Children of the Whirlwind

by Leroy Scott

  CHAPTER XXXIV

  But when Barney's latch-key slid into the door and Barney, in a smartdinner jacket, came in, Maggie was herself again. Indeed she was betterthan herself, for there rushed to her support that added power which shehad just been despairing of, which carries some people through an hourof crisis, and which may occasionally lift an actor above himself whenfortune gives him a difficult yet splendid part which is the greatchance of his career.

  And Maggie showed to the eye that she was better than her best, forBarney exclaimed the instant he was beside her: "Gee, Maggie, you looklike the Queen of Sheba, whoever that dame was! Any guy would fall foryou to-night--and fall so hard that he'd break, or go broke!"

  But Barney was too eager to await any response. "What's behind thehurry-up call you sent in? Anything broken yet?"

  "Something big! But sit down. There's a lot to tell. And I must tell itquick--before my"--she could not force herself to say "father"--"beforeOld Jimmie comes, and Dick."

  "Then Dick's coming?"

  "Yes. Things have taken a twist so that everything breaks to-night. Butsit down, and I'll tell you everything."

  She had noted that the door behind which Larry stood, and to whichhe had captured the key, was open a bare half-inch. It looked no moresuspicious than any closet door that by accident had swung free of itslatch, but by deft maneuvering Maggie managed so that Barney sat at thetable with his back toward both closets.

  "Go to it, Maggie," he urged.

  The plan which had swiftly developed from Dick Sherwood's idea requiredthat she should tell much that was the truth and much that was nottruth, and required that she should play with every faculty and everyattraction she possessed upon Barney's tremendous vanity and upon hisjealous admiration of her. She had to make him believe more in her as apal than ever before; she had to make him want her more as a woman thanever before. And at this moment she felt herself thrillingly equal tothis vampire role her over-stimulated sense of justice had commanded herto undertake.

  "Things have gone great," she began, speaking concisely, yet trying notin this eager brevity to lose the convincing effect that she wouldbe the complete mistress of any enterprise to which she yielded herinterest. "Dick Sherwood proposed to me again, and this time I said`yes.' I saw that he was ready for anything, so I took some things intomy hands. I had to, for I saw we had to act quick even at the risk oflosing a bit of the maximum figure we had counted on. You see I realizedthe danger to us in Larry Brainard suddenly showing up, and his knowing,as he told us he did, who the sucker is that we've been stringing along.Anything might happen, any minute, from Larry Brainard that would upseteverything. So I reasoned that we had to collect quick or run the riskof never getting a nickel."

  "Some bean you've got, Maggie," he said admiringly. "Keep your foot onthe gas pedal."

  "What I did was only, the carrying-out of the plan you had decidedon--of course carrying it out quicker, and with a few little changesthat the urgent situation demanded. After he proposed I broke down, asper schedule, and confessed that I had deceived him to the extent that Iwas already married. Married to a man I didn't love, and who didn't loveme, but who was a tight-wad and who wouldn't let me go unless he saw alot of money in it for him. And I gave Dick all the rest of the story,just as we had doped it out."

  "Great work, Maggie! How did he take it?"

  "Exactly as we figured he would. He was sorry for me; it didn't make anydifference at all in his feelings for me. He'd buy my husband off--givehim any price he wanted--and just so I wouldn't have to feel myselfbound to such a man a minute longer than necessary he'd make a bargainwith him at once and pay him part of the money right down. To-night, ifhe could get in touch with my husband. And so, Barney, since we had toact quick and there was no time to bring in another man that I couldpass off as my husband, I confessed to him that I was married to you."

  "To me!" exclaimed Barney.

  "And he's coming here in less than an hour, with real money in hispockets, to see if he can't fix a deal with you."

  "Me!" exclaimed the startled Barney again. His beady eyes glowed at herardently. "Gee, you know I wish I really was married to you, Maggie! IfI was, you bet money couldn't ever pry you loose from me!"

  "Well, there's the whole lay-out, Barney. It's up to you to be mygrasping, bargaining, unloving husband for about an hour."

  "I hadn't thought of myself in that part," he objected. "I'd figuredthat we'd bring in a new man to be the husband. It's pretty dangerousfor me, my stringing Dick along all this while and then suddenly toenter the act as your husband--and to take the money."

  "Dangerous!" There was sudden contempt in her voice and in her eyes."So you're that kind of man, Barney--afraid! And afraid after mytelling Dick you were my husband, and his swallowing the thing withouta suspicion! Well, right this minute is when we call this deal off--andevery other deal!"

  "Oh, don't be so quick with that temper of yours, Maggie! I merely saidit was dangerous. Of course I'll do it."

