Ashton-Kirk, Criminologist

by John Thomas McIntyre

  CHAPTER XII

  A DOUBLE SHADOW

  This was the extent of Dennison's knowledge except the detail he calledafter them as they were leaving the room a little later.

  "I say," he cried, rising in sudden recollection, "do you know any sortof a place that goes by the name of 'Gaffney's'?"

  "No," replied the investigator over his shoulder. "Why?"

  "I think that's where Burton was to meet the party--the one I justmentioned, you know. It just came to me."

  On the street the big athlete said to Ashton-Kirk:

  "Burton knew Big Slim, and had a little job framed up with him, eh?Well, that knocks me over, for sure."

  "It's odd," said Ashton-Kirk, "how things seem to fall into place."Scanlon saw the light of speculation in the singular eyes, but made nocomment. A little later the investigator went on: "That you should havethis rather extraordinary experience of yours with Big Slim, and now--"

  He paused, deep in thought; and as he did not resume, Bat said:

  "Nora knows this crook; now we find that the Bounder knew him too; andthey both have had dealings of some sort with him."

  But Ashton-Kirk was deep in thought, and made no reply. They continuedto walk on, the squares lengthening into miles; on the outskirts hesuddenly stopped.

  "Hello!" said he, looking about, rather surprisedly. "We're here, arewe?"

  "I thought I wouldn't disturb you, seeing that you seemed to bethrashing it out," said Scanlon.

  The criminologist looked at his watch.

  "There's a subway station only a little way from here," said he. "Let'sget back. There's one or two things I want to do."

  They boarded the train and as they neared the middle of the city theinvestigator said:

  "I get off at the next station. If you don't mind, look up Big Slim onceagain and see what more you can learn from him. If there is anything,call me at eleven to-morrow; if I'm not there, leave word where you canbe reached by wire."

  "Right," said Mr. Scanlon.

  Ashton-Kirk dropped off at the next station and vanished in the crowd;Bat held his place for several stations further; then he, too,alighted. Walking a few blocks, he came to the meaner sections; thebuildings looked huddled and slovenly; dirty alleys ran between them;the smells were many and offensive. Leisurely he walked along a streetcrowded with low auction rooms, cheap variety places and establishmentswhich provided a curious medley of food which a patron might consumewhile he stood up and listened to the nerve-tearing din of an automaticpiano.

  Away amidst a horde of other signs, the big athlete noted one bearingthe Swiss coat of arms.

  "Friend Bohlmier's hotel," Bat said to himself. "I may as well stop inand look around. Maybe the slim one is stirring."

  The hotel, now that he saw it in daylight, was rather neat lookingoutside; the window glass shone; there was clean paint upon the doorsand other woodwork; through the windows of the office plants were to beseen, growing greenly, in pots. The building was upon a corner; justaround this, upon a rather more quiet street than the main one, was thedoor at which Nora's cab had stood the night before. And as Bat slowlytook in the sinister aspects of the neighborhood, he marveled at what hehad seen.

  "A girl like Nora coming alone to a place like this in the night, and inthis section of the city!" he exclaimed, mentally. "It's got me winging,I'll admit that."

  With careless manner he strolled into the little sanded office. TheRhine Castles, in the prints upon the wall, still reared ruggedly fromtheir hilltops; the Alpine goatherds looked exceedingly romantic andself-conscious as they posed against the backgrounds of their herds. Theplace was empty, however; and as Bat paused he heard a peculiarly hardand sliding sound. It was not a large sound; indeed it was quite small,but there was a slippery, deft regularity to it which caused the bigathlete to catch and hold it, turning it over in his mind to come at itsmeaning. But in a few moments it stopped; there was a movement of feetupon the sanded floor, a chair was pushed back and a bald head appearedabove the top of a screen.

  "Ach!" said the voice of old Bohlmier. "It is you?"

  "Yes," replied Bat, as he moved toward the screen. "Just thought I'dcome in and see if my friend was around."

