CHAPTER XI
THE SILENT BELL
He stood looking at her with earnest thoughtful eyes. Suddenly thewoman-soul within her awoke in a surging, inexplicable wave ofemotion which almost overcame her; and after it came something ofrealization of the great fight he was making for her--for her, andthe aged, feeble grandfather waiting patiently out there. He lovedher, this master among men, and she sighed contentedly. For themoment the maddening anxiety that brought her here was forgotten;there was only the ineffable sweetness of seeing him again. Sheextended her hands to him impulsively, and he kissed them both.
"The difficulty of you leaving here," he went on after a little, "isthat you would be followed, and within two hours these men would knowall about you--where you are stopping, how long you have been there;they would know of your daily telephone messages to your grandfather,and then, inevitably, they would appear out there, and learn all therest of it. It doesn't matter how closely they keep watch of me. Myplans are all made, I know I am watched, and make no mistakes. Butyou!"
"So I should not have come?" she questioned. "I'm sorry."
"I understand your anxiety, of course," he assured her, and he wassmiling a little, "but the worst never happens--so for the presentwe will not worry. In an hour or more, now, I imagine we shallreceive a pigeon-o-gram which will show that all is well. And then Ishall have to plan for you to get away somehow."
She leaned toward him a little and again he gathered her in his arms.The red lips were mutely raised, and he kissed her reverently.
"It's all for you and it will all be right," he assured her.
"Gene, dear Gene!"
He pressed a button on the wall and a maid appeared.
"You will have to wait for a couple of hours or so, at least, so ifyou would like to take off your things?" he suggested with gravecourtesy. "I dare say the suite just above is habitable, and themaid is at your service."
The girl regarded him pensively for a moment, then turning ranswiftly up the stairs. The maid started to follow more staidly.
"Just a moment," said Mr. Wynne crisply, in an undertone. "MissKellner is not to be allowed to use the telephone under anycircumstances. You understand?" She nodded silently and went up thestairs.
An hour passed. From the swivel chair at his desk Mr. Wynne hadtwice seen Sutton stroll past on the opposite side of the street;and then Claflin had lounged along. Suddenly he arose and went tothe window, throwing back the curtains. Sutton was leaning againstan electric-light pole, half a block away; Claflin was half a blockoff in the other direction, in casual conversation with a policeman.Mr. Wynne looked them over thoughtfully. Curiously enough he waswondering just how he would fare in a physical contest with either,or both.
He turned away from the window at last and glanced at his watchimpatiently. One hour and forty minutes! In another half an hourthe little bell over his desk should ring. That would mean that apigeon had arrived from--from out there, and that the automatic doorhad closed upon it as it entered the cote. But if it didn't come--if it didn't come! Then what? There was only one conclusion to bedrawn, and he shuddered a little when he thought of it. There couldonly remain this single possibility when he considered the sinisterthings that had happened--the failure of the girl to get an answerby telephone, and the unexpected appearance of Red Haney with theuncut diamonds. It might be necessary for him to go out there, andhow could he do it? How, without leaving an open trail behind him?How, without inviting defeat in the fight he was making?
His meditations were interrupted by the appearance of Miss Kellner.She had crept down the stairs noiselessly, and stood beside himbefore he was aware of her presence. Her eyes sought his countenancequestioningly, and the deadly pallor of her face frightened him. Shecrept into his arms and nestled there silently with dry, staringeyes. He stroked the golden-brown hair with an utter sense ofhelplessness.
"Nothing yet," he said finally, and there was a thin assumption ofcheeriness in his tone. "It may be another hour, but it will come--it will come."
"But if it doesn't, Gene?" she queried insistently. Always her mindwent back to that possibility.
"We shall cross no bridges until we reach them," he replied. "Thereis always a chance that the pigeons might have gone astray, for theyhave this single disadvantage against the incalculable advantage ofoffering no clew to any one as to where they go; and it is impossibleto follow them. If nothing comes in half an hour now I shall sendtwo more."
"And then, if nothing comes?"
"Then, my dear, then we shall begin to worry."
Half an hour passed; the little bell was silent; Claflin and Suttonwere still visible from the window. Miss Kellner's eyes wereimmovably fixed on Mr. Wynne's face, and he repressed his gnawinganxiety with an effort. Finally he wrote again on the tissue slips--three of them this time--and together they climbed to the roof,attached the messages, and watched the birds disappear.
Another hour--two hours--two hours and a half passed. Suddenly thegirl arose with pallid face and colorless lips.
"I can't stand it, Gene, I can't!" she exclaimed hysterically. "Imust know. The telephone?"
"No," he commanded harshly, and he, too, arose. "No."
"I will!" she flashed.
She darted out of the room and along the hall. He followed her withgrim determination in his face. She seized the receiver from thehook and held it to her ear.
"Hello!" called Central.
"Give me long distance--Coaldale, Number--"
"No," commanded Mr. Wynne, and he placed one hand over thetransmitter tightly. "Doris, you must not!"
"I will!" she flamed. "Let me alone!"
"You'll ruin everything," he pleaded earnestly. "Don't you know thatthey get every number I call? Don't you know that within fifteenminutes they will have that number, and their men will start forthere?"
