CHAPTER VIII
_Comus_
From the time they left the Ledanois house with Lucie, Gramont had noopportunity of seeing his chauffeur in private until, later in theafternoon, he left the Maison Blanche building. He had enjoyed athoroughly satisfactory interview with Jachin Fell. So wholly hadGramont's thoughts been given over to the business, indeed, that it wasalmost a shock to emerge into Canal Street and find everyone else in theworld thinking only of the water carnival and the Rex parade.
As for the Midnight Masquer and the mystery of the boxes of loot, allthis had quite fled Gramont's mind before larger and more importantthings. The car was waiting for him in Royal Street, not far from theMonteleone, and Gramont approached it to find Hammond in deep worry overthe outcome of the interview with Fell.
"Well, cap'n!" he exclaimed, anxiously, as Gramont drew up. "You'resmilin', so I guess it ain't a pinch!"
Gramont laughed gaily. "Those boxes? Nonsense! Say, sergeant, you musthave been scared stiff when you saw them!"
"Scared? I was ready to flop, that's all! And how in the name o'goodness did they get in _her_ house? What's behind all this?"
Gramont glanced around. He walked with Hammond to the front of the car,where he could speak without being overheard by the passersby.
"It seems that I was more or less mistaken about Fell being on ourtrail," he explained, reflectively. "We had a very frank talk about it,and he disclaimed all knowledge of the boxes themselves. I gathered fromlittle things he dropped that some criminal had looted the stuff fromthe car, and that it came to his attention yesterday in a legalcapacity----"
"Legal capacity, hell!" snorted Hammond. "Did you swallow all that?"
"My swallowing capacity was pretty good," and Gramont chuckled. "Itseems that he opened one of the boxes, and found the note I had written.This explained the business, and by way of a little joke he turned overthe loot to Miss Ledanois and she had a bit of fun with us. Fell, infact, proved to be a pretty good fellow----"
"He sure handed you out a fine line of bull!" commented Hammond,savagely. "What gets me is your falling for all that dope! Looks likeyou wanted to believe him, cap'n."
"Perhaps I did." Gramont shrugged his shoulders. "Why not? I've noreason to disbelieve him. The note made it plain that we were notcriminals; now the whole affair is cleaned up and out of the way. We'reout of it in good shape, if you ask me!"
"You said something there," agreed Hammond, not without a sigh ofrelief. "All right, if you say so, only I ain't sure about thisFell----"
"Don't worry. The stuff is returned, and the matter is now closed. Wecan forget all about the Midnight Masquer. Now, there's another and moreimportant thing that I want to speak with you about, a matter ofbusiness----"
"Hold on, cap'n!" interrupted Hammond, quietly, his eye on a spot behindGramont. "One of your friends is headed over this way, and if I knowanything about it, he's got blood in his eye."
Gramont turned, to see Bob Maillard approaching. The latter addressedhim without any response to his greeting.
"Have you a moment to spare, Gramont?"
"All afternoon," answered Gramont, cheerfully. He affected not toobserve Maillard's air of heavy business, nor the frowning suspicionthat lurked half-veiled in the other's glowering features. "By the way,I've been looking up a New Orleans landmark without much success--theRamos gin fizz establishment. It seems to be gone!"
"It is," returned Maillard, sourly. "Prohibition killed it, like it'skilling everything. Francois moved into the place last September fromOld 27, and it's become his restaurant now. But look here, Gramont!" Thetwo were standing a bit apart, and Hammond was fussing with one of theheadlights, but Gramont suspected that the chauffeur was listeningavidly. "I've just come from a talk with dad. How did it happen that yousold him that stock of yours in the company?"
Gramont smiled a little. He was amused by the way Maillard wasendeavouring to keep down an outburst of angry passion.
"I happened to need the money. Why?"
"But why the devil didn't you hang on to that stock? Or if you neededmoney, why didn't you come to me?" exploded the other, angrily.
