The Four of Hearts (21 page)

‘My God,' yelled Ty, rising, ‘if you think –'

‘Go on, Sam, get out of here,' said Bonnie hurriedly, pushing him. ‘It'll be all right. I promise. Go on now.'

Vix grinned and said: ‘Sure. Got plenty to do. Be seein' you,' and he dashed out.

‘Ty Royle, you listen to me,' said Bonnie fiercely. ‘I
hate
it. But we're caught, and we're going to do it. I don't want to hear another word out of you. It's settled, do you hear? Whatever they want!'

Ellery detached himself from the support of the doorway and said drily: ‘Now that all the masterminds have had their say, may I have mine?'

Inspector Glücke came in with him. He said, frowning: ‘I don't know. I'm not sure I like it. What do you think, Queen?'

‘I don't give a damn what anybody thinks,' said Ty, going over to a liquor cabinet. ‘Will you guys please clear out and leave Bonnie and me alone?'

‘I think,' said Ellery grimly, ‘that I'll find myself a nice deep hole, crawl into it, and pull it after me. I don't want to be around when the explosion comes.'

‘Explosion? What are you talking about?' said Ty, tossing off a quick one. ‘You and your riddles!'

‘Oh, this is a lovely one. Don't you realize yet what you've done?' cried Ellery. ‘Announcing your marriage was bad enough, but now this! Spare me these Hollywood heroes and heroines.'

‘But I don't understand,' frowned Bonnie. ‘What have we done? We've only decided to get married. That's our right, and it's nobody's business, either!' Her lips trembled. ‘Oh, Ty,' she wailed, ‘and it was going to be so beautiful, too.'

‘You'll find out very shortly whose business it is,' snapped Ellery.

‘What's this all about?' demanded Glücke.

‘You're like the sorcerer's apprentice, you two, except that you're a pair. Sorcerer goes away and you start fiddling with things you don't understand – dangerous things. Result, grief. And plenty of it!'

‘What grief?' growled Ty.

‘You've done the worst thing you could have done. You've just agreed to do the one thing, in fact, that's absolutely fatal to both of you.'

‘Will you get to the point?'

‘I'll get to the point. Oh, yes, I'll get to the point. Hasn't it occurred to either of you that you're the designs in a pattern?'

‘Pattern?' said Bonnie, bewildered.

‘A pattern formed by you and Ty and your mother and Ty's father. Hang it all, it's so obvious it simply shrieks.' Ellery raced up and down the room, muttering. Then he waved his arms. ‘I'm not going to launch into a long analysis now. I'm just going to open your eyes to a fundamental fact. What happened to Blythe and Jack when
they
married? What happened to them, eh? Only an hour
after
they married?'

Intelligence leaped into Inspector Glücke's eyes; and Ty and Bonnie gaped.

‘Ah, you see it now. They were both murdered, that's what happened. Then what? Bonnie gets warnings, winding up with one which tells her in so many words to have nothing more to do with Ty. What does that mean? It means lay off – no touch – hands off. And what do you idiots do? You promptly decide to be married – in such loud tones that the whole world will know not only the fact but the manner, too, in a matter of hours!'

‘You mean –' began Bonnie, licking her lips. She whirled on Ty and buried her face in his coat. ‘Oh,
Ty.'

‘I mean,' said Ellery tightly, ‘that the pattern is repeating itself. I mean that if you marry tomorrow the same thing will happen to you that happened to Jack and Blythe. I mean that you've just signed your death warrants – that's what I mean!'

PART FOUR

CHAPTER 19

THE FOUR OF HEARTS

Ty recovered a little of his colour, or perhaps it was the Scotch. At any rate he said: ‘I don't believe it. You're trying to frighten us with a bogey-man.'

‘Doesn't want us to be
married
?
'
said Bonnie in a daze. ‘You mean mother … too? That that –'

‘It's nonsense,' scoffed Ty. ‘I'm through listening to you, anyway, Queen. All you've ever done to me is mix me up.'

‘You poor fool,' said Ellery. ‘You don't know what I've done to you. You don't know what I've done
for
you. How can people be so blind?'

