The Devil's Cocktail (25 page)

‘Good!' said Novar. ‘Now be discreet! Lock up the house before you go away, and keep the keys till I arrive. Send the chauffeur to me!'

When the man had left the room, Novar walked to the bookcase and selected half a dozen volumes, which he put with his papers in the bag. Then securely locking the latter he carried it into his bedroom and changed his clothes. While he was thus engaged, the chauffeur knocked at the door.

‘Come in, Jai Singh!' called Novar, and as the man entered: ‘we go to The Retreat,' he said.

‘So soon, sahib?' queried the tall, bearded Sikh.

‘Unfortunately, yes! Carry out those two suitcases and put them in the car!' He pointed to two large leather cases, which he had kept packed in case of necessity.

‘And this bag, sahib?'

‘I will bring it myself!'

The Sikh left the room and a few minutes later Novar followed him. He used a few expletives expressive of his hatred of Shannon and regret at leaving his home as he entered the car, and presently was on his way to the house he called The Retreat.

On the other side of the city, on the road to Shadrah, stood a large oriental building of two stories in its own picturesque grounds surrounded by high walls. It was a flamboyant place of blue and yellow painted stone with verandas running completely round each storey. It belonged to a wealthy Parsee gentleman, who was reputed to live in Bombay, and who was seen very seldom, therefore, in Lahore. But he was understood to have a liking for the Punjab, and had purchased the house for this reason. A staff of servants was regularly kept employed, despite the master's absence, and the house and rounds were well kept. The Parsee gentleman was Novar, and the servants were, almost without exception, men whom the superintendent of police would have been well-content to have had within his clutches, if he had only known who they were.

After a run of a quarter of an hour, the car drew up outside the iron gates of this imposing mansion, which Europeans regarded as an eyesore even in a city of clashing colour schemes like Lahore. The driver rang a bell which communicated with a small lodge just within. As he did so a man got down from his perilous perch on the luggage-rack at the back of the car, and drew back into the darkness. He was a slightly built Indian of middle height, dressed with care in the usual garb of the Mahommedan, and wearing a red Turkish fez upon his head. He watched the gates being opened, and then locked again after the car had entered. For half an hour he waited, then strolled away.

In the meantime the car had continued on its way up the drive until it stopped by the front door. Novar immediately entered the house carrying his precious bag, followed by the chauffeur with the two suitcases. He went straight to a suite of rooms, which he had reserved for himself.

Half an hour later a stoutish, dark-visaged Parsee gentleman, wearing a long, dark-blue coat buttoned up to the neck, and the peculiar shaped headgear of the sect, emerged from the rooms and, walking along a passage, knocked at a door. He was bidden to enter, and found within two other gentlemen of the same race, who greeted him soberly.

‘My dear friends!' he said in English, ‘the transformation is wonderful. If I did not know, I should never have recognised you.'

‘And you, Novar,' said one, who was lying on a couch, and spoke in the voice of Rahtz, ‘look the ideal Parsee gentleman – I congratulate you!'

Rahtz had cut the ends of his moustache as well as darkened his face, and no disguise could be more perfect than his. Hudson, too – who was the third, of course – looked very unlike the civil servant. These men were thorough in most things they did, and in disguising themselves as Parsees they were strictly correct in every detail.

‘Now you have come,' continued Rahtz, ‘I am going to bed. Kamper has already gone off on his kidnapping expedition, with three assistants, and Hudson is in a state of impatience and doubt. Take him away, my dear fellow, and give him a drink!'

‘Which car did Kamper take?' questioned Novar.

‘Mine!' was the reply.

‘I hope the number plates were not forgotten, in case of accident!'

‘Are they ever forgotten?' said Rahtz impatiently. ‘We have such
a supply of different numbers,' he laughed, ‘that it would be a pity not to use them!'

Novar also laughed and, taking Hudson by the arm, the two bade Rahtz ‘goodnight' and left the room.