  And then Barney asked, with a cunning he tried to hide: "But why didyou ask me to have Old Jimmie show up here right after me? We don't needhim."

  "Just what's behind your saying that, Barney?" she demanded sharply.

  He squirmed a little, then spoke the truth. "You don't love your fatherany too much, and he doesn't love you any too much--I know that. Heneedn't really know how much we take off Sherwood; if he wasn't here,he'd have to take our word for what we got and we'd tell him we gotmighty little. Then the real money would be divided fifty-fifty betweenjust you and me."

  "I may not love my father, but he's in this on the same basis as youare, or I'm out of it," she declared. "I thought you might suggestsomething like this; that's one reason I asked you to have him come.Another reason--and this is something I forgot to tell you awhileago--when I broke down and confessed everything to Dick Sherwood, I toldDick that Old Jimmie was really my guardian; and we both agreed thathe should be present as a witness to any agreement, and to protect myinterests. Still another reason is that since we had to work so fast,the thing to do was to split the money on the spot in three ways, andthen each of us shoot off in a different direction to-night before anybad luck had a chance to break. In fact, Barney, this present minute iswhen you and I say our good-byes."

  He forgot his scheme to defraud Old Jimmie in the far greater concernaroused by her last words. He leaned across the table and tried to takeher hand, an attempt she deftly thwarted.

  "But listen, Maggie," he asked with husky eagerness, "you and I aregoing to have an understanding to join up with each other soon, aren'twe? You know what I mean--belong to each other. You know how I feelabout: you!"

  This was the principal point Maggie had been maneuvering toward. Beforeher was the most difficult scene of the many which she had planned, onher successful management of which the success of everything seemed todepend. Within she was palpitant with the strain and suspense of itall; but on Barney she held cool, appraising eyes. In this splendidcomposure, her momentary withdrawal from him, she seemed to Barney morebeautiful, more desirable, more indispensable, than at any time since hehad discovered back at the Duchess's that Maggie was a find.

  "Of course I know exactly what you mean, Barney," she responded withdeliberation, bewitchingly alluring in her air of superiority. "I'veknown for a long time you and I would have to have a real talk. Are youready for a straight talk now?"

  "As straight as you can talk it!"

  "I'll probably fall for some man and marry him. Every woman does. But ifI marry him, it'll be because I love him. But my marrying a man doesn'tmean I'm going to go into business with him. I'm not going to mix lovewith business--not unless the man is the right sort of man. Of course itwould be better if the man I marry and the man I take on as a businesspartner were the same man--but I'm not going to take any risks. Youunderstand me so far."

  "Surest thing you know. And every word you've said proves that your headisn't just something to look pretty with. Let me slip this over to your
ight at the start--I'm the right sort of man!"

  "That's exactly what I want to find out," she continued, with herdeliberation, with the air of sitting secure upon the highest level."I know now what I can do. I've proved it. Now I'm going right aheadputting over big things. You once told me I had it in me to be the bestever--and I now know I can be. I know I've got to tie up with a man,and the man has got to be just as good in his way as I am in mine.Right there's where I'm in doubt about you. I said I was going to talkstraight--and I'm handing it to you straight. I don't know how good youare."

  "You mean you think I'm not big enough to work with you?"

  "I mean exactly what I said. I said that I didn't really know how goodyou are, and that I wasn't going to tie up with any man except thebest in the business. You've hinted now and then at a lot of big thingsyou've put across and how strong you were in certain quarters where itpaid to be strong--but I really know mighty little about you, Barney.This present job hasn't required you to do anything special, and allthe really hard work I've done myself. Of course I know you are a gooddancer, and clever with the ladies, and know how to pick up a suckerand string him along. But that's everything I do know. And, there arehundreds of men who are good at these things. The man I tie up withhas got to be good at a lot of other things--and I've got to know he'sgood!"

  "Good at what other things, Maggie?" he asked with suppressed eagerness.

  "He's got to be good at putting over all kinds of situations. I don'tcare how he does it. So clever at putting things over that no one everguesses he's the man who did it. And he's got to be able to give meprotection. You know what I mean. A woman in the game I'm going in foris absolutely through, as far as doing anything big is concerned, theminute she gets a police record. I've got to have a man who's ableto stand between me and the police. And I've got to know from pastperformances that the man can do these things. Just large words aboutwhat he can do, or hints about what he has done, don't count for anickel with me. This is plain, hard business I'm talking, Barney, and Idon't mean to hurt your feelings when I tell you that you don't measureup in any way to the man I need."

  It had been difficult for Barney to hold himself until she had finished.To start with, he had the vain man's constant itch to tell of hisexploits, his dislike for the anonymity of his cleverness unjustlyascribed to some other man. And then Maggie had played upon him evenmore skillfully than she imagined.

