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Show I Secret Adversary : bu AgathaChristie : CHAPTER X Continued. 14 Thnt evening Tummy sat on the hod, and cogitated deeply. Would Conrad again accompany the girl? If he did not, should he risk trying to make nn ally of her? He decided that lie must leave no stone unturned. His position was desperate. At eight o'clock the familiar sound of the key turning made him spring to his feet. The girl was alone. "Shut the door," he commanded. "I want to speak to you." .She obeyed, "Look here, Annette, I want yoa to help me get out of this."" She shook her head. "Impossible. There ara three of them on the floor below." "Oh !" Tommy was secretly grateful grate-ful for the Information. "Rut you would help me If you could?" "No, monsieur." "Why not?" The girl hesitated. "I dare not, monsieur; I am afraid of thorn." She turned away. "Wouldn't yon do anything to help another girl?" cried Tommy. "She's about your age, too. Won't you save her from their clutches?" "You mean Jane Finn?" "Yes." "It Is her you came here to look for? Yes?" "That's It." The girl looked at him, then passed her hand across her forehead. "Jane Finn. Always I hear that name. It Is familiar." Tommy came forward eagerly. "You must know something about her?" Rut the girl turned away abruptly. "I know nothing only the name." She walked towards the door. Suddenly Sud-denly she uttered a cry. Tommy stared. She had caught sight of the picture he had laid against the wall the night before. For a moment he caught a look of terror In her eyes. As Inexplicably It changed to relief. Then abruptly she went out of the room. Tommy could make nothing of It Did she fancy that he had meant to attack her with It? Surely not. He reining the picture on the wall thoughtfully. Three more days went by In dreary Inaction. Tommy felt the strain telling tell-ing on his nerves. He saw no one but Conrad and Annette, and the girl had become dumb. He gathered from Conrad Con-rad that they were waiting for orders from "Mr. Brown." Ferhaps, thought Tommy, he was abroad or away, and they were obliged to wait for his return. Rut the evening of the third day brought a rude awakening. It was barely seven o'clock when he heard the tramp of footsteps outside In the passage. In another minute the door was flung open. Conrad en- f , u ( ' j -v 3 "Thought You'd Bluffed Us, Did You?" tered. With mm was the evil-looking Number 1-1. Tummy's heart sank at the sight of them. "Evrnin', guv'nor," said the man, with a leer. "Got those rope?, mate?" The silent Conrad produced a length of fine cord. The next minute Number 1-Ts hands, horribly dexterous, were winding the cord round his limbs, while Conrad held him down. "What the devil ?" began Tommy. But the slow,- speechless grin of the silent Conrad froze the words on his lips. Number 14 proceeded deftly with his task. In another minute Tommy was a mere helpless bundle. Then at last Conrad spoke: "Thought you'd bluffed us, did you? With what you knew, and what you V didn't know. Bargained with us ! And all the time It was a bluff! Bluff! You know less than a kitten. But your number's up now all right, you b swine." Tommy lay silent. There was nothing noth-ing to say. He had failed. Somehow or other the omnipotent Mr. Brown had seen through his pretensions. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. "A very good speech, Conrad," he said approvingly. "But wherefore the bonds and fetters? Why not let this kind gentleman here cut my throat without delay?" "Gurn," said Number 14 unexpectedly. unexpect-edly. "Think we's as green as to do you In here, and have the police nosing nos-ing around? Not 'alf 1 We've ordered the carriage for your lordship tomorrow tomor-row mornin', but In the meantime we're not taking any chances, see! Talking as though you were still at the blooming Ritz, aren't you?" Tommy made no reply. He was engaged en-gaged In wondering how Mr. Brown had discovered his Identity. He decided de-cided that Tuppence, in the throes of anxiety, had gone to the police, and that his disappearance having been made public the gang had not been slow to put two and two together. The two men departed and the door slammed. Tommy was left to his meditations. They were not pleasant ones. Already his limbs felt cramped and stiff. He was utterly helpless, and he could see no hope anywhere. About an hour had passed when he heard the key softly turned, and the door opened. It was Annette. Tommy's Tom-my's heart beat a little faster. He had forgotten the girl. Was it possible pos-sible that she had come to his help? Suddenly he heard Conrad's voice: "Come out of it, Annette. He doesn't want any supper tonight." "Oul, oul, je sais bien. But I must take the other tray. We need the things on it." "Well, hurry up," growled Conrad. Without looking at Tommy the girl went over to the table, and picked up the tray. She raised a hand and turned out the light. "Curse you" Conrad had come to the door "why did you do that?" "I always turn it out. You should have told me. Shall I relight it, Monsieur Mon-sieur Conrad?" "No, come on out of it." "Le beau petit monsieur," cried Annette, An-nette, pausing by the bed in the darkness. dark-ness. "You have tied him up well, hein? He is like a trussed chicken !" The frank amusement In her tone jarred on the boy ; but at that moment, mo-ment, to his amazement, he felt her hand running lightly over his bonds, and something small and cold was pressed into the palm of his hand. "Come on, Annette." "Mais me voila." The door shut. Tommy heard Conrad Con-rad say : "Lock it and give me the key." The footsteps died away. Tommy lay petrified with amazement. The