Devil's Cocktail (Wallace of the Secret Service Series)

by Alexander Wilson

  Hudson shuddered, and Rahtz laughed.

  ‘Squeamish, my friend?’ he asked. ‘Well, I won’t ask you to participate in the ceremony; I won’t even invite Novar – I’ll do it all myself. I assure you that the result will be eminently artistic and satisfactory to all parties.’

  ‘At the same time,’ interposed Novar, ‘I should like to know how you propose to set about it?’

  The door was flung violently open, and Kamper appeared on the threshold. The other three gazed at him in alarm. Then he closed the door behind him and advanced into the room.

  ‘Give me a drink!’ he demanded in Russian.

  Novar hastened to supply him.

  ‘What has happened?’ asked Rahtz.

  The Jew took a long drink, then commenced to gabble out his story, but Novar held up his hand.

  ‘You had better speak in English,’ he said, ‘as our friend Hudson does not understand Russian.’

  Kamper reverted to the other language and proceeded to tell them of his encounter with Shannon.

  ‘You were a fool!’ said Rahtz harshly, when he had finished. ‘What did you enter the house for?’

  ‘To search his rooms, of course,’ replied Kamper. ‘You may not think he is very dangerous to our plans, but I have a different opinion. That’s vhy I vanted to see if I could find anything to prove that I vas right.’

  ‘You were lucky to escape!’

  ‘I vas – I admit it.’

  ‘What makes you think he is dangerous?’ asked Hudson anxiously.

  ‘Because I knew him in England, and saw his vork; that’s vhy!’

  Novar walked up and down the room in agitation.

  ‘Was there ever such misfortune!’ he groaned. ‘Two events have happened in one day to prove to him that there is something taking place.’ He turned on the Jew viciously. ‘Damn you, Kamper!’ he said. ‘He knows you are in Lahore now, and I was most anxious to avoid that.’

  The other smiled sardonically.

  ‘He has known it ever since I first arrived,’ he said.

  ‘How do you know?’ shot out Rahtz.

  ‘He told me so! He said he vas just vaiting for me to proclaim myself!’

  Hudson jumped to his feet in alarm.

  ‘Look here, Rahtz,’ he said, ‘something will have to be done. This fellow Shannon is not the fool we have thought.’

  ‘That is unfortunately now evident,’ put in Novar.

  Rahtz held up his hand.

  ‘Of course you told him nothing, Kamper?’ he asked.

  ‘Vot you take me for!’ said the Jew indignantly. ‘I’m not a mad man. He, however, did search me, and in the back of my vatch he found the paper vich admits to the meeting.’

  ‘Good God!’ said Novar. He sat down shakily.

  ‘What did he do with it?’ demanded Rahtz, who was by far the coolest of the three.

  ‘He asked me many questions vich I vould not answer, then he put it into his pocket, and said he vould puzzle it out for himself.’

  ‘Well, he can never do that!’ said Rahtz. He turned sharply on Hudson who was looking thoroughly alarmed. ‘Pull yourself together, you coward!’ he said. ‘Shannon doesn’t know anything more than he did before, and that is nothing!’

  ‘What if he discovers the meaning of the drawing?’

  ‘Bah! He can’t do that!’

  ‘Nevertheless,’ said Novar, ‘I wish I could arrange to have the design altered, but unfortunately there is no time.’

  ‘I tell you,’ said Rahtz impatiently, ‘that it is impossible for him to find out the meaning of that diagram. Why, he would have to know about the meeting itself to guess what it is for. All the same I must admit that he begins to get on one’s nerves – the sooner he dies the better. Did he find anything else incriminating on you, Kamper?’

  ‘No. A few letters of no use to him or anybody else vere in my pockets, and a revolver and knife, besides my vatch. All of them I have lost.’

  ‘Serves you right for being a fool!’ A dangerous gleam came into the Jew’s little eyes.

  ‘Take care!’ he snarled. ‘I don’t vant nothing like that from you, Rahtz!’

  The other smiled sneeringly at him.

  ‘Rubbed you up the wrong way, have I?’ he asked. ‘Why, you little rat, I’ll break you in two if you cheek me!’

