Account Settled. John Russell Fearn

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СКАЧАТЬ Mr. Quinton.” Drew oozed magnanimity. “I’ve been going into the matter of your—er—blueprint, but it’s going to take longer than I anticipated. Maybe a week. Besides, there are one or two other details I’d like to discuss with you.”

      “Of course. I’ll come over and have a chat right away if you like—”

      “No, no that won’t be necessary. Tomorrow morning will do nicely, as we arranged—but I want you to bring that receipt with you and I’ll give you another one, extending the time we are allowed to keep the blueprint. Understand?”

      “Er—yes,” Quinton replied, though he sounded vague.

      “Also,” Drew went on, “I’d be glad of your model and whatever notes and other blueprints you may have in connection with this invention. They can all be included on the new receipt if you’d care to bring them.”

      “Willingly, Mr. Drew. I’m only too glad to cooperate. Tell me, do you think I have something that really interests you?”

      “There’s no doubt of that,” Drew answered calmly. “I think we’ll be able to come to terms. Now look here, I don’t like the thought of a valuable man like you bringing such plans through London either on foot or in a taxi. I’ll send my private car for you. It’ll be there at ten-thirty tomorrow morning. Just so as you can be sure, my chauffeur’s name is Brant.”

      “That’s very good of you, Mr. Drew—”

      “Not a bit. I’ll see you tomorrow then. Goodbye.”

      “Bye.…”

      Drew put the phone back on its cradle and then pressed a switch on the interphone box. A gruff voice answered.

      “Yes, Mr. Drew?

      “Brant? Come up to my office a moment.”

      “Yessir.”

      Drew waited until his chauffeur came from the staff room at the base of the great building. It took him five minutes, then he came striding into the room in his purple livery, peaked cap in hand. He was an iron-necked, square-jawed man of medium height, and being a chauffeur was not his only vocation. In fact, only the power of Drew kept Douglas Brant out of the reach of the law.

      “I’ve a job for you, Brant—” Drew looked at him across the desk. “Tomorrow morning at ten-thirty sharp you will arrive in the car at the Grand Hotel in Fennis Street and pick up a Swiss by the name of Rajek Quinton. You may even be asked if his daughter can come, too. If so, don’t raise any ob­jections. You will bring them straight here. You will ask Quinton if he has got everything: say I told you to ask that. Clear so far?”

      The bullet head nodded.

      “You will drive Quinton here. When he leaves here, you will head in the direction of the Grand Hotel, but he must never get there. He must be—lost, and you get from him a receipt that he will be carrying with him. It will have my name on it.”

      “Yes, sir,” the chauffeur agreed briefly. “As in the ease of that French bloke L’Estrage and that other fellow Travers, from New York, you mean?”

      “Exactly. And make a good job of it. No chance of recognition afterwards.”

      “And supposing the daughter is there, too? What do I do then?”

      Drew spread his podgy hands and smiled. “Like father, like daughter. You need not discriminate.”

      “I’ll see to it, sir. Anything more?

      “Not in that direction.” Drew got to his feet. “I’m leaving now. You can drive me home.”

      CHAPTER THREE

      At 10:25 the following morning Rajek Quinton was in the lounge of the Grand Hotel, pacing slowly up and down, hat and topcoat on, his briefcase in one hand and a small card­board box containing his model bomb in the other. Seated at one of the wicker tables watching him was Jaline.

      “I don’t often see you so excited, dad,” she remarked, smiling.

      “Who wouldn’t be?” He came over to her. “This may mean a real fortune…the acknowledgment of my genius as a watchmaker, apart from the million advance and royalties to follow. With all that money we’ll really be able to do as we want.”

      “For that matter, we could do so on the fifty thousand.”

      “Only within limits, my dear—to live as we want to live. I need a lot of money as working capital for other inventions and materials. Fifty thousand doesn’t go far when costly materials are needed.”

      “Well.…” A tiny frown marred the girl’s forehead. “I only hope things work out right. Silly of me to be so doubting, I suppose, but somehow—”

      “Silly? Of course it is!” Quinton patted her shoulder. “Drew has made it perfectly obvious that he’s playing straight by asking me to come over again this morning, and even send­ing his car for me to go in— Ah!” Quinton glanced up as a stocky, bull-necked chauffeur in purple livery came through the revolving doors. “This is probably the chap now.…”

      He raised his hand in a signal, and Brant nodded and came over, touching his peaked cap.

      “Morning, sir. Mr. Quinton?”

      “That’s right. You’re Brant, Mr. Drew’s chauffeur?”

      “Yes, sir. The car’s waiting outside. Mr. Drew asked me to remind you to bring everything.”

      Quinton nodded and smiled. “That’s all right. Everything is here. Well, Jal, I’ll be back soon.… Bye for now.”

      She nodded a farewell, and Brant followed the inventor’s short, well-dressed figure across the lounge and out through the revolving doors. In ten minutes they had reached the Drew Building, and for the time being Brant’s task was over. Quinton stepped into the elevator and was whisked to the seventh floor.

      He found Emerson Drew awaiting him, smiling, advancing across the office with extended hand.

      “Glad you could make it, Mr. Quinton. Have a seat and a cig— Or did you say you don’t smoke?”

      “That’s right,” Quinton acknowledged, smiling. “I don’t.”

      He put his case and box on the desk and settled his hat in his lap as he sat down.

      “Well, sir, we’ve made progress.…” Drew returned to his chair on the opposite side of the desk and nodded his plush-covered head. “And there’s no doubt that we’ll take up the option on your invention and on the terms you suggested.”

      “You mean—the million advance?” Quinton asked slowly, his blue eyes fixed on the square face.

      “I do. But of course that can’t come immediately. There are the final tests to make, with actual explosives and so forth. I asked you to come so as to be certain that we have all the necessary formulae and, as it were, the spare parts in connection with the invention. We cannot go any further without being certain that the rights are exclusively ours. In a matter as vital as this, competition could be very dangerous. СКАЧАТЬ