登陆注册
15385000000135

第135章

"'You're talking too loud, both of you! Travers doesn't understand, but he's to be wised up to-night, according to orders, and--'

"The voice became inaudible, muffled--I could not hear any more.Isuppose I remained there another three or four minutes, too stunned to know what to do; and then I ran softly along the hall to the library door.The library, you understand, was at the rear of the room they were in, and the two rooms were really one; that is, there was only an archway between them.I cannot tell you what my emotions were--I do not know.I only know that I kept repeating to myself, 'they are going to kill me, they are going to kill me!' and that it seemed I must try and find out everything, everything Icould."

She turned away from the table, and began to pace nervously up and down the miserable room.

Jimmie Dale rose impulsively from his chair--but she waved him back again.

"No; wait!" she said."Let me finish.I crept into the library.

It took me a long time, because I had to be so careful not to make the slightest noise.I suppose it was fully six or seven minutes from the time I had first heard my supposed uncle's voice until Ihad crept far enough forward to be able to see into the room beyond.

There were three men there.The man I knew as my uncle was sitting at one end of the table; another had his back toward me; and Travers was facing in my direction--and I think I never saw so ghastly a face as was Hilton Travers' then.He was standing up, sort of swaying, as he leaned with both hands on the table.

"'Now then, Travers,' the man whose back was turned to me was saying threateningly, 'you've got the story now--sign those papers!'

"It seemed as though Travers could not speak for a moment.He kept looking wildly from one to the other.He was white to the lips.

"'You've let me in for--THIS!' he said hoarsely, at last, 'You devils--you devils--you devils! You've let me in for--murder! Both of them! Both Peter and his brother--MURDERED!'"She stopped abruptly before Jimmie Dale, and clutched his arm tightly.

"Jimmie, I don't know why I did not scream out.Everything went black for a moment before my eyes.It was the first suspicion I had had that my father had met with foul play, and I--"But now Jimmie Dale swayed up from his chair.

"Murdered!" he exclaimed tensely."Your father! But--but Iremember perfectly, there was no hint of any such thing at the time, and never has been since.He died from quite natural causes."She looked at him strangely.

"He died from--inoculation," she said."Did--did you not see something of that laboratory in the Crime Club yourself the night before last--enough to understand?""Good God!" muttered Jimmie Dale, in a startled way then: "Go on!

Go on! What happened then?"

She passed her hand a little wearily across her eyes--and sank down into her chair again.

"Travers," she continued, picking up the thread of her story, "had raised his voice, and the third man at the table leaned suddenly, aggressively toward him.

"'Hold your tongue!' he growled furiously.'All you're asked to do is sign the papers--not talk!'

"Travers shook his head.

"'I won't!' he cried out.'I won't have any hand in another murder--in hers! My God, I won't--I won't, I tell you! It's horrible!'

"'Look here, you fool!' the man who was posing as my uncle broke in then.'You're in this too deep to get out now.If you know what's good for you, you'll do as you're told!'

"Jimmie, I shall never forget Travers' face.It seemed to have changed from white to gray, and there was horror in his eyes: and then he seemed to lose all control of himself, shaking his fists in their faces, cursing them in utter abandon.

"'I'm bad!' he cried.'I've gone everything, everything but the limit--everything but murder.I stop there! I'll have no more to do with this.I'm through! You--you pulled me into this, and--and I didn't know!'

"'Well, you know now!' the third man sneered.'What are you going to do about it?'

"'I'm going to see that no harm comes to Marie LaSalle,' Travers answered in a dull way.

"The other man now was on his feet--and, I do not know quite how to express it, Jimmie, he seemed ominously quiet in both his voice and his movements.

"'You'd better think that over again, Travers!' he said.'Do you mean it?'

"'I mean it,' Travers said.'I mean it--God help me!'

"'You may well add that!' returned the other, with an ugly laugh.

He reached out his hand toward the telephone on the table.'Do you know what will happen to you if I telephone a certain number and say that you have turned--traitor?'

"'I'll have to take my chances,' Travers replied doggedly.'I'm through!'

"'Take them, then!' flung out the other.'You'll have little time given you to do us any harm?'

"Travers did not answer.I think he almost expected an attack upon him then from the two men.He hesitated a moment, then backed slowly toward the door.What happened in the next few moments in that room, I do not know.I stole out of the library.I was obsessed with the thought that I must see Travers, see him at all costs, before he got away from the house.I reached the end of the hall as the room door opened, and he came out.It was dark, as Isaid, and I could not see distinctly, but I could make out his form.

He closed the door behind him--and then I called his name in a whisper.He took a quick step toward me, then turned and hurried toward the front door, and I thought he was going away--but the next instant I understood his ruse.He opened the front door, shut it again quite loudly, and crept back to me.

"'Take me somewhere where we will be safe--quick!' he whispered.