"Heavens!" drawled Gramont, who was quite willing to exasperate youngMaillard to the limit. "You seem frightfully concerned about it! What'sthe big idea, anyway? I don't recall that any of us went into anagreement not to sell if we wanted to. I offered the stock to yourfather at a discount. He realized that it was a good buy, and took it.What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing wrong, if you put it that way," snapped Maillard, angrily. "Butit's a confounded sly way of doing things----"
"Now, just wait right there!" Gramont's easy smile vanished. "I don'ttake that kind of talk, Maillard. One more such insinuation, and you'llneed to use a mask at the ball to-night, I promise you! I'll show youhow sly I am, my friend! I'm off in the morning to start work on thatreport I was engaged to make. When the report comes in, my resignationcomes with it."
"All right. Let it come here and now, then." Maillard's tone was ugly."If you're so blamed anxious to get out of the company, get out!"
"Thanks. I'll be glad to be relieved of the job." Gramont turned andaddressed his chauffeur. "Hammond, you'll kindly remember thisconversation, in case your future testimony is needed----"
"Confound you, what d'you mean talking that way?" broke out Maillard."Do you suppose I'll deny firing you?"
"I don't care to have you offer any reflections on my actions,Maillard," said Gramont, evenly. "My course in this matter is perfectlyopen and above board, which is more than you can say for your doings."
"What?" Maillard clenched his stick and took a forward step, angerworking in his face. "What the devil d'you mean?"
"Exactly what I say--and perhaps I can prove it. Remember the oilconcern to which you persuaded your precious father to sell some of MissLedanois's bayou land? Remember the real estate company to which youpersuaded him to sell her St. Landry parish property? You had interestsin both concerns; I don't imagine you'd care to have your share in thosetransactions exposed. Further, I entirely understand your indignationover my getting rid of this stock before the crash, and it ill becomesyou to assume any such attitude."
Maillard glared at him for a long moment, a red tide of rage floodingand ebbing from his heavy countenance. Then, mastering himself, heturned and strode away without further speech.
"Hurray!" observed Hammond, when he was gone. "Cap'n, that guy is offyou for life! I bet he'd like to meet you alone on a dark night!"
Gramont shook his head. "He's a bad enemy, all right. Here, get into thecar!"
He climbed in beside Hammond.
"Don't drive--I want to speak with you. Now that Maillard has relievedme of the necessity of making any report to his company, I'm free, andglad of it! I've been talking business with Mr. Fell, and I'm to have myown company."
"With him?" Hammond sniffed.
"Yes. He's matching his money against mine, and we're going to look foroil on some land owned by Miss Ledanois. It'll be a close corporation,and if we strike oil, we'll all three have a good thing. We may gobroke, and we may go rich; if you're saving any coin out of your salaryand feel like taking a gamble, I'll get you a bit of the stock after Mr.Fell gets things in shape. You can think it over----"
"I don't want to think it over," broke in Hammond, eagerly. "I'm on,here and now--and it sure is mighty good of you, cap'n! Say, I ain't hadany chance to tell you before, but I pulled two hundred out o' thelottery last week----"
"Lottery!" Gramont looked at him quickly. "What lottery?"
Hammond looked a trifle sheepish. "Well, it's against the law, o'course, but they run 'em right along just the same. A bunch of thechauffeurs here are wise to it; they put up some coin for me last week,and as I was sayin' I pulled out two hundred. I got most of it left, andhave some saved up on the side. I'll stick it all in, huh?"
Gramont nodded. "Well, we'll see later. You're free until morning,sergeant. I
'm going to the Comus ball to-night as a guest of theLavergnes, and they'll call for me. Enjoy yourself, keep out of jail,and be ready to start at six in the morning for Terrebonne."
Leaving Hammond to take the car home, Gramont headed for Canal Street tomingle with the carnival crowd and revel in his new-found sense offreedom. Now that he was his own master, he felt like a new man.
Overnight, it seemed, all weights had dropped from his shoulders. On thescore of the Midnight Masquer, he was vastly relieved; all that was overand forgotten. Financially, he had achieved what was nothing less than amasterly triumph. In a business way, he was free of all ties and able tolook forward to decisive action on his own behalf and that of a partnerin whom he could feel a perfect reliance.
