“It’s a long time ago, nephew.”
“But my father always said that you two were such friends!”
For a moment the woman hesitated, and from downstairs came the sound of an electric bell rung twice.
“Why, of course,” she said, “I remember her well.”
“Then you must have a darned good memory, Auntie,” said Drummond grimly. “It was conceivable that you might have had a brother called Harry who went to Australia, though I did happen to invent him. But by no possible stretch of imagination could you have had a sister-in-law called Jenny Douglas from Cirencester, for I’ve just invented her too.”
“Look out, Drummond,” I shouted, and he swung round. Stealing across the floor towards us was the black-haired Doctor Helias with a piece of gas-piping in his hand, and behind him were three of the others.
And then like a flash it happened. It was the men we were watching; we’d forgotten the invalid in bed. I had a momentary glimpse of bedclothes being hurled off, and a woman fully dressed springing at Drummond from behind. In her hand was something that gleamed, and suddenly the overpowering smell of ammonia filled the room. But it was Drummond who got it straight in the face. In an instant he was helpless from the fumes, lurching and staggering about blindly, and even as I sprang forward to help him I heard the woman’s voice—
“Put him out, you fool, and do it quick.”
And the black-haired man put him out easily and scientifically. He was obviously an expert, for he didn’t appear to use much force. He just applied his piece of piping to the base of Drummond’s skull, and it was over. He went down as if he was poleaxed and lay still.
“My God!” I muttered, “you’ve killed him.”
And that was my last remark for some hours. The three men who applied themselves to me were also experts in their line, and I estimated it at half-a-minute before I was gagged and trussed up, and thrown into a corner. But I was still able to hear and see.
“You damned fool,” said the woman to the man called Doctor Helias. “Why didn’t you tell me it was him?”
She was pointing at Drummond, and he stared at her in surprise.
“What do you mean?” he answered. “I don’t know who he is any more than you do. Isn’t he the nephew?”
She gave a short laugh.
“No more than I am. And you can take it from me I know him only too well. He suspected, of course: that’s why I rang.”
She flung the water pistol which had contained the ammonia on to a table, and going to the cupboard took out a hat.
“Put ’em both below, and for Heaven’s sake get a move on. Is he dead?” Once again she pointed at Drummond, and the big man shook his head. “If I’d known he was coming I’d have been out of this house four hours ago. Mon Dieu! Helias—you have bungled this show.”
“But I don’t understand,” stammered the other.
“Throw ’em below,” she stormed at him. “With your brain you wouldn’t understand anything.”
“Take ’em downstairs,” snarled Helias to the others. He was glaring sullenly at the woman, but he was evidently too afraid of her to resent her insults. “Hurry, curse you.”
And at that moment the fifth man dashed into the room.
“Men coming across the wall at the back,” he said breathlessly. “Listen: they’re getting in now.”
From below came the sound of a window opening, and muttered voices.
“Police?” whispered the woman tensely.
“Don’t know: couldn’t see.”
“How many?”
“Three or four.”
“Out with the light. Whoever they are—do ’em down one by one as they come into the room. But no noise.”
And then ensued the most agonising minute I have ever spent in my life. Helpless, unable to do anything to warn them, I lay in the corner. It was Ted Jerningham, of course, and the others—I knew that, and they were walking straight into a trap. The room was dark: the door was open, and outlined against the light from the passage I could see the huge form of Doctor Helias crouching in readiness. Dimly I saw the others waiting behind him, and then the woman moved forward and joined them. But before she did so I had seen her stand on a chair and remove the bulb from the central electric light.
The steps on the stairs came nearer, and now the shadow of the two leaders fell on the wall. There was a click as the switch was turned on—and then, when nothing happened they both sprang into the room. For a moment they were clearly visible against the light, and even I gave a momentary start at their appearance. In the excitement of the past few minutes I had forgotten about the black masks, and they looked like two monstrous spectres from another world. The woman gave a little scream, and then the other two came through the door.
Thud! Thud! Swiftly Helias’ arm rose and fell with that deadly piece of piping in his hand, and the two last arrivals pitched forward on the floor without a sound.
“At him, Peter.” It was Jerningham’s voice muffled by the covering over his face, and I saw the two of them spring at the doctor.
But it was hopeless from the start. Two to five: the odds were impossible, especially when one of the five was a man with the strength of three. It may have been half-a-minute, but it certainly wasn’t more before the bunch of struggling men straightened up, and two more unconscious and black-cowled figures lay motionless.
With a feeling of sick despair I watched the woman put back the bulb and flood the room with light. What an ignominious conclusion to the night’s work. And what was going to happen now? We were utterly powerless, and our captors were not overburdened with scruples.
Already Helias had taken off the masks, and was staring at the unconscious men on the floor with a savage scowl.
“What’s all