"There was only one place where I was sure we would be safe.I led him to the rear of the house and up the servants' stairs, and to my boudoir."She broke off abruptly, and once more rose from her chair, and once more began to pace the room.Back in his chair, Jimmie Dale, tense and motionless now, watched her without a word.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 有缘情定三生石

    有缘情定三生石

    她只是一个软弱可欺的孤女,他却是众星捧月的天子骄子。第一次遇见,她就爱的义无反顾。如果说有遇到一个对的人会让你变成更好的自己,那么也许他就是那样一个人吧。卖萌耍赖甜蜜倒贴,她誓要扑倒他不可!他头疼的揉揉太阳穴:“我上辈子到底造了什么孽!”她露出一个无害的笑容:“妖孽!”
  • 相思谋:妃常难娶

    相思谋:妃常难娶

    某日某王府张灯结彩,婚礼进行时,突然不知从哪冒出来一个小孩,对着新郎道:“爹爹,今天您的大婚之喜,娘亲让我来还一样东西。”说完提着手中的玉佩在新郎面前晃悠。此话一出,一府宾客哗然,然当大家看清这小孩与新郎如一个模子刻出来的面容时,顿时石化。此时某屋顶,一个绝色女子不耐烦的声音响起:“儿子,事情办完了我们走,别在那磨矶,耽误时间。”新郎一看屋顶上的女子,当下怒火攻心,扔下新娘就往女子所在的方向扑去,吼道:“女人,你给本王站住。”一场爱与被爱的追逐正式开始、、、、、、、
  • 破茧飞天

    破茧飞天

    美丽的蝶在天空中飞舞要先在蛹中褪去多余组织,飞蛾追寻着光明要先在蚕丝缠成的茧里对抗黑暗,世上从来没有永远的沉沦和不停歇的凯歌。他,国境线上小小龙蛇寨的三当家;它,国运绵延八百多年的古老帝国;他(它)们谦和、贪婪、正义、邪恶,在黑暗的角落窥伺着利益的拥有者。一张破旧的藏宝图揭开了古时魔导时代的面纱,面纱之后是一个个丑陋的茧蛹,里面的存在蠢蠢而动,正欲破茧而出……
  • 邪王宠妻:灵兽小毒妃

    邪王宠妻:灵兽小毒妃

    “我孤独冰卿,活到现在都没看过一次世界奇观!也没拿过一次奖学金!更没有把我的上司给收服!但TMD遇上了这鬼穿越!是不是上天嫉妒我的美貌,所以把我流放到了这样的地方!”孤独冰卿欲哭无泪!在这里,每天和一群不明是非的女人斗心眼!她都快累死了,好伐?!还说她是废柴?!那好,她就让她们,看看什么是天才!
  • 囧丫头VS酷男宠

    囧丫头VS酷男宠

    欧阳亚汐——箬南高中出名的囧丫头。喜欢小说和料理,每天过着平凡的不能算平凡的生活,当然也会被所谓的拽学生欺负,而她的角色,一直都是逆来顺受。直到有一天,平凡的她遇到了不平凡男宠们,,诶哟,,还有那个死人转校生姜奕譞,她的生命开始了不可思议的转变。。。
  • 恋爱法则:温暖我的你

    恋爱法则:温暖我的你

    我知道,我爱上你了,李煦城,我亲爱的青梅竹马,只是爱上,无法放手,我不懂放手,亲爱的,我不会祝福,我只能默默地笑着看着你,和年华说笑,当你心里有了她,好像忘记我了呢。“李煦城,我,后悔了,对不起,年华。”“扑通”一声,宋微可跪了下来,钻心的疼痛,又怎够她忏悔?谁不曾有爱人?谁不曾有爱情?谁不曾拥有青春?你的青春谁是你的唯一?谁是你的恋爱法则?这里奶茶书写他与她的爱情……
  • 我的他,是偶像

    我的他,是偶像

    他是当红偶像,她是平凡大学生,一次偶然的机遇他们认识了,他们之间又会有怎么的故事呢
  • 创世纪之征服地球

    创世纪之征服地球

    那么未来的科技潮流是什么?新能源?机器人技术?生物科技?太空探索?都有可能……但是有一群人,将这些最尖端的科技都掌握在自己的手中,凭一已之力聚集了全球的财富,他们就是这个地球上最富有的人。在聚集财富的同时,他们开创了一个新的纪元。人类的未来什么样?宇宙的尽头在哪里?生命的起源什么样?让我们放开思想的束缚一起去想象吧。
  • 快穿:女主求解救!

    快穿:女主求解救!

    【本文1v1,宠文】她活了三生,自爆而亡,无怨无悔,只是寻他千年,何时才能寻到他呢?契约系统,帮助女主,虐死女配,带着系统打天下,顺便再撩撩美男打打怪。某女:总有一个制杖缠着我要做我老公肿么破?在线等挺急的!某男:乖,别闹,洗洗睡。某系统:天天被喂狗粮,静静,你过来让我想。总之,这是一个非常虐心的故事【才怪!看正文,第一个位面略渣。可以跳过】
  • 迎接近在咫尺的革命(科普知识大博览)

    迎接近在咫尺的革命(科普知识大博览)

    要想成为一个有科学头脑的现代人,就要对你在这个世界上所见到的事物都问个“为什么”!科学的发展往往就始于那么一点点小小的好奇心。本丛书带你进行一次穿越时空的旅行,通过这次旅行,你将了解这些伟大的发明、发现的诞生过程,以及这些辉煌成果背后科学家刻苦钻研的惊心时刻。