Show 0 1 I r i i i LOUIS LOUS TRACY rR MI I Author A tJ of By B i he of CX e orn I d 3 En King K I of if 0 Diamonds D I am d S sot t M 1 fI 44 i i ii ll J r 0 n t Copyright c Cop t t 1 1961 4 by b j d t ode i 1 t a l CHAPTER aLt t I NEMESIS i j PhIlip was thrown Into the sea on a au Tuesday u Joky Mason n reached r che l ir fj don Uon on n Wednesday y and kept his hJ ap up apt y t with Inspector on J j Thursday evening i I E The Th Inspector received him gracious graciously I ly thus chasing from the 1 i mind milia a lurking suspicion that m matters i were awry There Is a curious sym sympathy pathy between the tho police pollee and well welle f 1 1 known knon criminals They meet with friendliness rf and exchange pleasantries as as air a watchdog might with a wolf in off ort hours But Mason had no responsive smile f or ready r l dy quip up up he demanded morose morose morosely mor morly 1 1 ly 1 You sent for lor me Here I am amI I would ld have brought my ticket sooner It If you Qu written All right Mason Iason Keep your wool on Do you remember Superintendent J Robinson 7 T TI I Him Ulm that was inspector In White Whites s chapel when I was Vas put away Rather Well ell some friends of ot yours have I i I been Inquiring from him as to your yourI I i 1 whereabouts He sent seat a message round 1 wiy fi and I promised that you should meet l I the t if It you showed up I was was half halt I t afraid you had bolted to the states 1 Friends Friend I have no friends p i Yom yes es you have hav very dear I friends indeed I j Then whore are they the I H glared around the roomy police i i e but It was only tenanted by po policemen 1 en attending to various books or chatting quietly across a huge coun coup counter ter teri I v i His surly attitude did not diminish a i i the tho t e inspectors kindliness Dont be so doubtful on that point I Mason Masan Have you IOU no n children 17 I Something S in the police officers eye eyes Pavo ayo the man a clew His swarthy face lee flushed and his hands clinched ched l 1 Yes he said huskily I left ett two boys bo 8 Their mother died THey were wore lost Jost I st I have looked for lor them every everywhere I where Wile eo I I Inspector ector Bradley pointed to a door Go Cp G into that room he said quiet Jj and you will find them They 1 i waiting walting there for you Mason Mason crossed cros ed the sanded floor like likel 1 1 l one walking in his sleep He export J cn no emotion He lIe was a n man manI I stunned at ned for tor the nonce nonee t I I Ho FIo opened the tho door o at ot the w waiting IJ j I roll and entered cautiously He might r 11 1 t expected a hoax a 8 jest from his hist iii t i attitude z Two 10 stalwart young oun men were standi standa stand standIng a i Ing In there talking Their chat ceased f f fis as he appeared For an an appreciable I time father and sons fons looked lo ked at each other ether with the curiosity of ot strangers stra J j He lie knew them first He saw 1 8 w himself j HO tie less than their t unfortunate and andt 1 t I suffering mother In their erect figures lit t the contour of their tb Clr pleasant faces t I j To them he ho was wao unknown The eldest S boy was 10 years old the th younger 8 l 1 I when they last met mot met But read a n nIi ai Ii i II I message in the mans mans h hg eyes 1 anu anti anck they thy wettie were the first to to break the ense u 1 t Father F therl crl d John TohnI I fi if i j T The le other boy bo sprang to o him with without it Qui out a word w i L L Lj Ho hie rt took them th mn In his hl arms He was j Prom From twine tome b font came camei i tl I 1 t fury Ho H ij murmured t I theirs theft but not a coherent cotie ht sen sentence K tence could he utter jitter l Of I 1 They l iy vero ero em splendid fellows t l w f he heo o 1 t f i 1 thought so tall Ulland end and well lt t it I 1 tiO so o thoroughly t overjoyed to j meet lase him i I That Vis was the best of It They had hadi i I r sought him film voluntarily They The knew e J j i his hl record and ond nd were not ashamed to tot t 1 own onn o n him During Duing the long days das and andi i I nights of or ceaseless inquiry he was ever 1 tormented tor by b the dread lest his chil 4 N dreg dren If living should look took on as 1 I accursed cursed a a blot on their existence r He lie hat half hoped that he might discover I p them In some vile slum where crime crimer I and convicts were heroes r He never pictured them as honest youths sons of t whom hom k any aw a ty father tather might be proud for tor In that II possibility p lurked baked the gnawing terror q shame and repudiation Masons l 0 s 8 heart was full He JIe could Doti thank God for tor His mercy that re resource resource t I source source of ot poor humanity was waa denied him hl and to his hl credit be It said he heno was no hypocrite kiJS IY s seared soul awoke to t 0 softer sotter feel te el eli i ings ing as av his eyes e es his ears his this very il heart he drank In fuller knowledge pf pt them tham th m But Dut ho was tormented in his J 3 r joy y an agonized pang ng of ot remorse ii Oh that he ho could have met them with t J I hands free tree from further crime I sone vague way he ho felt that hip hir punishment for tor Philip Ansons An death i would be bo meted oui ou by hy a n sterner Jus 7 Ute Lice than the law of the land hind He lIe 