The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-04-25


cOlorless. Her strange-colored eyes
had a nameless attraction. Her hair.
beautifully coifed, was just the shade
Of brown which appealed to me. She
bowed to my companion as she
{ passed. and joined a little group at the
farther end of the hall. The last thing
noticed about her was her wonderful
string of pearls.
THAT is a very beautiful woman"
/. remarked. do you know VIII she
is?"
"a South American widow-De
Mendoza. her name is
You know herr"
My humble apartment is on the
same floor as her. suite." my com
panion replied. "She IS gracious
| enough sometimes to remember the
fact that we meet occasionally i the
lift"
Ny friends arrived, and I made my
adieux to my erstwhile golfng ac-
/ quaintance Somehow or other, my
meeting with him had left an I'M
/ pleasant impression behind it. 1t
had forced my thoughts back to the
/ humiHating recollection of the fact
that the murderer Of Richard Lad
brooke still remained undiscovered
and that the man who had called him
self Pucsley had walked away from
detection under our very eyes and
( had never been heard of since.
Among my feIow-guests was an
/ official of the Home Office. and our
/ conversation naturally drifted into
/ the subject Of social order.
Your connection with Scotland
Yard having long since ceased, Sir
Norman" he remarked to me. you
will not be oversensitive as to facts.
! The epidemic of crime which was
raging about two years ago seems
to have broken out again with ex-
actly the same results. There are
/ four Undecided murders and five
great rObberies up to the debit Of
your late department. Our people
believe that the same person IS at
the head of il who planned all those
robberies eighteen months ago and
escaped arrest by shooting the IN
spector."
7 affected to take only casual IN
terest in the information: but as q
matter of fact. I was considerably
moved If the man who had last
! concealed his identity under the
name of Pugsley. but whom I strong
7 l. suspected to be the notorious
I Michael Savers. had really come out
/ into the open once more life would
( certainly possess a new interest for
/ me during the next few months
We were a party of six that eve
rine-a celebrated criminal lawyer
and his wife, my friend from the
Home Office with his wife and sister
/ in-law. and myself. The criminal
1 lawyer. who was our host, heard
/ scraps Of our conversation and
/ leaned forward
/ You did well to leave Scotland
/ Yard when your reputation stood
/ high, Sir Norman" he said a new
era Of crime has dawned, and the
} struggle IS no longer equal 1t isn't
/ the riffraff Of the world today who
/ take to murder and burglary. The
/ skilled and cOnscienceIess scientist
/ has taken their place The criminal
| OF today. in nine cases out OF ten. +
/ Of higher mental caliber than the de
tective who IS opposed to him"
The struggle should be the moro
+ interesting" I remarked vaguely.
/ Tt was a fancy of mine that my
/ continued interest in my profession
| should remain as little known ~
/ possible. and I talked for some time
! ~ Ind
/ who was seated by nv side. We ad-
mired Mrs. De Mendoza and her gor.
/ geous rope Of pearls. My host inter
vened.
1T is women like that" he com
/ mented. who choose to deck their
/ bodies with jewels Of fabulous value.
who encourage crime
| Roughly speaking I dare say that
/ necklace is worth eighty thousand
pounds. If it is really true that Pugs-
/ ley IS ONCE more at work, what an op.
| portUnity."
"A woman must be very brave, -
ny hostess declared. ito run such
risks"
THE jewels are probably in the
hotel safe most Of the time" 7 sug-
gested. "I don't suppose she goes
out in them
| Our host smiled.
"I can imagine Pugsley finding a
/ few minutes ia the hotel quite suf1-
dent" he observed He or his sue
| cessOrs. whoever they may be. would
think little enough Of human life by
the side Of, say. $4,000 pounds BY
! killing at sight they certainly in
/ crease their chances Of escape"
That closed our conversation upon
| the subject. We sat about IN the
/ lounge and drank coffee and liquors,
danced for a time and smoked a few
. cigarettes. The party broke UP as
/ the lights in the lounge were being
| lowered. I was the only one of our
( little gathering remaining in the no
tel. and 7 was talking for a few mo-
ments to the head porter, who was
an old acquaintance Of mine, when
/ n man made a somewhat hurried en-
/ trance through the swing-doOrs and
! seemed on the point Of proceeding to
/ the office. AS he saw me, however
he hesitated, and turning aside, ad,
/ dressed me.
Excuse me. but you are Sir Nor
man Greyes?" he asked.
1 admitted the fact.
Can I ask you to give me five
minutes of your time on matter of
urgent business?"
| I looked at him with some surprise.
| His voice and address We're good, and
| in appearance he differed I'm no re