登陆注册
15385000000153

第153章

OUT OF THE DARKNESS

A moment later, Jimmie Dale stepped forward through the vestibule.

He was quite calm now; a sort of cold, merciless precision in every movement succeeding the riot of turbulent emotions that had possessed him as he had entered the house.

The half hour, the maximum length of time before the Magpie would appear, as he had estimated it when out there under the stoop with the Tocsin, had dwindled now to perhaps twenty minutes, twenty-five at the outside.Twenty-five minutes! Twenty-five minutes was so little that for an instant the temptation was strong upon him to sacrifice, rather than any of those precious minutes, the Magpie instead! And then in the darkness, as he stole noiselessly across the hall, he shook his head.It would be a cowardly, brutal thing to do.What chance would a man with a record like the Magpie's stand if caught there? How easy it would be to shift the murder of the supposed Henry LaSalle to the Magpie's shoulders! Jimmie Dale's lips closed firmly.Self-preservation was, perhaps, the first law, but he would save the Magpie if he could--the Magpie should have his chance! The man might be a criminal, might deserve punishment at the hands of the law, his liberty might be a menace to the community--but he was not a murderer, his life forfeit for a crime he had never committed!

If he, Jimmie Dale, could only in some way have arranged with the Tocsin out there to keep the Magpie away altogether! But it could not be done without arousing the Magpie's suspicions; and, as a corollary to that, afterward, with the subsequent events, would come--the deluge! The law of the underworld was clear, concise, and admitting of no appeal on that point; to double cross a pal meant, sooner or later, a knife thrust, a blackjack, or-- But what difference did it make what form the execution of the sentence took?

And, since, then, that was out of the question, since he could not keep the Magpie away without practically risking his own life, the Magpie at least must have his chance.

Jimmie Dale was at the library door now, that, according to the plan the Tocsin had drawn for the Magpie, and as he remembered her description when she had told him her story earlier in the evening, was just at the foot of the staircase.How dark it was! Though the stairs could be only a few feet away, he could not see them.And how intense the silence was again! Here, where he stood, the slightest stir from above must have reached him--but there was not a sound.

His hand felt out for the doorknob, found it, turned it, and pushed the door open.He stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him.The safe, according to the Tocsin's plan again, was in that sort of alcove at the lower end of the library.Jimmie Dale's flashlight played inquisitively about the room.There was the window, the only one in the room, the window through which the Magpie proposed to enter; there was the archway of the alcove, with its--no, there were no longer any portieres; and there was the safe, he could see it quite plainly from where he stood at the upper end of the room.

The flashlight went out for the space of perhaps thirty seconds--thirty seconds of absolute silence, absolute stillness--then the round, white ray of the light again, but glistening now on the nickel knobs and dial of the safe--and Jimmie Dale was on his knees before it.

A low, scarcely breathed exclamation, that seemed to mingle anxiety and hesitation, escaped him.He, who knew the make of every safe in the country, knew this one for its true worth.Twenty-five minutes!

Could he open it in that time, let alone with any time to spare! It was not like the one in Spider Jack's; it was the kind that the Magpie, however clever he might be in his own way, would be forced to negotiate with "soup," and, with the attendant noise, double his chance of discovery and capture--and the responsibility for what might have happened UPSTAIRS! No; the Magpie must have his chance!

And, besides, the money in the safe apart, why should not he, Jimmie Dale, have his own chance, as well? All this would help.The motive--robbery; the perpetrator, there was grim mockery on his lips now as the light went out and the sensitive fingers closed on the knob of the dial, the perpetrator--the Gray Seal.It would afford excellent food for the violent editorial diatribes under which the police again would writhe in frenzy!

Stillness again! Silence! Only a low, tense breathing; only, so faint that it could not be heard a foot away, a curious scratching, as from time to time the supersensitive fingers fell away from the dial to rub upon the carpet--to increase even their sensitiveness by setting the nerves to throbbing through the skin surface at the tips.And then Jimmie Dale's head, ear pressed close against the safe to catch the tumbler's fall, was lifted--and the flashlight played again on the dial.

"Twenty-eight and a quarter--left."

How fast the time went--and how slowly! Still the black shape crouched there in the darkness against the safe.At times, in strange, ghostly flashes, the nickel dial with the ray upon it seemed to leap out and glisten through the surrounding blackness; at times, the quick intake of breath, as from great exertion; at times, faint, musical little clicks, as, after abortive effort, the dial whirled, preparatory to a fresh attempt.And then, at last--a gasp of relief:

"Ah!"

Came the sound, barely audible, as of steel sliding in well-oiled grooves, the muffled thud of metal meeting metal as the bolts shot back--and the heavy door swung outward.