4 i was a too hard a map to fo instantly I He H crushed back the rising lg flood of or of I horror that threatened to overwhelm overwhelms I i s him In this moment of ot happiness He Ht t forced o d himself again p ln to answer answer their I i i anxious Inquiries to note their little 1 It I airs of manliness and to 1 see see with growing wonder that they I I f were well veU dressed and wore ore spotless i 1 linen i A police station was wag wa no po place for fortl Si confidences Indeed Inde cd boys bos were tl awed by their surroundings sa 1 f They The passed passe Into the outer office once f and Mason Milson went to thank Inspector t j Bradley D Dont forget your ticket whispered J C I the tho pleased officer I The T be reminder Jarred but It tt was unavoidable un unavoidable unE avoidable E Mason got ot ket In I domed the lads looking on shyly the while white and the three regained the free tree door dom d m of ot the street Let us find some place to sit down downend j end and have hae a drink suggested su ested Mason j No Jo father tather said John John with t t E frank trank frankG G smile Neither of us takes drink i Of Come Ci me ht no with us iy We have a room t t ready for Cor you I 1 hero have lodgings t You can go o there tomorrow and andset get set your our I f Yes Yos Jump into this cab b urged i Willie We live in Westminster e er It ItI i I Is s not very ery far tar r f t Inson Vas as fascinated by b the boys r i Lt pleasant P assumption of ot authority They The i spoke oke like Ike young youn gentlemen with the th thI o I t accent that betokens a good education e 7 1 He yielded without a n protest Y f whey They sat thre abreast In a han 1 1 L oj J and the he v q d I off tg t 9 i ward UN tUe toe t Westminster b Bridge road c Mason was in the renter Hi HIS plant giant form leaned over oer the closed i t door or of 0 f the tho cab rab but hut he be turned hIs Ills head I i x with interested eagerness eA eagerness as one or i other of or his its sons addressed him himI I 1 I suppose father you are art wondering t 4 i f How now we came to meet In such a place J 7 j t said said John JohnA C A It might mi ht puzzle me mt if It I found time timeto l I to think t I Well the superintendent arranged t i everything ev Unfortunately tel he ho was away J Lt on his when when you ou were I released rel or w we would rould have h e met you yo a Uj tiler n nd hi hr hig deputy was pot not aware of h I I the circumstances As soon goon as s the t e su superintendent su r f returned he wrote to the theA A J 1 i i ii governor and was very much annoyed ann ed to find that you had slipped away in inthe Inthe inthe the meantime He be beso so annoyed if It he het hewa h was wa yas there himself hl growled gr Mason alason ason go good j jOh I Oh John dl nt mean mean that that father broke In Willie WHile The annoyance was Vas his and ours You see we had not known very erY long where were We even cen even know you were alive Of Ot course vourse ours of course Somebody has hasteen teen after you welL Clear dear enough They be al always always always ways telling a n pair of ot boys that their father ather was fas as In Portland It gave gae us such a shock when we wo heard the truth said downright John were so o glad to hear that our father tather was was Jas living and nd that we should soon see him explained the younger When did you ou first hear About four tour months ago Just be before before before fore w wd j took our present situations We are saddlers and ornamental leath leather II er workers Between us we Ve earn quite a decent living Dont we John In fifteen weeks we have saved enough to say nay a for tor halt hall our furniture besides keeping ourselves welL Theres plenty to eat dad You wont starve big as you are They all laughed The cab was pass passing pass passing PaSSIng ing St Thomas hospital Across the bridge a noble prospect met their eyes London had a for tor Mason that night it never held before So Robinson wrote to Bradley knowing that I would report myself today and Bradley arranged Who is Robinson father interrupted inter interrupted Interrupted John The superintendent to be sure He used to be Inspector at He is not the man Wb w mean mean We Weare Weare Weare are talking of ot Mr 11 Giles superintendent of ot the Mary Anson Home The two boys felt their fathers start of dismay of ot positive fright They Th y wondered what had happened to give him such a shock Peering at him sideways from the corners of the han ban hansom hansom som sum they could see the quick pallor of his swarthy face You forget torget John put in the adroit William that father knows as little about our lives as al we know about his until very recently When we reach our flat we must begin at the begin beginning beginning beginning ning and tell him everything There much to tell cried John When poor mother died we were tak taken taken taken en care of ot by a gentleman whom Mr Philip asked to look after us When the Mary Anson Home wait built we were among the first batch of ot Inmates If It ever a young youns man has done good in inthis Inthis inthis this world it is Mr Philip Anson See what he did for us Mother was nursed and tended with the utmost kindness but her life lite could not be saved We were rescued from the workhouse taught well and fed ted well and