  ‘That’s enough, Rahtz!’ interposed Novar with a frown. ‘We’ve other things to think about besides quarrelling, and naturally Kamper’s experience has upset him.’

  ‘Vell, I’m going,’ said the Jew, ‘and if Shannon crosses my path ven there is nobody about, he’ll get six inches of cold steel in him. I’ve got more than vone knife.’

  ‘Don’t be such a fool!’ said Novar. ‘You’ll bring a catastrophe upon us if you do anything like that. Rahtz and I will deal with Shannon and in a way that will be safer and more subtle than, yours.’

  Kamper shrugged his shoulders.

  ‘Have your own vay,’ he said. ‘I von’t argue the point.’

  With that he nodded to the three curtly and walked out of the house. He had hardly gone when there came a timid knock at the door and a bearer entered to announce that a Hindu, Malawa Chand, was waiting to speak to Novar.

  ‘Tell him to come in here!’ ordered the latter. ‘It is one of the fellows I set to follow Shannon whenever he went out in his car,’ he added to his companions.

  The man entered with many salaams and an anxious expression on his face.

  ‘Well, what is it?’ demanded Novar in Hindustani.

  The other broke into a voluble description of how he and his mate had been tricked by Shannon, when they had followed him in the car, and that, in consequence, they had lost him and could not report where he had gone. This fresh incident roused a regular devil in Rahtz and catching the fellow by the scruff of the neck he kicked him out of the house. Hudson tried to stop him, but was pushed aside without ceremony.

  ‘Look here, Rahtz,’ he said, when the Russian returned to the room wiping his hands on a handkerchief, ‘if you treat these fellows like this, you’ll have them turning on us and giving us away!’

  ‘Not a bit of it,’ replied the other. ‘They’re all too frightened of the police to do that.’

  Novar nodded.

  ‘We took care to choose men we knew were criminals,’ he said. ‘I possess ample proof of crime against each. Most of them are murderers!’

  ‘A nice thing for us,’ muttered Hudson, ‘to be surrounded by murderers and criminals!’

  Rahtz laughed harshly.

  ‘What about yourself?’ he asked. ‘A theft of two lacs of rupees is not criminal when you do the thieving, I suppose?’

  Hudson shrank back into his seat. The other two looked at him ironically.

  ‘Well well,’ Novar said, ‘we won’t talk of that little affair. It put you into our hands, and you have done some good work for us in consequence. And now you are so deeply involved that I have come to regard you almost as a Russian.’

  ‘My mother was Russian!’ said Hudson hoarsely.

  ‘Quite so!’ replied Novar urbanely. ‘But I’m afraid that won’t save you from being treated as a traitor if you are found out.’

  ‘Is there any chance of the – the plot being discovered, do you think?’ stammered Hudson.

  ‘Not the slightest,’ replied Rahtz. ‘But you may rest assured of this, my friend, that if by some chance it were, Novar and I would make quite sure that your part in it became known. So don’t think that there is any possibility of your escaping!’

  ‘Why are you threatening me?’

  ‘I’m not! I am merely mentioning a fact.’

  ‘Come, come! This is unfriendly talk,’ said Novar. Then his brow clouded. ‘We have had enough proofs today that Shannon is cleverer than we thought him,’ he went on, ‘to make it imperative that measures should be taken to render him harmless. It was very cute of him to remove those sparking plugs from the car!’

  ‘Devilish!’ snapped Rahtz. ‘He and that fello
w Cousins seem to be able to avoid detection whenever they wish. To my mind it is obvious that he was out on some errand tonight and did not desire to be followed.’

  Novar nodded.

  ‘I wonder where he went,’ he murmured. ‘However, we do not know, and that is all the more reason why he should die. Such a drastic course is to be deplored, and he is quite a nice fellow, too. If it were not that he is in the way, I might even be inclined to regret his demise.’

  ‘I’m afraid he will get no regrets from me,’ grunted Rahtz. ‘I did my best to make it impossible for him to remain in Sheranwala College and now I suppose I shall have to withdraw my words and apologise. Such a thing as an apology is distasteful to me. I think he had better die before it becomes necessary.’