Consequently, he began really to enjoy Mardi Gras for the first time,and plunged into the eddying crowds in a free and light-hearted mannerwhich had not been his for years.
It was the moment for the carnival spirit to seize on him, and seize himit did. With a boyish abandon he tramped the streets merrily, exchangingjests and confetti, shoves and bladder-blows, laughs and kisses. Madnessand reckless gaiety were in the very air, and Gramont drank deep ofthese youthful tonics. When at last he wandered home to his pension, hewas footsore, weary, disarranged, and touseled--and very happy. The wineof human comradeship is a good wine.
That evening the Comus ball, the most exclusive revel of the mostexclusive aristocracy of the southland, crowded the edifice in which itwas held to capacity. Here evening dress was prescribed for all theguests. The Krewe of Comus alone were masked and costumed, in grotesqueand magnificent costumes which had been in the making for months. TheKrewe is to the South what the Bohemian Club is to the western coast,with the added enhancement of mystery.
Despite the revels of the Krewe, however--despite the glittering jewels,the barbaric costumes, the music, the excitement--an indefinable air ofregret, almost of sadness, pervaded the entire gathering. This feelingwas something to be sensed, rather than observed definitely. Some said,afterward, that it was a premonition of the terrible event that was tohappen this night. Wrong! It was because, for the first time in manygenerations, the Comus ball was held in one of the newer publicbuildings instead of in its accustomed place. Everyone was speaking ofit. Even Maillard the banker, that cold man of dollars, spoke uneasilyof it when Gramont encountered him in the smoking room.
"It doesn't seem like Comus," said Maillard, with a vexed frown. "And tothink that we had just finished redecorating the Opera House when it wasburned down! Comus will never be the same again."
"I didn't know you could feel such emotion for a ruined building,Maillard," said Gramont, lightly. The banker shrugged a trifle.
"Emotion? No. Regret! None of us, who has been brought up in thetraditions of the city but regarded the French Opera House as the centreof all our storied life. You can't understand it, Gramont; no outsidercan. By the way, you haven't seen Bob? He's in costume, but he mighthave spoken to you----"
Gramont answered in the negative, with a slight surprise at thequestion.
It was not long before he came to comprehend more fully just what theloss of the old French Opera House meant to the assembly. He heardcomparisons made on every hand, regretful allusions, sighs for the daysthat were no more.
This present building, to be sure, was one of the city's finest, up todate in every way, with an abundance of room--and yet everyone said thatComus would never be the same. About the Opera House had clung theromance of many generations. About it, too, had clung the affections ofthe people with a fierceness beyond reason. More famous buildings hadbeen allowed to go to ruin, like the Hotel Royale, but the Opera Househad been kept in repair for Mardi Gras. It was itself--a landmark.Nothing else would ever be like it.
From his seat in the Lavergne box Gramont contented himself during theearly evening with the common role of all the "blackcoats"--that oflooking on idly. More than once he saw Lucie Ledanois called out, amongothers of the fair sex, as a dancing partner for some member of theKrewe. None of the male guests, however, was allowed to participate inthe festivity until Rex and his queen should arrive--at midnight; thus,Gramont saw almost nothing of Lucie during the evening.
There was, inevitably, more or less visiting in boxes and foyers, andnot a little lounging in the smoking room. The building was a hugestructure, and richly furnished. Only a portion of it was in use by theKrewe; the remainder was, of course, deserted for the time being.
While in search of smoking companions, Gramont encountered many of hisacquaintances, and among them Doctor Ansley and Jachin Fell. In order toenjoy Fell's proffered El Reys in a somewhat clearer atmosphere thesethree strolled off together into one of the unused passages leading toother parts of the building. They opened a window and stood watching thecrowd that surged in the street below, constantly increasing as the hourgrew later, for the procession of Rex would be well worth seeing andnobody meant to miss anything upon this night of nights.
