CHAPTER XIX
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The Black Star watched him closely as he sat down on the couch and triedto make himself comfortable, which was a difficult thing for him to dowith his wrists lashed behind his back.
"Muggs," he said, "where did you pick up Landers?"
"What you talkin' about?"
"You know very well. You followed Landers out here, and some of my mensaw you trailing him, saw you find the telephone. You know Landers well,for he was one of my old organization and escaped when Verbeck caught meand scattered my men."
"What difference does it make?" Muggs asked. "I picked him up, didn'tI?"
"I give you credit for it, Muggs. But just where did you pick him up? Ifany of my men are careless, I want to know it. Was it Landers'carelessness or your cleverness?"
"I saw the big stiff walkin' along the street and gettin' into an auto,and trailed him," Muggs said.
"Very good!" replied the Black Star.
Muggs felt sure that there was a note of keen satisfaction in the BlackStar's speech, and he guessed the reason for it. The master crookthought Muggs meant that he had seen Landers getting into the touringcar. He was worrying for fear Muggs knew of his visit to the hotel.
"Some more of the gang there--them Whaley women!" Muggs told himself.
A bell on the wall tinkled, and the Black Star hurried to one end of theroom and pressed a button.
"I must ask you to remain perfectly quiet, Muggs," he warned. "You maysee all you like, since you'll never be able to give out the informationsoon enough to hurt my plans, but you must not speak when any of mypeople are in the room. Be good, Muggs, and I'll have your hands untiedafter a while."
The door at the other end of the room was opened, and a robed and maskedman came in and went to the blackboard. He regarded Muggs carefully, butthe Black Star motioned for him to proceed.
"Number Two," he wrote.
"Countersign?"
"Bennington."
"Report," wrote the Black Star, and as Muggs watched they held theirconversation on the blackboards, writing and erasing, neither speaking aword.
"Invitation list includes all prominent and wealthy persons in the cityand some from out of town," wrote Number Two.
"Date remains the same?"
"Yes; to-morrow night."
"How about detectives?"
"Four--two men and two women--from the usual agency. We cannot handleany of them by the customary means, but they will not be hard to get outof the way."
"Make arrangements for doing so," wrote the Black Star. "If you needhelp, ask for it to-morrow morning. What arrangements have been madeabout refreshments?"
"A caterer is to serve them. Two of the waiters are our men."
"Good! Anything special regarding possible loot?"
"Since it is such an affair, all the women are likely to wear their mostexpensive jewels," wrote Number Two. "Social rivalry that exists atpresent will tend toward this."
"That is all for the present. Retire!"
Number Two erased what was written, bowed, and backed through the door.The Black Star glanced at a little clock that stood on the table beforehim.
"I have a few minutes before the next man reports, Muggs," he said, "andso I'll be glad to explain in part. I presume you have heard of our faircity's society leader, Mrs. Richard Branniton?"
"Sure!" said Muggs.
"She is giving quite an affair to-morrow evening at her palatialresidence, Muggs. Her husband, if you happen to remember, was thedistrict attorney who prosecuted me when I was on trial recently. Atthis reception and ball, she is to entertain two prominent diplomats whoare visiting in the city. The cream of the city's wealth and societywill be present, Muggs. It will be some party!"
"Well, what about it? I ain't invited," Muggs growled.
"You may be a guest at that, Muggs; I may take you with me."
"Oh! You're invited, are you?" Muggs asked sarcastically.
"No; but I am going. It isn't quite the thing to go to an affair towhich you have received no invitation, yet I intend doing it, Muggs.There are times when I am not strictly conventional, as you may haveguessed. I am going, Muggs--and I am going to take about twenty orthirty of my best men with me."
"It'll sure be some party, then!"
"There will be a few exciting moments, I doubt not. You see, Muggs, theladies will wear fortunes in jewels--and I love jewels. Besides, theyare worth money when properly marketed. I shall strip Mrs. RichardBranniton's guests of their precious jewels. This will injure that ladysocially to a certain extent, and thereby hurt Mr. Branniton, who wasquite nasty at the time of my trial."
"He wasn't nasty enough!"
"Oh, well, you are prejudiced, Muggs. And the jewels are not all, Muggs.We are going to abduct those two famous diplomats and hold them forransom. Is not that a master stroke? I certainly am a big crook, am Inot?"
"You can't get away with it!" Muggs said.
"Nonsense! We have a place prepared to which we shall take them. We havea method of collecting the ransom when it is paid--a safe method. And itwill be paid, Muggs--two hundred thousand dollars for each man. You see,they are here on international business, and very important business atthat. It will be necessary to secure their release at once. If it is notaccomplished, there might be trouble with a certain other country. Oh,we have it all planned, Muggs, and the job will not be so difficult asothers I have handled."
