The Professor's Mystery

by Wells Hastings and Brian Hooker

  CHAPTER XIV

  A DISAPPEARANCE AND AN ENCOUNTER

  The next few days passed by without event; and the absence of excitementwas a welcome enough relief, even to me. Adventures in themselves areall very well, but I prefer mine uncomplicated with nervous anxiety; andalthough my enlistment in the family garrison had relieved me in somemeasure from that torment of personal worry which had hounded me before,yet the trouble had only taken another form, the more heavy for beingless selfish. I was inside the mystery now, in action if not inknowledge. What the root of the matter might be, I knew no better thanbefore; but somehow, I had been quite sincere in saying that I did notreally care. It was as if the nerve of curiosity had been blunted in methrough overstrain. And I knew now that come what might, Lady had begunto care for me, and that left little in the world which for myself Icould fear. Only for her I feared everything; and the necessity of herremaining here at the mercy of dangers which I could neither dispel norunderstand was too heavy a burden for my frivolous enjoyment ofadventure. I could not say so, nor try again to persuade her away fromthe fight. As her way was, she had dropped my interrupted protest intonothingness, as though it had never been; and my only comfort was thehope that, knowing how wholly my blindfold loyalty to them all was forher sake, might be a secret help to her.

  Beyond taking care that one of us three men should be always in thehouse, we did nothing, so far as I knew, except to await eventspassively. Doctor Reid, of course, went daily to his office, where heremained often until late in the afternoon; and Mr. Tabor, though Iunderstood that he was retired from active business, made two or threeall-day trips to the city. What they might be doing to safeguard us fromCarucci or in affairs more intimate to the situation, I could not guess.At any rate, my own periods of guardianship were generally lonely; forMrs. Tabor was still too shaken by our recent alarm to be much out ofher room, and Lady made occasion of shopping to accompany her father.Perhaps I was touchy; but it seemed that she avoided the strain ofbeing long alone with me, skating on thin ice above emotion.

  Mrs. Tabor had gone to lie down after luncheon, and I was trying toforget in a book the prospect of a long uninteresting afternoon withindoors, when the telephone in the den across the hall began to ring. Ihurried across, with an irritable impulse to shout, "Yes, I'm coming,"and picked it up.

  "Hello!" drawled the little voice. "Who is this?"

  I gave the number, with a mental reservation concerning some unknownperson's telephone manners.

  "Yes, I know; but who's there? Who is this speaking?"

  "This is Mr. Tabor's house," said I sharply. "Do you want some one inparticular, or will you leave a message?" It may have been partly thevoice which annoyed me: a thick, soft voice unnaturally sweet in itsinflection, a voice like the caress of a fat hand. I thought there was atrace of foreign accent, but that might be imagination.

  "Oh--might I speak with Mrs. Tabor, please?"

  "Hold the line a moment," said I; and as I turned, there was Mrs. Taborherself in the doorway.

  "Is it for me?" she asked. "You know, I'm sure it's the very sameperson I was going to call. Telephone calls cross that way all the time,just like letters."

  I left her, and went back to my book. A few minutes later Sheila camein.

  "Mrs. Tabor"--she began. Then with an astonished look about the room,"Why, where is she?"

  "She was in Mr. Tabor's study, telephoning, a moment ago," I said. "Isanything the matter?"

  "She never came up-stairs again at all. Will she be out around thegarden anywhere, I wonder? Would you mind looking, sir, while I'll beseeing if she's in the house?"

  I searched not only the garden, but the entire grounds; and I did itwith hurried thoroughness and a growing anxiety. Sheila's alarm when Ireturned put an edge upon my own.

  "Ah, the Saints preserve us, what'll we do now, with Mr. Tabor away inthe city an' that black villain of mine runnin' around the country afterus? If it's him has anything to do with her--"

  "Nonsense!" I said uneasily. "She's probably only gone over to one ofthe neighbors. You'd better telephone Doctor Reid, while I go and see."

  But Sheila refused absolutely to use the telephone. "I never did likethem things," she said, "a little ugly voice in your ear out of nowhere,like a ghost. Ah, I know they're all right, but I wouldn't touch it."

  So I called up Reid myself. He plunged in and took immediate command ofthe situation with his usual busy efficiency; but I could see that hewas alarmed.

  "Probably just gone to one of the neighbors. Certainly. No occasion forany uneasiness. None at all. I'll just call up the people she might bewith, and be sure. Glad you told me. Quite right. Glad you told me."

  "You don't think there's any chance that Carucci--?"

  "Not the least. No chance at all. Still, you might scout around theneighborhood a bit, and see if you see anything of him. And tell Sheilato go to Stamford and go through all the stores. Might have goneshopping. I'll come right up and stay at the house myself."

  "How about Mr. Tabor?" I asked.