  "Not yet," said the Swiss. "Not yet. He is neffer about much till thenight dime. Eh?" Chuckling quaintly, the head disappeared and Scanlonreached the edge of the screen.

  It was a cozily secluded corner, with a window facing upon the innercourtyard; geraniums stood in painted pots on shelves across the window;a rack of music was at one side; against the wall was an extemporizedbookcase of stained wood which held an array of German books, worn, butprim and tight in their bindings. On a table lay a flat stone; and asmall shining oil can stood near it. Bohlmier was now seated, a knife inhis hand--a huge knife, with the blade ground and re-ground until it hadarrived at a murderous narrowness; and he now held it up, lookingplacidly along its glimmering length through his rimmed spectacles.

  "No," said he, and the shining bald head wagged in a sort of blandhumor, "your friend does not care much for der day dimes." And thenshifting a steady childlike stare upon the big man, he asked: "You hafnod known him long, is it?"

  "Not very," replied Bat. "Only a short time."

  Bohlmier nodded. Then he laid the thin blade against the stone upon thetable, kissing it gently along its full length of edge. The man's breathseemed to hiss softly as the steel slipped across the stone; and as itturned deftly and came back, the hiss changed to a blissful, waterygurgling, thin and long drawn in. A prickling ran across Scanlon'sscalp; he had the sensation of warm flesh being cleverly and slowly laidopen with a razor-like blade which had sand upon its edge.

  HE LIFTED THE BLADE ONCE MORE]

  There was a cherubic smile upon the face of the old Swiss as he liftedthe blade once more and ran his thumb down its length.

  "Hah!" he said, "it is goot. I vill do no more."

  Carefully, he wiped the knife and stone with a cloth and laid themaside. After this he polished his big spectacles and surveyed Batminutely.

  "You are a stranger in der city, I belief," stated he.

  "I don't know much about it," replied Bat, and for this he eased hisconscience with the reflection that few men did.

  "It's a fine blace," said Bohlmier. "Der gelt is plenty, if a man dernerve haf." Here a canary in a small cage, hung high among the plants,began a long thrill, liquid and full. The Swiss smiled with pleasedsurprise. "Ah, rasgal!" admonished he, shaking one fond finger. "Is idnot asleeb? Is dis der hour for enchoyments? Right away, now, der headunder der ving, or to scold I vill begin."

  The bird, as though understanding, ceased its song; then the man turnedto Bat once more.

  "Our friendt vill tell you some dings," said he. "He is an enterbrisingman. It vill pay you to listen."

  A little later Scanlon wandered into a large room, leading off from theoffice; the floor was sanded here, also; between two windows was acolored print in which William Tell refused to salute the symbol oftyranny, before a background of Alpine hills. There were heavy benchesalong the walls and some chairs scattered about, with a few bare, butthoroughly scrubbed tables upon which lay newspapers. The men who satand smoked, or talked, or read in this room were peculiarly of a kind.Their dress was almost exactly similar, the stage of wear being the onlydifference. Each of them smoked a cigarette, nervously; each wore a capwhich came well down to the ears and shoes which "humped" up suddenly atthe toes. They had the furtive manners which become habitual in theshaded section of a big city; their eyes were quick and cold and alwaysinquiring.

  Bat took a seat at a window, and also lighted a cigarette.

  "My make-up is fair," thought he, complacently, "and now, with thecigarette going, no one would doubt that I had been working under coverfor years."

  He read a newspaper and smoked for the better part of an hour; the lighthad dimmed and the old Swiss had turned on the gas; then Big Slim,narrow shouldered and stooping, came into the room with his peculiarslinking gait.
r />   "Hello!" greeted Scanlon, as he got up. "I've just been wondering if Iwas going to see you."

  "Was out with a friend of mine looking over some new work," said theburglar, with a grin. "You gotta keep after business if you expect toget any of it."

  "Had anything to eat?" asked Bat.

