| Show j W h. h H dd I e n W a s Ic j t BY BY FREDERIC R F. F VAN D DE WATER Q t f i SYNOPSIS I David Mallory MaUor in search of newspaper work In New York Is forced to accept a aJob job lob AS 81 switch board board operator In a swank apartment house managed by officious Timothy Higgins There David meets Miss bliss Agatha Paget Facet a 11 crippled old lady and her charming niece Allegro Allegra CHAPTER Continued I I 2 2 One minute Miss Agatha com com- commanded commanded I should really like to know how you ran across Kenneth Grahame Again I heard the elevator belL belLIn bellIn bellIn In books Miss Miss' Paget She marked the broad servility in my voice and the wrinkles about her alert eyes deepened Then what she asked are you doing in a Job like this At present Im I'm keeping the elevator ele ele- elevator elevator vator waiting Excuse me The bell was silent when I reached the outer hall I took the car down Eddie Hoyt was back He frowned as I stepped from the elevator Eella Fella he said when you Jake that thing up youre you're supposed to bring It back again Miss Ferriter had to walk up Eddie I said Ive been rid rid- ridden ridden ridden den plenty Bad as that he asked Worse I told him and listen if it that sweating blood sweating behemoth In Inthe Inthe inthe the circus suit inspired your crack ask him from me why he had the car skied for A hour half while you were out Oh ho said Eddie Oh ho hOe what I asked He shrugged Just oh ho hOe You called at the Sphere again Dave I did This morning Once the answer was No opening at the min min- ute Now Its It's Just No opening Tough he sympathized Why dont don't you ditch It and go home This aint your sort of ot work Dave Youre telling me me I replied Ill Til starve first Eddie And that may not be so far tar off oft either cither Hig Hig- Higgins Higgins Higgins gins Is on the prod Easy Hoyt muttered and as the signal buzzed retired to the switchboard Higgins still In his borrowed plumage came lurching In from the sidewalk The coals of ot earlier wrath smoldered in his bis little eyes and I felt my own anger re re- revive revive re- re revive vive as he paused before me Mallory Manory he grumbled I want to talk to you I thought of ot my Job and of ot the odd expression on the face of ot the girl Allegra when I had talked back to Miss Agatha Aga tha and though common commonsense commonsense commonsense sense muttered unheeded warning I said Shoot My flippancy sfung Sf g him What I want to know he said heavily is what you meant by that crack about doubling in brass Simple I told him A Joke I pointed at the gilt trappings of ot the doorman's coat Brass I said Superintendent masquerading as doorman There There- Therefore Therefore Therefore fore doubling in brass Begin to get it Higgins looked dubious and then Insulted The trouble with you me lad Is that you think youre you're too bloody good for fOl your Job Im I'm- Im I'm From the switchboards switchboard's alcove Hoyt called Hey Mr Higgins line Une must be on the blink They've left the receiver off oft or something Ill tend to that presently Hig Higgins Higgins gins Informed him What 1 I want to tell teU you Mallory Is Is- Is IsHey s- s sHey Hey Hoyt said tensely Hear Hearit it Above someone screamed and I saw the red fade from Higgins' Higgins lace face The sound ceased It broke out again louder shriller as though horror had abolished all an self It soared and fell and n rose tose again like a siren gone mad Higgins crossed himself Hoyt babbled from the switchboard with the receiver still clamped to his ear Its up in Three B. B CHAPTER II Higgins' Higgins rush thrust me aside He slammed the door in my face as I reached the elevator I ran for the stairs and took them three at a time toward the screeching that tore the pious silence of the Morello to tat tat- I reached the third floor Boor ahead of the ancient car Before the closed door of the Fer Fer- Ferriter Ferriter Ferriter riter apartment Allegra seemed to wrestle with Miss Ferriter Nearer me me In the hall someone In a maids maid's uniform hopped about making silly sounds and on the threshold of the Paget flat a stout older woman wrung her hands and gaped I heard Allegra gasp as she tried to control to the wrenching body lone Ione What is it Answer me A new spasm shook lone Fern Ferri- ter She began again those long long- drawn bursts of screaming and over Allegra's shoulder I saw a white whiteface whiteface whiteface face wide mouthed distorted like a Greek tragic mask Hoyt came toiling up the stairs be be- bind tind me Higgins blundered from the elevator r and stood quaking in inthe inthe inthe the halL Hey he bawled