She faced him with blazing eyes.
"I don't care," she said deliberately, and the white face wasrelieved by an angry flush. "I will know what has happened outthere! I must! Gene, don't you see that I'm frantic with anxiety?The money means nothing to me. I want to know if he is safe."
His hand was still gripped over the transmitter. Suddenly she turnedand tugged at it fiercely. Her sharp little nails bit into the fleshof his fingers. In a last desperate effort she placed the receiverto her lips.
"Give me long distance, Coaldale Number--"
With a quick movement he snapped the connecting wire from theinstrument, and the receiver was free in her hand.
"Doris, you are mad!" he protested. "Wait a minute, my dear girl--just a minute."
"I don't care! I _will_ know!"
Mr. Wynne turned and picked up a heavy cane from the hall-stand, andbrought it down on the transmitter with all his strength. Thedelicate mechanism jangled and tingled, then the front fell off attheir feet. The diaphragm dropped and rolled away.
"Doris, you must not!" he commanded again gravely. "We will findanother way, dear."
"How dare you?" she demanded violently. "It was cowardly."
"You don't understand--"
"I understand it all," she broke in. "I understand that this mightlead to the failure of the thing you are trying to do. But I don'tcare. I understand that already I have lost my father and mybrother in this; that my grandmother and my mother were nearlystarved to death while it was all being planned; all for thesehideous diamonds. Diamonds! Diamonds! Diamonds! I've heardnothing all my life but that. As a child it was dinned into me, andnow I am sick and weary of it all. I know--I _know_ something hashappened to him now. I hate them! I hate them!"
She stopped, glared at him with scornful eyes for an instant, thenran up the stairs again. Mr. Wynne touched a button in the wall, andthe maid appeared.
"Go lock the back door, and bring me the key," he commanded.
The maid went away, and a moment later returned to hand him the key.He still stood in the hall, waiting.
After a l
ittle there came a rush of skirts, and Miss Kellner ran downthe steps, dressed for the street.
"Doris," he pleaded, "you must not go out now. Wait just a moment--we'll find a way, and then I'll go with you."
She tried to pass him, but his outstretched arms made her a prisoner.
"Do I understand that you refuse to let me go?" she asked tensely.
"Not like this," he replied. "If you'll give me just a little whilethen perhaps--perhaps I may go with you. Even if something hadhappened there you could do nothing alone. I, too, am afraid now.Just half an hour--fifteen minutes! Perhaps I may be able to find aplan."
Suddenly she sank down on the stairs, with her face in her hands. Hecaressed her hair tenderly, then raised her to her feet.
"Suppose you step into the back parlor here," he requested. "Justgive me fifteen minutes. Then, unless I can find a way for us to gotogether safely, we will throw everything aside and go anyway.Forgive me, dear."
She submitted quietly to be led along the hall. He opened the doorinto a room and stood aside for her to pass.
"Gene, Gene!" she exclaimed.
Her soft arms found their way about his neck, and she drew his facedown and kissed him; then, without a word, she entered the room andclosed the door. A minute passed--two, four, five--and Mr. Wynnestood as she left him, then he opened the front door and stepped out.
Frank Claflin was just starting toward the house from the corner withdeliberate pace when he glanced up and saw Mr. Wynne signaling forhim to approach. Could it be possible? He had had no orders abouttalking to this man, but--Perhaps he was going to give it up! Andwith this idea he accelerated his pace and crossed the street.
"Oh, Mr. Claflin, will you step in just a moment, please?" requestedMr. Wynne courteously.
"Why?" demanded the detective suspiciously.
"There's a matter I want to discuss with you," responded Mr. Wynne."It may be that we can reach some sort of--of an agreement aboutthis, and if you don't mind--"
Claflin went up the steps, Mr. Wynne ushered him in and closed thedoor behind him.
Three minutes later Mr. Wynne appeared on the steps again andbeckoned to Sutton, who had just witnessed the incident justpreceding, and was positively being eaten by curiosity.
"This is Mr. Sutton, isn't it?" inquired Mr. Wynne.
"Yes, that's me."
"Well, Mr. Claflin and I are discussing this matter, and myproposition to him was such that he felt if must be made in yourpresence. Would you mind stepping inside for a moment?"
"You and the girl decided to give it up?" queried Mr. Suttontriumphantly.
"We are just discussing the matter now," was the answer.
Sutton went up the steps and disappeared inside.
And about four minutes after that Mr. Wynne stood in the hallway,puffing a little as he readjusted his necktie. He picked up his hat,drew on his gloves and then rapped on the door of the back parlor.Miss Kellner appeared.
"We will go now," said Mr. Wynne quietly.
"But is it safe, Gene?" she asked quickly.
"Perfectly safe, yes. There's no danger of being followed if we goimmediately."
She gazed at him wonderingly, then followed him to the door. Heopened it and she passed out, glancing around curiously. For oneinstant he paused, and there came a clatter and clamor from somewherein the rear of the house. He closed the door with a grim smile.
"Which are the detectives?" asked Miss Kellner, in an awed whisper.
"I don't see them around just now," he replied. "We can get a cab atthe corner."
The Diamond Master Page 11