‘That's me,' said the Inspector. ‘Not just blind; stiff. Queen, talk some sense, will you? Give me facts, not a lot of curly little fancies.'

‘Facts, eh?' Ellery glowered. ‘Very well, I'll give you –'

The front doorbell rang. Bonnie called wearily: ‘Clotilde, see who it is.' But Ellery and the Inspector jostled each other crowding through the doorway. They pushed the Frenchwoman out of their way. Ty and Bonnie stared after them as if the two men were insane.

Ellery jerked open the door. A stout lady, hatless but wearing a broadtail coat over a flowered house-dress, stood indignantly on the
Welcome
mat trying to shake off the grip of one of Glücke's detectives.

‘You let go of me!' panted the lady. ‘Of all things! And all I wanted to do –'

‘In or out?' asked the detective of his superior.

Glücke looked helplessly at Ellery, who said: ‘I dare say we may invite the lady in.' He stared at the woman with unmoving eyes. ‘Yes, Madam?'

‘Of course,' sniffed Madam, ‘if a person can't be
neighbourly
…'

Bonnie asked from behind them: ‘What is it? Who is it?'

‘Oh, Miss
Stuart,'
gushed the stout lady instantly, barging between Ellery and the Inspector and bobbing before Bonnie in a ponderous figure that was almost a curtsy. ‘You
do
look just the way you look in pictures. I've always remarked to my husband that you're one of the
loveliest
–'

‘Yes, yes, thank you,' said Bonnie hurriedly. ‘I'm a little busy just now –'

‘What's on your mind, Madam?' demanded Inspector Glücke. For some reason of his own Ellery kept watching the stout lady's hands.

‘Well, I
hope
you won't think I'm intruding, Miss Stuart, but the funniest thing just happened. I'm Mrs. Stroock – you know, the
big
yellow house around the corner? Well, a few minutes ago my doorbell rang and the second maid answered it after a delay and there was nobody there, but an envelope was lying on my mat outside the door, and it wasn't for me at all, but was addressed to
you
, Miss Stuart, and to Mr. Royle, and I thought to myself: “Isn't that the queerest mistake?” Because after all your address is plain enough, and the names of our streets are so different –'

‘Yes, yes, envelope,' said Ellery impatiently, extending his hand. ‘May I have it, please?'

‘I
beg
your pardon,' said Mrs. Stroock with a glare. ‘This happens to be
Miss Stuart's
letter, not yours,
whoever
you are, and you aren't Mr. Royle, I know
that.
Anyway, Miss Stuart,' she said turning to Bonnie again, all smiles, ‘here it is, and I assure you I ran over here just as fast as I could, which isn't fast,' she giggled, ‘because my doctor says I
am
running the least bit to flesh these days. How
do
you keep your figure? I've always said that you –'

‘Thank you, Mrs. Stroock,' said Bonnie. ‘May I?'

The stout lady regretfully took an envelope out of her coat pocket and permitted Bonnie to take it from her. ‘And may I congratulate you on your engagement to Mr. Royle? I just heard the announcement over the radio. I'm sure it's the nicest, sweetest thing for two young people –'

‘Thank you,' murmured Bonnie. She was staring with a sort of horror at the envelope.

‘By the way,' said Ellery, ‘did you or your maid see the person who rang your bell, Mrs. Stroock?'

‘No, indeed. When Mercy went to the door there was nobody there.'

‘Hmm. Thank you again, Mrs. Stroock.' Ellery shut the door politely in the stout lady's face. She sniffed again and marched down the steps, followed to the gate by the detective, who watched her until she turned the corner and then drifted away.

‘Thank you,' said Bonnie for the fourth time in a stricken voice to the closed door.

Ellery took the envelope from her fingers and, frowning, returned to the drawing-room. Inspector Glücke gently took Bonnie's arm.

Ty said, ‘What's the matter now?'

Ellery opened the too familiar envelope, addressed in pencilled block letters to ‘Miss Bonnie Stuart and Mr. Tyler Royle' – no stamp, no other writing except Bonnie's address – and out tumbled two playing-cards with the blue-backed design.