In the meanwhile Kamper and his assistants had driven to Crescent Road. As Rahtz had said, Kamper was an expert in this type of villainy and, having left the car hidden among some trees with one of the men to look after it, he and the other two – burly Sikhs both of them – crept cautiously towards Shannon's bungalow. When within a few yards of the house he bade his two companions wait among a group of bushes while he went forward. He noiselessly tiptoed on to the veranda and heard voices coming from the drawing room, but try as he would he could distinguish nothing, then moving round to the other side he tried the windows of the dining room. They were closed, but not fastened, and gradually he pushed them open, stepped within, and as gradually closed them again. The room was in darkness and, feeling his way with the utmost caution, he presently reached the dining-table, which was covered by a large cloth. For some minutes he stood listening, trying again to catch what was being said in the sitting room, then crept quietly under the table.

It was not long before he heard the sound of movement, and Miles entered the room and, switching on a light, walked to the windows and securely fastened them, after which he turned out the light again and disappeared. Kamper heard other doors and windows being bolted and the cheery ‘goodnights' of the three men. Then there was silence.

The Jew composed himself for a long wait and, being unable to smoke, took a plug of tobacco from a pocket, bit off a piece and started to chew. He made himself comfortable and seemed quite content to remain under the table, for an hour went by before
he moved. Then rising gently he made his way into the corridor, listening outside every room to find out if the occupants were asleep. Satisfied, he returned to the front door and, with the greatest care and patience, began to withdraw the bolts, an operation which took him some time, but which he at length accomplished without making a sound.

It was a calm night and there was no danger of the doors banging, so, leaving them ajar, he went outside and softly signalled to his companions, who joined him almost instantly. Whispering his instructions to them in a sort of mixed Hindustani and English, and making sure that they understood him he led them into the house. He already knew which room was Joan's and without a sound the three reached it and paused outside.

The door was half open, but a heavy curtain veiled the entrance. This was drawn softly aside and held up by one of the Sikhs. The other entered the room behind Kamper, who switched on an electric torch, and shielding it with his hand looked round to take his bearings. Joan was lying on her side fast asleep, and the Jew looked at her for a few minutes with an appraising smirk on his mean little face, before picking up an evening cloak which lay over the back of a chair. He then nodded to his companion who, with one movement, picked up the girl from the bed in such a way as to enable him to put a hand over her mouth at the same time.

In a moment she was wide awake, and great terror-stricken eyes looked at them. Then, as she was carried out into the corridor, she kicked and struggled, but could not utter a sound for the cruel clasp of the hand on her mouth. Kamper and the other man led the way to the front door and, just as they reached it, she succeeded in freeing her mouth and emitting the scream which brought her brother and friends out of their rooms. But in a moment the three kidnappers
were out of the house and running up the drive. As they drew near the gate Kamper whistled and the car came gliding quietly up. Joan was placed in the middle of the back seat with the Jew on one side of her and one of the Sikhs on the other. The former threw the cloak round her shoulders.

‘Keep quiet, Miss!' he hissed, ‘and ve von't hurt you. Make a sound and ve'll be rough!'

The other Sikh got in beside the driver, and they were off, just as Hugh drove his car out of the garage.

The poor girl knew it was useless to cry out with a man sitting on either side of her ready to use drastic measures to quieten her, so she sat still, praying with white lips for her brother and the others to come to her rescue. The car skirted Lahore, making many sudden turnings to put their pursuers off the scent and, at last, reached The Retreat. The gates were opened in response to Kamper's ring and, in a couple of minutes, the car glided up to the front door of the house and stopped. Two Parsees appeared as Joan was carried in, and one of them made a movement towards her, but the other held him back.

‘Not tonight, my friend!' said Novar. ‘She will hardly be in a condition to receive you. Tomorrow you can have your own way with her. Be content that we have her. And now come and let us get Kamper to tell us how he accomplished the deed!'

Hudson looked at first as though he intended dragging himself from the Russian's grasp and following Joan, but after some hesitation he agreed to wait.

In the meantime the girl was carried to a room in the middle of the house, from which no sound could reach the outside world. The Sikh threw her on to a bed, and Kamper stood by the door until he had gone, then:

‘If you make any sound,' he said, ‘no vone will hear you, so take my advice and go to sleep!'

‘Why have you committed this outrage?' she demanded, her eyes flashing from her white face with indignation.

He grinned.

‘You'll know soon enough,' he said. ‘Don't worry, ve'll give you a good time!'

