate,after a long time, I saw this figure that Mr. Alsop describes. It didnot seem to come from anywhere."

  He commenced to pace up and down the room. There was about the suddengesture of his hand a despairing belief that shocked Garth.

  "The thing--white veil and all--seemed to materialize out of nothing. Itmoved softly about the room as if searching--searching. I thought of theletters on my desk. I called out instinctively, 'Who's there?' There wasno reply. The figure did not hurry. It stepped behind a screen by thefireplace. I sprang up and went there. I couldn't believe the evidenceof my eyes. There was no one--nothing behind the screen. I examined thedoor. It was locked as I had left it, with the key on the inside. Therewas no way in or out of that room. Yet the veiled woman had been there,and had gone, leaving no trace."

  "The windows," Garth said, "or the fireplace?"

  Marvin shook his head.

  "The windows were scarcely open, and a fire burned in the fireplace.And, mind you, this was before Mr. Alsop had seen the woman. I mean, hehad not suggested the vision to me. The same thing happened last night.That figure came searching and disappeared in the same impossible way. Iknew I wasn't dreaming then. I spoke of it to Mr. Alsop. It frightensme. I want an explanation of that."

  "Catch your enemies and you'll catch your ghost," Garth said drily. "I'dlike a shot at both."

  "What you want," the inspector said to Alsop and Marvin, "is protectionfor yourselves and your distinguished guests. What the police want is tocatch these fellows red-handed. We'll try to fit the two things. Don'tlose your nerve. Go ahead with your conference, and trust Garth to findout how your veiled woman gets in and out of the house and throughlocked doors. I should say if we find her we should have the brains ofthe conspiracy. There may be no danger for you to-night. We've onlyBrown's post card to go on. That looks serious, and I'll do my best toprotect you. But you must give me every chance to nab these birds. Thissort of thing's getting too bold. There's too much foreign propaganda inthis country. It would please me to throw the fear of Uncle Sam intosuch people."

  And when Nora had gone to the door with Alsop and Marvin, he calledGarth over, and hurriedly whispered:

  "It's a big chance, Garth, but dangerous as dynamite. These fellowswon't hesitate to blow that house up if they can't block Alsop's dirtypolitics any other way. And remember, you're fighting a woman whobehaves like a ghost. Take it from me, she's the one you've got to beafraid of. She has the brains."

  "If I could get something out of Brown," Garth mused.

  "Maybe he's conscious now," the inspector said. "Run up to the hospital,then look over the neighborhood where he was found. Come back here byfive, and we'll lay our plans."

  Nora stopped Garth in the hall.

  "Jim," she breathed, "you're going to take this case?"

  "Surely. I've only to lay a ghost. That ought to be simple."

  She hesitated.

  "I've been thinking," she said, "and I wish you wouldn't go, because itwill be hard, terribly hard--with death always in the way."