‘The … four of hearts?' said Bonnie faintly.

Ty snatched both cards. ‘Four of hearts? And the ace of spades!' He went to Bonnie and pulled her close to him suddenly.

‘I told you this morning, Glücke, we were dealing with a playful creature,' remarked Ellery. He stared at the cards in Ty's fist. ‘Perhaps now you'll believe me.'

‘The ace of
spades,'
said the Inspector, as if he could not credit the evidence of his own eyesight.

‘What does it mean?' asked Bonnie piteously.

‘It means,' said Ellery, ‘that the interview you two gave the press today has already borne fruit. I suppose the extras have been on the street for an hour, and you heard that awful woman mention the radio. Our friend Egbert was in such haste to get this message to you he refused to wait for the regular mails, which would have brought the cards Monday, or even a special delivery, which would have brought them some time tomorrow.'

‘But what's it
mean
?'

‘As an intelligible message?' Ellery shrugged. ‘Together the cards say: ‘Bonnie Stuart and Tyler Royle, break your engagement or prepare to die.'

The Inspector made a sound deep in his throat and nervously looked about the room.

Bonnie was pale, too; paler than Ty. Her hand crept into his.

‘Then it
is
true,' she whispered. ‘There
is
a pattern. Ty, what are we going to do?'

‘The reason,' Mr. Queen remarked, ‘that Egbert delivered this message in such haste is that Monday – obviously – will be too late. Even tomorrow may be too late. I trust you get his implication?'

Ty sat down on the sofa, his shoulders sagging. He said wearily: ‘I get it, all right. It's true, and we're not to marry, and if we do it's curtains for us. So I guess we've got to satisfy everybody – Butch, the studio, Egbert L. Smith – and drop our marriage plans.'

Bonnie moaned: ‘Oh, Ty …'

‘Why kid ourselves, honey?' Ty scowled. ‘If I was the only one concerned, I'd say the hell with Egbert. But I'm not, you're in it, too. I won't marry you and lay you wide open to an attack on your life.'

‘Oh, you
are
stupid!' cried Bonnie, stamping. ‘Don't you see that isn't so?
I
received threats even before we announced our plans. Those threats were mailed to
me.
The only time
you
were threatened was just now,
after
we'd announced our intention to be married!'

‘Hurrah for the female intelligence,' said Ellery. ‘I'm afraid Bonnie scores there, Ty. That's perfectly true. I refrained from mentioning it before, but I can't hold it back any longer. All my efforts to keep you two apart have been exerted in
your
behalf, Ty, not Bonnie's. It's your life that's involved in this association with Bonnie. Bonnie's life, with or without you, has been in danger from the day her mother died.'

Ty looked confused. ‘And I socked you!'

‘Marry Bonnie and you're on the spot. Don't marry Bonnie and you're not on the spot. But she is whether you marry her or not. It's a pretty thought.'

‘In again, out again.' Ty grinned a twisted grin. ‘I've given up trying to make sense out of this thing. If what you say is true, we're going to be married. I'm not going to let her face this alone. Let that sneaking son try to kill me – let him try.'

‘No, Ty,' said Bonnie miserably. ‘I can't have you doing that. I can't. Why should you endanger your life? I don't pretend to understand it, either, but how can I let you share a danger that's apparently directed at me alone?'

‘You,' said Ty, ‘are marrying me tomorrow, and no arguments.'

‘Oh, Ty,' whispered Bonnie, creeping into his arms. ‘I'd hoped you'd say that. I
am
afraid.'

Inspector Glücke was prowling about in a baffled sort of way. ‘If we only knew who it was,' he muttered. ‘If we knew, we might be able to do something.'

‘Oh, but we do know,' said Ellery. He looked up at their exclamations. ‘I forgot you didn't know. I do, of course, and I tell you we can do nothing –'

‘”Of course,” he says!' shouted the Inspector. He pounced on Ellery and shook him. ‘Who is it?'

‘Yes,' said Ty in a funny voice. ‘Who is it, Queen?'