  ‘We must not be hasty, my dear Rahtz,’ said Novar smoothly, ‘otherwise we may spoil the full artistic finish that you – er – promised us.’

  ‘There is no fear of its being spoilt,’ replied the other, with an ugly laugh. ‘I will use the utmost care!’

  ‘I should like to know how you propose to relieve Shannon of the necessity of living?’

  Rahtz stood smiling for a few moments as though the contemplation of his plan was affording him some amusement, then:

  ‘You know, of course, that there is a very well-equipped laboratory in my College?’

  The other two nodded.

  ‘In that laboratory,’ he went on, ‘there is a sealed tube containing enough cholera bacilli to kill twenty people. I intend removing a certain quantity from the tube, resealing it, and putting it back in its place. Shannon and Miles are visiting me to look over the College very soon. What more natural than that they should have a drink with me afterwards? And Shannon’s glass will contain his death!’

  Hudson shivered as though with the ague, but Novar laughed as if he had just heard a very good joke.

  ‘A splendid notion, my dear fellow,’ he said, ‘and one that appeals to me immensely. Two or three days later our friend will be no more! Splendid! There is only one point that occurs to me which may possibly spoil it. That is, that perhaps Shannon may refuse a drink!’

  ‘I’ll see that he doesn’t!’ said the other with conviction.

  Novar rubbed his hands together and looked pleased.

  ‘You must take care in removing the bacilli,’ he remarked.

  ‘I’m not a fool!’ retorted Rahtz.

  The other turned to Hudson.

  ‘What do you think of the idea?’ he asked. ‘Our friend is certainly artistic, is he not?’

  ‘He’s a devil!’ said Hudson hoarsely.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Rahtz Mixes a Cocktail

  The next few days contained almost a series of triumphs for Hugh. The Committee of the Club made special efforts to clear his name, the secretary making an official announcement whilst a crowded dance was in progress and a statement even being put into the local paper. Everywhere he went he was greeted by people anxious to show their friendship, and those who had been the first to turn their backs on him were now among the first to fawn upon him. They declared that they had never believed a word of the accusation and made Hugh thoroughly sick with their smug assurances of unshattered faith in his honour. Invitations poured in for various functions, and altogether he was made as much of as though he had performed something notable. Rahtz, who had tried so hard to damn him with the College authorities, now telephoned to explain matters and apologise, and Hugh felt a real sense of triumph when the Chairman of the College Board, by force of necessity, came to beg his pardon.

  Among the many visitors were Groves and Miss Palmer. The latter walked into the bungalow as though she owned it, whilst Groves blustered his way in, the hearty good fellow as ever.

  ‘Of course, you knew that we never believed such a scandalous thing,’ said the former to Joan. ‘It sounded false, and I could see in the woman’s face that she was lying. It was so obvious and I really felt very sorry for your brother.’

  ‘I noticed that as you walked away,’ put in Miles, who happened to be present.

  ‘I walked away to show my disbelief, and because I thought it would be embarrassing to you if I stayed. Besil agreed with me!’

  ‘Sure!’ said the irrepressible American, ‘Besil would!’

  ‘It was a bad business,’ said Groves in his strange voice. ‘But you can never trust a half and halfer and she was one, absolutely – I saw that at once. Keep away from ’em, is my advice, now and always. I loathe the breed. They’ll turn a harmless flirtation into God only knows what, and—’

  ‘I didn’t even have a harmless flirtation,’ interrupted Hugh.

  ‘Of course not; still there you are! A drink? Yes, I don’t mind, thanks! It’s just about peg time!’

  Two days after his encounter with Kamper, Hugh received a letter from Rahtz, saying that he would be delighted to show him and Miles over Mozang College on the following Sunday morning, if they would call about eleven. In reply Hugh rang him up and told him that they would be glad to come along and would be there at the time appointed.

  Sunday arrived, and they were about to set out when Joan came to them.

  ‘Be careful, both of you,’ she said. ‘I suppose I am very silly, but I have a premonition that you are going into danger.’

  Hugh laughed.

  ‘There won’t be any danger today,’ he assured her.

  ‘Don’t you worry any, Joan!’ said Miles. ‘I’ll look after Hugh!’