‘My brother will never rest until he finds me,' she said fiercely, ‘and then – God help you!'

A savage look came into the Jew's ugly face. Then it changed into a leer. He kissed his hand to her.

‘Goodnight, sweetie!' he said and going out closed and locked the door.

It was not until she heard the sound of the key turning that the full horror of her position dawned upon Joan, and almost in a frenzy she hurled herself against the door and beat frantically upon it with her little fists. She shouted for help until she was hoarse, then realising the futility of her efforts, threw herself upon the bed and cried until she could cry no longer, and an uneasy sleep came to give her anguished mind a little relief.

Cousins and Miles came running out as Hugh drove the car to the front door, and in a second they were tearing up the drive, having shouted to the servants to lock up the house and stay up until they returned. They swung into Crescent Road just as the other car disappeared in the distance. Hugh pressed his foot hard on to the accelerator, and sat leaning forward over the wheel, the muscles of his face working with emotion, and a terrible look in his eyes. The other two were no less affected, and their set, stern faces boded ill for anyone who had dared to assist in the kidnapping of Joan.

They turned on to the Mall and were forced to pull up. There was not a sign of their quarry anywhere. At last, after a short, sharp discussion, Hugh decided to drive straight on towards the law courts, but there was no traffic about at all. He asked two policemen if they had seen a car pass that seemed in a hurry, but both replied that they had not seen any motor cars of any description for nearly an hour.

When they reached the post office Hugh stopped.

‘It's no use,' he groaned; ‘we've lost them. The only thing to do is to drive to Novar's bungalow and force the truth out of him.'

‘I guess you're right, Hugh,' muttered Miles.

The car was turned and they went back the way they had come, and in five minutes pulled up in the porch of the Russian's house. The car had hardly stopped when Cousins and Miles were hammering on the front door to be immediately joined by Hugh. For five minutes they startled the neighbourhood with their knocking, but there was no response.

‘I'll get in if I have to smash all the windows,' ground out Hugh.

He was about to carry out his threat, when Cousins, who a minute or two before had gone round the side of the house, reappeared dragging a native servant with him. Hugh strode to them and catching hold of the man by the shoulder:

‘I want your master,' he said. ‘Get him!'

‘He has gone away, sahib,' replied the man in a terror-stricken voice.

‘You lie!'

‘No, sahib, I do not. He went away in a great hurry tonight at half past eleven.'

Hugh frowned at him a moment.

‘Is memsahib in?' he asked.

‘No, sahib; she went away three days ago.'

‘Bring me the keys of the house! Hurry!'

‘But, sahib—'

‘Hurry!' stormed Hugh, and the man ran off to do what he was told.

Hugh told his companions what the bearer had said.

‘I was afraid of that,' said Miles. ‘It stands to reason that he would go away in the circumstances.'

‘And Rahtz and Hudson will be gone too,' put in Cousins.

‘Rahtz won't,' snapped Hugh. ‘He is too ill to go anywhere, and I'll throttle him, sick as he is, if he won't give us any information.'

The bearer came back with the keys of the house and they searched every room and anywhere where a man could hide, but of course were unsuccessful. Hugh turned to the servant again and a terrible anger showed in his face.

‘Where has your master gone?' he demanded.

‘I do not know, sahib.'

‘Don't lie to me! I'll shake the truth out of you, you little rat, if you don't answer truthfully.'

‘I would say if I knew, sahib – I swear it.'

In his rage Hugh caught the fellow by the throat and shook him like a terrier shaking a rat.

‘Where – is – your – master?' he shouted.

It looked as though he would strangle the man in his anger, and Miles caught him by the arm.

‘I guess it's no use killing him, Hugh,' he said. ‘It's Novar we want.'

Shannon looked at him, still holding the bearer by the throat.

‘You're right,' he said. ‘Come along! We'll go and talk to Rahtz.'

He released his hold and the man, who was almost half-dead already, fell to the floor. Then hurrying from the house, Hugh and his companions jumped into the car and tore once more along the Mall in the direction of Mozang College. They passed the same two policemen, who stared in astonishment at the three wild, dishevelled men in a car that must have been travelling at nearly fifty miles an hour, and who took out their note-books – too late – to record the number, with a view to a summons for exceeding the speed limit so grossly.

