Chapter X
SURPRISES
Dorothy's experiences, since she had shopped for neckties for her fatherthat morning had been quite enough to lay up the average girl for aweek, and to wreck her nerves into the bargain. Laura Lawson'sappearance in her bedroom had strained tightened nerves to the breakingpoint.
The arrival of this second intruder was just too much. As the butlerstepped out of the closet and started to close the door, Dorothy'sself-control snapped like a rubber band. She forgot that she was playinga part; that it might be suicidal to show her hand so early in the game.Fear gripped her throat. Had this man been sent to kill her? If not,then what was he doing, stealing into her room through a secret entrancelike an assassin of the middle ages? Self-preservation bade her act. Theconsequences could take care of themselves.
"Stop!" The harsh whisper, as her hand dove for Flash, sounded like thevoice of a stranger. "Move another step, and I'll pin you to that door!"Flash was in her raised hand now, the extended blade reflecting thelight in the closet as though the polished steel were glass.
She saw the man start in surprise and turn his head in her direction. Asshe was about to hurl the knife, Tunbridge found his voice.
"Ashton Sanborn sent me, Miss Dixon. Please don't throw that knife."
Gone was the English accent, and the pompous intonation of the Britishman servant. Tunbridge, if that were really his name, spoke the AmericanDorothy was accustomed to hear, the accents of the cultured NewEnglander. For the second time in her life, Dorothy fainted.
She awoke to find herself in bed. Tunbridge was beside it. She couldjust make out his tall, powerful figure in the darkness.
"Goodness--did I faint?" she said weakly.
"You certainly did, Miss Dixon." His tone was little above a whisper."Please don't raise your voice--and drink this. I found the aromaticspirits of ammonia in the bathroom. You need something to steady you. Noone is cast iron--you've been through a frightful lot today."
Dorothy took the glass and drained it. Then she lay back on her pillow."I got the scare of my life just now. Why didn't Ashton Sanborn tell meabout you, Mr.--"
"Tunbridge is really my name, Miss Dixon. John Tunbridge, and very muchat your service. I was afraid my rather abrupt appearance would startleyou, and especially coming so soon after Mrs. Lawson's--er--visit. I gota shock myself when I saw your white figure by the door just now, andall ready to split me with that knife, like--like a macaroon." Hechuckled, and removing the tray, sat down on the chair beside her bed.
"Oh, then you've seen Ashton Sanborn this evening, Mr. Tunbridge?"
"Heard from him, Miss Dixon. As you must know by now, I am a secretservice operative and I am working under Mr. Sanborn. There isn't timeto go into detail now, but a couple of months ago, our departmentreceived an anonymous letter saying that Doctor Winn would bearwatching. Shortly before that the Doctor had engaged Mrs. Lawson, who isan expert chemist by the way, to take charge of his laboratory. Herhusband has been Doctor Winn's secretary since last spring. We thoughtat that time that Mrs. Lawson might be the mysterious letter writer.Since then we've altered our opinion. Mr. Sanborn decided that inasmuchas Doctor Winn was working for the government it would be well to have asecret service man in the house. We prevailed upon the butler here toresign and I took his place."
"Then Doctor Winn knows you're a government detective?"
"No one in this house knows that, except you, Miss Dixon. The wholematter was arranged through an employment agency. Doctor Winn and theothers here have no idea that I, like you, am simply playing a part."
"Well, you're certainly a splendid actor, Mr. Tunbridge."
"Thank you, Miss Dixon. As you've no doubt discovered, acting,convincing acting, often plays a large part in our profession. You aredoing brilliantly in that respect yourself. Mr. Sanborn thought,however, that it would be better if you did not know about me until thenecessity arose. Mrs. Lawson, he knew would be watching you like a hawkwhen you arrived. If you had been aware of my identity, your positionwould only have been more difficult. She might have had her suspicionsaroused in some way, which would have given you a wrong start from thebeginning. I think you will realize tomorrow how hard it will be totreat me as though I were merely Tunbridge the butler."
"Oh, I think you're right. Tell me, how did you find out about thelemonade?"
"I overheard the Lawsons talking, yesterday. Made it my business infact. It seems that Mrs. Lawson has had the idea that if Janet Jordanwas only shamming sleep at that meeting, she would do her best tocommunicate with her father in some way. The natural thing to do wouldbe to write a note and slip it in his hand or his pocket, when he cameto see her. Martin Lawson was sure he would detect anything of the kindwhen he brought Jordan to say goodbye to Janet tonight at the flat. Ifnot, the plan was to drug the girl with hot lemonade so that Mrs. Lawsoncould search her belongings for the note tonight."
Dorothy nodded. "I watched her closely while she was in here, and so faras I could make out she didn't find anything that interested herparticularly. The Lawsons must have guessed wrong about Janet writingher father."
"Well, no, they didn't," declared her new ally. "Janet wrote a letter,just as they surmised."
"But where could it be?" asked Dorothy in a startled whisper, and satbold upright in bed.
"Probably destroyed by this time," Mr. Tunbridge chuckled. "There's noneed to worry on that score, Miss Dixon. When Ashton Sanborn spoke toyour cousin this afternoon by means of Howard Bright's headphone set, helearned that Janet proposed doing just what this clever pair herefigured upon. Of course she had already written the note, and as therewas no safe way to get rid of it in her room, he told her to take itwith her when she left. And now if you'll be good enough, I wish you'dtell me what happened after you took her place in the flat."
Dorothy gave him a short sketch of her encounter with her uncle andMartin Lawson in Janet's room, and of the conversation between the twomen in the corridor afterward. "All the way up here," she ended, "Ipretended I had a grouch. Mr. Lawson tried to start a conversationseveral times, but he soon found it wasn't much fun talking to himselfand he gave it up as a bad job."