  ‘You be careful too, Oscar!’ she said with an adorable smile.

  ‘I’ll take care of him,’ said Hugh, ‘and return the compliment; so we’ll both be well looked after.’

  On the morning after his confession of love to Joan, Miles had come to Hugh and told him the news. Hugh had listened solemnly and when the American asked formally for his sister’s hand, pretended to hum and haw as though very doubtful. Miles immediately said that he knew that he was asking for an awful lot, but would make Joan very happy and would give her everything she wanted as he was a fairly wealthy man. Thereupon Shannon had laughed and confessed that he had almost walked in upon them the night before. He also said that he could not wish for a better brother-in-law and many other things to the same effect. That was a day of rejoicing in the bungalow, and the congratulations, intermingled with quotations, were kept up by Cousins until late at night. Miles borrowed the car during the afternoon and went out and purchased the most expensive engagement ring he could find – an exquisite affair of sapphires and diamonds.

  Arrived at Mozang College they found Rahtz waiting for them at the gate, and he conducted them to his office, where he offered them cigarettes before starting out on their tour of inspection.

  ‘The first thing I must do, Captain Shannon,’ said the Russian, ‘is to apologise most humbly for believing the accusations that were made against you at the Club, and for reporting the matter to your authorities. I’m afraid I felt very strongly about it at the time, and allowed my indignation to outweigh my better judgment – I am sorry!’

  ‘Please say no more about it!’ said Hugh. ‘You made ample amends by telephoning to explain matters, when the truth was discovered.’

  ‘It is kind of you to remember my reparation and not my faults!’

  ‘At least you admit that you believed in my guilt,’ said Hugh, ‘while the others who turned their backs on me that night, now come forward and protest that they knew the girl was lying all the time!’

  ‘Indeed!’ murmured Rahtz. ‘But that is typical of the people here, I’m afraid.’

  ‘I guess you’re right there,’ remarked Miles. ‘I doubt if I have ever struck a bunch of folk I despised more.’

  Rahtz smiled.

  ‘You seem to be bitter,’ he said.

  ‘I am, when they show themselves to be so darned narrow-minded!’

  ‘I can’t understand what object the woman could have had,’ said the Russian.

  ‘Haven’t you heard that she had someone behind her?’ asked Hugh.
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br />   ‘Really! And who was this person?’

  ‘I guess it was more than one person,’ put in Miles.

  Rahtz darted a look at him.

  ‘How do you know that?’ he asked.

  ‘Guessed it for one thing, and she admitted it for another,’ was the reply. ‘Unfortunately she wouldn’t say who they were.’

  ‘Ah! Then you have no means of discovering the identity of these people?’

  ‘Well, I’m in the dark, but I’ve got a hunch that Shannon will do the trick. He’s got a nice little bunch of brains in that head of his.’

  Rahtz looked at the man of brains, and there was a gleam in his eye which did not escape the notice of the American.

  ‘You, no doubt, suspect somebody, Shannon?’ asked Rahtz.

  ‘Can’t say that,’ replied Hugh; ‘but when I find them, if I do, there’ll be trouble.’

  A faint smile passed across the Russian’s face.

  ‘But why should anybody plan such a plot against you?’ he said in a puzzled tone. ‘You surely haven’t made any enemies out here?’

  ‘I made one, besides Miss Gregson, on board,’ said Hugh, looking straight at him. ‘He treated my sister abominably, and we had a bit of a row. He’s the type of fellow to do anything mean and underhanded.’

  ‘Who is that?’ asked Rahtz, almost sharply.

  ‘I’d rather not discuss the matter any more, if you don’t mind,’ said Hugh.

  ‘Just as you like, of course,’ said the other courteously. ‘Let me show you round now!’

  Mozang College was a much better building, and far better equipped than Sheranwala College, and apart from the real object of their visit, which was to take a mental note of the place Hugh and Miles found a great deal to interest them. Rahtz proved an able cicerone, and he dilated at great length upon the various places and objects which claimed their attention. They wandered over the whole of the premises, including the playing fields, gymnasium and library, and spent some time in a students’ hostel near by, inspecting the cubicles, arrangements for meals, and the reading and rest rooms.