Suddenly, at the sound of an approaching footstep, the three men turned.The electric lights were going in all of the hallways, and theyperceived that the individual approaching them was a member of the Kreweof Comus. He was also, it became evident, giving a share of hisallegiance to Bacchus, for his feet were obviously unsteady. He was cladin a parti-coloured costume, which was crowned by an exaggerated head ofMephisto.
"Good evening to you, worthy gentlemen!" He came to a fuddled halt andstood there, laughing at the stares of the three. "Evening, I say."
They responded to his liquor-tinged words with a laughing reply.
"Wonderin' who I am, aren't you!" he hiccuped. "Well, don't wonder;'sall between ol' friends to-night! Tell you what, m' friends--come withme and I'll find you a li'l drink, eh? No prohibition booze, upon m'honour; real old Boone pinchneck--got it from some boys in Louisville,been savin' it up for to-night."
He wagged his head at them, and pursued his subject in a half-maudlinburst of confidential assurance. An unsteady hand waved down thehallway.
"Havin' a little party in one of the rooms," he continued. "All of usfriends--lots more fun than dancin'! And say! I'm going pull somethinggreat, positively great; you don't want to miss it, gentlemen! You comealong with me and I'll fix it for you. Come on, Gramont, that's a goodfellow! You'n I had a dis'greement to-day--don't matter to-night,nothin' matters to-night, nothin' at all. Mardi Gras only comes once ayear, eh? Come along, now."
Jachin Fell very civilly refused the invitation, as did the others.Gramont, who now recognized their accoster, was less civil in hisrefusal. Mephisto sadly wagged his huge headpiece and regarded them withvinous regret.
"No 'joyment in you any more? Better come along. Tell you, I've got thebiggest joke of the season ready to pull off--something rich! Gramont,come on!"
"Thanks, no," responded Gramont, curtly.
The masquer gave up the struggle and moved on down the empty hallway.The three "blackcoats" watched in silence until the grotesque figure hadvanished.
"I wonder who that was, now?" mused Doctor Ansley, frowning. "Evidently,someone who knew us; at least, he recognized you, Gramont."
"So it seemed," put in Jachin Fell. His tone, like his eyes, held asombre fire. "A party of them drinking, eh? that will make trouble. TheKrewe won't like it. Ten to one, that young man and his friends willstart the makings of a fine scandal and the Krewe will come down hard onthem--mighty hard. Who was he, Gramont? Sounded like----"
"Young Maillard." At Gramont's response a whistle broke from DoctorAnsley. Jachin Fell nodded assent.
"You took the words out of my mouth. So Bob is drinking again, eh? Andthey've occupied one of the rooms somewhere, and are enjoying a bit ofliquor and a card game by themselves. Cursed slippery going, as Elizasaid when she crossed the ice! The Krewe will expel them. Hello,Gramont--where to?"
Gramont tossed his cigar through the open window.
"I think I'll make my adieux, Fell. I intend to be up early in themorning and get off to work----"
"What?"
protested Ansley in astonishment. "You must stay until Rexcomes, at least! Why, that's the event of the carnival! The eveninghasn't started yet."
"I'm growing old and sober, doctor," and Gramont chuckled. "To tell thetruth," and he gave Fell a whimsical glance, "I am head over ears insome new business matters which have actually fired me with the divineafflatus of enthusiasm. What's more, I was drifting with the crowds allafternoon, and I've just begun to realize that I'm dead tired. Rex or noRex, I'm afraid that I'd best say good-night, gentlemen."
Gramont persisted in his intention, and bade the other two good-night.In truth, he cared very little about Rex, and a very great deal aboutgetting off to Bayou Terrebonne early in the morning. The oil matterfilled his mind. He had formed a thousand plans, he was fired withenthusiasm, and was anxious to make his preliminary investigation.
Returning to the auditorium, Gramont sought out his hosts and made hisfarewells, although not without encountering some opposition. At lengthhe was free, he had obtained his hat and coat, and as he passed out ofthe building he again met Fell and Ansley, who were finishing theircigars at the entrance. He bade them a final adieu and plunged into thecrowd.
