Author: Johnston McCulley
Category: Mystery
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CHAPTER XIV--UNEXPECTED NEWS
It was exactly one o'clock in the morning when Mr. Roger Verbeckclasped in his arms Miss Faustina Wendell--dainty, sweet, andtwenty-four--and pressed upon her lips an ardent kiss.
"It is time for little girls to be in bed," he said after the kiss."We'll talk it all over this evening."
There was another kiss, and then Roger Verbeck followed Howard Wendellto the outer door, turned up the collar of his ulster, and hurried outinto the blinding snowstorm to where Muggs awaited him.
Muggs sat behind the wheel of Roger Verbeck's powerful roadster, hischin down in his coat collar, and allowed the soft snow to pileagainst the side of his head, meanwhile listening to the purring ofthe engine and living over again the events of the past two days.Muggs was a modest man, but even in his modesty he was forced to admitthat he had something to do with the fact that the Black Star now wasin the hands of the police.
"Dreaming, eh?" Verbeck demanded, stopping beside the roadster.
"Excuse me, boss. I didn't think you'd be out so soon."
"We've got to hustle down to police headquarters--remember that, Muggs.We must tell the chief and his boys what happened. All they know isthat they have made some arrests on our information. Drive slowly."
Muggs started the roadster and drove on. He stopped the machine in theblinding snow at a corner and squawked the horn. Reasonably sure atlast that he could cross without maiming half a dozen pedestrians forlife, he sent the roadster down a side street and stopped it beforepolice headquarters.
"Get out, and come in, Muggs," Verbeck directed. "You're in on this. Ihope we can keep away from the newspaper boys, or we'll both have ourpictures in the papers. Come along."
They hurried across the walk, threw open the front door ofheadquarters, and entered. And just inside the door they stopped,confronted by a scene that was a commingling of confusion andhysteria.
Half a dozen detectives were scattered along one wall, looking as ifthey wished to be elsewhere. Three or four uniformed officers stoodabout nervously. A captain sat behind his desk and chewed savagely athis mustache. And up and down the center of the big room strode thechief of police, waving his arms and bellowing accusations and chargesof cowardice and incompetence.
"Babies! Fools!" the chief was shouting. "I'll have the shields offevery one of you for this! Haven't the newspapers been laughing at usenough? You'll drive me to drink! I'll hand my resignation to themayor in the morning! I'll---- How d'you do, Mr. Verbeck?"
"How do you do, chief?"
"Here's the man who did it--Roger Verbeck! Because he got peeved atthis Black Star he turns in and runs him down--what you boobs aresupposed to get paid for doing! He takes chances--he and his chauffeur,or whatever he calls him--and he gets his man! Keeps the police out ofit, and does it all by himself, just to show you up----"
"Scarcely for that reason, chief," Roger put in.
"Don't misunderstand me, Mr. Verbeck--I'm not belittling what you'vedone. I'm just showing these alleged sleuths that they are wanting inintelligence. Here's a plain citizen gets peeved and goes out androunds up a big crook--hands him over to you all done up in a bundleand handcuffed, watches while you throw him in the wagon, and then----"
The chief stopped a moment and gurgled in anger.
"_And then, by Heaven, right at the door of headquarters, you let himescape!_"