Dorothy Dixon Wins Her Wings

by John Henry Goldfrap

  _Chapter XV_

  STATEN ISLAND SADIE HAS HER WAY

  "I believe that I have done all that is necessary," said the Doctorafter a few minutes--"and I think the patient will be more comfortablenow." Then, with a sardonic gleam in his eye, he added, "Also, I haveenjoyed our conversation very much!"

  He walked to the sink where he washed his hands and dried them carefullyon a clean towel.

  "And so, if you young people are quite ready, we'll adjourn for thatvoting contest I mentioned a little while ago."

  He motioned them to precede him, and brought up the rear with his bag asDorothy helped Bill limp into the front room.

  Politely, the Doctor placed chairs for them and bade them be seated.Never once had this black-eyed little man's manner betokened anythingbut courteous consideration. But his suavity troubled Dorothy far morethan bluster would have done. She sensed the venom behind his smoothtones, the purring growl of the tiger before it springs.

  Dorothy knew she was losing her nerve. But she looked at Bill and smiledbravely as they sat down.

  Bill smiled back at her then shifted his glance with hers to the table,where the members of the gang were seated. The little Doctor headed theboard, the others at the side facing the room. Next to the lame man satthe red-haired girl; then came Mike, Tony, who was nursing his jaw,Johnny, the man who had fetched the wheelbarrow, and another whomDorothy had not seen before. Tony, she fancied, had played the part ofchauffeur at the bank.

  Then Bill broke into the low-voiced conversation that was going on atthe table.

  "How about unlocking these handcuffs, Doctor?"

  The Doctor shook his head. "No, no, my young friend. Even with yourhonorable wounds of combat, you are far too active for us to take anychances."

  "But what could I do? You are six to one, counting Miss Martinelli--andall armed," insisted Bill. "These things are darned uncomfortable."

  Tony shot him a deadly glance. "I'm glad to hear it," he mutteredthrough clenched teeth. "You'll be a lot more uncomfortable by the timeI finish with you."

  "Shut up, you two!" snapped Sadie. "Now, Dad," she went on in adifferent tone, addressing the Doctor, "let's finish this business. Wecan't sit here gabbing all night."

  "That's what I say!" This from Johnny. "Bump off the pair of 'em--theyknow too much. Then we can divvy up and be on our way!"

  "You forget that it is our custom to put such matters to vote,"interposed the Doctor. "Two of our company are upstairs and unable toattend. Also, another member is expected at any time now. Without hishelp our little _coup_ would have been extremely difficult."

  "Chuck and Pete are too ill to vote," argued Miss Martinelli. "As forPerkins--that sap is scared to death! I doubt if he shows up at all."

  "Oh, he wants his share," declared the Doctor. "He'll come. We shallgive him five minutes--and then continue our business."

  He tapped a cigarette on the back of his gold case, struck a match andlounged back in his chair, inhaling the aromatic smoke with evidentenjoyment.

  Dorothy's eyes met Bill's in astonishment.

  He smiled but said nothing.

  It was interesting enough that Sadie should turn out to be the Doctor'sdaughter. But the news that Harry Perkins, her father's trustedlieutenant at the bank, was mixed up in this robbery was simplydumfounding to Dorothy. That was how things had been made easy for thegang--that was how they knew just when Mrs. Hamberfield's necklace wouldbe in her deposit box. And another thing--Perkins' home was on theMarvin Ridge Road, just beyond the Mayo place where the Pen and PencilClub were to meet! The Doctor had been coming from the Perkins' housewhen she and Billy had met his car. And that explained the absence ofroad oil on the Packard's tires!

  Johnny's voice interrupted her train of thought.

  "How are we goin' to make our getaway tonight with them two lads downand out upstairs?" he grumbled. "Our plan was to separate after we'ddivvied up the loot--but them fellers can't be moved."

