| Show The 8 Che C Solutions S t r of 01 Radford S b Narratives cial Police Pollee by b as sOt Officers to C Dealings of the with Proving Provin Provincial the b F Final IDa IE Error on Eminent Emm Edited nt Expert by HEADON Mr r Radford Bedford HILL Shone u i Yi r a I 1 I j I V NT d t r ri i b p I F FY Y J 1 Ii r 1 h riS 4 7 F A t i l r i Fig I I a It a r r J Jf r A Ar f d 1 y 9 r J cv l 1 i ia a J J Jr z 0 r J i 1 H 1 rV J r lit J Jr J f r J r t rB r t t ro Y t trI 4 r J Jrr 1 cJ lr 4 ti r rr i f 1 3 i 1 h r l i 1 J JF r t l fl f I r f I Ct i jt LI l 1 F J Z z vr n nI H le J I tt or J I fi 1 ca x r if t F I r J j r 1 1 l t f rt r It i r I 1 l c L 4 It 1 d r I L Ll t 41 j t 11 F if I If i 4 JI c tt t f t 1 l j Y P 1 i h r I f 1 h I II I q i ri ta I i i lr 1 1 i f fI 1 1 V i r I 1 tt r J r a rJ I 1 2 J frs If J Jrr 1 f 7 t 1 JS fJ J f w rr J t erg Y f ft Ij 10 i 01 i i 1 o f s v f ti t 7 t 0 J t v 1 t t Y rt Ii T I y t 4 Jc r r r Lr t t IL v LI y r rr r A 1 4 3 t Ur li 1 10 Y o t i i ic c ol If 10 4 t f J j r Ii t 4 i t tI I J i f r l J f 1 t i tr j t r i r 1 I 1 jJ r k J 1 I i 1 J a S t t 1 I I i 4 i f r e l I t 1 1 c 11 t r f t t a i jj ti i r I k w r I 4 J 1 0 i e rt J oJ l t l j j 1 t f i S II I 1 o 11 j t to tj f i iq 0 J t c x t i i J to i i Ji t 1 i J F l q 1 44 ie i 1 C g t h r 9 S J I t C J J t 11 S 1 z i 1 l tt l J t or 1 i I e r rI 1 i K Ii I r r i I J f J t 1 i I t i 4 f I t ti ro I r 0 i it 1 0 I H t 1 t t i S r rIs I o i Is 1 1 j t i J 1 K t I 1 IJ t I i 1 l t t i t t I 21 l 1 It J 4 J t 4 t t 2 4 t z 4 The waiting rooms where we receive I Informatory visitors at Scotland Yard are not upholstered In saddlebags or draped with silken hangings The beefy beety overdressed young man who rose at my entrance wore an air of blended disgust and preoccupation disgust at atthe atthe atthe the hardness of ot the chair upon which he had been asked to take a seat I preoccupation over the terrible busi bust bustness business business ness he had come to unfold Chief Inspector Mitford he blurted eagerly his large stupid face quiver quivering quiverIng quiverIng ing with agitation I bowed assent and asked him what was wrong Radford Shone is missing he an announced announced announced all short as one tell you that the king was dead or the bottom fallen out of the Bank of Eng England land something too stupendous for comment or explanatory remark Indeed I said politely cudgeling my brain for the half halt familiar name he mentioned then after atter extracting Rad Radford Radford Radford ford Shone from one of my mental pigeonholes duly labeled as a well known private investigator I added That Is almost a national calamity I presume My y visitor looked me over with a kindling eye National he pe ex exclaimed exclaimed claimed It will be a n worldwide one if It as a I expect Mr Radford Shone has beep foully murdered by the gang of criminals upon which he had nearly closed his iron grip And to me per personally personally personally his loss will be Irreparable I suggested as he floundered for his word Personally and financially Irreparable Irreparable Irreparable able he conceded con eded I am bound to Shone by ties of affection no not quite that by ties of respect for his enormous powers and er for the lit little little littie tle tie bit of oC cash Ive put into his hla show And to think that he Is probably lying cold and dead somewhere Just because he be has met his match at last in InIn in profesor or Professor M l I repeated rep ted f really Interested now for this name was a very real one to td t me pregnant with meaning Come sir sirl let me have your information as briefly as possible please With sundry deviations Into side sidetracks tracks whence he had to be sharply re recalled recalled recalled called Mr Samuel Martin unfolded his story He and Shone occupied rooms together In Gower street and four nights previously his patron or partner or whatever he considered the object t of his adoration had entered their Joint sitting room In sorry plight care carefully carefully carefully fully locking the door behind him His clothes clo hes were mud soiled rolled and his fore fote forehead head hedd when he removed his battered top hat was seen to be disfigured with a band of ot sticking plaster For a long longtime longtime longtime time he had vouchsafed no explanation tion but had paced the room apparently apparently apparently deep In thought Martin avowed that he knew him too well to ques question question tion him when in that mood but had watched him with growing apprehension sion sionI I Ir am at the parting of the ways Martin he had said at last flinging himself wearily into a chair Either I Inscribe my name In Indelible charac characters characters characters on on the roll of fame In the next few days or I succumb to the only In Individual individual individual In the visible universe who is Ismy ismy my tny peer In subtlety And the price of defeat if defeat It Is to be will be bemy bemy bemy my life liCe which has already been at attempted attempted tempted three times today Martin had expressed his sympathetic horror and Radford Shone had gone on onto onto onto to say that he was in active conflict with a dangerous dang rous confederacy of crim criminals criminals dominated by one Professor ProCessor MaT Mal a cultured predatory