THE FACE OF HIS DREAMS

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 179, 30 August 1929, Page 15

THE FACE OF HIS DREAMS

By LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE

| Powerful Story of Love, Crime and Mystery 1

HAnthorof "The Lone Wolf," "False Faees," "The Ilrnss Bowl," etc I

CHAPTER XXYIT.— ContiniKHl). TYOX'T GKT IX SUCH a lather. If Ihe littlo Jndy's anywlieres lo Ijo fomid, JL ' 1 1 find her : if she's ueedin' help, sho gct it from me quicker'n itotn anybod.v else. Of course, you'd Lhink whoever hopped you in your sieep kirinapped her; but I ain't by no means sure More I tliink about it, more it iooks to ino like, she lit out oii licr own, prob'lv bofore tbo otiiors blow in — if they was anybodv but Frioiul Angolo on tlio job." 'AVliat niako* you tliink so?" "Why, iill tho signs .... 'l'o bogin with, it was hall'-past seven nlion 1 callod up IIoadiunrtors to roport, and they told ino you was tryiu' Lo got in toucl. with ino last inylit. 1 ftot tlio hundi riglit away thoy was >oiiiotliin' wrong, tuid boat it around liero — couldn't 'vo takou ino niore'n Lwout v niinutos from wiioro I was. I .,eon tlio lights burnin' tlirough your windows, and wlion you didn't answor iuy ring i got .Stiio.s to let ino in, tsav m uil, ten miiiuto.s more. As vou know, vou'd just passed out peaooful wlion wo iound vou, hadn't beon undor cliloroform moren't an hour, if tbat long. A solid liour oi' it would kill a borse. So it rnust- 've beon round seven you was fouud asloop, bound and blind foldod and givon tlio gas. Funny it diiln't wake you up : all you read in novels and papers ahout folks boin' ohlorotormed in thoir sleop and novor kiujwin' wliat liapponod is plain bunk. Tlio snrost way to wake a nian in good health up from a sound sloop is to try to put hira undor an anaesthetic."

•T DIT) VaKE i;P," Rodney said.

J "I distirictlv remomhor (ighting ngainst tlie hands that held me, and the sickening smell of chloroform : but because I couldn't seo, I laid it all to mghtmare." ''That explains that, thon. Now at seven o'clock it'd bccn dnylight around thvoo hours and young ladios. iike Miss Baroooo is, don't get oarriod off bodily, against tlioir wills, through tlio streets of Xow York hy broad dayhglit, without causin' a crowd to coliect and obstrnct traffic. It just onn't bo done. Bosidos, no man oould liave over powered her singlo-handed." "Ratlier not. But liow do we know it was oue man alone?" "Stands to reason your little playmate Angelo didn't have nny help on tliis job. He wouldn't dare run the lisk of bavin' anv of his gang find out little sister had been plnyin' liorse with C'amorra. If fhat evor got out, sister 'd be croaked, and Angelo would get his simultaneous. At least, tliat's the way he figuves it . Nope; he eame alone; and wlion he didn't find sister, like lie'd looked to, he got peeved and took it out on you."

• ■OUT WI-IAT I CAN'T understand,"

Rodney complamed to the detecUve, "is why Miss Barocco should nave run away — if slie did, as you beiieve — without leaving me a word." "Oh, you'll bear from her bofore the day's out. She'll call up or sometliin'. Prob'ly it was like tliis: slie's too excited to slcep long, and wakcs up and remeiiibers sometliin' inipertaut slie wanted to do.and maybo hadn't told vou about. Slie figuros it out if slie uakes you up and tells you slie s off on the wsir-path, you'll .put up an awful hollcr ; so, slie tells lierself, the sensildo wav is beat it and explain afterwsirds. Quostion is : Y'hat did sho have on her tnind?" . For some minutes ho pursued his • estless trampmg without intcrruption. Ihe n the man in tho bed aiinounoed : "It may liave Ijoen slie was worned on aooouiib of that old nurse of liers, Msiroella." , , "It must have beon a more powerful motive to ma ko her got up, worn out iike slie was, and leave you, knowin' how vou'd worry." "Woll." Rodnev admitted roluctant[y, "there's always tho possibility slie l'epesi ntod of having listened to ino, allowod hirsolf to bo persuaded she was c.oing the wrong thing in following up her \cndetta — — "