"You go to monkeyin' with the government, and you'll get yours good andplenty!" Muggs warned him.
"I fear no government, Muggs! I tell you, our plans are perfect. Theransom will be paid within three days."
The Black Star went to the table, opened a drawer, and consulted amemorandum book. Again the little bell on the wall tinkled. Once morethe Black Star pressed a button and a robed and masked man entered andstepped up to the blackboard.
"Number Four," he wrote.
"Countersign?"
"Delaware."
"Report," wrote the Black Star.
"Lord Sambery and Sir Burton Banks will arrive to-morrow morning at teno'clock and be taken at once to the Branniton residence. They will haveluncheon there, and then be taken for a drive through the city."
"How many will be in the party?"
"Just the luncheon party--perhaps fifteen."
"What else?" the Black Star wrote.
"Diplomats will return to the Branniton residence and remain for thereception. Arrangements you ordered have been made."
"Good!" the Black Star wrote. "Report at usual time to-morrow foradditional orders. Retire!"
The man bowed and backed through the door. The Black Star turned towardMuggs again.
"Oh, it is a wonderful organization, my dear Muggs!" he said. "It is farmore wonderful than the one I had before."
"I ain't carin' much about it!" Muggs said. "These blamed cords arecuttin' my wrists, and my nose itches and I can't scratch it!"
"Suppose I untie you?"
"You'd better watch me, if you do."
"Ah! That is what I thought," the master crook said. "You retain yourviolent nature, I see. One of these days you will realize the futilityof it, Muggs."
"I'll realize my life ambition by beatin' you up!" Muggs replied. "Yougoin' to take off these cords?"
"Not that. But I'll have your wrists tied in front, so you will be ableto scratch your nose," said the Black Star, chuckling.
He opened the hall door and called two of the fishermen into the room.For some reason, it appeared, the fishermen did not wear robes and masksbefore the Black Star, and evidently did not care that Muggs saw theirfaces.
The master rogue issued his orders, and the two men untied Muggs'wrists, lashed them again in front of him, and then hurried away.
"Now you may scratch your nose," the Black Star said. "I suppose you'llbe trying to free yourself, too. Allow me to tell you, Muggs, that you'dnot get very far if you did."
"I noticed Landers wait until the current was turned off
that fence,"Muggs said.
"Ah! You know about that, do you? But that is only one thing among many,my dear Muggs. I'd advise you to be a contented prisoner for the timebeing. You'll gain nothing by trying to escape."
"Well, how long are you goin' to keep me here?"
"Until I move to my next headquarters, I said."
"And when'll that be?"
"In two weeks possibly. Until then, Muggs, you must be one of us. When Imove, I'll have you dropped somewhere in town, and you can tell Verbeckand the newspapers all you saw and heard. You'll be getting your pictureon the front page, Muggs."
Again the bell tinkled, and once more a robed and masked man entered andstepped to the blackboard. He gave his number and countersign.
"Report," wrote the Black Star.
"It is as you thought--Verbeck is still after us."
"Anything more about Verbeck?"
"He visited his fiancee this afternoon, and afterward took a taxi andgot out at a busy corner. He remained there for some time, and then wenthome. He acted as if he was waiting for somebody."
"Anything else?"
"Verbeck's roadster is at the resort down the river, and has been therefor several hours. We didn't see Verbeck."
"His chauffeur left it there; that is his chauffeur on the couch," theBlack Star wrote.
The man at the other blackboard turned and regarded Muggs through theslits in his mask. Muggs knew what that meant. Here was a man who wasnot acquainted with him, but hereafter he would know Roger Verbeck'schauffeur when he saw him.
"Anything else?" the Black Star wrote again.
"Sheriff Kowen is swearing in more deputies, and some of them areexperienced officers who have retired."
"Anything from police headquarters?"
"Nothing, sir, except that the chief is keeping in communication withVerbeck through some third person. We have not located this person yet."
"Do so as soon as possible, and let me know the result over thetelephone," the Black Star wrote. "That is all!"
The masked man bowed and backed through the door. Once more the mastercrook faced Muggs.
"You see, my dear Muggs, I find out everything," he said. "I could tellyou what Roger Verbeck had to eat at breakfast this morning. How can aman like Verbeck expect to win against an organization such as mine?"
"He'll win, all right!" Muggs growled. "He'll get you before he quits!"
Black Star's Campaign: A Detective Story Page 19