  "Not yet. Let's go around to Joey Loo's."

  The two left the hotel, and passed through a tangle of narrow, forlornlooking streets; then they turned into a cellar opening, with dirtywooden steps and a glass-paneled door upon which was painted someChinese characters in brilliant red. The warm, moist breath of orientalcookery was thick around them as they sat down at one of the smalltables, and Scanlon looked about. Some patrons of both sexes werealready there; the women were dejected, or hard; here and there wereseen a few who were merely vacant. The men were of the meagre, pallidtype, nervous of action and furtive of eye. Stoical Chinamen, withsoft-falling feet, carried food about.

  "Great chow in this dump," said Big Slim. "I spotted it one night when Iwas edging away from a 'bull.' The Chinks can cook, and that's more thanyou can say of a lot of the other folks who take it into their heads torun eating places."

  A fat Chinaman with a smiling face and a greasy blouse came up to them,and the burglar began pointing out to Bat the high points of thecuisine. When they had given their orders Big Slim rolled a cigaretteand leaned back in his chair. A newspaper which lay upon the tablecaught his eye and he grinned derisively.

  "Gee," said he, "the cops are the solidest chunks of ivory I ever seen.Some of the things you read about them doing are screams."

  "What now?" asked Bat, the gleam in the green eyes of the otherinteresting him.

  Big Slim chuckled, and his shifty look went from Scanlon to the regionround about them, and then back again.

  "There was a fellow shoved off the other night--out in thesuburbs--maybe you saw something about it? Well, the bulls made an awfulmess of that. I never seen them fall down so hard before--and believeme, that's saying something."

  "That was the Burton case, wasn't it? I've been following it a little,"said Bat.

  Big Slim took a deep draught from the cigarette and then flung it away.Slowly he exhaled the smoke; and then sat looking at his companion, andcracking the joints of his bony fingers.

  "That guy Burton was a slick one," said he, admiringly. "You gotta handhim that."

  "You knew him, did you?" said Bat.

  "A little. He done the swell mobs. Society people and gambling wereother things he worked at. And it's been whispered more than once thathe was handy with a pen."

  "Nice work," said Bat. "But dangerous."

  "About the best things he pulled were his get-aways," said Big Slim."The cops never got anything on him, and he'd been fooling with the edgeof the law for years. His son did not inherit any of the 'Bounder's'talent; for here he is waiting on the grand jury, charged with pushingthe old man over the edge." The burglar chuckled, highly entertained."The cops are a fine gang when you start 'em right," said he. "And whenthey do get a thing, you got to put it where they'll almost fall overit."

  The fat Chinaman brought the food ordered, and set it before them with acomfortable air of appreciation.

  "Good!" stated he. "Vel' fine."

  When he had departed and they began to test his statement, Bat spokecarelessly:

  "Is it your idea that young Burton didn't have a hand in this thing?"

  Big Slim blew at the steam ascending from a dish of rice.

  "Sure not," said he. "I seen that guy lots of times; he's as soft asmush. You couldn't get him to bump anybody that way on a bet."

  "Funny!" said Bat. "Who could have done it?"

  Big Slim shook his head with the air of one who could talk eloquently ifhe would. For a time they ate their food in silence; then the burglarresumed:

  "You know what I told you last night about the phony fighter, Allen? HowI expected to turn a trick that'd get me a roll, and be able to put itup for him in that match?"

  "Yes," said Bat, interested.

  "I've been doing work all over the United States for a good many years,"stated the burglar, "and I've run into some funny jobs. But this one hadthem all faded. You could start a thousand times and never fall like Idid that time."

  "Tough!" Bat nodded sagely. "A fellow remembers those things."

  "I'll remember that one, all right," promised the other. "Don't let thatworry you."

  "Diamonds, I think you said." The big athlete looked appreciative, andlabored with the Asiatic cookery.

  "Some of them were as big as that," and Big Slim grouped some grains ofrice upon the edge of his plate. "Not bad, eh?"

