Black Star's Campaign/Chapter 19
CHAPTER XIX
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
THE Black Star watched him closely as he sat down on the couch and tried to make himself comfortable, which was a difficult thing for him to do with 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 men saw 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 me and scattered my men."
"What difference does it make?" Muggs asked. "I picked him up, didn't I?"
"I give you credit for it, Muggs. But just where did you pick him up? If any 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 Black Star's speech, and he guessed the reason for it. The master crook thought Muggs meant that he had seen Landers getting into the touring car. 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 the room and pressed a button.
"I must ask you to remain perfectly quiet, Muggs," he warned. "You may see all you like, since you'll never be able to give out the information soon enough to hurt my plans, but you must not speak when any of my people are in the room. Be good, Muggs, and I'll have your hands untied after a while."
The door at the other end of the room was opened, and a robed and masked man came in and went to the blackboard. He regarded Muggs carefully, but the Black Star motioned for him to proceed.
"Number Two," he wrote.
"Countersign?"
"Bennington."
"Report," wrote the Black Star, and as Muggs watched they held their conversation on the blackboards, writing and erasing, neither speaking a word.
"Invitation list includes all prominent and wealthy persons in the city and 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 handle any of them by the customary means, but they will not be hard to get out of the way."
"Make arrangements for doing so," wrote the Black Star. "If you need help, ask for it to-morrow morning. What arrangements have been made about 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 most expensive jewels," wrote Number Two. "Social rivalry that exists at present 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 before him.
"I have a few minutes before the next man reports, Muggs," he said, "and so I'll be glad to explain in part. I presume you have heard of our fair city's society leader, Mrs. Richard Branniton?"
"Sure!" said Muggs.
"She is giving quite an affair to-morrow evening at her palatial residence, Muggs. Her husband, if you happen to remember, was the district attorney who prosecuted me when I was on trial recently. At this reception and ball, she is to entertain two prominent diplomats who are visiting in the city. The cream of the city's wealth and society will 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 to which you have received no invitation, yet I intend doing it, Muggs. There are times when I am not strictly conventional, as you may have guessed. I am going, Muggs—and I am going to take about twenty or thirty 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, the ladies will wear fortunes in jewels—and I love jewels. Besides, they are worth money when properly marketed. I shall strip Mrs. Richard Branniton's guests of their precious jewels. This will injure that lady socially to a certain extent, and thereby hurt Mr. Branniton, who was quite 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 for ransom. Is not that a master stroke? I certainly am a big crook, am I not?"
"You can't get away with it!" Muggs said.
"Nonsense! We have a place prepared to which we shall take them. We have a method of collecting the ransom when it is paid—a safe method. And it will be paid, Muggs—two hundred thousand dollars for each man. You see, they are here on international business, and very important business at that. It will be necessary to secure their release at once. If it is not accomplished, there might be trouble with a certain other country. Oh, we have it all planned, Muggs, and the job will not be so difficult as others I have handled."
"You go to monkeyin' with the government, and you'll get yours good and plenty!" Muggs warned him.
"I fear no government, Muggs! I tell you, our plans are perfect. The ransom will be paid within three days."
The Black Star went to the table, opened a drawer, and consulted a memorandum book. Again the little bell on the wall tinkled. Once more the Black Star pressed a button and a robed and masked man entered and stepped 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 ten o'clock and be taken at once to the Branniton residence. They will have luncheon 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 the reception. Arrangements you ordered have been made."
"Good!" the Black Star wrote. "Report at usual time to-morrow for additional orders. Retire!"
The man bowed and backed through the door. The Black Star turned toward Muggs again.
"Oh, it is a wonderful organization, my dear Muggs!" he said. "It is far more wonderful than the one I had before."
"I ain't carin' much about it!" Muggs said. "These blamed cords are cuttin' 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 your violent nature, I see. One of these days you will realize the futility of it, Muggs."
"I'll realize my life ambition by beatin' you up!" Muggs replied. "You goin' to take off these cords?"
"Not that. But I'll have your wrists tied in front, so you will be able to 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 masks before the Black Star, and evidently did not care that Muggs saw their faces.
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'll be trying to free yourself, too. Allow me to tell you, Muggs, that you'd not 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 time being. 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 I move, I'll have you dropped somewhere in town, and you can tell Verbeck and the newspapers all you saw and heard. You'll be getting your picture on the front page, Muggs."
Again the bell tinkled, and once more a robed and masked man entered and stepped 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 fiancée this afternoon, and afterward took a taxi and got out at a busy corner. He remained there for some time, and then went home. He acted as if he was waiting for somebody."
"Anything else?"
"Verbeck's roadster is at the resort down the river, and has been there for several hours. We didn't see Verbeck."
"His chauffeur left it there; that is his chauffeur on the couch," the Black Star wrote.
The man at the other blackboard turned and regarded Muggs through the slits in his mask. Muggs knew what that meant. Here was a man who was not acquainted with him, but hereafter he would know Roger Verbeck's chauffeur when he saw him.
"Anything else?" the Black Star wrote again.
"Sheriff Kowen is swearing in more deputies, and some of them are experienced officers who have retired."
"Anything from police headquarters?"
"Nothing, sir, except that the chief is keeping in Verbeck through some third person. We have not located this person yet."
"Do so as soon as possible, and let me know the result over the telephone," the Black Star wrote. "That is all!"
The masked man bowed and backed through the door. Once more the master crook faced Muggs.
"You see, my dear Muggs, I find out everything," he said. "I could tell you what Roger Verbeck had to eat at breakfast this morning. How can a man 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!"