who di directed directed directed worldwide operations In for forgery forger forgery gery ger blackmail and theft theU on the grand scale with murder as their frequent at attendant attendant attendant Shone avowed vowed a that he only needed one link In the chain which he had woven round Professor Pr to complete his enmeshment and arid that l of the while of the gang after fter which he should be able to turn them over overto overto overto to the police pollee But the t e professor was fighting him Inch by inch for that link and the odds were about even een that the th arch criminal would kill him before he reached his goal I am going to have some food now Martin and then I am going out again Shone continued I shall in any case be absent two days but if It ItI I do not return at the end of three you ou will never see me alive again I Ishall Ishall Ishall shall have lost the game and paid for forfeit forfeit forfeit feit with my life M is not likely to make another mistake In se selecting selecting selecting his method and his tools for formy formy formy my undoing While Whip he discussed a chop and a bot bottle bottle bottie tle tie of Bass he had thrilled Martin with an account of his hairbreadth escapes of the day He had been nearly run rundown rundown rundown down by a furiously driven van an in Queen Victoria street he lie had been narrowly missed by b a bullet from an fired tired from an empty house in Chelsea and finally finaly he had been hustled off the th crowded platform at Baker street station in front of an ad advancing advancing advancing train only saving himself by lying flat between the rails When he had finished his narrative and his supper Shone had retired to his bedroom shortly to emerge in the dis disguise disguise disguise guise of ot a carpenter white apron bag of oC tools and all Mr Samuel Samu l Martin had then accompanied him to the front door to speed him on his fateful er errand errand errand rand randI I was a bit upset my m stout in iq informant formant concluded You see we had chummed together for a goodish while and It seemed hard to part with him like that small beer though he thought me I had never heard him own before that any anyone one could best him at any sort of game and It looked as l If he had a presentiment that hed never come back It did rather I agreed agre d reflectively Did you take his instructions against stich S chi unfortunate an nate contingency c I suggested that the moment the three days were up I should inform the police pollee In the event of ot his not having returned was the reply But Shone would not hear of it He insisted that I should let five days go by before tak taking takIng taking ing that step We Wehe he had rather a prejudice against the regular force you know Mr Inspector That is not unlikely I remarked How Is It then sir that you have hae dis disregarded disregarded regarded Mr Radford injunction Injunction injunction tion by br reporting to us when only three clear days have passed Doubtless you had good reason The normal expression of Mr Sam Samuel Samuel Samuel uel Martins face was sheepish though I could conceive that In happier mo moments moments moments ments it had capabilities Capa bill ties of ot impudence At my m question his expression grew more sheepish than ever I shall get into dreadful trouble over It if you find him he stammered But you see I should be awfully cut up if IC any anything anything anything thing had happened to poor Shone If he has really been put away I shall have lost a great deal of oC money as aswell aswell aswell well So I decided that if It he is above aboveground aboveground aboveground ground he had better be found even If he wipes Ipes the floor with me after afterward afterward afterward ward He is rather fond of doing that and I expect that will be the end of it I shall shan have queered his pitch in inthis Inthis inthis this Professor ProCessor business and hell make a mop of me if you find him But you will get your money back backI I said shortly There would be com compensation compensation compensation In la that supposing we res rescued rescued rescued cued him from the clutch of this des desperate desperate desperate villain Mr Martin admitted that he had suf sut suffered feted so much from the rough side aide of oC i his friends tongue that he would bear beara a little more gladly if he could get geta a bit of his own back He had no deed of partnership or any document showing Indebtedness to him He explained that if t the great investigator investigator g gator tor had h d as he I 1 it t tit Jt it fallen at the posto post of duty ho himself Himself would have i no legal claim on any of the assets that might be left behind They would all go to the next of ot kin kina a brother who was a clerk In the pro probate probate probate bate registry at Somerset house And added Mr Martin ruefully from Crom what little Ive seen of Mr My lIy land Shone he is not likely to loose his grip on what the law gives him Well you have stated a truly start startling startling startling ling case I said It is a I little early 10 only but I think we will begin by looking up Professor Mallan dine I hardly anticipate that he will confess but we shall clear the ground If it we can get him to admit by word or manner that he is interested in Mr Ir 1 T