  "Extra special," replied the big athlete, promptly. "Diamonds like thatare only to be mentioned with great respect."

  "It was one of the easiest kind of tricks to turn," said the burglar. "Awoman had 'em--but I think I told you that. She wore 'em everynight--and I framed the whole thing so that it couldn't fail. She livesup town, and gets home about the same time every night There was ascaffolding up the side of the house--right under her window."

  Bat laughed and reached for a salt shaker with a great assumption ofcarelessness.

  "It might have been built for you, eh?" said he. "Easy is right."

  "I slipped up the scaffolding before she got home," said Big Slim,drifting, perhaps, unconsciously into the narrative. "And I was outsidewhen she came into the room. She pulled down the blind, and then I movedover right under the window. The blind wasn't all the way down; so Ilaid fiat on the boards, and could see into the room."

  Bat made an indefinite sort of noise down in his throat; perhaps theburglar fancied it indicated interest; at any rate he went on:

  "She stood for a while, thinking. Then she begins to take off thediamonds. There was a box there, to put them in--all open and ready.

  "'Fine,' thinks I, to myself. 'When they are all gathered up nice andsafe, that's when I'll reach for them--then I'll be sure to have themall.'

  "She was still taking them off--out of her hair, from her breast, fromaround her neck; then suddenly she stopped and stood still, as thoughshe'd heard something and was listening. And then the door opens and inwalks a man, all smiling and smooth, and takes off his hat."

  "I see--a man she knows?"

  "Her husband," said Big Slim. "Her husband that she don't live with, andbelieve me, she wasn't any way tickled to see him. I couldn't hear much,but every now and then I got a word or so, and was able to string thething together. He was broke, and wanted money. She wouldn't give up. Hethreatened her; but she called him, strong. Then he hits her and grabsthe diamonds, and was off."

  "And you were left!" said Bat, displaying a grin which cost him someeffort.

  "Left flat!" The lank burglar pulled at his fingers until the jointscracked. "He took the whole lay-out right from under my nose."

  "What did you do then?" asked Bat.

  "For a couple of seconds I hung fire," said Big Slim. "I had it in mymind to jump into the room, follow, and lay him out. But a better plancame to me. Why not skim down the scaffold, and get the lad as he leftthe house with the stuff?"

  "Good!" said Bat. "That's it!"

  "That's what I done," said the burglar, "and as I was slipping down, Iframed it for the guy. I wouldn't hold him up in front of the house;there were too many lights and too many chances to take. I'd wait tillI got him in a street that was darker, and had more get-aways."

  "What about the woman?" asked Bat. "Was she hurt much?"

  "No," replied Big Slim. "While I was thinking what I'd do--after thefellow blew with the diamonds, I was still looking into the room. Sheheld her hand to her face for a moment as if it'd hurt her pretty bad;then she took it away, and"--here the speaker grinned widely--"well,maybe it was a good thing for friend husband that he wasn't there justthen. She'd a look on her face that was equal to anything."

  "Humph!" said Bat. "I don't wonder."

  "And she didn't take it all out in looks," said Big Slim, with the grinsti
ll upon his cadaverous face. "I seen her burst right out wild; shepulled open a drawer and took out something--I couldn't see just what itwas, but I caught a shine from it and I'd bet my head it was a gun. Sheput it in her breast; then she grabs up her wraps and things and tearsout of the room."

  "After him!" Bat stared at the other, a feeling of weakness creepingover him.

  "Like a shot. When I got to the bottom of the scaffold I stayed in theshadows till he came out; when he got a little distance away, I was justgoing to follow, when the door opened again and she came out."

  "And she dogged him," said Bat. "You are sure of that, are you?"

  "Sure?" Big Slim chuckled as he looked at Bat, his head noddingaffirmatively. "I should say I am. It was a double shadow. There shegoes, down the street after him; and there I am, after her, just as niceas you please."