all this this- this Another shriek tore through his query I caught Miss Ferriter's shoulders and shook her She gasped I shook her again Stop it I bad bade Stop It it do you hear What's the matter Beneath my hands bands I felt her twitch and quake but the screaming ceased She made a feeble gesture gesture gesture ture toward the door In there her whisper rasped Hes HesHer Her lIer body gave way It grew so inertly heavy that Allegra and Hoyt and I had trouble tr uble holding it Over the sagging head I asked Higgins Can you get a n key He nodded but still stood gaping and uncertain till a competent voice spoke from the Paget doorway Allegra Bertha Edward it or ore dered Pick her up Lay her on my bed Allegra Keep her head down Annie take some cognac to Miss Allegra Miss Paget sat on her threshold In Ina ina a wheel chair She trundled her her- herself herself self selI into the hall to make way for those who bore the senseless woman and looked from Higgins to me The elevator bell shrilled frantically and frightened voices called in the air shaft Just what Miss Paget asked calmly was all this about Higgins answered in a husky voice voice- wrong In there and nodded to the reticent door There was an Instant of si ii lence Then the old lady asked politely po po- politely politely What are you waiting for Timo Timo- Timothy Timothy Timothy thy Or perhaps you two men would rather have me look The superintendent fumbled tumbled in his bis uniform with a sickly grin He looked at me with less dislike than he had shown all day C Cm m on on Mallory he ordered and moved toward the door He lV aw c r i w 1 r j iI l 1 I 11 V G i 4 I IY I. I IMay 1 May 1 I ask what you intend to do now unlocked it but stood aside for me meto meto meto to enter The furniture sat in self conscious orderly rectitude There was a tro tro- trophy trophy trophy phy of arms above the fireplace fireplace- rapiers claymores sabers and less familiar blades which shone coldly In the wintry light and there was a along along along long couch beside the hearth oke Higgins said more to himself than to me May Maybe be she's gone daffy maybe she got bad news or something She could of been stewed Lets Let's look around the rest of the place Hold Holdon on on I told him What he Jerked The phone I said It stood on ona ona ona a table between the couch and the wall The receiver hook was empty Something else was out of place A fringed lampshade lay on the floor beyond the couch ouch I peered over the sofas sofa's back into the space be be- beyond beyond beyond yond and saw the lamps lamp's overturned standard and beside it itI I heard Higgins' Higgins low moan I felt his breath come and go upon my neck I said Hes been killed Who Higgins asked In a whis whis- per A man lay on his back beside the fallen lamp His head was tilt tilt- tilted tilt tilt- tilted tilted ed so that his black beard pointed upward like a charred stump at atthe atthe atthe the telephone receiver dangling from the table His hands were drawn up as though he had tried to clutch the lapels of his bis coat and the left side of his bis vest was glistening and sodden I answered slowly for my mouth was sticky I never saw him before A low but steady sound came to to- toward toward ward us Higgins held his breath I tiptoed toward the door as Miss Paget propelled herself into the room She looked at us with a pa pa- parental parental parental rental severity Well she prompted In relief we babbled our discovery I began but Higgins' Higgins heavy speech beat mine down and took command Right over there Miss Paget he rattled Behind the couch where be likely to see him If I you'll roll roU forward just a little little little- The old ladys lady's calm voice sheared through his bis babbling No doubt she replied May 1 I ask what you Intend to-do to to do now Higgins stared In such cases she told him it Is usually customary to notify the police pollee I believe The superintendent blundered to to- toward toward ward the telephone shrank back from the presence of the concealed body and reaching across the couch back picked up the instrument He waited impatiently rattling the hook and then with a a. a grunt set down the telephone Nobody on the switchboard he be stuttered Ill go down and rushed from the room Miss Agatha called after him Timothy Be sure the door Is locked behind you you Yes m he replied and we heard it slam The old lady looked hard hardat hardat at me as I moved toward the hall hallIt hallIt It might be well I explained to to look through the rest of the apartment She shook her head I have seen few murders even at my age but butI I understand it is best to do nothing