Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1914-05-23
"Was Crewe here then ?"
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"Was Crewe here them"
"Sure. Upstairs"
"Did you see him ?"
"See him? No. But he came in
purity soon after Christy sent him
word that we was here"
(Which way did he come in-from
upstairs or from the outside 2"
Shaughnessy entered the room and
closed the door. Then he went
around behind the bar and helped
himself to a drink while Baxter re-
piled instead of Holderness.
"Well, he didn't exactly come in
just then-not SOS you could notice
it. He looked in, saw US here, and
ducked. We rushed the door after
him, and there he was, standin' as
peaceful as you please, waitin'."
(Which door? How many times
have l got to ask that question 2"
"That one," Holderness replied,
pointing toward the front entrance.
"Go outside, Holdy, and show me
exactly what Crewe did. I've got a
reason for asking"
where's your hat? Shaughn ?"
Marine asked as Holderness was
passing outside.
"Shut up" Shaughnessy replied.
Holderness acted out what Crewe
had done, then stepped back and
demonstrated how they had found
him when they rushed the door.
ShaLghnessy ran to the door and
looked about outside of it. He re-
turned, took the still-lighted candle
from the back bar, found the cellar
stairs, and descended. The others
followed him wonderingly. Shaugh-
messy went straight to the front of
the cellar and stood beneath the
grating. He bent over and examined
the black dust on the ground under
it.
"Have you been down here
searching ?" he demanded, turning
sharply upon his companions.
81 have" said Holderness 81 was
looking for Crewe when he disap-
peared. Say, mebbe you can tell"
did you find anything?"
"No. Not blessed thing"
There, | mean-under that iron
grating"
"No. Not thing. What's eatin'
you, Shaugn?"
For the love of Mike, what were
you fellows doing here, anyhow ?"
Shaughnessy did not wait for an an
swer. He started up the stairs
again, and they followed.
you've come pretty near bulling
the whole thing, getting fresh" he
said at the top of them. "Get along
now, and leave me here. Crewe'll
come back when you're gone, and
want to see him. | wouldn't want
the district inspector to blow along
this way and find all four of us here,
anyway. He'd want to know why.
Light out, all of you. You're a fine
bunch of detectives, you are.
81 don't suppose it ever occurred
to any of you that Crewe dropped
something through that grating
when he backed out of this room,
did it? And if you'd had your
senses about you-oh, what's the
use? Get out, will you, and leave
me here? | want to see Crewe-
noww
"Shaugn," Holderness said, COM
Ing up CiOsS, anu Will ali ugly lOOh
in his eyes, "arc you thinkin' about
givin' us the doublecross ?"
"Double-cross nothing! You're
giving it to yourselves if only !
could make you see it that way"
Grumblingly they went out. When
they had gone Shaughnessy locked
the front door and seated himself at
one of the tables so that he faced
the door at the rear. His back was
toward the bar, and the fingers of
his right hand were clasped tightly
around an automatic that he held
fiat upon the table but with the muz-
zle of it pointed directly at the door
he was watching.
He sat there for long time with
out NOTING, and without taking his
ewes from the door. Then he was
startled, and seemed to shrivel when
quiet voice from behind him said:
"Take your hand off that gun,
Shaugn, and turn around"
Crewe had returned as mysterious
ly as he had gone away.