THE EXPLOITS OF ELAINE (& Its Sequel The Romance of Elaine). Arthur B. Reeve

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      Chapter V

      The Poisoned Room

       Table of Contents

      Elaine and Craig were much together during the next few days.

      Somehow or other, it seemed that the chase of the Clutching Hand involved long conferences in the Dodge library and even, in fact, extended to excursions into that notoriously crime-infested neighborhood of Riverside Drive with its fashionable processions of automobiles and go-carts—as far north, indeed, as that desperate haunt known as Grant’s Tomb.

      More than that, these delvings into the underworld involved Kennedy in the necessity of wearing a frock coat and silk hat in the afternoon, and I found that he was selecting his neckwear with a care that had been utterly foreign to him during all the years previous that I had known him.

      It all looked very suspicious to me.

      But, to return to the more serious side of the affair.

      Kennedy and Elaine had scarcely come out of the house and descended the steps, one afternoon, when a sinister face appeared in a basement areaway nearby.

      The figure was crouched over, with his back humped up almost as if deformed, and his left hand had an unmistakable twist.

      It was the Clutching Hand.

      He wore a telephone inspector’s hat and coat and carried a bag slung by a strap over his shoulder. For once he had left off his mask, but, in place of it, his face was covered by a scraggly black beard. In fact, he seemed to avoid turning his face full, three-quarters or even profile to anyone, unless he had to do so. As much as possible he averted it, but he did so in a clever way that made it seem quite natural. The disguise was effective.

      He saw Kennedy and Miss Dodge and slunk unobtrusively against a railing, with his head turned away. Laughing and chatting, they passed. As they walked down the street, Clutching Hand turned and gazed after them. Involuntarily the menacing hand clutched in open hatred.

      Then he turned in the other direction and, going up the steps of the Dodge house, rang the bell.

      “Telephone inspector,” he said in a loud tone as Michael, in Jennings’ place for the afternoon, opened the door.

      He accompanied the words with the sign and Michael, taking care that the words be heard, in case anyone was listening, admitted him.

      As it happened, Aunt Josephine was upstairs in Elaine’s room. She was fixing flowers in a vase on the dressing table of her idolized niece. Meanwhile, Rusty, the collie, lay, half blinking, on the floor.

      “Who is this?” she asked, as Michael led the bogus telephone inspector into the room.

      “A man from the telephone company,” he answered deferentially.

      Aunt Josephine, unsophisticated, allowed them to enter without a further question.

      Quickly, like a good workman, Clutching Hand went to the telephone instrument and by dint of keeping his finger on the hook and his back to Aunt Josephine succeeded in conveying the illusion that he was examining it.

      Aunt Josephine moved to the door. Not so, Rusty. He did not like the looks of the stranger and he had no scruples against letting it be known.

      As she put her hand on the knob to go out into the hall, Rusty uttered a low growl which grew into a full-lunged snarl at the Clutching Hand. Clutching Hand kicked at him vigorously, if surreptitiously. Rusty barked.

      “Lady,” he disguised his voice, “will yer please ter call off the dog? Me and him don’t seem to cotton to each other.”

      “Here, Rusty,” she commanded, “down!”

      Together Aunt Josephine and Michael removed the still protesting Rusty.

      No sooner was the door shut than the Clutching Hand moved over swiftly to it. For a few seconds, he stood gazing at them as they disappeared down-stairs. Then he came back into the center of the room.

      Hastily he opened his bag and from it drew a small powder-spraying outfit such as I have seen used for spraying bug-powder. He then took out a sort of muzzle with an elastic band on it and slipped it over his head so that the muzzle protected his nose and mouth.

      He seemed to work a sort of pumping attachment and from the nozzle of the spraying instrument blew out a cloud of powder which he directed at the wall.

      The wall paper was one of those rich, fuzzy varieties and it seemed to catch the powder. Clutching Hand appeared to be more than satisfied with the effect.

      Meanwhile, Michael, in the hallway, on guard to see that no one bothered the Clutching Hand at his work, was overcome by curiosity to see what his master was doing. He opened the door a little bit and gazed stealthily through the crack into the room.

      Clutching Hand was now spraying the rug close to the dressing table of Elaine and was standing near the mirror. He stooped down to examine the rug. Then, as he raised his head, he happened to look into the mirror. In it he could see the full reflection of Michael behind him, gazing into the room.

      “The scoundrel!” muttered Clutching Hand, with repressed fury at the discovery.

      He rose quickly and shut off the spraying instrument, stuffing it into the bag. He took a step or two toward the door. Michael drew back, fearfully, pretending now to be on guard.

      Clutching Hand opened the door and, still wearing the muzzle, beckoned to Michael. Michael could scarcely control his fears. But he obeyed, entering Elaine’s room after the Clutching Hand, who locked the door.

      “Were you watching me?” demanded the master criminal, with rage.

      Michael, trembling all over, shook his head. For a moment Clutching Hand looked him over disdainfully at the clumsy lie.

      Then he brutally struck Michael in the face, knocking him down. An ungovernable, almost insane fury seemed to possess the man as he stood over the prostrate footman, cursing.

      “Get up!” he ordered.

      Michael obeyed, thoroughly cowed.

      “Take me to the cellar, now,” he demanded.

      Michael led the way from the room without a protest, the master criminal following him closely.

      Down into the cellar, by a back way, they went, Clutching Hand still wearing his muzzle and Michael saying not a word.

      Suddenly Clutching Hand turned on him and seized him by the collar.

      “Now, go upstairs, you,” he muttered, shaking him until his teeth fairly chattered, “and if you watch me again—I’ll kill you!”

      He СКАЧАТЬ