The car turned into Rahtz's gate almost on two wheels, and Hugh
pulled up with a jerk that nearly unseated the occupants. Once again the three men banged on a door without ceremony, and after a continuous rat-tat for five minutes had the satisfaction of seeing the lights switched on in the passage. Presently a frightened voice, which they had some difficulty in recognising as that of Mrs Rahtz, asked who they were and what they wanted, from the other side of the door.

‘It is I – Shannon!' said Hugh. ‘Open the door, please!'

After what seemed to them an unnecessary delay the bolts were withdrawn and the door opened, and they were confronted by Mrs Rahtz, whose ample figure was clothed in a startlingly purple dressing gown and whose usually florid face was pale in patches. She wore a beflowered boudoir cap, which in her agitation had become awry, and presented a most comical figure. But neither of the three was in a mood to be amused.

‘I do not understand the meaning—' she began, but Hugh and his companions pushed past her into the house.

‘We want Rahtz!' said the former.

This demand, spoken in such a tone, roused her resentment.

‘This is not the time to come asking for my husband,' she said. ‘How dare you enter my house in such a manner?'

Then she saw how they were dressed – Hugh and Cousins in dressing gowns, but showing their pyjamas beneath, and Miles in a coat, which displayed even more of his. She was astounded and for a moment could not speak. Then drawing her flabby form up as stiffly as she could:

‘Are you all drunk?' she demanded. ‘And what do you mean by bringing this man, a servant' – she pointed at Cousins – ‘into the house?'

‘Mr Cousins is not a servant, Mrs Rahtz,' replied Hugh. ‘He is an official of the British Government.'

He entered the drawing room and, finding the switch, turned on the lights.

‘We have come to see your husband,' he said, ‘and we mean to see him before we leave this house!'

Her woman's curiosity got the better of her indignation.

‘What do you want with him?' she demanded.

‘We will discuss that with him and not with you,' replied Hugh curtly.

‘Then you can't,' she said in triumph; ‘he has gone away!'

There was silence for a few seconds at that, then:

‘Where has he gone?' asked Hugh quietly.

‘What has that to do with you?' she blazed forth.

‘Everything,' was the quiet reply. ‘I don't want to have to disbelieve your word, Mrs, Rahtz, but if you still insist that he is not in this house, I will go and search every room to make certain.'

‘You dare! You dare!' she cried in a shrill voice.

‘Keep your eyes on her!' said Hugh to his companions, and made for the door.

She strove to stop him, but he shook off her arm and left the room. Miles and Cousins took an arm each and led her to a chair as gently as they could considering that she struggled violently. They pushed her into the chair and she glared for some moments speechlessly from one to the other.

‘It's not pleasant to treat a lady in this fashion,' said Miles soothingly, ‘but, believe me, madam, we have no choice.'

‘You brutes,' she shrieked, getting her voice back at last; ‘you'll pay for this insult. If only my husband were here, he'd – he'd—'

‘If he's not,' said Cousins, ‘it is to our regret more than yours, Mrs Rahtz.'

‘Don't dare to speak to me, you – you valet!'

After some minutes Hugh returned.

‘I have searched everywhere,' he said, ‘but he's not here!'

‘Perhaps you are satisfied now!' snapped Mrs Rahtz.

‘I am certainly satisfied that he is not in the house,' replied Hugh, ‘but I want to know where he is.'

‘Then go and find out!'

‘I would prefer you to tell me.'

‘I would not tell you if I knew, you coward,' she cried. ‘And I am firmly convinced that you came here to molest a poor defenceless woman, because you knew he was absent.'

‘Mrs Rahtz,' said Hugh sternly, ‘it is no good your taking that tone, and I advise you to tell us where your husband is. Otherwise I am afraid you will find yourself being asked that question in a court of law.'

She was frightened now, and her face lost all its floridness and became sickly white.

‘What do you mean?' she gasped.

‘Exactly what I say. We have no wish to war against a woman, but if you will not answer my question, we shall have no option.'

‘Who are you?' she asked in a terrified voice.

‘Never mind who I am,' he answered. ‘Tell me where Rahtz is!'

