Black Star's Campaign: A Detective Story

by Johnston McCulley

  CHAPTER XV

  SOME FISHERMEN

  At his headquarters, the Black Star was pacing the floor nervously, hishands clasped behind his back. A buzzer sounded, and he hurried to thetelephone, taking it from its hiding place in the niche in the wall.

  "Hello!" he said.

  "Number Eleven."

  "Countersign?"

  "Kokomo."

  "Report," ordered the master crook.

  "Everything went off as planned, sir. I got into the attic without muchtrouble, and subdued the guards and policemen when the proper time came.The fight was started as soon as the men received my signal."

  "How about the loot?"

  "We got all six of the paintings, sir, and they are on their way to younow."

  "Good! That is all for to-night. Report at the usual time in personto-morrow."

  The Black Star hung up the receiver, rang the bell three times, took thereceiver down again. The ring was heard by men at a telephone instrumentin the woods a quarter of a mile away.

  "Hello!" one of them answered.

  "Start!" the Black Star said; and then he hung up the receiver again andtouched the bell button. The servant came into the headquarters room.

  "Tell the mechanic to be ready to start within five minutes," the masterrogue ordered.

  The servant hurried away, and the Black Star took off his robe and puton the heavy ulster once more. Presently he hurried from the room,closing and locking the door behind him.

  In the woods, six men left the hidden telephone and hurried along anarrow, winding path through the darkness, going toward the bank of theriver.

  They did not speak as they hurried forward, single file, like Indiansfollowing a trail. They reached the shore, and in a little cove cameupon a motor boat hidden beneath overhanging willows. The six got intothe boat.

  They moved the craft out into the stream and pointed its bow toward thecity. The six were dressed as fishermen, in uncouth clothing, stubblesof beard upon their faces, their sleeves rolled up. In the launch wasfishing gear. There was nothing in the appearance of the craft to createsuspicion, but a mechanic, had he looked at the engine, would havemarveled that common fishermen could possess such a perfect piece ofmachinery.

  The regulation lights were burning. The launch made ordinary speed downthe stream. Two of the men were singing raucously. To all appearanceshere were six fishermen going to the city to carouse at some cheapresort on the waterfront.

  At the lower end of town, the launch turned toward the shore. At a smalldock she was moored. But only five of the men left the boat--oneremained curled up in the stern, hidden by a mass of canvas and fishinggear.

  The five entered a cheap resort and drank, and then went upon thestreet again, as if starting to another place. They slipped through adark alley, emerged on a side street and hurried along it, maintaining aconversation that had to do with fish and market prices.

  After a time they came to a public square in an old section of the city.Here were business houses that had been there for scores of years,famous establishments that scorned to move to a more modern district ofthe town.

  They stopped on a corner and talked loudly, half quarreling, asintoxicated fishermen might be expected to do. A policeman warned themto lower their voices and behave, and they went on up the street,slowly, staggering a bit, laughing now and then.

  On the next corner was a bakery. The basement door was open, and a bakerstood in it. Odors of fresh bread and cakes poured out.

  "Um!" one of the fishermen gasped. "Any chance to get some hot bread?"

  "Do you happen to have the price?" the baker asked.

  "We sure have!"

  A passing pedestrian heard the conversation, smiled, and walked on.

  "Come downstairs, then," the baker said.

  They descended the stairs and entered the oven department. They threwcoins on a table, and each was given a loaf of warm bread, and theybegan eating, still laughing and talking. The baker's assistant hadfinished his work and washed up, and now was telling his employer goodnight. He hurried up the steps and went away.

  The baker led the five fishermen into a rear room to show them moreovens, where cakes were baking. He closed the door between the tworooms. Instantly the demeanor of the five men changed.

  "Everything all right?" one of them asked.

  "There is one guard in the diamond room. The others are on the twofloors," the baker replied.

  "How many in all?"

  "Only four."

  "Cinch!" said one of the five. "Let's go!"

  "I'll have the other stuff ready," the baker informed them.

  He opened the door and glanced into the other room, closed the dooragain and motioned that everything was all right. The five men hurriedto the other end of the room, and one of them pressed against the wall.A small door swung open.

  They passed through the wall and into the basement of the buildingadjoining. An engineer was asleep in a chair before his table, and hewas rendered unconscious immediately by means of a vapor gun. The fivehurried up a flight of stairs, opened a door, and entered a rear hall.

  They were at the back of a famous jewelry establishment now, one thathad a famous name in the business world, one which scorned to move tobetter quarters, but which was protected by every known device. Anotherdoor was opened, and they were in a storeroom.