ITAD SHE PROMJSED she'd give

a •a- it up?" ltitchev demanueci, stoppino; at tlio foot of tho bed. "Not exactly. But. our understanding was implieit " "Son," tli" detectivo interrupt.od with jiained paternal patiouoe; "you want to got eured of kiddin' yqursolf a woman over nieans auythin' without slie's promiscd. And thon gon'ly tliey tion't. Some oi 'om will koop a promiso if you liold 'ein to it, and maybo Miss Baroooo'? that kind." Rodney roiisod excitedly on an clbow. "Thon you Lhink " ' Lio down i" Ritchoy fairly harkcd at. him. ' A ou do like' the doolor ordered, or 1 won't toi) you wliat l tliink." Rodney groaned niutinously, hui lmd to givo in ; aii(' the dotootivo resumed his tnlk and walk at oue and tlio sanio lime.

-•I THINK MISS BAROCCO lot you

|)f»rsund(» licr nto tlimkin ninybe you was right. Thon sho foll asloop, and woke up tiftcr a whilo in tho da'rk and tliought it ovor rol:l. Brosontly she romombers somothin' sho d maybo overlooked — you know lunv it is wlion vou wake up tr tlio middle of the niglit and He thinkin'. tliings soein to sort of sliift into now combi nation and uon't look Iike tliey did in the daylimo at all. So sho says to heiselt. If I do tliis and that. I'll 've puhcd it oll and inado a oloan job of it.' So shc oots up oniet and doos a swift snoak \Yhen vou lionr from her again, c hciiioos are it'll all ho ovor but the shoutin'." i "You mav be right." Rorlriov agrcod I after thinking tliis over. "If vou are, I our courso is to find Angelo. The trail of tho man vho hetrayod Baroquo I Brothers to vou is bound to load hoi I to Angelo sooner or lator, so the wai ! to find Francosoa is to watoli Angelo. ': I .i. jfc

'^THAT MAKES YOU tliink that?"

Ritchev domanded. again |»ill,ng up to an abrupt standstill. ' Y Jio j olcl you Angelo turncd that dirty trick on his own father and uncle? "One doesn't liave to he a deterLive sergeant Ritchev, to put two and Iwo togethpr. Angolo had motive enough for a man of his low order of j chavacter. hotli incentive and opporlunity. 1 know ho suspoeted sorneI thing was going to happon, because j whon I wont to enll 011 his falher by appointmont that night. f saw Angelo I skullcing on the avonue cornor, watrli1 ing the honse ; and whon he oauglit dght of me he all but took to his heols. I Anfl now he's in a panic hecause his 1 sister (hreatens to unearth the in- ] former and denonnce liim to the OamI orra. \Yliv should he have beon afrnul I of me that night, or of her now, if his " oonscience was clean ?"

"You're takiri' a lot for granted, Ylr Manslnp," Ritcliey commenled. "But vou' ro right." "Jt was Angelo!" "Yop. Guess it's safe to toil you Uiat liiucli. t traeed the Lip otf back uo hiin ; and evor since l'vo beon koop111' an oyo 011 that bird. l.lo tio 11 t like it. iioithor."

* v- f •vo QL'ESIJOX ABOUT THAT.

Did L toi l you (110, don't thmk [ ve soon you since), his hiwyer, Al r i.oo t.rooe, callod on 1110 oue dav to protost against wimt he was plea.-qd to torm 111 v perseoution of his cliont? Angelo had iound out lie was heiug sluulowed and naturaliv blained it on me." Ritchev grinned, gratiliod. ' Thoy's two ways or shadowin' a •>t.s]»ect": you lot him know it, or else \uu don't. Tho best way's a comhination of hotli. II ho knows it, it makos l.ini jiimpv and liablo to looiish hroaks; or else ho gets to know lus shadow hy > ght and wastos timo I'rauiin' him; | and wlion I10 soos how oasv that is, j uo gots ovor-contiden t and pulls somo law deal and gots away with it. But tliat's usuallv tlie timo whon the snadow lio doc«n't know ahout steps in and sooros. Tliat's the svstem 1've liooii plavin' Angelo on; and ho'll bo niirprised wlion lie finds out how liiucli j know ahout his private afl'airs. 1 rculd toll you a lot of tliings. . . • Did you know he's figurin' to lcave the ccMintrv?" . I "No!" j