Jimmie Dale stretched his cramped limbs, and wiped the moisture from his face--then set to work again upon the inner door.This was an easier matter--far easier.Five minutes, perhaps a little more, went by--and then the inner door was open, and the flashlight's ray was flooding the interior of the safe.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 财迷王妃,王爷感觉爱不起

    财迷王妃,王爷感觉爱不起

    啥玩意,第一次看到有人遭雷劈后还穿越了的!穿越了就算了,咋还遇上多金王爷了呢!让我也遭个雷劈算了
  • 九重灵至尊

    九重灵至尊

    21世纪宅男莫风穿越异世界大陆,穿越在一个同名废物少爷身上。在这里强者为尊,尔虞我诈,弱肉强食。九颗珠子吐出各种功法丹药神兵。看废物成为绝世强者纵横天下。
  • 升级进化

    升级进化

    重生异界,觉醒金手指。大脑里多了一个特别的系统。带着前世的遗憾和愿望,活在这个充满挑战的异世界。只为完成自己曾经做过的梦。特别的系统,特别的玄幻异界,这是我的异界。《升级进化系统》正式更名为《升级进化》
  • 他眼里的那个她

    他眼里的那个她

    他,这个词的定义是什么?他眼里的花又代表着什么?他,又是谁?跟他认识的经历又是什么?一切尽在书中,跟着作者走进这个真实的世界~此书为作者生活改编。
  • 我的美女情缘

    我的美女情缘

    他方浩,档案被封尘,重归红尘。他光芒不再耀眼,只是普云大众中的一员。在钢铁铸就的滚滚红尘中,他碰到逢场作戏的未婚妻,也遇到了关怀备至的红颜知己。坚守婚姻,还是化身为花花公子,他站在人生的十字路口,迷茫了。
  • 盛世暖爱:邂逅大牌老公

    盛世暖爱:邂逅大牌老公

    她是堕入泥潭的落魄千金,在最难熬的时候,他给予了她最多的温暖和关心,她以为这就是爱情。他疼她、护她、予她万千柔情,他坚守内心的缘由以为这一场疼爱和爱情无关。当那个人出现,当他们的婚姻面临危机出现裂痕,他亲眼看她决然转身,终于忍不住狠狠将她拽回!盛朝颜,我在哪儿,你就必须在哪儿!非死不能离!死了,也不能离!不,他怎么会让她死?!|||盛氏千金盛朝颜一朝落魄,无亲无友无未来,辗转于肮脏的世道之中,终于明白昔日的单纯不过都是愚蠢。好在她明白得不算太晚,用十八岁的稚嫩之肩扛起了自己的人生。灭绿茶、远恶人、报父仇、掀职场风云、获盛世爱!
  • 腐化人性

    腐化人性

    人之初,性本善。没有谁是天生的恶魔,可是挣扎在末日里,人性到底有没有存在的价值?人之初,性本善。没有谁是天生的恶魔,可是挣扎在末日里,人性到底有没有存在的价值?活下去,不许死,这是愿望,亦是奢望。绝境当前,人类无力改变命运,祈求神灵庇护,殊不知,神生于人心,死于人性。当一切恢复原始,没有法律,没有道德,面对人性的考验,你又该如何抉择?而当灾难真正的降临,我们的任务只有一个,那就是——————活下去(本书无疑能)
  • 那些校花赖上我

    那些校花赖上我

    项小羽,一个平凡的大学生,意外得到神秘老人的传承,获得超凡能力,从此桃花运不断,各种校花赖上他,有的要求开房,有的要他负责,有的要双修,开启了一段令人艳羡的人生。
  • 美女的近身高手

    美女的近身高手

    手界的王者回归都市,阴差阳错成了美女总裁的近身保镖,于是,史上最牛叉的近身高手诞生了!
  • 箫声咽

    箫声咽

    深夜,两名道士不请自来,他们自称来自江湖第一善帮的红筹寺,此行无非两个目的,一是送回文总镖头文玮峰的尸首,二是索回红筹寺的圣物。文夫人悲愤交加,百口莫辩,想要寻找帮手,却发现无论是女儿还是其他镖师都在转眼之间没了踪影……文玮峰的女婿,云台山庄的庄主徐士清觉得岳父死得蹊跷,便请来号称“江南府门三绝”之一的仵作白志远协助破案,谁知,白志远刚找到关键线索便死于非命。若干年后,仵作之女白箫被许配给徐家大少爷,不料新婚之夜,新郎却离奇失踪。所有这些都似乎与当年的文镖师命案有关联,而武功高强的蓬莱四子更是个个有嫌疑,究竟谁是凶手?