The Motor Pirate

by G. Sidney Paternoster

  CHAPTER XVI

  I COMMIT A BURGLARY

  THE night was moonless, but there was that soft diffused light in theair invariable in June, except on the cloudiest of evenings. There wasjust enough of it to enable us to see our way as we strolled towardsMannering's house. When we reached it everything appeared still. All thewindows were dark. I felt my heart beginning to beat faster thanordinarily as Forrest lifted the latch of the gate opening on to thestrip of garden, which lay between the road and the house. We walkedalong the turf edging of the path in order that our feet might notcrunch upon the gravel. Forrest was first. He went straight to the frontdoor and tried it. It was fast.

  "We will try one of those French windows," he whispered after returningto my side.

  The house was a two-story cottage with a verandah opening on the southside facing a lawn. On to this verandah windows opened from both thedining and sitting-rooms, the servants' quarters being on the other sideof the house.

  We went round the angle of the building and tried the first window. Itwas fastened. With cat-like tread Forrest glided on to the second. Itwas one of the two giving entrance to the sitting-room. A sibilant soundfrom the detective's lips took me to his side. Without hesitating asecond, he threw back the casement and stepped into the darkness.

  "Come," he muttered, and I followed.

  Heavy curtains veiled the windows and past these the darkness was thickenough to be felt. Of a sudden there was a crack which made me start. Itwas only Forrest striking a match. With imperturbable confidence, hestepped towards a table and lit the lamp which stood thereon. I feltexceedingly uncomfortable, but Forrest obviously knew no such qualms,for he at once proceeded to examine every object in the room. So far asI could see, there was nothing at all unusual about the place. The roomwas in exactly the same condition as I had observed it hundreds of timesbefore when I had dropped in for a smoke and a chat. On the table,beside the lamp, was a tantalus and a glass, and a half empty syphon.The glass had been used and the ash on the floor, beside an armchair,showed that a cigar had accompanied the drink. A pair of slippers lay onthe hearth rug as if they had been carelessly kicked off. Forrestpointed to them.

  "Mannering is not at home," he said. "If he had gone to bed, these wouldnot be here."

  "I hope he will not return while we are about," I muttered.

  "It would be a little awkward for him," said Forrest, calmly. "I shouldbe compelled to arrest him in self-defence, and I am not prepared to doso at present."

  He did not, however, hurry his movements in any way as he proceeded todeliberately search the room. Only once did he pause, and that was whenhe discovered a continental time-table of recent date. He brought thebook to the light and turned over the pages carefully. A gleam ofexultation crossed his face, as he pointed out to me a trace of tobaccoash between the pages which gave details of the train service betweenVienna and Amsterdam.

  "We are on the right track," he observed.

  But that one slight piece of evidence was all that the most carefulexamination of the room revealed, although there was not a drawer nor ashelf which he did not overhaul.

  "We must try his bedroom," he remarked, when he had finished with thesitting-room.

  "What about the servants?" I asked.

  "If they are not asleep, they will merely imagine that it is theirmaster going to bed," he replied, as taking a candlestick, which stoodon an occasional table near the door, he passed out of the room. Ifollowed him upstairs, with my heart in my mouth, and pointed out to himthe door of the room which Mannering occupied. As Forrest turned thehandle and entered, I was quite prepared to make a bolt for it. I shouldnot have been a bit surprised to have discovered our suspect sleepingquietly within. But Forrest turned and beckoned me to enter. The roomwas empty, and this time I assisted the detective in his search.Between us we subjected the bedroom and the adjoining dressing-room tothe closest scrutiny, but without result. We could not, unfortunately,make an exhaustive examination, for there were one or two ancientpresses which were locked, and the Chubb safe let into the wall by thebed head was likewise fastened.

  The detective shrugged his shoulders when we had done.

  "As we haven't a burglar's outfit, we shall have to wait until we have asearch warrant," he muttered.

  With a disappointed air he led the way out of the room. On the landinghe paused. His keen gaze had rested for a moment on a travelling bagwhich stood under a table. There were the remains of a number of labelsupon it and he scanned them carefully. There was no sufficient of anyone of them left for identification.