  "Supposing you stay and look after them--" derided Sadie. "When we'vemade the divvy, as you call it, this bunch breaks up for the time being.We all go our own sweet ways. It's a case of each for himself. If youwant to stick here and nurse those boobs upstairs, nobody's going tostop you."

  "Not me! I don't know nothin' about--"

  "Then keep your mouth shut. Whatever we do, we'll decide later on. Howabout the time, Dad?"

  "Time's up," decided the Doctor with a glance at his watch. "We'll waitno longer for Mr. Perkins. Now, concerning our two young friends whowere so unwise as to join us tonight--what is your pleasure?"

  "Bump them off, of course, as Johnny so prettily puts it," yawned Sadielanguidly. "I'll attend to the job, if the rest of you are squeamish."

  "We will put it to vote," announced the Doctor. "Those in favor willraise their right hands and say 'aye'."

  Five hands, including his own, sprang into the air.

  "Contraries, 'no'."

  "_No_," said Mike in a firm voice, holding up his right hand.

  "The ayes have it," declared the Doctor dispassionately.

  "What's the matter with you, Mike?" sneered Sadie. "Got a crush on thegirl?"

  "No," retorted Mike. "Just trying to stop you from making an even biggerfool of yourself than you are usually!"

  "I'm afraid you'll have to pipe down, Mike." The Doctor's eyes gleamedbalefully. "Sentence has been passed on Miss Dixon and Mr. Bolton--andthat is all there is to it."

  "That's where you're dead wrong."

  "What do you mean? Don't you realize that these two know too much aboutus to permit them to live?"

  "Have I said they didn't? But Sadie should not be allowed to be theirexecutioner."

  "Oh--aren't you considerate!" Sadie's tone was pregnant with sarcasm."Want the job yourself?"

  "Not particularly--none of us should do it."

  "Who then, may I ask?"

  "Why, Perkins, of course."

  "You're crazy! He hasn't the nerve."

  "Maybe not--make him do it anyway."

  It was the lame man's turn to take a hand. "And why should Mr. HarryPerkins be so entrusted?"

  "To keep his mouth shut."

  "I'm afraid I don't understand you."

  "And I didn't think you could be so dense. Look here, Doctor. I haven'tbeen one of your crowd long, but I'd never have joined up at all if I'dknown I was getting in with such a bunch of nitwits!"

  "You are forgetting yourself, I think," the Doctor's tone was cutting.

  "No. I ain't. Listen--Perkins only came into this because he was upagainst it proper. How you found out he had speculated, first with hisown money and then with the bank's, is none of my affair. What I do knowis that when Wall Street put him into a tight place, you put up theextra margin with his brokers upon an assurance from him that he woulddo--just what he's done!"

  "You are very well informed, Mike. And what then?"

  "Just this: the bank has been robbed, but it was a crude job at best.Why the bulls haven't fastened on Perkins already on account of thattime-lock business, is beyond me. Then, for once in your long andsuccessful career, you were careless, Doctor. You allowed your paternalfeeling to out-weigh your natural caution. The result is that the copsgot Sadie's fingerprints and a description of you, of her and of Tony. Iam simply bringing all this up to show you that we are not out of themess yet--not by a long shot."

  "In other words, you think we have a fifty-fifty chance with thepolice?"

  "Better than that, perhaps. I think, though, that if we do get nailed,we should stop Perkins from blabbing--and stop him effectually."

  "I see," said Sadie. "Let him bump off the pair over there--then takehim for a ride?"

  "Be still, carissima!" Doctor Martinelli was interested. "I see whatMike is driving at. He fears that if things should by chance go wrongly,Harry Perkins would try to save his precious skin by turning state'sevidence. And that if he were forced to--er--place these two youngpeople where they will do t
he least harm, Mr. Perkins will not be in aposition himself to turn state's evidence--that is, of course, should itbecome necessary. That is your reason for not voting with the rest ofus?"

  "It is, Doctor. Do you wish to vote on it again?"

  "Not necessarily. I consider your plan adequate."