  "I'm exactly the man you need in every way!" he exploded.

  "Those are just words," she said evenly. "I said I had to have somethingmore than mere words."

  "I'm ace-high with Chief Barlow!"

  "You've got to be more explicit."

  Barney was now all excitement. "Don't you get what that means? I'venever been locked up once, and yet I've been pulling stuff all the time!And yet look how Larry Brainard, that the bunch thought was so clever,got hooked and was sent away. I guess you know the answer!"

  "Again, Barney, I've got to ask you to be more explicit."

  "Then the answer is that all the while I've been working on anunderstanding with Barlow. I guess that's explicit!"

  "You mean," she said in her cool voice, "that you've been a stool-pigeonfor Barlow?"

  "Sure!--though I don't like the word. That's the only safe way ofstaying steady in the game--an understanding with the police. All thereis to it is now and then to tip the police off about some dub of acrook: of course you've got to be smooth enough not to let anyone guessyour game."

  "That doesn't seem to me such a strong talking point in your favor," shesaid thoughtfully.

  "But don't you get the idea? I'm so strong with Barlow that I can getaway with anything I want to. That means I can give you the protectionfrom the police you just spoke about. See?"

  "Yes I see." Again she spoke thoughtfully. "But I told you I had tobe shown. You must have done some pretty big things to have got such astanding with Barlow. For example?"

  "I could write you a book!" He laughed in his excited pride. "You askfor an example. I could hardly hold myself in awhile ago when you saidyou'd practically swung the present deal alone, and that I'd done almostnothing. Why, Maggie, I did just one smooth little thing without whichthere couldn't have been any deal."

  "What?"

  "You'll admit that nothing would have been safe with Larry Brainarddetermined to butt in on what you did?"

  "Yes."

  "Well, I'm the little guy that fixed Larry Brainard so he wouldn't hurtanyone!"

  "You did that?" For the first time Maggie showed what seemed to be alive interest. "How?"

  "How? You'll say it was clever when you learn how. And you'll say thatI'm the man you want on that count of being able to put over a situationso that no one will ever guess I'm the man who did it. You'll admit thatputting Larry Brainard out of business, so he'd stay out, was certainlya stiff job--for though I don't like him, I admit that Larry is one wisebird. One thing I did was to suggest to Barlow that he force Larry tobecome a police stool. I knew Larry would refuse, and I figured outeverything else exactly as it has happened. I ask you, wasn't thatputting something clever over?"

  "It certainly was clever!" admired Maggie.

  "Wait! That's only half. To finish Larry off so that he wouldn't have achance I had to finish him off not only with the cops, but also withhis pals. So I tipped off Barlow to the game Red Hannigan and JackRosenfeldt were pulling and--"

  "Then Larry Brainard really didn't do that?"

  "No; I did it! Listen--there's some more to it. I spread the word, sothat it seemed to be a leak from the Police Department, that it wasLarry who had squealed on Red Hannigan and Jack Rosenfeldt. Did his oldpals start out to get Larry? Well, now, did they! If I do say it myself,that was smooth work!"

  "It was wonderful!" agreed Maggie.

  "And there's still more, Maggie! You remember that charge of stick-upand attempted murder of a Chicago guy that the police are trying to landLarry on? I put that over! I'm the party that was messed up in that. Iwas trying to put over a neat little job all on my own; but somethingwent wrong just as I thought I was cleaning out the sucker, and I had tobe rough with that Chicago guy in order to make a get-away from him. Ibeat it straight to Barlow, and said that right here was the chance tofasten something on Larry. Barlow took my tip. My foot may have slippedon the original job, but my bean certainly did act quick, and you've gotto admit I turned an apparent failure into something bigger than successwould have been. And that's certainly traveling!"

  "It certainly is!"

  "And now, Maggie "--Barney pressed her eagerly--"I've shown you I'm justthe sort you said a man had to be for you to tie up with him. I've shownyou I can guarantee you police protection. And I've shown you I'm ableto put over clever situations without any one ever guessing I'm theparty who put 'em over. I fit all your specifications! How about oursettling right now to join up some place--Toronto's the best bet--saythree days after we make our get-away after to-night's clean-up? Let'sbe quick about this, Maggie--before Old Jimmie comes in. He's due anyminute now!"

  "Isn't that him at the door now?" breathed Maggie.