  "He's a clever devil," he whispered.

  Then he opened the bag and again his countenance lightened. Inside wasan empty bottle bearing the label of a London chemist, with theadditional superscription--"Peroxide of Hydrogen."

  "The fair hair is accounted for," commented Forrest. "And as for the dyewhich would restore his locks to their natural colour, I presume he hasit under lock and key."

  He slipped the bottle into his pocket and returned downstairs, Ifollowing at his heels.

  "There's not enough at present against him to warrant his arrest," hesaid, when we were again in the sitting-room.

  "Then why not have a look round his workshops," I suggested.

  "His what?" queried Forrest, eagerly.

  "Haven't I ever mentioned them to you? Haven't you ever heard thatMannering spends all his spare time in experimental motor construction?"I asked in surprise.

  "I think I have heard it mentioned, but until this moment I have alwaysthought it was chaff," he replied.

  "Good heavens!" I ejaculated.

  "I should have been inside that shop a couple of months ago," hecontinued, "if I had thought---- Whereabouts is the shop?"

  "Just at the back of the house and abutting on the side of the road," Iexplained. "The old coach-house and stables." Then as the thoughtoccurred to me, I continued, "Why I heard him tell you of his workhimself."

  "That's precisely the reason why I paid no attention to it," said mycompanion. "Can you take me to the place?"

  I led the way through the French window, Forrest putting out the lightbefore he followed me, and carefully closing the casement behind him ashe stepped on to the verandah. A clock, somewhere in St. Albans, struckthe half after two as we crossed the lawn in the direction of theworkshop.

  "We have only a short time at our disposal," whispered Forrest. "Thedarkness is lifting, and our friend will soon be returning."

  We passed through a side door, which we found unlocked, into what hadonce been the stable-yard. But we could get no further. The two doorswhich gave admission to the building were firmly fastened, and there wasno available window by which we might gain entrance. We retraced oursteps, and, passing out of the door, approached the stables from theroad. By this time the dawn had made such progress that we knew ourchances of getting inside before Mannering's return were dwindlingrapidly. We found no more likelihood of obtaining admission from thisside than the other.

  "I cannot arrest a man on the evidence of a few grains of tobacco dust,and an empty phial," declared Forrest, savagely, as he shook the tightlylocked door. "Listen!" I said.

  Borne on the wind came the throb of a motor. So still was the air thatwhen the sound first reached our ears it must have been a mile away. Thesound drew nearer and nearer, and while it was still a quarter of a miledistant, I recognized the familiar noise of Mannering's car, a sound asdissimilar to the hum of the Pirate car as it was possible to conceive.

  "Forrest," I cried, turning to my companion, "we must be mad to thinkthat Mannering could play the part of the Motor Pirate on that old carof his."

  There was something so irresistibly ludicrous in the idea, that we bothindulged in a hearty fit of laughter, and with one accord we turned andwalked down the road.

  "He may keep his fast car elsewhere," remarked the detective, when hismirth had subsided.

  "It would be difficult to bring the guilt home to him if we failed todiscover the car," I repli
ed.

  A few seconds later we met the man whom we had so lately suspected. Ifelt a tinge of shame at the thought that, a few minutes previously, Ihad been sneaking into his house in the hope that I should find evidenceto convict him of a crime. By this time dawn was sufficiently advancedto allow of recognition, and as he came level with us Mannering pulledup.

  "Hullo, Sutgrove!" he shouted. "You're about betimes. Been on the samejob as myself?"

  "What's that, Mr. Mannering?" asked Forrest

  "Looking for an opportunity to pay back this little debt," was the lightanswer, as the speaker tapped his shoulder gently.

  "Any luck?" said Forrest, dryly.

  "Not a scrap," was the ready reply. "You see I'm a bit handicapped withthis old car, for unless the fellow happens to take the same road asmyself, there's precious little chance of my picking him up. Still, ifyou do not soon succeed in catching him, I think I shall have a good trymyself."

  "I suppose by that you know who he is," I remarked, more in order to seewhat he would say than in the hope of eliciting anything.