" VrEP. GUESS IT'S SAFE to toll

* you that signs. no s iioon un»in' ovorvthin' into casli, evorythin' his father lel't but the house thev used to iive in and the sliop on tho cornor; and tliov're on tho market. '1 lie only I reason tliey haven't hcen sold is he- j ( ait.se nobody's oflered anythin' near I Die roal val'ue of the propertcu And a little whilo ago 110 put in application lor a passport. lie linsn't got it yct, | iliough. Aiul I haven't beon ablo to find out wliat hoat lio intonds to sail 011. If he's mndc a. reservation it's prob'lv uuder an assmued naine, and he won't taho it up till the last mimile." . "Tliat's very interesting. Miss Baiocco ought to know." j "She will as soon as slie turns up | again." The tolephono shrilled in the silting-room. Ritchev went t0 answcr it, voluntcering as lie passed tlirough the door, "If tliat's her now, l'll put her wise." He was gone long enough for Rodueynev t e work himself mto a fever of impatience, but returnod with an lmpassive countenauce, and tho announcement: "Wrong number. At least, tliat's wliat the party claimed. I got a liunch maybo it was Fricnd Angolo calliu' up to sce if anybody'd answor. If nobody did, of course, it would he good news for the undertaker. Anyway, I got the supervisor at CenII al and told her to trace the call if sho couid."

TOOlv HERE," Rodney suggostcd ; i ' f .... 11.. 1> n li.iilk .1 n

II you Know so mucu auuuu golo's liabits, you ought to be able Lo loeate that gang I10 sct 011 me yestei'day evening." "Jdno 'em up for you in twonty-iour hours, if you tliink you can identii'y em." "Xo, foar. Tliey kopt me too busy, whilo it lasted, and it vvas dark tliero in tbat hallway, bosides. But how about tlio lot tbat iuitiatcd Erancesoa last night? And tho liouso by the iivcr?" "J. could load you thoro with my cyos sliut. As for Ihe 'Councll' outfit, l'vo only been waitio' for a good extuse to round 'em up — it was 110 good williont I could |ii« sometliin' 011 tlieni. But wliat 'Miss Barocco told you satishes me it was thcm wlio was in with Liborio Baroque in tlie drug smugglin' gamo ; and, witli that to go 011 1 ought 10 he ablo io scnd the wliole bunch up tho River. Anyhow, it's up to me to start sometliin and soo wliat liappens. But tlio tirst vhing is to got that cable off to Italy. ' "Whv bnthor about that, whon vou'vc got so liiucli important work to do liore?"

•> -r"I^EPKXDS HX WilAT you call im-

jiortant. 1011 don t want to iorgot. put tiii' old Atiiello Ansiollo bohind Ino liars is tho iirst trick wo've got lo tuni for tlio girl's sako. Whon we hogin to got action 011 tliis information '011 just slippoil 1110, ho'll know somebody must'vo xpilled tho lioaiis ovor 1, ro ; and lio's wise enough, believc ino, to guoss who. and (ako his measiiios aooordin'ly. So if \ou don't want lo ha v" vour fiancy gunnod up without r.ntice you liottor lot 1110 (ix Ihe 'OM j (ino' so'.s ho won't ho able lo do nobody 110 ino ro harm." "Ifeavon knows i'111 willing! But isn't thoro sonte way wo oan proteot bianoosoa against atloinpts al. n-taliu-t!on ?" "If tho Gamorra ovor f s wiso to wlio starlod i lio loak. tlio l.o- 1 thing vour littlo ladv oan do i.-, travol and loop 011 travelling for a good whilo. But lot ino jilav my liand my own way and liobodv'li ovor know. As soon as ['vo tied old man Ansic llo's hands and put Angolo whore ho holongs, wiioro ho'll got bis tliree stpiaro rog'lar and 1 plonty ,ight oxorcisp to help him digost 'oni — woll. who's goin' to guoss whai ! icvor hocomes of Alistor I.uigi Barocco, ihat promisin ' young immigrant from Xajilos? You can 0011 11 1 011 Angola's Roopin' his trnn tiglit for foar thoy niight got liis littlo sistor and maka ! it •Good night nurse' for him. too." j Ritchoy eonsulted his watoli and ' 1 ipjiod a frosh cigar. wliicli ho did not light, hotwoon his tootli. "T'll ho 011 my way, now, if it's all 1 lio ro ino to vr u T moan, if you prnnii.so to lio qniot, thoro and not do nothin' foolish till you hoar from me." (To ho Continuod )