  "But why make the biggest mistake--of murdering us?" Bill entered theconversation.

  Dorothy leaned toward him. "It's no use, Bill," she whispered steadily."They've made up their minds--and you heard what the Doctor said in theother room!"

  Bill did not attempt to reply, for Doctor Martinelli was speaking again.

  "And why, in your opinion, are we making a mistake in putting you andMiss Dixon out of the running?" he inquired affably. "Take your time,young man, answer carefully. We are in no hurry--until Mr. Harry Perkinsarrives."

  "He won't arrive," rejoined Bill. "The authorities have got him by thistime."

  "Bluff!" shot out Sadie and turned fiercely on her father. "What's theuse of all this?" she cried. "It makes me sick. Why do you stand forit?"

  "Because he knows Bill _isn't_ bluffing!" Dorothy's raised voicesilenced the woman. "We knew that you had been visiting Harry Perkinsthis evening, Doctor. And we passed word to the police on our waythrough New Canaan. The only reason you weren't arrested on the way upis because they want to catch the whole gang together. If you hadn'tshown up here, the rest of your people might have got wise and leftbefore the police could make arrangements to surround the place."

  "But, you see, my dear," said the Doctor, "I wasn't visiting Mr. Perkinsthis evening. I had just motored up from the Post Road, and--ah--pointseast, when I ran into you and your friend Bill."

  Dorothy laughed. "Oh, no, you hadn't, Doctor. The road beyond Perkins'place was freshly oiled. There was no sign of oil on your car."

  "She got you that time, Doc!" exclaimed Mike. "D'you mind saying why youwere foolish enough to drop in on Perkins and put us up a tree thisway?"

  Doctor Martinelli was irritated. "Because the safest place to park thatloot was in Perkins' house," he snapped, "and as he refused to bring itup here himself, I had to fetch it."

  "Then all I can say is that you and Sadie have made a pretty mess ofthings."

  "Is that so?" retorted the red-haired young woman. "Was it _my_ faultthat that fellow over there landed his plane on the lake? That wasbefore the New Canaan deal. He had nothing at all to go on then!"

  "That's where you're wrong," broke in Bill. "Your hair and those beachpajamas make a combination not easily forgotten. You wore them once toooften, Miss Martinelli."

  "And you seem to forget," added Dorothy, "that you've beenfinger-printed both in this country and in England. The police know allabout you and your father and Tony. They probably have the records ofthe rest of your gang. If anything happens to Bill or myself, you arebound to pay the penalty."

  "Say, Doc!" Johnny's excited voice sounded shrilly, "I don't likethis--not a little bit I don't. Tie up that pair and let's vamoose. Themcops is likely to be here any minute. I'm tired of all this fool talk.Come on--this place is gettin' too hot fer me!"

  Mike got to his feet. "I don't stir from this place until I get my shareof the divvy," he declared firmly. "What's the matter with you, Johnny?If Doc lights out with the bag full of kale, it ain't likely the rest ofus will ever get what's coming to us."

  "But I can't afford to get pinched--" Johnny faltered. "Not after thatJersey City job, I can't. It means the hot seat for me." The gangstershivered and moistened his lips.

  "It is my candid opinion that you are all exciting yourselvesunnecessarily." The Doctor's voice betrayed no emotion whatsoever. "MissDixon and Mr. Bolton are clever young people--but not quite cleverenough. They're throwing a gigantic bluff to save their lives. Thepolice won't be here tonight. Why? Simply because if they knew anythingabout this house, we would have been raided long before this. Those twohaven't told the police or anyone else a thing about it. They wanted topull off their job all by themselves!"

  "And how, may I ask, do you figure that?" Bill endeavored to make histone sarcastic.

  "For this reason: if you had reported what you had learned--andguessed--the authorities would never have permitted you to come heretonight. And this proves it!"

  There was a light step on the porch and Harry Perkins came in throughthe open door.