  "Not the slightest idea on the subject," he responded promptly. "I ammerely hoping that in a few days I shall be in possession of a new motorfrom which even the Pirate will be unable to escape."

  I made a gesture of surprise.

  "Fact," he continued. "My experiments have proved successful at last. Ina week I shall have delivered to me the new motor I have designed, andthen the Pirate had better look out. Good night."

  Waving an adieu, he set his car in motion, and jogged along until hereached the door of his coach-house. We watched him dismount, unlock thedoor, and disappear inside.

  "It beats me," remarked Forrest.

  "Surely you do not still harbour any suspicion concerning him?" Iinquired in amazement.

  Forrest made no reply. His head was bent, his brow knitted deeply, hishands clasped behind him as we turned and walked back to my place. Hedid not speak until we stopped on my doorstep.

  "I wish he had not seen us," my companion then remarked. "He will bebound to tumble to the conclusion that we suspect him, and will be onhis guard."

  "Then you do still suspect him," I cried again.

  "If I had one scrap of direct evidence," replied the detective,emphatically, "I would have him under arrest within half an hour. Onlyone little scrap," he almost groaned. "But, as it is, my reputationwould not survive if I made a mistake."

  "Why, you don't imagine that he would go so far as to shoot himself justto avert suspicion," I asked, still incredulous.

  Forrest drew himself up smartly. "Good Lord! What a fool I am!What--a--blind--dunderheaded--jackass!" he cried.

  "What's the matter now?" I inquired smiling, for the detective wasgroping in his pockets. "Have you lost anything?"

  From his waistcoat pocket he produced a small leaden bullet, and he heldit outstretched in the palm of his hand.

  "Here have I been wasting weeks on the continent, while with this Imight have settled the matter once and for all."

  "How?" I asked.

  "I needed but to compare this with the bullet the surgeon extracted fromMannering's shoulder. This is the one which killed the poor fellow nearTowcester. If Mannering's bullet is identical with this, I should havenothing more to say; but," he continued meaningly, "both your revolverand mine are of a different calibre to the weapon which fired this. Ifthe bullet which hit Mannering should prove to fit either of ourweapons, there would be no need to seek for further evidence. I must seethat surgeon at once."

  He started off rapidly down the garden path. I hurried after him andlaid my hand on his arm.

  "Steady, old man," I remarked. "You can hardly knock up a hardworkedmedical man at 3.30 a.m. just to ask him a question."

  Forrest stopped and gave a short laugh. "Upon my word, I had entirelyforgotten what the time was. No, you are quite right. There is no needfor such excessive hurry. Mannering is safe enough for the present."

  "At least, for the next eighteen hours," I observed, after glancing atmy watch. "Meanwhile, your room has been kept ready for you."

  "A little sleep will not come amiss," he answered, yawning; "though itseems almost a pity to go to bed on such a morning."

  He was right. By this time dawn was breaking with a splendour I havenever seen equalled before nor since. From east to west the sky wasstained and flecked with crimson and gold, and our faces glowed ruddilyin the reflected light. We both fell to silence, as with our faces tothe east we watched the uprising of the sun; and, until the sky paled asthe sun made its appearance above the line of the horizon, we did notstir.

  Then Forrest drew a deep breath. "There's been the beauty of destructionin the sunrise," he remarked. "We shall have a storm before nightfall."

  He followed me indoors, and, leaving him at the door of his room, I wentto my own. I got into my pyjamas, but I did not feel inclined to sleepfor the sunbeams were glancing in at my window, and all about were thesound and movement of the awakening earth-creatures. I wheeled an easychair to the window, and wrapping a blanket about me, took a novel I hadbeen reading and strove to fix my attention on the pages. I could not doso. Whether it was the reflex action of the brain from the excitement ofthe evening or not, but the fact was I felt unaccountably depressed. Ifought against the feeling as best I could. But I could not get out ofmy head the idea that some great danger was threatening, not myself, butthe one dearest to me in the world. From my window I could see her home,and I drew the chair into a position where my eyes might rest upon theroof which sheltered her. There was some consolation in this, and Iwatched until I eventually fell into an uneasy slumber, from which Iawakened unrefreshed and ill at ease.