"Excellent," applauded the secret service man, "and quite in keepingwith your behavior in the flat. You have done most remarkably well, MissDixon. Only--you won't mind if I warn you not to let first success makeyou careless."
"Do you really believe that these people mean to do away with me if theydiscover I am not what I appear to be, Mr. Tunbridge? It sounds a bittoo melodramatic, don't you think?"
"These Lawsons, husband and wife, are playing for gigantic stakes." Thedetective's voice, though barely audible was extremely grave. "They willstop at nothing. When crooks have at least two murders behind them,they're not likely to stop at a third."
"Then--then they are _not_ what they pretend?"
"Certainly not. They're a pair of high class European crooks nameddu Val."
Dorothy shuddered. "And _murderers_!"
"Undoubtedly. They're wanted both in England and in Austria for theircrimes."
"How did you find that out?"
"Oh, you see I recognized them when I arrived here, Miss Dixon."
"But--but I can't see why--why you didn't arrest them then and there!You knew that they were after the secret of Doctor Winn's new explosive,or whatever it is he has invented."
"Yes, we realized that the formula for Doctor Winn's explosive gas wasthe magnet that drew the du Vals to this house; but until today we hadno idea how they proposed to dispose of the formula after stealing it."
"I see. And now you realize that they probably intend to sell it to theorganization of which my uncle is a member?"
"You are right, Miss Dixon."
"Then why can't you arrest the Lawsons now?"
"We can take the Lawsons at any time," Tunbridge explained. "But we wantto catch the ringleader of this organization. We know the group existsand for no good purpo
se, but what their definite object may be we stillhave no means of telling. We can't arrest them on suspicion alone. Oncethey actually buy the formula from the Lawsons, it will be quite adifferent matter."
She shook her head slowly. "But why hasn't the formula been stolenbefore this? They've had plenty of opportunity, surely--"
"Because it is not completed. At dinner tonight I heard the Doctor saythat by tomorrow afternoon the work would be finished, and that heexpected to take the formula to Washington the day after tomorrow."
"Then you expect?--"
"I expect that the Lawsons will make their attempt tomorrow night."
"And where do I come in on this business, Mr. Tunbridge?"
"You are going to take the plans from Doctor Winn's safe before theLawsons get to it."
She drew her breath sharply. "That's a pretty large order--"
"I know it, but--of course you'll have the combination of the safe--"
"Are you going to give it to me now?"
"Too dangerous. They are quite capable of searching your belongingsagain--or your person, for that matter--at any time. I'll get it to youwith exact instructions just as soon as the Doctor completes thatblooming formula and locks it in the safe."
"That's all very well, Mr. Tunbridge. But has it occurred to you that ifI steal this paper--I suppose it will be a paper?--"
"Probably several of them--"
"Well, if I take these papers before the Lawsons can get them, how areyou going to arrest my uncle and the other men?"
"You," directed Tunbridge, "will simply make a copy and replace theoriginal documents where you found them. This is a safety-first move. Wemust have a copy in case the originals are destroyed."
"It looks like a very complicated matter to me," Dorothy admittedcandidly. "Why not put the old gentleman wise? After all, it's hisformula, and if he made his own copy it would save us a possible run-inwith the Lawsons, and--"
Mr. Tunbridge stood up. "Perhaps you're right," he said, making a braveattempt to stifle a yawn, "but Doctor Winn would never agree to it. Fora scientist who dabbles in high explosives, he's the most nervous manI've ever met. He'd give the whole show away. No, that's out of thequestion. Doctor Winn must be kept in ignorance of the whole proceeding.And now--" a yawn got the better of him this time-- "and now to bed. Youneed sleep even more than advice just now. Good night, or rather, goodmorning, Miss Dixon. Pleasant dreams, I hope."
He started toward the door and Dorothy sprang out of bed and reached forher dressing gown.
"I want to see that secret passage, Mr. Tunbridge," she said in a lowtone.
"Oh, yes, come along." He opened the door and stepped inside the closet."It works this way. Press your foot on the board in the farthest righthand corner, like this, and a panel in the back wall slides up--likethat--"
Dorothy stared at the gaping black hole, then as the detective-butlersnapped on his flashlight she saw that a narrow circular staircase leddownward in the wall.
"That stair curves down to the ground floor," he explained. "It comesout through the side wall inside the big fireplace in the hall. To openthe panel down there you press a button under the left-hand corner ofthe mantel. To close either panel you simply put it down, once you'reinside."
"Are there any more of these passages in the walls?"
"Very likely, but I haven't found them yet. Winncote is an exact copy ofthe Doctor's ancestral home in Wales. Those old houses were honeycombedwith priest holes, secret passages and whatnot. And Doctor Winn had hisarchitect copy the original Winncote across the water down to the laststone, with modern improvements such as bathrooms and steam heat,added."
"Funny old fellow, isn't he?" commented Dorothy sleepily. "Then I'msimply to carry on until I hear from you again?"
"That's right. But whatever you do, watch your step with the Lawsonwoman. She is fully as heartless as she is beautiful. If you had neverheard of that meeting in the Jordans' flat, it would be much better foryou. She will try to trap you, so please be on your guard continually.Well, good night, again."
"Good night, Mr. Tunbridge."
The panel in the back wall of the closet slid into place, and Dorothywent back to bed. She realized now that this matter of impersonating hercousin was not going to prove to be the easy job she had fancied. A slipon her part now would not only put her own life in danger, it wouldprobably ruin all government plans to apprehend these desperatecriminals.
At last she fell into a troubled sleep wherein she dreamed that a longcircular staircase curved round and round her bedroom, and that Mrs.Lawson, dressed as a butler, had set her to watch every step of it.