object ob-ject Annette had thrust into his hand was a small penknife, the blade open. From the way she had studiously avoided looking at him, and her action with the light, he came to the conclusion con-clusion that the room was overlooked. There must he a peephole somewhere in the walls. Remembering how guarded guard-ed she had always been in her manner, man-ner, he saw that he had probably been under observation all the time. Had he said anything to give himself away? Hardly. True, his question to Annette had proved that he was personally unacquainted un-acquainted with Jane Finn, but he had never pretended otherwise. The question now was, did Annette really know more? Were her denials intended intend-ed primarily for the listeners? On thai point he could come to no conclusion. But there wus a more vital question that drove out all others. Could he. hound as he was, manage to cut his bonds? He essayed cautiously to rub the open blade up and down on the cord that bound his two wrists together. to-gether. It was an awkward business, and drew a smothered "Off" of pain from him as the knife cut into his wrist. But slowly and doggedly he went on sawing to and fro. He cut the f.esh badly, but at last be felt the cord slacken. With his hands free, the rest was easy. His first care was to hind up his bleeding wrist. Then he sat on the edge of the bed to think. Conrad had taken the key of the door, so be could expect little more assistance from Annette. The only outlet from the room was the door, consequently he would perforce have to wait until the two men returned to fetch him. But when they did . . . Tommy smiled! Moving with infinite caution In the j dark room, he found and unhooked the famous picture. He felt an economical pleasure that his first plan would not be wasted. There was now nothing to L do but to wait. He waited. ' The aiui paased Miowly. I'uujiii lived through ai iiii ti -our, cux ul 1 ho ueuri! luVUtll H utouii upn.ut, drew u Cecy breaui, ui ciutci.ed the picture Q'uil y. 'i'ne duur opened. A faint light streamed in.irum uauide. Nuuiour 14 luiiowed. As he stepped across tiia threshold, Tommy bruuut the picture doun with tenlue forte on km head. Number 14 went duwn uniidst a stupendous stu-pendous crush ui broken giuss. In a minute Tommy had slipped out and pulled to the dour. The key was in the lock. He turned it and withdrew it Just as Courad hurled himself against the dour frum the inside with u volley of curses. For a moment Tommy hesitated. There was the sound of some one stirring stir-ring uQ the floor below. Then the German's Ger-man's voice came up the stuirs. "Gott im Himmel 1 Conrad, what la it?" Tommy felt a small hand thrust into his. Beside him stood Annette. She pointed up a rickety ladder that apparently ap-parently led to some attics. "Quick up here !" She dragged him after her up the ladder. In another moment they were standing In a dusty garret littered with lumber. Tommy looked round. "This won't do. It's a regular trap. There's no way out." "Hush 1 Wait." The girl put her finger to her lips. She crept to the top of the ladder and listened. The banging and beating on the door was terrific. The German and another were trying to force the door In. Annette explained in a whisper: "They will think you are still inside. in-side. They cannot hear what Conrad says. The door Is too thick." "Yes but look here " "Leave it to me." She bent down. To his amazement, Tommy saw that she was fastening the end of a long Tommy Brought the Picture Down With Terrific Force on His Head. piece of string to the handle of a big cracked jug. She arranged it carefully, care-fully, then turned to Tommy. "Have you the key of the door?" "Yes." "Give it to me." He handed it to her. "I am going down. Do you think you can go halfway, and then swing yourself down behind the ladder, so thnt they will not see you?" Tommy nodded. "There's a big cupboard in the shadow of the landing. Stand behind it. Take the end of this string In your hand. When I've let the others out-pull out-pull !" Before he had time to ask her anything any-thing more, she had flitted lightly down the ladder and was in the midst of the group with a loud cry. The German turned on her with an oath. "Get out of this. Go to your room !" Very cautiously Tommy swung himself him-self down the back of the ladder. So long as they did not turn round . . . all was well. He crouched behind the cupboard. They were still between him and the stairs. "Ah !" Annette appeared to stumble over something. She stooped. "Mon Dieu. viola la clef !" The German snatched It from her. He unlocked the door. Courad stumbled stum-bled out, swearing. "He's got away." "Impossible. He would have passed us." At that moment, with an ecstatic smile Tommy pulled the string. A crash of crockery came from the attic above. In a trice the men were pushing push-ing each other up the rickety ladder and had disappeared into the darkness above. Quick as a flash Tommy leaped from his hiding place and dashed down the stairs, pulling the girl with him. There was no one in the hall. He fumbled over the bolts and chain. At last they .vlcliled. the door swung open. He turned. Annette had disappeared. Tommy stood spell-bound. Had she run upstairs again? What madness possessed her! He fumed v-ith impatience, im-patience, but he stood his ground. He would not go without her. And suddenly there was an outcry overhead, an exclamation from the German, and then Annette's voice, clear and high : "Ma foi, he has escaped ! And quickly quick-ly ! Who would have thought it?" Tommy still stood rooted to thu ground. Was that a command to hlrn to go? He fancied it was. (TO BE CONTINUED.) |