‘I don't know – really I don't! He told me tonight that he was going away, but he would not tell me where. He was not well enough to go and I tried to dissuade him. It was after – after—' She stopped and bit her lip.

‘After what?' he demanded.

She hesitated, then:

‘After he had had visitors,' she murmured.

‘Who were they?'

‘I can't tell you.'

‘They were Novar and Hudson, were they not?' he demanded.

She shot a half-surprised, half-frightened look at him.

‘There is no need to answer,' he went on sternly. ‘I can see from your face that they were. Do you know the connection those two men have with your husband?'

‘I know they were engaged with him on some scheme, which had to be kept a profound secret,' she replied, almost in a whisper.

‘I'll tell you this,' he said, and his voice was almost deadly in its calmness, ‘those men were engaged on a most unlawful enterprise and tonight because they feared what I might disclose they have kidnapped my sister!'

‘It's not true! It's not true!' she cried in horror.

‘It is true!' He paused a moment, and then went on. ‘I am going to believe that you do not know where Rahtz is, but you are not to leave this house until you are given permission to go by the Deputy Commissioner; do you understand?'

‘Who are you to dictate to me?' she demanded, with a touch of her old spirit. ‘I intend to leave Lahore for a holiday tomorrow and you can't prevent me going.'

‘If you leave this house you will be arrested,' he replied ominously.

She began to cry.

‘What have I done?' she sobbed.

‘As far as I know you have done nothing, but I am taking no risks: You have heard what I have said, and I am not speaking idly. This house will be under continual surveillance. Take my advice and stop inside and save yourself unpleasantness. In the meantime I am going to find your husband and his friends if I have to pull down every brick in Lahore.'

‘Don't – don't hurt him!' she whimpered.

‘Mrs Rahtz,' he said, and his voice cut like a knife, ‘your husband
and I have a reckoning to settle, and I am not disposed to be merciful to him. It may be news to you that he tried to give me cholera in a cocktail he offered me in this house. Luckily the glasses were changed and he drank some of the infected liquid himself – that is why he was ill!' She was gazing at him in absolute horror. ‘I am disposed to forget that incident as it affected only myself, for your sake. But, I tell you candidly that if he or his companions harm my sister in the slightest degree, I'll kill him with my own hands!'

She fell back in her chair with a moan, and covered her face with her fat, podgy hands. Hugh signed to Cousins and Miles and the three left the house.

‘Of course Hudson will have gone too,' said Shannon, ‘but we'll try his house.'

He drove the car to the civil servant's bungalow, but, as they expected, there was no one there but the servants, who were obviously surprised at their master's absence and could not tell where he had gone. They searched the house as they had done the other two, but found nothing to give them a clue as to his whereabouts. At last, when dawn was breaking in the eastern sky, they returned home worn-out in body and mind, and full of the most dire forebodings.

None of them went to bed, and soon after seven o'clock Hugh, dressed and shaved, drove to the Deputy Commissioner's bungalow, and asked to see him. Mr Rainer was already up and in a very short time he was with Shannon, listening to his tale.

‘Good God!' he exclaimed, when the latter had finished, and his face had become as white and drawn as the younger man's. ‘What on earth is to be done?'

‘It is time you took a hand in the game, Mr Rainer,' said Hugh. ‘Will you send out search parties all over Lahore to look for Joan? It
is going to be a difficult matter I know and doubly difficult as neither Rahtz nor Novar must be arrested if they are discovered.'

‘Why not?'

‘Because the meeting must not be interfered with in any way and it takes place the day after tomorrow. As soon as it is over we'll trail either, or both of them. The Chief must have received my despatch long before this and I'm hoping that I'll get a cable before Tuesday telling us to arrest every one who attends the conference. Then I'll leave all arrangements about surrounding the place to you. But I cannot act without official instructions.'

‘Then all I can do is to search for clues of Miss Shannon's whereabouts,' said Rainer.

‘That's all, I'm afraid. If recovering her means preventing Rahtz and Novar from attending the meeting, then she must be left in their hands until afterwards. It's a case of duty, you see.'

Rainer put his hand on Hugh's shoulder.

‘Poor old chap,' he said ‘I know how you feel, and I can't express my sympathy – it would sound too banal anyway. I'll get hold of the superintendent of police and explain matters to him at once.'