Chronicles of the Secret Service (10 page)

‘There is not the hurry,’ he remarked suavely. ‘Ivan will come at the right time.’

He turned again to the tramp, who had given no sign of the slightest interest. Appreciating the fact that he and Sonia had been invited into the house for some sinister purpose, but having not the slightest idea what it could be, Anstruther was now deeply incensed with himself. He gripped the girl’s hand protectively.

‘I regret having to insist,’ he declared firmly. ‘It is getting late, though. Miss Hardinge and I can let ourselves out without interference with your game. We’ll say goodnight, Mr Karen, and thank you very much for your hospitality.’

The Russian muttered something in his own language; rose from his chair.

‘Wait,’ he commanded harshly. ‘I will go to see Ivan.’

‘We’ll come with you,’ asserted Tony, showing quite plainly he objected to the other’s tone.

For answer Karen walked quickly to the door, opened it, and called along the passage to someone. The tramp took the opportunity of leaning across the table. Again his words came in a whisper that only just reached their ears.

‘I’m afraid you’re for it. Don’t know what the fellow wants with you, but you’re going to find out. Of course you’ll be indignant – who wouldn’t – but take care to include me in your annoyance. And trust me to get you out of the hole.’

‘How do you know we can trust you?’ came from Sonia who, anxious not to be overheard by the man at the door, did little more than move her lips.

The tramp understood her, however, and grinned slightly.

‘You haven’t any choice,’ he breathed; thereafter he took no further notice of them.

He was vigorously, though erratically, cleaning the slate, when Karen returned to them. Four men entered the room, and stood behind the hunchback. They formed a villainous-looking quartette and, for the first time, Sonia began to have qualms. One, big and burly, with a bushy fair beard, and hair that stuck up from his head like the quills on a porcupine, possessed the smallest and shiftiest eyes she had ever seen in a human face; another, of medium height, had a sallow face like Karen’s, the chief feature of which was a broken nose; the third was as nondescript, and of similar build to the second, with large teeth protruding from a loose mouth,
giving him the appearance of wearing a perpetual grin. The fourth was perhaps the most striking. There was not a vestige of hair on his head, his face was dead white, and he had large fish-like, unblinking eyes. These might have been redeemed by eyelashes or brows but, as he had neither, his appearance was startling. He was as tall as the bearded man, but extremely thin, with long arms and talon-like hands. Altogether he was a repulsive object.

Karen touched the tramp on the shoulder. The latter leered up at him; then blinked foolishly as he caught sight of the four newcomers. Apparently he had not previously been aware of their presence.

‘S’truth!’ he muttered, ‘wha’s all thish? Whereish the beau’y chorush c’m from?’

The Russian smiled. Anstruther and Sonia, watching anxiously, had no reason to think that he bore the little man anything but the friendliest feelings. In fact, there was something almost affectionate in the smile.

‘You would like the drink – yes?’ he inquired.

‘Drink?’ echoed the tramp in the eager tone of a dying man in a desert sighting an oasis. ‘Mishter, you’ll shave m’life ’f you gimme drink.’

‘Good. After, we will resume the game.’ He turned to the bearded man, spoke rapidly in Russian; looked back at the tramp. ‘Go wi’ heem, my frien’. He will give you all the drink you want.’

The little man struggled to his feet; patted Karen on the arm with drunken affection.

‘You’re pal tha’s wha’ yerrar – a pal,’ he pronounced.

The Russian smiled again.

‘I like you also,’ he confessed. ‘Nevaire have I meet any man
can play the Noughts and Crosses like you. You play so well drunk, how great mus’ you be not drunk!’

‘Drunk! Who shays I’m drunk?’ He paused, looked Karen in the face, and nodded solemnly. ‘Tha’s it,’ he agreed. ‘Knew some’ing was’h wrong. You’re ri’, pal, abs’lu’ly ri’ – I’m drunk.’

He followed the bearded man from the room, chuckling hoarsely, as though at some great joke. Directly the door had closed behind him and his companion, Karen drew up a chair, and sat down. He subjected Anstruther and Sonia to a long, insolent look, and now there was no mistaking the evil in his eyes.

‘Look here,’ protested Tony angrily. ‘What is the meaning of this? Who are these men? Am I to understand you intend keeping us here against our wills?’

‘Oh! So many questions you ask,’ returned Karen. ‘Sit down at the table, and we will talk – yes?’