  They moved with more caution now, for this was dangerous ground. TheBlack Star had planned this attack on the assumption that he would beexpected to rob a more pretentious establishment. Few men knew that alarge shipment of gorgeous diamonds had recently been received by thisfirm--but the Black Star knew it. One of his band was a trusted clerk inthe house.

  Moreover, at that moment, the Black Star was creating a diversion. Inthe principal retail district of the city there was a fashionablejewelry store housed in a modern building. It was being heavily guardedthis night, for the proprietors had taken cognizance of the mastercrook's announcement that he intended to purloin rare jewels, and theyflattered themselves that their establishment would be the one visited.

  More than a score of special watchmen and police officers were in thisbuilding. One of the proprietors himself was on hand, aiding insafe-guarding the jewels. The entire establishment was brilliantlylighted. The shades and fire curtains at the windows were raised, andthe door of the vault room stood open so that it could be seen from thefront street. The Pioneer Diamond Company was taking no chances of beinglooted.

  And suddenly the building that housed the diamond company was bathed inbrilliant light that seemed to come out of the sky! People in thestreets, remembering what had happened three nights before, beganshrieking that the Black Star and his men were at work. An alarm wassent to police headquarters, and relayed to the chief at the museum. TheBlack Star was robbing the Pioneer Diamond Company!

  Leaving a small police guard at the museum, the chief hurried to thescene with the remainder of his men. Verbeck and Muggs went ahead inthe roadster, charging through the streets, the horn shrieking awarning. As they arrived, the bright light had disappeared, but soonthey saw it again.

  "That's the Black Star," Verbeck said. "I can't figure out how he doesit, but I suppose the solution will be simple enough when we learn it."

  "I'd like to beat it out of him!" Muggs said.

  The police had entered the building, and the chief had ascertained thatnothing had happened. As far as they knew, there was nobody in theestablishment who did not have a right to be there. But that did notmean that the danger was over.

  "I don't like the looks of this!" Verbeck said. "I am inclined tobelieve that the gang is doing the real work in some other place."

  "I've got men every place where there is any quantity of preciousstones," the chief said, "and they have orders to send an alarm toheadquarters the instant they see or hear anything that seems to besuspicious."

  The bright light from the sky had disappeared again. Out in the streetthere was a series of explosions, and Verbeck and Muggs and the ch
iefrushed to a window, and saw clouds of vapor rising from the pavement.

  "He's got some scheme!" the chief declared. "Watch yourselves, you men,and be ready to go into action! More of you go into the vault room andwatch there!"

  The proprietor was like a maniac, and the chief whirled upon himangrily.

  "What's the matter with you?" he demanded. "You don't see any of thecrook's gang around here, do you? How can we do anything until theyshow up? You give me a pain."

  "There is a fortune in the vault----"

  "And it'll probably remain there!" the chief said. "We are playing agame that is tough enough without having an insane man raving aroundus!"

  Another shower of vapor bombs came from the sky. The people in thestreets were scattering, seeking cover. Once more the bright lightblazed forth. Out into the street rushed Verbeck and Muggs. The lightdisappeared, and presently they heard the voice of the Black Star.

  "Better watch those diamonds, gentlemen!" he shouted. "You'll be missinga lot of them the first thing you know. I love gems, and I happen toknow that there are some glorious ones in the vault of the PioneerDiamond Company."

  The voice died away, and they heard no more. Verbeck and Muggs rushedback into the store. The chief was in the vault room.

  "Are all your diamonds and expensive jewels in that vault?" the chiefasked the member of the firm who was spending the night in the store.

  "All except a few small stones such as the Black Star would not botherabout."

  "Then Mr. Black Star is going to fall down on the job!" the chiefdeclared. "We'll just pack this vault room full of officers. The onlyway those crooks can get in then will be to tunnel through the bottom ofthe vault!"

  "They can't do that--the vault is impregnable!" the member of the firmdeclared.

  The chief laughed scornfully. "It may be impregnable as far as ordinarycriminals are concerned," he retorted, "but we are dealing with theBlack Star, please remember, and he dotes on supposedly impregnablethings. Vaults do not seem to bother his men much. Open the door of thevault, and sit in it yourself. We'll watch the inside as well as theoutside."

  The door of the vault was opened. An investigation showed thateverything was all right. And so they waited for the blow that theyexpected.

  A telephone bell rang, and the member of the firm hurried to theinstrument to answer.

  "It's a call for you, chief, from your headquarters," he reported.

  The chief rushed to the telephone. He was experiencing a feeling ofapprehension.

  "Hello!" he cried.

  A desk sergeant at headquarters answered him.

  "That you, chief? The Black Star's men are raiding a diamond storedowntown. I just got the tip from a watchmen who dodged them. Wait--I'llgive you the address!"