It lacked half an hour of midnight. The streets were filled withmerrymakers, who were making the night riotous with songs, yells, andnoise-producing apparatus, anticipating the arrival of Rex. For a littleFell and Doctor Ansley stood talking, then tossed away their cigars andturned into the building.
They halted in the foyer before the appearance of two men--JosephMaillard, looking extremely agitated, and behind him old Judge Forester,who wore a distinctly worried expression.
"Ah, here are Fell and Ansley!" exclaimed Maillard, almost with relief."I--ah--my friends, I don't suppose you've seen Bob recently?"
Ansley was silent. Jachin Fell, however, responded with a cold nod ofassent.
"Yes," he said in his peculiarly toneless manner. "Yes, we have. Atleast, I believe it was he----"
"I'm worried," said Maillard, anxiously, hurriedly. He made anexpressive gesture of despair. "He's in costume, of course. I've beengiven to understand that--well, that he has been--well, drinking."
"He has," said Jachin Fell, without any trace of compassion. "A numberof the Krewe are occupying one of the rooms in the building, and theymust have been visiting it frequently. I trust for your sake that thefact hasn't become generally known inside?"
Maillard nodded. Shame and anger lay heavily in his eyes.
"Yes, Jachin. I--I was asked to exert my influence over Bob. The requestcame to me from the floor. This--this is a disgraceful thing to admit,my friends----"
Judge Forester, in his kindly way, laid his hand on the banker's arm.
"Tut, tut, Joseph," he said, gently, a fund of sympathy in his voice."Boys will be boys, you know; really, this is no great matter! Don't letit hit you so hard. I'll go with you to find the room, of course. Whereis it, Jachin?"
"We'll all go," put in Ansley. "We'll have a little party of our own,gentlemen. Come on, I believe we'll be able to discover the place."
The four men left the foyer and started through the corridors. Amongthem was a tacit understanding, a deep feeling of sympathy for JosephMaillard, a bond which held them to his aid in this disgrace which hadbefallen him. Jachin Fell, who felt the least compassion or pity, cursedBob Maillard--but under his breath.
They walked through the empty, lighted corridors, following thedirection in which Fell and Ansley had seen young Maillard disappear.
"I hear," said Judge Forester to Doctor Ansley, as they followed theother two, "that there has been astonishing news to-day from theMidnight Masquer. It seems that a number of people have received backproperty this afternoon--loot the bandit had taken. It came by mail,special delivery. One of the Lavergne boys tells me that they received abox containing everything that was taken at their home, even to cash,with a note asking them to return the things to their guests. It appearsto have been some sort of a carnival joke, after all."
"A poor one, then," responded Ansley, "and in doubtful taste. I've heardnothing of it. I wouldn't mind getting back the little cash I lost,though I must say I'll believe the story when I see the money----"
He broke off quickly.
As they turned a corner of the corridor to the four men came realizationthat they had attained their goal. From one of the rooms ahead theresounded snatches of a boisterous chorus being roared forth lustily. Asthey halted, to distinguish from which door the singing proceeded, thechorus was broken off by an abrupt and sudden silence. This silence wasaccentuated by the preceding noise, as though the singers had checkedtheir maudlin song in mid-career.
"Damn it!" muttered Maillard. "Did they hear us coming? No, thatwouldn't matter a hang to them--but what checked them so quickly?"
"This door," said Fell, indicating one to their right. He paused at it,listening, and over his features came a singular expression. As theothers joined him, they caught a low murmur of voices, a hushed sound oftalk, a rattle as a number of chips fell from a table.
"Cursed queer!" observed Jachin Fell, frowning. "I wonder what happenedto them so abruptly? Perhaps the deal was finished--they're having agame. Well, go ahead, Joseph! We'll back you up as a deputation from theblackcoats, and if you need any moral support, call on Judge Forester."
"Correct!" assented that gentleman with dignity. "I'll give thesejackanapes a little advice! It's going a bit far, this sort of thing; wecan't have Comus turned into a common drinking bout. Ready, Joseph?"