‘I’ll be damned if I will,’ came violently from the young Englishman. ‘Miss Hardinge and I are leaving at once, and you will attempt to stop us at your peril.’

‘How fierce that is!’ he laughed, and made a remark in his own language to his followers, which seemed to cause them much amusement. ‘Well,’ he went on to the two who realised now they were, to all intents and purposes, his prisoners, ‘if you will not sit, you will stand. It makes no matter to me. The men wit’ me are my frien’s. I bring them to show you you will be mooch foolish to try run away. The leetle man I sent out of the room, because it is not wise he should hear what I say. It is true he is drunk; he also likes not the rich peoples, but he is English, and I do not take the risks. I like heem mooch, because he, the same as me, have the passion for the Noughts and Crosses
game. Now listen, Monsieur, and you also, Madame. Tonight you will not go to the home. There is one leetle service from you I want. Two, three days maybe you are free. No harm is intended to you, if you are behave.’

‘This is outrageous,’ broke out Anstruther. ‘You can’t keep us here, do you understand?’ He turned to Sonia. ‘Come on, dear. We’re going.’

He walked to the door, Sonia following him closely. Karen did not say a word, but turned in his chair to watch events. Tony strove to push between the three men barring their way to the door. At once he was grasped by two of them and, though he fought desperately, found they were possessed of enormous strength. Before long he was rendered helpless. Sonia had been grasped by the man with the fish-like eyes. A scream was stifled at its inception by one of the talon-like hands and, despite her frantic struggles and several well-planted kicks on the shins of her assailant, she was soon as helpless as her companion.

‘How foolish!’ commented Karen. ‘I think it will be better you are tied.’

He spoke to the others, and left the room. Tony looked miserably at Sonia, whose eyes, practically the only part of her face visible, on account of the brutal hand covering her mouth, were horror-stricken.

‘Forgive me for getting you into this, Sonia,’ he pleaded. ‘I’ll never forgive myself. God! If I could only get my hands free! Let that lady go, you brute,’ he suddenly shouted. ‘Do you hear me? Take your filthy hand from her mouth.’

Fish-eyes grinned.

‘Not do – she make row,’ he replied. Apparently his knowledge of English was not very great.

Karen returned, carrying several lengths of rope. He assisted his followers to bind the two and, in a remarkably short space of time, they were trussed so tightly that they could neither move arms nor legs. They were unceremoniously dumped on the couch, from where Anstruther proceeded to give full vent to his outraged feelings. Karen stood over him listening; apparently much interested in the outburst.

‘You are mos’ stupid young man,’ he declared, when Tony paused for breath. He bowed mockingly to Sonia. ‘Madame, accept please the apology. I mooch regret that we are force to do this. Now maybe, you both listen. If you make the noise, you will be gag. Am I understand?’

‘Go ahead!’ snapped Tony. ‘Tell us what you want with us.’

‘Ah! That is better. Well, I tell you. I t’ink you are the ver’ rich young man and the lady also. Her clothes are mooch beautiful – you have the ver’ expensive motor car. I want from you five t’ousand pounds.’

‘Five thousand pounds!’ gasped Anstruther. ‘So that’s what you are; rotten bandit! Well, if you think you can bring your beastly foreign ideas into this country, and get away with it, you’ve made a mistake. Five thousand pounds, indeed! You can jolly well whistle for it, you swine.’

Karen bent over him, caught his nose between his thumb and forefinger, and gave it a cruel twist that brought involuntary tears to his eyes.

‘I like not that kind of talk,’ snarled the hunchback. ‘It is better you are more polite. Next time you are speak in that manner, Madame will suffer.’

‘You wouldn’t dare,’ stormed the young man.

‘No? Then watch, please.’

He turned to Sonia, took hold of her nose, and was about to subject it to the same treatment, when Tony cried out:

‘Don’t! For God’s sake, don’t!’

Karen stood regarding him mockingly for a few moments, still grasping Sonia’s nose. Then he released her.

‘I t’ink we onderstand each other,’ he observed, nodding his head, as though to confirm his own statement. ‘I am not the bandit. I am the head of a mooch good society what have beeg ideal. We need money – plenty of money, because the funds are ver’ low. Now, will you give me five t’ousand pounds?’

‘No; I’ll see you damned first.’

‘Good for you, Tony,’ applauded the girl.

She was very pale, but now that she had recovered from the first shock, there was the light of a great courage in her blue eyes. Karen shook his head slowly, almost, it appeared, sadly.

