Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-19
CHAPTER Xxx.

NdludblOI NIlSLllCI yOu WClS
4 one of these reserved English
man who believe nothing very
much, and only then to oblige a lady,
said Slick Smith, magnificent host
sitting at the head of dinner table
that night.
IT came into this case nineteen
months ago, when I had a letter from
Mr.. Torrington, giving me all the facts
he possessed, and asking me whether
could trace his wife and verify the
story of his daughters death. Incl
dentally, he told me a great deal about
Lacy Marshall that interested me both
as detective and human being.
1--WE got some experience of the un-
popularity of private detective services
especially in England, where they are
regarded as joke, and a joke in bad
taste at that. And I knew that, if
was going to do any good in this bust
ness, it was vitality necessary that
should pass into the underworld with
the necessary credentials. I therefore
communicated with Capt. Shannon, in
my capacity as Stormer, telling him
that notorious American crook was
expected to arrive in England almost
any minute, and favored him with a
very vivid description of what this
hideouS scoundrel looked like. got the
usual warm-hearted Your communica-
ton shall receive our attention from
headquarters, but I happen to know
that the moment Slick landed he was
picked up, trailed to London, warned
cautioned-in fact, all the things hap
pened to him that usually happen to the
imported article.
Fortunately, very few people in Lon
don know me. I've always made it a
rule, since I established my agency in
London, to come into no case personal
ly, and only three or four of my staff
would be able to identify me on oath
But those three or four are mighty use
full, for they not only can identify me
but they can't identify me, and that
is valuable
Another important advantage was
that, as Slick Smith, I could always
have one of my men with me without
attracting the suspicious of the criminal
classes. You remember was invariably
trailed by one of Stormer's men-he'd
have lost his job if he hadn't!
MY other job was to discover the
whereabouts of very large number OF
diamonds which had been stolen from
Mr.. TorringtonS mine in the last few
years, and which both his police and
the South African force were certain
1kdN UCCA OlOuSlG W 45iiS loAAO. 11AAO =
was able to unearth very considerable
traffic In South Africa, as you know,
Capt Shannon, it is a penal offense to
be found in possession of a diamond,
unless you can account for it to the
satisfaction of magistrate-I'm talk
ing about uncut diamonds now. For
years Lacy Marshall has been such a
trafficker He was engaged that way
when he was acting as detective for
the Streams Mining Corporation and
when he framed up charge that sent
Mr. Torrington to the breakwater. He's
been that way ever since. But the
trading OF diamonds in South Africa
is a dangerous game, both for seller
and the buyer; and he hit upon the
idea of coming to London, establishing
himself in a big house and arranging
q regular courier service to bring the
stones over But obviously he couldnt
do this as Marshall, because, sooner or
later, somebody was going to Squeal.
And the day the squeal went
up to heaven Lacy Marshall, who in the
meantime had scraped into the South
African Parliament and had been
scraped out again when the electors
came to their senses, would go down
to the dark hulks where the bad men
go.
He bought the two houses in Port
man square at time Of great depres
sion in house property and they were
bought in different names. No. 551 was
purchased through a bank. Engaging
a good continental firm to fix the cleo
trical fittings, he left the principal and,
to my mind, the clevereSt piece of mech
anism to the last.
Lacy Marshall is an engineer. He
IS one Of those people you read about
every day, who might, had he chosen
an honest path, have made fortune;
not that they ever would, but judges
have those illusions.
THE control was too fiddling job
and too much like hard work for Lacy.
The fireplace and statue were labor
Of love. The statue he brought in Dur
ban. traced it nearly year ago and
knew all about its mechanical thorax.
But the pivot opening was entirely his
own. He lived alone in his house
longer at that time was still in South
Africa acting as his agent-for four
before the work was completed,
and then he brought his man home.
And just before he came Malpas ap-
peared in the London directory. NAL
pas, the buyer of diamonds who could
never be caught!
"Tonger is the real tragedy of this
story. He married rather late in life
a youngish woman who died and left
him with daughter, Of whom he
thought the world; and 1t was real bad
luck for longer to have her come into
contact with Lacy Marshall. You'd
think that longer being his friend and
helper would make a difference. No,
sir! Nothing ever made difference to
Lacy, and when the inevitable happen
ed and longer wanted to know certain
things Lacy seized on the arrest of
Torrington as a heaven-Sent opportuni-
ty for shifting the blame, persuaded the
girl to name Torrington as her lover
and got her away to America, where he
allowed her a reasonable sum a week,
threatening that, unless she did as he
wished, which was to write to her IA
ther regularly and tell him how happy
she was, he would stop the allowance
and ruin longer, who, as she believed,
held some responsible position in Mar
shafts Office.
New York is no worse place for
woman than any other big city; that
is my experience" said Slick thought
fully. 81 guess the same old devil
perches on the top of the London mon
ument as sits on the f1fty-fourth floor
of the Woolworth building. The girl
went her own way-drank lot, got
into debt, but dared not tell Lacy.
Then one day, in a panic, she jumped
the boat and came to London. I think
you saw her, that day you had your
first interview with friend Malpas?"
Audrey nodded.
"She was the woman who knocked at
MarShalt's door,"
"Yuh. Poor longer must have near
" died when he saw her. At any rate,
as I have reconstructed the matter. he
took her in, hurried her up to his apart
ment and kept her there for days, prob
ably trying his best to induce her to
tell him the truth-he may, already
have guessed it. Then one day Lacy
found out she was in the house and
knew that, once longer got on his
track, he was doomed.
He decided to act then and there.
longer was sent to Paris with letter
that meant nothing-Ive seen 1t. 1t
was to a man who did business for
Marshall. While he was away Mar