CHAPTER XII
ANOTHER TELEPHONE CALL
The newspapers the following day were full of the exploits of the BlackStar. They explained that the master crook had inaugurated his campaignof crime and revenge by looting two of the richest financialinstitutions in the city. From the First National his men had obtainedmore than three hundred thousand dollars in currency. From the vault ofthe National Trust Company had been taken a quarter of a million in goldcoin.
Banking officials were frantic. They made arrangements to safeguardtheir property, fearing to lose the confidence of their depositors. Theyengaged extra watchmen, men they knew personally, since to engage astranger, no matter how good his references, might be to put one of theBlack Star's men in the place.
Sheriff Kowen and his deputies were blamed, the chief and his policemenwere declared incompetent and inefficient, and Roger Verbeck and Muggswere held up to ridicule.
The mysterious light that had come out of the sky was described atlength, and many speculations made as to its nature. The scene on theroof of the building, told by one of the detectives, was played up, andthere were many conjectures as to what it meant.
Had the master criminal come into possession of some wonderful newinvention? Was he able to escape when and as he liked? Some inclinedtoward this belief, and others declared that the Black Star had gonedown a fire escape under the noses of the officers, entered the buildingthrough a window at some floor, walked down the stairs and emerged intothe alley and gone his way. The Black Star, one paper stated, was a mereman and did not call upon the supernatural to aid him. He merely hadbetter brains than the police.
Where would he strike next?
Within three days, he had said in his letter to one of the papers, hewould steal, with the aid of his band, jewels and famous objects of art.Thousands of persons had valuable jewels, and it was well known that themaster criminal was a gem fiend, that he had a great collection andgloated over them. Perhaps he meant a jewelry establishment, a wholesalediamond house.
When it came to famous objects of art, there was a wealth of them in thecity. Two millionaires had great collections. There was a famous museumthat housed several hundred priceless paintings. Here and therethroughout the city were others.
Jewels were carried to safe-deposit vaults. The guards at the museumwere doubled. The two millionaires obtained police protection for theirresidences. And the city waited.
Two days passed, during which nothing was heard of the Black Star andhis band. Sheriff Kowen and his deputies searched in vain for MamieBlanchard. Roger Verbeck and Muggs drove about in the big roadstercontinually, watching people, trying to catch a glimpse of some knownmember of the Black Star's old organization.
The city was gone over, block by block, in an effort to locate themaster crook's headquarters, but to no avail. The search extended to thesuburbs, but nobody thought of the old farmhouse far up the river nearthe pleasure resort.
"Well, it's about time we heard from him again!" the chief said toVerbeck on the morning of the third day.
"I look for him to strike to-night," Verbeck said.
"And where do you think he'll strike?"
"That is the puzzle," Verbeck admitted. "I scarcely think he willattempt the museum. It would be a blow to civic pride if he did andsucceeded, of course, but the odds would be against him."
"He seems to thrive on odds that are against him," the chief replied.
"Sooner or later, we'll get him!" Verbeck declared. "Sooner or later oneof his people will make a slip that will give us the clew we need. Theycan't keep it up forever."
"But I want to land him right away!" the chief fumed. "Did you happen toread the morning paper? If this sort of thing keeps up, the mayor willbe asking for my resignation, and I'll go out of office without havingvindicated myself. Confound Kowen, anyway! Why couldn't he keep thecrook when he had him? But for Kowen, the Black Star would be doing timein the big prison right now!"
"But he isn't--and it doesn't do any particular good to wail about it,"said Verbeck. "The thing to do is to get him again. Made any plans?"
"I'm up in the air!" the chief complained. "What plans can I make? I'vegot men guarding the museum, and those millionaires' residences, and afew scattered near the jewelry establishments. And I'll hold men readyto go to any section of the city when we get an alarm. That is all I cando. If we knew where he was going to strike----"
A buzzer sounded, and the chief took up the telephone.
"Hello!" he called.
"That you, chief?"
"Yes."
"Ah, good morning. This is the Black Star! I have tapped a private lineagain, chief, to have a little chat with you! I've been resting for acouple of days, giving my men and women a holiday. But I'm eager to bebusy again!"
"When I get my hands on you----" the chief began.
"Tut, tut! Why do you always grow violent when I do you the honor ofcalling you up?"
"Honor? Insult, you mean! We'll get you, and get you good, one of thesedays!"
"I'll have all the wealth in town if you delay it very long," said theBlack Star laughing. "By the way, chief, I'd suggest that you keep a lotof your men at headquarters to-night. You are going to need them."
"Think so?"
"I know it! And I have a faint idea that the newspapers are going to saymore naughty things about you to-morrow. That was a pretty grilling the_Herald_ gave you, wasn't it?"
"I'll give you a grilling when I get my hands on you!" the chief said."So you're going to pull off some sort of a stunt to-night, are you?"
"I am. Inaction bores me, chief. My men are eager to get to work again.They take great pleasure in helping outwit the stupid men on yourforce."
"We'll see who'll do the final outwitting!" the chief cried. "I'm goingto----"
"Going to get me, I think you said before. Sorry to dispute you, chief,but I can't agree. How do you expect to accomplish it?"
"Tell me one thing," said the chief. "How did you get off that roof, andwhere did you go?"
"Sorry, but that is a sort of state secret for the present," the BlackStar replied.
"Well, if you didn't go down one of the fire escapes, write a letter tothe newspapers and say so. They're swearing that you walked right out ofthat building before our noses."
"All right, chief, I'll inform the papers that I did nothing of thekind. But I'll not explain at this time just what I did do. You see, Imight want to do it again soon."
"If you are so blamed sure of your ability, why not tell me what you aregoing to do to-night?"
"Gladly chief. I am going to collect some jewels and some objects ofart."
"Oh, are you?" asked the chief. "Going to collect them in any particularspot?"
"Naturally; but I do not intend to tell you the spot just now. Thatwould be running too much of a risk, I am afraid. By the way, is Mr.Verbeck there?"
"He is!"
"I haven't time to speak to him, but will you kindly tell him for methat I hope he shows more speed in this little duel with me. I wasdisgusted with him the other evening--he showed no cleverness at all.Tell him that I hope he improves. And now, chief, I must end theconversation for the time being."
There was a click at the other end of the wire. The chief slammed thereceiver into its hook and whirled around in his chair.
"Wanted me to tell you to show more cleverness and make the game moreinteresting, Verbeck," the chief said. "Make it interesting for him ifwe get the chance, all right! Says he's going to collect jewels andobjects of art this evening."
"Then I suppose he'll do it," Verbeck said. "Have your men ready to jumpout as soon as the alarm comes in. What is the sheriff doing, chief?"
"Kowen? Sleeping on the job, I suppose. He swears that he and hisdeputies will catch the Black Star--beat us to it. I had a row with himyesterday at luncheon. Kowen makes me tired! He's looking for thatBlanchard woman."
"The Princess? He's not likely to find her," Verbeck said. "Either theBlack Star has sent her out of th
e city, or she is in hiding some placewhere she'll not be located easily. You can wager that the Black Startakes good care of The Princess--she is one of the most valuable membersof his band!"
Black Star's Campaign: A Detective Story Page 12
