登陆注册
5188300000068

第68章

"There is nothing in their repertoire so crude as chloral or knock-out drops.All the derivatives of opium such as morphine, codeine, heroine, dionine, narceine, and narcotine, to say nothing of bromure d'etyle, bromoform, nitrite d'amyle, and amyline are known to be utilised by the endormeurs to put their victims to sleep, and the skill which they have acquired in the use of these powerful drugs establishes them as one of the most dangerous groups of criminals in existence.The men are all of superior intelligence and daring; the chief requisite of the women is extreme beauty as well as unscrupulousness.

"They will take a little thin glass ball of one of these liquids, for instance, hold it in a pocket handkerchief, crush it, shove it under the nose of their victim, and - whiff ! - the victim is unconscious.But ordinarily the endormeur does not kill.He is usually satisfied to stupefy, rob, and then leave his victim.There is something more to this case than a mere suicide or murder, McBride.Of course she may have committed suicide with the drugs of the endormeurs; then again she may merely have been rendered unconscious by those drugs and some other poison may have been administered.Depend on it, there is something more back of this affair than appears on the surface.Even as far as I have gone Ido not hesitate to say that we have run across the work of one or perhaps a band of the most up-to-date and scientific criminals."Kennedy had scarcely finished when McBride brought his right fist down with a resounding smack into the palm of his left hand.

" Say," he cried in great excitement, "here's another thing which may or may not have some connection with the case.The evening after Madame arrived, I happened to be walking through the caf=82, where I saw a face that looked familiar to me.It was that of a dark-haired, olive-skinned man, a fascinating face, but a face to be afraid of.I remembered him, I thought, from my police experience, as a notorious crook who had not been seen in New York for years, a man who in the old days used to gamble with death in South American revolutions, a soldier of fortune.

"Well, I gave the waiter, Charley, the wink and he met me in the rear of the caf=82, around a corner.You know we have a regular system in the hotel by which I can turn all the help into amateur sleuths.

I told him to be very careful about the dark-faced man and the younger man who was with him, to be particular to wait on them well, and to pick up any scraps of conversation he could.

"Charley knows his business, and the barest perceptible sign from me makes him an obsequious waiter.Of course the dark man didn't notice it at the time, but if he had been more observant he would have seen that three times during his chat with his companion Charley had wiped off his table with lingering hand.Twice he had put fresh seltzer in his drink.Like a good waiter always working for a big tip he had hovered near, his face blank and his eyes unobservant.But that waiter was an important link in my chain of protection of the hotel against crooks.He was there to listen and to tip me off, which he did between orders.

"There wasn't much that he overheard, but what there was of it was so suspicious that I did not hesitate to conclude that the fellow was an undesirable guest.It was something about the Panama Canal, and a coaling station of a steamship and fruit concern on the shore of one of the Latin American countries.It was, he said, in reality to be the coaling station of a certain European power which he did not name but which the younger man seemed to understand.They talked of wharves and tracts of land, of sovereignty and blue prints, the Monroe Doctrine, value in case of war, and a lot of other things.

Then they talked of money, and though Charley was most assiduous at the time all he overheard was something about 'ten thousand francs'

and 'buying her off,' and finally a whispered confidence of which he caught the words, 'just a blind to get her over here, away from Paris.' Finally the dark man in an apparent burst of confidence said something about 'the other plans being the real thing after all,' and that the whole affair would bring him in fifty thousand francs, with which he could afford to be liberal.Charley could get no inkling about what that other thing was.

"But I felt sure that he had heard enough to warrant the belief that some kind of confidence game was being discussed.To tell the truth I didn't care much what it was, at the time.It might have been an attempt of the dark-visaged fellow to sell the Canal to a come-on.What I wanted was to have it known that the Vanderveer was not to be a resort of such gentry as this.But I'm afraid it was much more serious than I thought at the time.

"Well, the dark man finally excused himself and sauntered into the lobby and up to the desk, with me after him around the opposite way.He was looking over the day's arrivals on the register when I concluded that it was about time to do something.I was standing directly beside him lighting a cigar.I turned quickly on him and deliberately trod on the man's patent leather shoe.He faced me furiously at not getting any apology.'Sacre,' he exclaimed, 'what the - ' But before he could finish I moved still closer and pinched his elbow.A dull red glow of suppressed anger spread over his face, but he cut his words short.He knew and I knew he knew.That is the sign in the continental hotels when they find a crook and quietly ask him to move on.The man turned on his heel and stalked out of the hotel.By and by the young man in the caf=82, considerably annoyed at the sudden inattention of the waiter who acted as if he wasn't satisfied with his tip, strolled through the lobby and not seeing his dark-skinned friend, also disappeared.I wish to heaven I had had them shadowed.The young fellow wasn't a come-on at all.