  Both waited intently for a moment. But though she pretended so, Maggie'sinterest was not upon the outer door. Her attention was fixed, as it hadbeen with sickening fear this last minute, upon that half-inch crackin the closet door behind Barney. Why had she, in her dismayed urgence,allowed Larry to possess himself of that closet key?--when her plan hadbeen to keep Hannigan as well as Barlow forcibly behind the scenesuntil she had acted out her play? She now hoped almost against hope thatHannigan would not burst forth and ruin what was yet to come. Since thatdoor unluckily had to be unlocked, her one chance was given her by thepresence of Larry. Perhaps Larry could perceive the larger things shewas striving for, and in some way restrain Hannigan.

  These thoughts were but an instant in passing through her brain.Barney's eyes came back from the outer door to her face. "That's not OldJimmie yet."

  "No," her lips said. But her brain was saying, since the crack s
tillremained a half-inch crack, "Larry understands--he's holding back RedHannigan!"

  Barney returned swiftly to his charge. "How about Toronto, Maggie--sayexactly seventy-two hours from now--the Royal Brunswick Hotel?"

  Maggie realized she could no longer put him off if she were to keephim unsuspicious for the next hour. Besides, in her desperatedisillusionment concerning herself, she did not care what happened toher, or what people might think of her, if only she could keep this playgoing till its final moment.

  "Yes," she said--"if we each feel the same way toward each other whenthis evening's ended."

  "Maggie!" he cried. "Maggie!" This time, when he exultantly caught ather hand, she dared not refuse it to him. And she felt an additionalloathing for Barney's caress because she knew that Larry was a witnessto it.

  Indeed, it was difficult for Larry, at the sight of Maggie's hand inBarney's too eager palms, to hold himself in check; and to do this inaddition to holding in check the slight, quivering Red Hannigan, whosecollar and whose right wrist he had been gripping these last threeminutes. For Larry, as Maggie had hoped, had dimly apprehended somethingof Maggie's plan, and he felt himself bound by the promise she hadextracted from him, to let her go through with whatever she had underway; though he had no conception of her plan's extent, and could, ofcourse, not know of the intention of her overwrought mind to give herplan its final touch in what amounted to her own self-destruction, andin her vanishing utterly out of the knowledge of all who knew her.

  Another minute passed; then Larry heard three peculiar rings of the bellof the outer door--an obvious signal. Maggie answered the summons,and Larry saw Old Jimmie enter. There followed a rapid and compactconference between the three, the substance of which was the telling ofOld Jimmie of the developments against Dick Sherwood which Maggie hada little earlier recited to Barney, together with instructions to OldJimmie concerning his new role as Maggie's guardian. It seemed to Larrythat he caught signs of uneasiness in Jimmie, but to all the older mannodded his head.

  Presently there was a loud ring. "That's Dick!" exclaimed Barney in awhisper. "And mighty eager, too--shows that by being ahead of the timeyou set! Let him in, Maggie."

  Maggie was startled by the ring, though she did not show it. She thoughtrapidly. She had definitely asked Dick to telephone before coming. Whyhadn't he telephoned? Perhaps something had happened to prevent it, orperhaps an idea had come to him by which their plan could be betteredwithout a telephone message. In either case, she and Dick might haveto improvise and deftly catch cues tossed to each other, as experiencedactors sometimes do without the audience ever knowing that a hiatus inthe play has been skillfully covered.

  Maggie stood up. "You both understand what you're to do?"

  Both whispered "yes." Larry watched Maggie start across the room, hiswhole figure quivering with suspense as to what was going to happen whenDick entered. He was quite sure there was more here than appeared uponthe surface, quite sure that Maggie did not intend that the businesswith Dick should work out as she had outlined. What could Maggiepossibly be up to? he asked himself in feverish wonderment, and couldfind no answer. For of course Larry had no knowledge of that mostimportant fact: that Maggie had actually made a confession to Dick--notthe fraudulent confession she had told Barney of--but an honest andcomplete confession, and that in consequence she and Dick were workingin cooperation.

  From his crack Larry could not quite see the outer door. But after sheopened the door he saw Maggie fall back with an inarticulate cry, herface suddenly blanched with astounded fright. And then Larry experiencedone of the greatest surprises of his life--a surprise so unnerving thathe almost loosed his hold upon Red Hannigan. For instead of Dick therewalked into the room the tall, white-haired figure of Joe Ellison, andJoe's lean, prison-blanched face was aquiver with a devastating purpose.How in the name of God had Joe come to be here?--and what did thatterrible look portend?

  But Larry's surprise was but an unperturbing emotion compared to theeffect of her father's appearance, with his terrible face, upon Maggie.Life seemed suddenly to go out of her. She realized that the clever playwhich she had constructed so rapidly, and upon which she had counted toclear the tangle for which she was in part responsible, and to bringher back in time as the seeming fulfillment of the dream of a happy andundisillusioned father--she realized that her poor, brilliant playhad come to an instant end before it was fairly started, and that thecontrol of events had passed into other hands.