The British Mysteries Edition: 14 Novels & 70+ Short Stories. Sapper
killed him," said the girl, helping herself to champagne.
"I did," answered the Count. "And without the leader I think we can ignore the gang."
"That's all right as far as it goes," said the Reverend Theodosius in a slightly mollified tone. "But have you covered all your traces? In this country the police get peevish over murder."
The Count gave a self-satisfied smile. "Not only that," he remarked, "but I have made it appear as if he had killed himself. Listen, my friends, and I will give you a brief statement of the events of the past few days. It was the day before the affair at Sheffield which caused such a commotion in the papers that I suddenly found out that the leader of this gang had discovered my headquarters in Hoxton. I was actually talking to that wretched man Latter in my office at the time, when I heard outside the call of an owl. Now from information I had received, that was the rallying call of their gang, and I dashed into the passage. Sure enough, standing by the door at the end was a huge man covered from head to foot in black. Whether it was bravado that made him give the cry, or whether it was a ruse to enable him to see me, is immaterial now. As I say—he is dead. But—and this is the point—it made me decide that the office there, convenient though it was, would have to be given up. There were far too many incriminating documents to allow me to run the risk of a police raid; and since I frankly admit now that I was not at all sure what were the relations between this gang and the police, I decided to move my headquarters."
Count Zadowa helped himself to a sandwich before continuing, with a pleasant feeling that the motionless attention of the Reverend Theodosius was a compliment to his powers as a raconteur. And as the hunchback reflected complacently, there was no falling off in this story—no anticlimax.
"To-night," he continued, sipping his glass, "I was completing the final sorting out of my papers with my secretary, when the electric warning disc on my desk glowed red. Now the office was empty, and the red light meant that someone had opened the door outside. I heard nothing, which only made it all the more suspicious. So between us we gathered up every important paper, switched off all lights, and went out through the secret door. Then we waited."
He turned to the clergyman, still motionless save for a ceaseless tapping of his left knee with his hand.
"As you know, monsieur," he proceeded, "there is an opening in that door through which one can see into the room. And through that opening I watched developments. After a while a torch was switched on at the farther door, and I heard voices. And then the man holding the torch came cautiously in. He was turning it into every corner, but finally he focused it on the desk. I heard him speak to one of his companions, who came into the beam of light and started to pick the lock. And it was then that I switched on every light, and closed the door electrically. They were caught—caught like rats in a trap."
The hunchback paused dramatically, and drained his champagne. If he was expecting any laudatory remarks on the part of his audience he was disappointed. But the Reverend Theodosius and his little Janet might have been carved out of marble, save for that ceaseless tapping by the man of his left knee. In fact, had Count Zadowa been less pleased with himself and less sure of the effect he was about to cause he might have had a premonition of coming danger. There was something almost terrifying in the big clergyman's immobility.
"Like rats in a trap," repeated the hunchback gloatingly. "Two men I didn't know, and—well, you know who the other was. True he had his mask on by way of disguise, but I recognised him at once. That huge figure couldn't be mistaken—it was the leader of the Black Gang himself."
"And what did you do, Zadowa?" The Reverend Theodosius's voice was very soft. "How did you dispose of one or all those men so that no suspicion is likely to rest on you?"
The hunchback rubbed his hands together gleefully.
"By an act which, I think you will agree, is very nearly worthy of yourself, monsieur. To shoot was impossible—because I am not sufficiently expert with a revolver to be sure of killing them. No—nothing so ordinary as that. They saw me watching them: 'I can see his eyes, Hugh,' said one of them to the leader, and I remember suddenly that in the passage not far from where I stood were half a dozen bombs—What is it, monsieur?"
He paused in alarm at the look on the clergyman's face as he slowly rose.
"Bombs!" he snarled. "Bombs! Tell me what you did, you dreg!"
"Why," stammered the frightened hunchback, "I threw one into the room. I no longer wanted it as an office, and...Ah, heaven, don't murder me!...What have I done?"
His words died away in a dreadful gurgle, as the clergyman, his face diabolical with fury, sprang on him and gripped him by the throat. He shook the hunchback as a terrier shakes a rat, cursing horribly under his breath—and for a moment or two it seemed as if the other's fear was justified. There was murder in the big man's face, until the touch of the girl's hand on his arm steadied him and brought him to his senses. With a last spasm of fury he hurled the wretched Zadowa into a corner, and left him lying there; then his iron self-control came back to him.
"Get up," he ordered tensely, "and answer some questions."
Trembling all over, the hunchback staggered to his feet, and came into the centre of the room. "Monsieur," he whined, "I do not understand. What have I done?"
"You don't need to understand!" snarled the clergyman. "Tell me exactly what happened when the bomb burst."
"It killed the three men, monsieur," stammered the other.
"Curse the three men!" He lifted his clenched fist, and Zadowa shrank back. "What happened to the room?"
"It was wrecked utterly. A great hole was blown in the wall."
"And what happened to the desk?"
"I don't know exactly, monsieur," stammered the other. "I didn't go back to see. But it must have been blown to matchwood. Only as there was nothing inside of importance it makes no odds."
"Did you look in the secret drawer at the back of the centre opening? You didn't know there was one, did you? Only I knew of its existence, and short of taking the desk to pieces no one would be able to find it. And you took the desk to pieces, Zadowa, didn't you? You blew it to pieces, Zadowa, didn't you? Just to kill the leader of this trumpery gang, Zadowa, you cursed fool!"
Step by step the hunchback was retreating before the other, terror convulsing his face, until the wall brought him to an abrupt stop.
"You blew the desk to pieces, Zadowa," continued the Reverend Theodosius, standing in front of him, "a desk that contained the six most perfect diamonds in the world, Zadowa. With your wretched bomb, you worm, you destroyed a fortune. What have you got to say?"
"I didn't know, monsieur," cringed the other. "How could I know? When were they put there?"
"I put them there this afternoon for safety. Not in my wildest imagination did I dream that you would start throwing bombs about the place."
"Perhaps they are not destroyed," stammered the hunchback hopefully.
"In which case they are now in the hands of the police. You have one chance, Zadowa, and only one. It is that those diamonds are in the hands of the police. If they are and you can get them—I will say no more."
"But if they have been destroyed, monsieur?" muttered the other.
"Then, Zadowa, I am afraid you will share their fate."
Almost indifferently the clergyman turned back into the room, taking no notice whatever of the wretched man who followed him on his knees begging for mercy. And then after a while the hunchback pulled himself together and stood up.
"It was a mistake, monsieur," he said quietly, "which I deeply regret. It was, however, you must admit, hardly my fault. I will do my best."
"Let us hope, then, for your sake, Zadowa, that your best will be successful. Now go."
He pointed to the door, and without another word the hunchback went.
"I'm glad you were here to-night, my dear," remarked the Reverend Theodosius.