given such instruction in a trade that even at our age we can earn five pounds a week between us And what he has done for us he does for hun hundreds hundreds hundreds of ot others God bless Philip An Anson Anson Anson son I say Amen said his brother The voices of ot his sons reached Ma Masons Masons Masons sons tortured brain like sounds heard remote but distinct through a long tun tunneL tunneL tunnel neL His great frame seemed to col collapse collapse collapse lapse In an instant he became an old man He set his teeth and Jammed his elbows against the woodwork of the cab but strive as he would with his immense physical strength and his dogged will he shook with a palsy Father cried John anxiously lit little little little tle dreaming how his enthusiastic speech spee h had pierced to the very ery marrow of ot his hearer are you ou ill m Shall we stop Perhaps John a little brandy would do him good murmured Willie Father do tell me what Is the mat matter matter matter ter Willie reach up and tell the man manto mant manto to t stop Then Mason forced himself to speak No no he gasped Go on It Is only a passing spasm He must have time even a few min minutes minutes minutes utes in which to drive off the awful specter that hugged him in the em embrace embrace embrace brace of death He dared not look at athis athis athis his sons If It he were compelled to face them on the pavement In the flaring gaslight he would run away His anguish was pitiable Great drops of ot sweat stood clammy on his fore forehead forehead head He passed a hand across his face and groaned aloud al un unconsciously unconsCIously un unconsciously consciously Oh God Go forgive me It was the first prayer that had vol voluntarily voluntarily voluntarily left lert his lips for tor many a day The boys bos heard They interpreted it as an expression of ot sorrow that his own 00 career should have been so cut cutoff cutoff off ot from their childhood and Joyous youth Well Veil cheer up dad anyhow cried the elder much relieved by this con conclusion conclusion elusion We are all together again I dud 2nd you OU can face tace the world once more more with us at your side No dagger of ot steel could have hae hurt so dreadfully as this con consolation consolation But for the sake of his sons the t e man wrestled with his agony and conquered it to some outward seem lug ing When the tho cab stood outside a big building he was steady on his feet when he alighted and he managed to summon a ghastly smile to his aid as he said to John JohnI I Iam am sorry to set you ou a bad ex cx example example ample But that is nothing noth n new Is It US ity I must have some spirit strong spirit or I cant keep up Certainly father Why not It is all right as medicine Willie you go g and get some brandy while I take fa ther upstairs Their flat was on the second floor It was neatly furnished fitted with elec fight and contained five rooms John talked freely treely explaining house keeping arrangements the puzzle as to tp their fathers size for tor the first bed beI they bought was a short one their hours of work the variety of ot their employ employment employment employment ment any an and every cheerful topic Indeed until Willie came with a bot bottle bottle bottle tle Both of ot them glanced askance at nt the quantity Mason ason consumed but they the passed no ao comment He tried to smoke and sat so that the light should not fall fan on his face And then he said to t them Tell fell me all you ou know about Philip Anson It interests me Snap The nie hard composition n of his pipe pl was w broken in two What a n pity cried Willie Shall Sh ll I run and buy you ou a 30 new oner one uNo No my boy bo no I can manage Dont mind ne I cant talk but I will listen May the Lord havo have mercy mere on me m I will listen He suffered that night as few man m n have suffered Many a n murderer has had to endure the torments of a haunt haunted ed conscience but few tew can have hav been harrowed by hearing h their own sons lauding to the sky the victims bene ben factions to themselves es and to their dead dad n r rHe He was was master of ot of his emotions suf sufficiently ficie to control c l his voice He their recital by occasional com comments comments comments ments that showed he appreciated ev every e every ery eJ point He examined with Interest specimens of thel work for tor they un understood understood understood both the stitching and the stamping stam ing of ot leather and once he found himself dully speculating as to what career he would have carved caned out for himself were he given gl en In boyhood the opportunities they rejoiced In But throughout there was in his sur surcharged surcharged surcharged charged brain a current of cunning purpose First there was Grenier away In the north robbing a dead deadman deadman deadman man and plotting desolation to some girl He must mut be dealt with Then he the slayer must be slain and by his own hand He would spare his sons sans as much pain as might be within his power He would not merely disappear leav leaving leavInS leaving ing InS them dubious and distressed No 10 NoThey NoThey They must know he was dead not by suicide but by accident a They The would mourn his wretched memory Better that than with the abiding grief griet of ot the knowledge that he was 88 Philip |