Shone I led my visitor along the corridor to tt the embankment entrance and fol followed followed lowed him into the hansom which drew up at my ray summons He seemed surprised sur surprised that I was able to give the driver the address of ot the professor In Saville street Queer that you should know know where he hangs out said Martin I thought that Shone was the only one who had spotted him as a criminal Mr Shone Is quite entitled to that I answered sedately But I Inow Inow know now of ot dine In his respectable the side of or him that he turns J I toward oward the public you ou know the pose poseur posea 1 ill ur a a man of science Martin took some time to this and having haYing done so suddenly grew nervous Dont you think he bawled In my ear as the cab plunged into the thick of or the Piccadilly traffic that its taking a big risk to tackle a king of crime like this er that thatis is for tor two of or up uJ only to go into what is fa probably a den of oC cut cutthroats cutthroats cutthroats throats The phrase amused me I 1 dont an anticipate anticipate that they will be very high class I said You must remember that the prestige of an official police pol policeman tee teeman man is a useful makeweight against the genius of ot a Radford Shone Mr Martin larUn made a sorry attempt to appearing satisfied but when we stopped it was a very nervous man who followed allowed me up the steps to the thedoor door loor At any rate there was waa no sign signo of o prevarication or subterfuge In the manner of our reception A smiling parlor maid at once admitted that Pro Professor Professor Professor fessor was at home and no alarm at being asked to an announce announce flounce Chief Inspector Mitford of ot New Scotland Yard Nor was there the slightest trace of flurry about the occupants of the room to which she conducted us He was a atall ataU atall tall taU thin man with the stooping shoulders of the student and for the moment he was too absorbed In manipulating the screws of or a huge mi microscope microscope microscope to so BO much as look up at us Not till tin he had got the adjustment to his liking did he favor tavor me and my trembling companion with two pierc piercing piercIng ing glances one lne for Cor each though thou h mine was as accompanied by b a n curt nod You find me busy he Jerked out Is Ts It anything urgent or serious Mr Mitford lItford 1 I 1 answered his question with another t You Tau by b any chance murdered a gentleman named Radford Shone Shoner r have you ou professor proCessor He Re reached over the table behind which he was vas standing a table laden with scientific paraphernalia and lift lifted lifted ed ld from its stand a test tube half hat filled with a colorless liquid For heavens sake take care Mar Martin Martin tin breathed In my m ear It Is a deadly poison pol on I expect or an explosive or something and hes going to throw it at us usI usI usI I waved the fatuous creature away and turned to the professor He leis leisurely leisurely leisurely screwed the test tube Into the receiver re receiver receiver under ulder the then threw at fit me a frosty smile No I have nave not murdered Mr fir Ir Radford Shone though there Is no knowing what may ma not hap happen happen happen pen If he comes my way he replied grimly As It Is I have had no truck with him for a year or more Thank you I said I felt sure that there had been some mistake ke Good Goodday Goodday Goodday day to you you Professor 1 y yam Iam am sorry to have disturbed your re researches researches searches With which I pushed Martin out Into the passage and thence out of the house Glad as he was to be clear of It he was no sooner in the cab than he voiced his astonishment at my taking s word so easily You were so BO open with the old vil villain villain villain lain he protested I dont under understand understand understand stand police methods but Shone would have tackled him In a very different way nl t 1 What would he have done I In Inquired Inquired inquired politely Oh he would have na h pitched him himI I some pome yarn and ond drawn him out a bit You Tou hardly seemed to t appreciate par pardon don my saying so Inspector that my poor friend Is either dead or In very grave peril at the Instance of that monster of Iniquity On the contrary I appreciate Mr Radford Shone peril to the fullest ex extent extent extent tent I made answer It may be bemore bemore bemore more imminent than even you imagine Mr lr Martin We will now proceed to te Somerset house and see If It Mr Myland Shone can shed any light on his broth brothers brothers brothers ers disappearance But when we reached the probate re registry registry a check was in store for us The gentleman we had come to question was not at this post and the information Information information tion which I gathered from his fellow clerks added greatly to Martins anxiety anxiety anxiety ty Myland Shone has h s received a tele telegram telegram gram ram shortly after arriving at the of office office fice Ace that morning in consequence of ot which he had obtained leave of absence for two days and had Immediately gone away awa The reason he had given had been that he had to go into the coun country country country try to identify some clothing that was believed to belong to a relative and which had been found In a |
