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In that semi darkness the cat woman midair.
showed as a flutter of flowing silk. She moved
with the darting quickness of a cat springing on I had thought of the girl!
its prey. She had turned her head as I crashed
into the room, and her eyes, catching the light Everything that had happened had fitted
from the hall, glowed a pale, baleful green, a in with my theory of the case, and in that split
green of hate, of tigerish intensity of rage. fraction of a second I knew I was right. Some
flash of inner intuition, some telepathic insight
Quick as she was, I was quicker. As the converted a working hypothesis, a bare theory,
light caught the flicker of cold steel I flung her to into an absolute certainty. In that instant I knew
one side, slammed her against the wall. She was the motive of the cat woman, knew the reason
thin, lithe, supple, but the warm flesh of her she had rushed from that other room. Jean
which met my hands through the thin veil of Ellery had been used by her to bait the trap for
sheer silk was as hard as wire springs. She Ed Jenkins, but she had had another use, had
recoiled from the wall, poised lightly on her served another purpose. She was diabolically
feet, gave me a flicker of the light from those clever, that cat woman, and Jean Ellery was to
cat eyes once more, and then fluttered from the die.
room, her silks flapping in the breeze of her
progress. Two hands shot from the bed and I thought of the girl, of her charm, her
grasped me by the shoulders, great, hairy hands ready acceptance of life as the working partner
with clutching fingers. of a crook, and I paused in mid flight, turned a
rapid flip almost in the air and was running
Jenkins! Ed Jenkins! exclaimed a voice. madly down the corridor, toward the police.
I shook him off and raced for the door. There are times when the mind speeds
From the street below came the sound of sliding up and thoughts become flashes of
tires, the noise of feet hurrying on cement, instantaneous conceptions, when one lives ages
pounding on gravel. Someone dashed up the in the space of seconds. All of the thoughts
front steps and pounded on the door, rang which had pieced together the real solution of
frantically at the bell. The police had arrived, the mystery, the explanation of the actions of
excited police who bungled the job of the cat woman had come to me while I was
surrounding the house. poised, balanced for a leap on the stairs. My
decision to return had been automatic,
There was yet time. I had been in tighter instantaneous. I could not leave Jean Ellery in
pinches. I could take the back stairs, shoot from danger.
the back door and try the alley. There would
The door into which the cat woman had
probably be the flash of firearms, the whine of
plunged was slightly ajar. Through it could be
lead through the night air, but there would also
seen the gleam of light, a flicker of motion. I was
be the element of surprise, the stupidity of the
almost too late as I hurtled through that door,
police, the flat footed slowness of getting into
my outstretched arm sweeping the descending
action. I had experienced it all before.
hand of the cat woman to one side.
In one leap I made the back stairs and
started to rush down. The front door flew open
Upon the bed, bound, gagged, her Just a minute, he said, and there was
helpless eyes staring into the infuriated face of that in the booming authority of the voice which
the cat woman, facing death with calm courage, held the men, stopped them in mid action.
watching the descent of the knife itself, was the
What is this? he asked, and, with the
form of Jean Ellery. My hand had caught the
words, dropped his hands to the table and
downthrust of the knife just in time.
began to drum regularly, rhythmically,
The cat woman staggered back, spitting rummpy tum tum; rummpy tum tum;
vile oaths, lips curling, eyes flashing, her words rummpy tum tumpty tum tumpty tum tum.
sounding like the explosive spats of an angry
Aw g wan, muttered one of the
cat. The knife had clattered to the floor and lay
officers as he pulled me forward.
at my very feet. The green handled dagger, the
jade hilted knife which had been taken from my
Shut up, you fool. He s the mayor s
apartment. At that instant a shadow blotted the
personal attorney! whispered another, his
light from the hallway and a voice shouted:
hands dragging me back, holding me against
those who would have taken me from the
Hands up, Ed Jenkins!
house.
The cat woman gave an exclamation of
The word ran through the group like
relief.
wildfire. There were the hoarse sibilants of
Thank God, officer, you came in the many whispers, and then attentive silence.
nick of time!
Tis Ed Jenkins, sor, remarked one of
There was the shuffling of many feet: the policemen, one who seemed to be in charge
peering faces, gleaming shields, glinting pistols, of the squad. The Phantom Crook, sor, caught
and I found myself grabbed by many hands, in this house from which he kidnapped the girl
handcuffs snapped about my wrists, cold steel an stole the necklace, an twas murder he was
revolvers thrust against my neck. I was pushed, after tryin to commit this time.
jostled, slammed, pulled, dragged down the
The lawyer s gray eyes rested on my
stairs and into the library.
face.
The cat woman followed, cajoling the
If you want to talk, Jenkins, talk now.
officers, commenting on their bravery, their
efficiency, spitting epithets at me.
I nodded.
And then H. F. Morton walked into the
The girl, Jean Ellery. She is the daughter
open door, took in the situation with one glance
of Arthur C. Holton.
of his steely eyes, deposited his hat and gloves
on a chair, walked to the great table, took a seat
The fingers stopped their drumming and
behind it and peered over the tops of his glasses
gripped the table.
at the officers, at the cat woman, at myself.
What?
The policeman jostled me toward the
open front door.
I nodded. It was supposed that his child
was a boy, a boy who died shortly after birth. As
The lawyer held up a restraining hand.
a matter of fact, the child was a girl, a girl who
lived, who is known as Jean Ellery. A crooked of children, which would brand her a criminal,
doctor stood for the substitution, being paid a which would be fatal if used in connection with
cash fee. A nurse originated the scheme, Miss the testimony of the doctor.
Hattie M. Hare. The boy could never be traced.
Doctor Drake demanded money for his
His future was placed in the doctor s hands
silence and for that paper. He demanded his
before birth and when coincidence played into
money in cash, in a large sum. The woman,
the hands of this nurse she used all her
working with fiendish cunning, decided to use
unscrupulous knowledge, all her cunning. The
me as a cat s paw to raise the money and to
girl was to be brought up to look upon the nurse
also eliminate the girl from her path as well as
as her aunt, her only living relative. At the
to apparently murder the man who stood
proper time the whole thing was to be exposed,
between her and his wealth. I was to be
but the doctor was to be the one who was to
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