‘How unwise!’ he exclaimed. ‘I am sorry.’

‘Sorry!’ snorted Tony; ‘you’ll be more sorry when I’ve done with you. You are the fool, Karen. Do you think you can do this sort of thing in England? Why, if Miss Hardinge is not released before morning, there’ll be a search for her. The police will quickly find out where she is. You’ve forgotten the people who watched the fuss over the car, haven’t you? They heard you invite us to come here, and saw us accompany you. What about that, my fine fellow? What about the car standing in the square which your servant Ivan was supposed to clean?’

‘He clean it nice,’ returned Karen casually. ‘It look now ver’ pretty, and it wait outside the door. Soon it will take us all away –
oh, so far from here. This house is only mine for the leetle while. One month more and my rent is finish. What matters one month? I have mooch better house. Tonight we go. Then what about the police? They mooch puzzle – huh?’

The faces of Sonia and Tony blanched. The trap into which they had fallen appeared to be closing tighter round them.

‘What’s the sense of taking us away?’ demanded Anstruther desperately. ‘Look here, let us go, and we will both promise to say nothing about what has happened.’

Karen laughed, turned, and explained what had been said to his three henchmen. They had been listening with interest, apparently finding great difficulty in following the conversation. When Tony’s offer was translated, they joined heartily in their leader’s laughter. The Englishman glared impotently at them.

‘But we waste the time,’ declared the hunchback. ‘Once more I offer you the freedom for five t’ousand pounds.’

‘How do you know I have so much money?’

‘If you not have it, you first time would have told me. I t’ink you ver’ rich young man, and Madame, also. I t’ink is rich. You will give – yes?’

‘How the devil can I get it, if you keep us trussed up like this?’

‘I will arrange. You have the cheque book?’

‘Supposing I have?’

‘Ah! That answer my question. It is evident you have it. You will write the cheque for five t’ousand pounds, and a letter also, to the bank for the manager to give money to bearer. You will say you and Madame go away for a leetle time, that is why you want the money. Then for four, five days you will be my guests, and no harm will come to you. After, you go to the home. Are you agree?’

‘What happens if I refuse?’

The hunchback shrugged his deformed shoulders.

‘Then I am mooch sorry. You and Madame will be dead.’

Sonia shrank back with a little cry; Anstruther laughed, albeit a trifle unsteadily.

‘Of course you’re joking,’ he exclaimed.

‘Me, I nevaire make the joke. You will see. Madame and you can fink of it while we take you safe from here. At ten o’clock I will once more ask you. If you again refuse the leetle request, then p’ff! It is all ovaire – just like that!’

Despite his casual manner of speaking, there was no mistaking the threat underlying his tone. It was evident he meant everything he said. The expression on his face was utterly merciless and cruel; his wicked eyes held a gloating quality that suggested that he would as gladly murder them as receive the five thousand pounds he demanded. Tony was about to break forth into a fierce and bitter denunciation of the fellow, but realised, in time, that no good could come of giving further vent to his feelings. Their only sensible course was to appear to accept the position in the hope that the man posing as a drunken tramp would be as good as his word. He had said they must trust him to get them out of the hole. They had no alternative now. Anstruther would gladly pay five thousand pounds to ensure the safety of Sonia, but he felt, deep in his heart, that it would do nothing of the sort. They were as likely to be murdered once the money was paid over as they would be if he refused to give the cheque and the letter for his manager. He did not bother to consider then what the latter would think at receiving a communication of such a nature. That, after all, was a trifle. All his thoughts must be concentrated on saving Sonia.

‘What good would it do to murder us?’ he demanded.

‘Sooner or later the police would get on your track, and the inevitable end would be trial and execution.’

Karen laughed harshly.

‘Many I have kill,’ he stated. ‘What matters two more? Pah! You talk the foolishness.’

‘What guarantee have I,’ asked Tony, ‘that you will let us go if I arrange to get the money?’

‘Have I not say you will be free after two, t’ree days? But we waste once more the time. I wish resume the game wit’ my leetle frien’. You will be taken to another room until we ready to go away. Paul will watch you so you not make the noise. You like Paul – yes?’ he asked Sonia, indicating the hairless man, with the horrible fish-like eyes. She shuddered, and he laughed with evil amusement. ‘Paul do not like people shout for help. I t’ink he may do t’ings that hurt mooch. It better you keep ver’ quiet in the othaire room.’