  "All right. No need to alarm him. Not a bit. I'll call him up later, ifnecessary. But, of course, we'll find her at once. Hurry up and getstarted. Always best to act at once. Sure to be all right. Don't waitfor me."

  It occurred to me as I started out that Doctor Reid did not have a veryhigh opinion of my ability. He was one of those cocksure men who confinetheir sureness mostly to their own mental processes. Well, we shouldsee; and if I found myself right, I promised Carucci a beating thatwould dampen his black hand imaginings for some time to come.

  My first move on leaving the house was to call up New York from thetelephone booth at the inn. I was lucky enough to find Maclean at theoffice of his paper.

  "Say, Mac," I asked him, "what did you make of that dago story?"

  "Nothin'," Mac sniffed. "Nothin' at all. The gum-shoes think he croakedhis old woman, an' they're waitin' for him to give himself or somebodyelse away, you see? Then they'll grab him. Course, I could have told 'emshe was alive; but then that might have brought you people in, an'besides, those fellows wouldn't come across for me. Reciprocity's mycry, an' always has been."

  "Well, do you know where I can find our friend? I want to talk to him?"

  "Sure. I found him myself, but he wouldn't scare for a darn. Said Taborhad his wife all right, and not one of you dared touch him. You'll findMr. Giuseppe workin' on the railroad, all the live-long day--that newtrolley embankment we passed on the line. They have a guinea camp backin the woods a piece. Say, Laurie, course your friends are all right,an' it's none o' my business; but they smell fishy to me a mile off. IfI was you, I'd duck out right now. There's some nigger in this wood-pilethat we don't know anythin' about, you see?"

  "Thanks, Mac," I said. "I know better than that, though. There's notrouble."

  "Well, I'm only tellin' you what I think. That guinea put up a long howlto me about the old man that I wouldn't use and didn't more'n halfbelieve; but I want to see you about it when you come in town, all thesame. Say, you ain't sore, are you?"

  "All right, old man," said I; and I hung up the receiver.

  Maclean's warning came too patently from his point of view on thesinister surface of the situation to give me the slightest additionaluneasiness; but it made me all the more determined to talk with Carucciand at least learn whatever he thought, he knew, even though he shouldprove innocent of Mrs. Tabor's disappearance. I took the trolley to thenearest switch, and walked the couple of hundred yards between it andthe new embankment. Construction was in full blast, and aboutseventy-five Italians swarmed over the work under the direction oflordly Irish foremen. I sauntered about the place with as much idlecuriosity as I could assume, stopping to watch little groups, going fromplace to place, even making a second round; but no Carucci was to beseen. One or two of the men glanced at me with what I imagined was acertain sullen suspicion; but that may have been purely imaginary. Fromthe embankment I cast about for the construction camp. The nearestwooded spot that I could see w
as half a mile or so across country, and Imade toward this, skirting a little swamp or so, and climbing anoccasional fence. As I went along, I made more and more sure that I wasright; for a trodden path developed, and fence-rails were broken or leftcarelessly out of place.

  With the ugly huddle of tin-roofed huts in sight, I came upon Carucci;or perhaps I should say that he came upon me. He came running to meet medown the pathway, with a sort of rolling, dancing gait that would havebeen very funny had I not known him.

  "Whata you want?" he shouted. "Go-a da 'way!"

  "That is what I am asking you," I said in Italian. "You know well enoughthat your wife can come to you whenever she pleases. What do you want ofMr. Tabor?"

  He had stopped a little way from me, pulling off his jacket, andthrowing it over his left arm. Now he showed his teeth in a mechanicalgrin.

  "Come-a here," he grunted, "I show you."

  He must have been drunk to imagine that I had not seen the knife. I tookhalf a dozen quick steps, my hands opening and shutting, and as soon asI was within reach, I dived. I had him by the knees with a shock thatreminded me that I was growing older; and as he sprawled on his back, Isprang away from him, and with a kick that must have nearly broken hisfingers, sent the knife spinning away behind him. He was upon his feetin a second, and I looked for him at my throat. Instead, he threw hisjacket full in my face, and leaped after it. I could feel his teethgripping at the muscles of my upper arm. It was fighting of a new kindfor me, and I kneed him joyfully in the stomach, tearing with my freearm at the jacket which blinded me. For a moment he fell away, and Ihurled the coat from me, and struck him in the mouth; then again, myshoulder behind it; and he went down with a grunt. I flung myselfpromptly on top of him, clutching him by the throat. Then an arm wasthrown about my neck from behind, while a strong hand ripped at my hair.

  "Ye murtherin' baste, ye black scun, lave him alone, ye limb av hell,come out av it!"

  I shook myself roughly free, and whirled about to face the unexpected.

  "Why, Sheila!" I cried, "how in the world did you get here?"

  "Oi had me rasons, an' 'twas hoigh toime." She was very angry, and herbrogue was faint no longer. "'Tis a swate blayguard ye are, an' bad cessto ye, sthrikin' a bit av a lad half the soize av yersilf."