‘Please, Glücke. Just knowing who it is doesn't solve this problem.' He began to pace up and down, restlessly.

‘Why not?'

‘Because there's not an atom of evidence to bring into court. The case wouldn't get past a Grand Jury, if it ever got to a Grand Jury at all. It would be thrown out for lack of evidence, and you'd have missed your chance to pin the crimes on the one who committed them.'

‘But, good God, man,' cried Ty, ‘we can't just sit around here waiting for the fellow to attack. We've got to do something to trim his claws!'

‘Let me think,' said Ellery irritably. ‘You're making too much noise, all of you.'

He walked up and down, head bent. There was no sound at all except the sound of his march about the room.

‘Look,' interrupted the Inspector. ‘A cop has just as great a responsibility protecting life as investigating death. You say you know who's behind all this, Queen. All right. Let's go to this bird, tell him we know, warn him he'll be watched until the day he dies by a squad of detectives on twenty-four-hour duty. He'd be a bigger fool than anyone could be if he didn't give up his plans then and there.'

‘I've thought of that, of course,' said Ellery crossly. ‘But it has one nasty drawback. It means Egbert will never hang for the murder of Jack and Blythe; and if there's one little fellow I'd have no objection to seeing hanged, it's Egbert.'

‘If it means safety for Bonnie,' said Ty, ‘let him go. Let him go! Glücke's right.'

‘Or why couldn't we,' began Bonnie, and stopped.
‘That's
it! Why couldn't Ty and I be married right this minute and then vanish? Go off somewhere without anybody's knowing where.
Anybody.
Then we'd be safe!'

‘And go through the rest of a long life looking over your shoulder every time you heard a sound behind you?' asked Ellery. And then he stared at Bonnie. ‘Of course! That's it. Vanish! Exactly. Exactly. Force his hand. He'd have to …' His voice trailed off and he began to run about madly, like an ant, his lips moving silently.

‘Have to what?' demanded the Inspector.

‘Try to murder them, of course. Yes, he would. Let's see now. If we pulled the stunt –'

‘Try to
murder us?'
repeated Bonnie, blinking.

Ellery stopped racing. ‘Yes,' he said briskly. ‘That's exactly what we'll do. We'll jockey this bird into the position of
trying
to murder you. If the compulsion is strong enough – and I think we can make it strong enough – he
must
try to murder you … Bonnie.' Ellery's eyes were shining. ‘Would you be willing to run the risk of an open attack on your life if by running that risk we stood a good chance of catching your mother's murderer red-handed?'

‘You mean,' said Bonnie slowly, ‘that if it were successful I'd be free? Ty and I – we'd both be
free
?'

‘Free as the air.'

‘Oh, yes. Oh, yes, I'll do anything for that!'

‘Not so fast,' said Ty. ‘What's the plan?'

‘To go through with the announced marriage, to utilize it as a trap for the murderer.'

‘And use Bonnie as a guinea-pig? Nuts.'

‘But I tell you Bonnie's life is in danger in any event,' said Ellery impatiently. ‘Even if she's surrounded by armed guards day and night, do you want her to spend the rest of her life waiting for the axe to fall? I assure you, Ty, it's either Egbert or Bonnie. Take my word for that. The creature's gone too far to stop now.
His plans make it mandatory for Bonnie to die.'

‘It's a hell of a decision to make,' muttered Ty.

‘Ty, will you listen to me? I tell you it's the safest course in the long run. Don't you see that by setting a trap we force his hand? We make him attempt Bonnie's life when
we
want him to, under conditions
we
have established – yes, lure him unsuspecting right into a spot where we know what he'll do and be prepared for him. By taking the bold step we reduce the danger to a minimum. Don't you see?'

‘How do you know,' said Glücke intently, ‘he'll attack?'

‘He's got to. He can't wait too long; I'm positive of that, never mind how. If part of our plan is to announce that immediately after the wedding tomorrow Bonnie and Ty are taking off for an unknown destination, to be gone an indefinite length of time, he
must
attack; I know he must. He can't let Bonnie, living, vanish; he'll have to try to kill her tomorrow or give up his whole plan.'