He flung open the door, and Maillard entered at his side. They then cameto a startled halt, at view of the scene which greeted them.
The room was large and well lighted, windows and transom darkened forthe occasion. Tobacco smoke made a bluish haze in the air. In the centreof the room stood a large table, littered with glasses and bottles, withscattered cards, with chips and money.
About this table had been sitting half a dozen members of the Krewe ofComus. Now, however, they were standing, their various identitiescompletely concealed by the grotesque costumes which cloaked them. Theirhands were in the air.
Standing at another doorway, midway between their group and that of thefour unexpected intruders, was the Midnight Masquer--holding them up atthe point of his automatic!
There was a moment of tense and strained silence, as every eye went tothe four men in evening attire. It was plain what had cut short theboisterous song--the Masquer must have made his appearance only a momentor two previously. From head to foot he was hidden under his leathernattire. His unrecognizable features, at this instant, were turnedslightly toward the four new arrivals. It was obvious that he, no lessthan the others, was startled by this entry.
Maillard was the first to break that silence of stupefaction.
"By heavens!" he cried, furiously. "Here's that damned villainagain--hold him, you! at him, everybody!"
In a blind rage, transported out of himself by his sudden access ofpassion, the banker hurled himself forward. From the bandit burst a cryof futile warning; the pistol in his hand veered toward his assailant.
This action precipitated the event. Perhaps because the Masquer did notfire instantly, and perhaps because Maillard's mad action shamed them,the nearer members of the drinking party hurled themselves at thebandit. The threat of the weapon was forgotten, unheeded in the sweepinglust of the man-hunt. It seemed that the fellow feared to fire; andabout him closed the party in a surging mass, with a burst of suddenshouts, striking and clutching to pull him down and put him under foot.
Then, when it seemed that they had him without a struggle, the Masquerbroke from them, swept them apart and threw them off, hurled them clearaway. He moved as though to leap through the side doorway whence he hadcome.
With an oath, Maillard hurled himself forward, struck blindly andfuriously at the bandit, and fastened upon him about the waist. Therewas a surge forward of bodies as the others crowded in to pull down theMasquer before he could escape. It looked then as though he were indeedlost--until the automat
ic flamed and roared in his hand, its chokingfumes bursting at them. The report thundered in the room; a secondreport thundered, deafeningly, as a second bullet sought its mark.
Like a faint echo to those shots came the slam of a door. The Masquerwas gone!
After him, into the farther room, rushed some of the party; but he hadvanished utterly. There was no trace of him. Of course, he might haveducked into any of the dark rooms, or have run down the corridor, yethis complete disappearance confused the searchers. After a moment,however, they returned to the lighted room. The Masquer had gone, butbehind him had remained a more grim and terrible masquer.
In the room which he had just left, however, there had fallen a dreadsilence and consternation. One of the masqued drinkers held an arm thathung helpless, dripping blood; but his hurt passed unseen and uncaredfor, even by himself.
Doctor Ansley was kneeling above a motionless figure, prone on the dirtyfloor; and it was the figure of Joseph Maillard. The physician glancedup, then rose slowly to his feet. He made a terribly significantgesture, and his crisp voice broke in upon the appalled silence.
"Dead," he said, curtly. "Shot twice--each bullet through the heart.Judge Forester, I'm afraid there is no alternative but to call in thepolice. Gentlemen, you will kindly unmask--which one of you is RobertMaillard?"
Amid a stunned and horrified silence the members of the Krewe one by oneremoved their grotesque headgear, staring at the dead man whose whiteface looked up at them with an air of grim accusation. But none of themcame forward to claim kinship with the dead man. Bob Maillard was not inthe room.
"I think," said the toneless, even voice of Jachin Fell, "that all ofyou gentlemen had better be very careful to say only what you haveseen--and know. You will kindly remain here until I have summoned thepolice."
He left the room, and if there were any dark implication hidden in hiswords, no one seemed to observe it.
The Mardi Gras Mystery Page 8