till the police pollee come Usually thereafter there there- thereafter after they follow your example She sat quite still In her chair by the door and her eyes searched slowly through all the room After a moment she asked nod nod- nodding nodding nodding ding toward the concealing couch When did he come In I dont don't know I replied I never saw him She leaned back in her chair her hands bands folded In her angular lap her I eyes narrow with thought She asked at length When did lone Miss lone Miss Ferriter FerrIter- come In I think It was she who rang the bell while I was in your apartment She had to walk up She appeared to turn this over In her mind The clock ticked loudly Miss Agatha emerged from what what- whatever whatever ever Inner communion she had bad held and looked at me again You heard beard her screaming What did you think of ot it I did not answer for so long that she shrugged at last and said That was waa a silly question For Forget get It It No It wasn't I replied slowly lowly Its Just that I hadn't thought of it before You mean there was some some- something something something thing mire mare than fright in the sound Do I 11 she retorted I went on Well I mean It then She was frightened by finding a man dead on her floor There was some some- something something something thing else A deeper terror per per- haps Her gaze abashed me a little I grinned and shrugged probably all imagination tion I told her Anyway Miss Ferriter is a gifted screamer She Sho sounded like the on the wing Her thin eyebrows e arched Again I felt that she regarded me as a curiosity and once more it irked me They were surprised I I grinned at that patrician puzzled face face face- when I spoke to the waiter In Greek She started to reply and turned her head sharply as as' the outer the the- outer door opened Higgins and a hard breath hard breath breath- breathing ing patrolman entered the room Over beyond the couch he lays the superintendent Informed the po po- policeman policeman po- po policeman with a discoverers discoverer's pride The fear that had been a bond be be- between between between tween us was gone now He stared at me and growled Go downstairs Mallory Miss Paget therell there'll be nobody let In here now till the Squad comes Hoyt brought the car down and came to lean against the switch switch- switchboard switchboard switchboard board with a shaky grin Whew he said That girl do doIt doIt doIt It I said No prompted more bya by bya a vestige of chivalry than knowl knowl- edge Hoyt glanced gl over his shoulder shoulder shoulder der at the loiterers In the foyer and strove to keep the secret that thai for a few minutes made him their superior He mumbled He had a black beard eh When did he come in Wed We'd a spotted him wouldn't we A guy with a a beard hey When did he get in Tell me that I cant cant can't I said I was shaky and I ached a hed for another cigarette Maybe he came in September and hid till he grew It ItAw It Aw said Hoyt and stared to to- toward toward toward ward the front door The police police- policeman policeman man on duty there had admitted a half dozen half dozen men In civilian clothes and then had bad barred the way to oth oth- others others others ers who strove to follow The intruders tramped down the hall toward us us satchel laden satchel laden indifferent indifferent indifferent ferent and unspectacular as the first half dozen men of off a suburban train A man with reddish gray grayhair grayhair grayhair hair like embers and a stubborn freckled face paused and said to Hoyt Homicide Squad Mac Take us up Eddie obeyed Lingering tenants evaded their questions wan wan- wandered wandered wandered dered back to their apartments Higgins emerged from his base base- basement basement ment apartment He had doffed Wil Wil- Wilson's Wilsons Wilsons Wilson's sons son's regalia evidently on the the the- theory theory ory that one uniform at the door was all the house required He squinted about the foyer and then ambled over to the switchboard His breath was heavy with the fumes of ofa ofa a recent drink I envied him Alcohol had softened him and something less less apparent worried him He bent confidentially toward me Listen Mallory he said with the glibness of rehearsal Maybe I was a mite hasty a while ago Well We'll let bygones be bygones Lis Lis- Listen Listen Listen ten They'll be all of us See Sec Theres There's none of us to be leavin the build in till they're through You do me a good turn now I was upstairs when Miss Paget came In Sure I was But I was wason wason on the roof lookin at the water tank Its It's been Will ye y ye- ye yeTO TO DE CONTINUED |
