Part 43 (1/2)
”Show this gentleman out, Halsey,” he ordered.
Halsey started. The noise of the revolver shot had evidently been m.u.f.fled by the heavy connecting doors, but there was a smell of gunpowder in the room, and a little wreath of smoke. The man rose slowly to his feet, still blinking.
”It must be as you will, of course. I wonder if you would be so good as to let your clerk direct me to an oculist? I am, unfortunately, a helpless man in this condition.”
”There is one a few yards off,” Laverick answered. ”Put on your hat, Halsey, and show this gentleman where he can get some gla.s.ses.”
His visitor leaned towards Laverick.
”It is your life which is in question, not my eyesight,” he muttered.
”Do you accept my offer? Will you give me the doc.u.ment?”
”I do not and I will not,” Laverick replied. ”I shall not part with anything until I know more than I know at present.”
The man stood motionless for a moment. His fingers seemed to be twitching. Laverick had a fancy that he was about to spring, but if ever he had had any thoughts of the kind, Halsey's reappearance checked them.
”I am much obliged to you, Mr. Laverick,” he said quietly. ”We shall, perhaps, resume this discussion at some future date.”
With that he turned and followed Halsey out of the room. Laverick went to the window and threw it wide open. The smoke floated out, the smell of gunpowder was gradually dispersed. Then he walked back to his seat. Once more he locked up the notes. The doc.u.ment was safe in his pocket. There was a slight mark by the side of his temple, and his ear, he discovered, was bleeding. He rang the bell and Halsey entered.
”Has our friend gone, Halsey?”
”I left him in the optician's, sir,” the clerk answered. ”He was buying some spectacles.”
Laverick glanced at the floor, where the remains of those gold-rimmed gla.s.ses were scattered.
”You had better send for a locksmith at once,” he said. ”The gentleman who has been here had a skeleton key to my safe. We'll have a combination put on.”
”Very good, sir,” Halsey answered.
”And, Halsey,” his master continued, ”be careful about one thing, for your own sake as well as mine. If that man presents himself again, don't let him come into my room unannounced. If you can help it, don't let him come in at all. I have an idea that he might be dangerous.”
The clerk's face was a study.
”If he presents himself here, sir,” he announced stiffly, ”I shall take the liberty of sending for the police.”
Laverick made no reply.
CHAPTER XXVIII
LAVERICK'S NARROW ESCAPE
At precisely a quarter past four, nothing having happened in the meantime but a steady rush of business, Laverick ordered a taxicab to be summoned. He then unlocked his safe, placed the pocket-book securely in his breast pocket, walked through the office, and directed the man to drive to Chancery Lane. Here at the headquarters of the Safe Deposit Company he engaged a compartment, and down in the strong-room locked up the pocket-book. There was only now the doc.u.ment left. Stepping once more into the street, he found that his taxicab had vanished. He looked up and down in vain. The man had not been paid and there seemed to be no reason for his departure. A policeman who was standing by touched his hat and addressed him.
”Were you looking for that taxi you stepped out of a few minutes ago, sir?” he asked.
”I was,” Laverick answered. ”I hadn't paid him and I told him to wait.”
”I thought there was something queer about it,” the policeman remarked. ”Soon after you had gone inside, two gentlemen drove up in a hansom. They got out here and one of them spoke to your driver, who shook his head and pointed to his flag. The gent then said something else to him--can't say as I heard what it was, but it was probably offering him double fare. Anyway, they both got in and off went your taxi, sir.”
”Thank you,” Laverick said thoughtfully. ”It sounds a little perplexing.”
He hesitated for a moment.