  I glanced at the burly Carucci, and laughed. The murder had died out ofhis eyes, and he scrambled to his feet, looking sheepish.

  "This seems to be rather a family meeting," I said, and pointed behindhim to the shanties. "Perhaps we had better be going."

  Carucci turned to see the fat central office man trotting down the path,for all the world as if he were taking a little cross-country scamper toreduce his weight. He came on with such an inevitable matter-of-factnessthat it all seemed suddenly funny, like the conclusion of a farce; andwhen I looked around to see the other Italian coming up from behind, itwas quite what I expected. The fat one in front of us stooped a secondin the long grass, and picked up the knife that I had kicked away. Heturned it over thoughtfully, and dropped it into his pocket.

  "Antonio Carucci," he said calmly, "I arrest you for this assault withintent to kill, and for the murder of Sheila Carucci, your wife. And Iarrest you, Laurence Crosby, as accessory after the fact."

  "What!" I cried.

  "Anything that either of you say," put in the thin Italian, "will beused against you."

  "Do ye think I look like a dead woman?"]

  Sheila broke into a peal of laughter. "'Tis fine countrymen ye have,Antonio, an' fine bloodhounds they make, to be sure! Ye poor, ignorantlittle men, open your mouths an' shut your eyes. 'Tis a miracle I'll beshowin' ye. Look here--Sheila Macnamara, for her sins called Carucci,stands before ye--an' ye say I'm murdered! Ye little black, beady-eyeddivils, 'tis the likes av ye that goes makin' trouble for my man. Takeoff your dhirty little fat paws; I'll have none av it. Take thim off, yethief, ye zany loon! Do ye think I look like a dead woman?"

  The fat Italian dangled his handcuffs as if they had been eye-glasses.

  "It is true," he said, "she is like the description; but then, how didshe come here?"

  "Whisper!" said Sheila, "I do not love me husband," Antonio glared. "Sowhile he was asleep I eloped with this other handsome young gentlemanhere."

  The two little men grew very red.

  "Look here," I said, "you can see there has been a mistake. Mrs. Carucciis as well as ever, and she isn't going to make any charge against herhusband. The only thing you've got on me is breaking the speed law. Fivedollars apiece would about cover my fine, wouldn't it?"

  Two gravely beautiful Italian smiles answered me. We watched them wellout of sight; then Sheila turned to her crestfallen lord and master.

  "Out with it, ye dhrunken beast," she said, "where is she?"

  So that was why Sheila had come here.

  "Who?" Carucci asked blankly.

  "Who? You look innocent, don't ye, standin' there askin' me who! Whathave ye done with her, you an' your silly revenges? I'll teach ye tokeep out av things that're none av your business, ye leather-headed,garlic-eatin' baboon, ye!" She grasped him solidly by both ears, andshook him till his greasy hair flapped.

  All the fight seemed to have gone out of Carucci, and he squirmed away,appealing and protesting in a torrent of Italian too fast and mutilatedfor my ear. Sheila answered incongruously in the same language.

  "He says he don't know anything about it," she told me finally, "and foronce I believe him, sir. He can lie well enough to some folks, but hecan't lie to me."

  "Well," said I, "if you believe him, you ought to know. But I wish you'dget him away from here, Sheila. He's been sending black hand letters toMr. Tabor."

  "He has, has he, the sphalpeen!" and again came the dual and ludicroustorrent of Neapolitan.

  "'Twas just the lovin' heart of him, sir. He's that impetuous. ButI'll learn him manners. You go on back to the house, an' you'll hear nomore from Antonio. It's a beast he is sometimes when he is drunk, buthe's sober enough now, sir, and when sober he has the sense to be afraidof me. Have no fear, I'll send him packin'. Leave him to me."

  I laughed. "All right, Sheila," I said. "If you use the same persuasionwith him that you've been using, I think you can teach him almostanything."

  I reached the Tabors' out of breath, and stumbled panting up the steps;and at the door I stood a moment to gather my breath and thoughts,wondering if Lady and Mr. Tabor had returned. Mr. Tabor's hat was stillmissing from the rack; and I lit a cigarette as I strolled into theliving-room to wait. Mrs. Tabor was sitting over a piece of embroideryby the window.

  "You look hot," she said, glancing up, "what is the matter? Have youbeen running?"

  "I've been looking for you," I stammered. "Sheila thought you were lostor something." The words were out before I could stop them.

  "Lost?" Mrs. Tabor repeated, raising her brows, "lost? What should makeyou think I was lost?"

  "Why, Sheila said you hadn't told her you were going, and she couldn'tfind you anywhere, and--"

  "You are all the strangest people," said Mrs. Tabor. "I have been out oftown at an afternoon tea with friends at Greenwich. It was the shortestlittle trip imaginable. Has Lady got back yet?"