There was something afoot between these two, mark my words.""But why do you connect that incident with this case of Madame de Nevers?" asked Kennedy, a little puzzled.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 燃烧吧!火鸟

    燃烧吧!火鸟

    失明的双眼,使她拥有家人完全的宠爱与保护;婚后,生活的现实却无法容忍她的无能。在经历一连串的挫折打击后,巧眉终于走出了自我,如燃烧中的火鸟,淬砺而后重生。
  • 人一生不可不防的18种人

    人一生不可不防的18种人

    生活中总存在这样一些人,是我们一生中要加以回避和防范的。小人做事不择手段,损人利己;哈巴狗拍马逢迎是他们攀附的法宝;墙头草见风使舵,唯利是图;笑面虎口蜜腹剑,笑里藏刀;伪君子表面上道德文章,暗地里包藏不良居心;大嘴巴热衷搬弄是非;瘾君子倒在烟酒、赌场、白粉中飘飘欲仙;红眼病心胸狭窄,妒贤嫉能;好猜疑的人对任何事无端生疑;忘恩负义的人视恩义如鸿毛;贪婪的人灵魂深处有个无底洞;赖皮鬼无理取闹,胡搅蛮缠;窝里霸一手遮天;滥施暴力的人无端发怒;轻浮的人既不自重,也不重人;二管家颐指气使,管事过宽;自负狂固执己见,唯我独尊;假面人戴着假面具,对人不流露真性。
  • 我是购物狂小姐

    我是购物狂小姐

    表面光鲜亮丽的美女萧逸大学毕业后,进入了一家知名的广告公司。然而,浑身上下无一不是一线名牌的千金大小姐,其实只是个背负着巨额信用卡债的卡奴罢了,更不论清贫的家世带来的其他外债。糟糕的财务状况让她的生活一团糟,虽然试图戒掉名牌购物瘾,不过最终都在闪亮的奢侈品面前败下阵来。为了维护一个美丽的谎言,而不得不编织出无数个谎言的萧逸,只能咬牙放手一搏——利用自己美貌,在物欲横流的广告界钓上一个人人垂涎的铂金镶钻单身汉!
  • 美人制造之风云再起

    美人制造之风云再起

    画皮师的换脸之术,换的到底是一张脸还是一颗人心。爱美之心人皆有之,花开两面生,人在佛魔间。一场场换脸旅程,多少爱恨刻骨纠缠。引出多少场唏嘘往事。
  • 召唤神秘

    召唤神秘

    曾经的游戏世界,获得异世界记忆的少年,当两者相遇时会产生怎样的火花呢?自从那天陆离被魔法打成濒死状态后,他的人生彻底转了个弯。顺便,世界也转了个弯……“呐……要不要……来一发……召唤吖?”
  • 纨绔王妃:来,给姐笑一个

    纨绔王妃:来,给姐笑一个

    【包月免费】她,慕茹玥,二十一世纪的杀手,竟然牛哄哄的穿越成护国公府的唯一的小姐了,家人护着,好喝好吃供着,虽然偶尔有渣男渣女来惹事,慕茹玥一脸不在乎的摆摆手:没事没事,小虐怡情!但是俗话说得好:一入穿越深似海,从此节操是路人。有一天,慕茹玥不小心在温泉里见到了某男的裸体,某男咬牙切齿:你给我等着。慕茹玥一脸错愕:抱歉,这位大爷,小的是不得已的。第二次见面她成了他的棋子,但心却为她沦陷,不可自拔。他霸道,不容许她跟任何男人接触,偏偏,某女好死不死的跟摄政王和妖孽骚包走的很近。某男暴怒:我们来谈谈人生,抱着她走到床边,某女在他怀里尴尬笑着:呵呵……
  • 这小妞真靓【全本+番外】

    这小妞真靓【全本+番外】

    世间风情万种,兜兜转转,你追我不看,你退我不让,你再怎么会折腾,心依旧只为你流转!所以,苏小小,你怎么可以再坐视不管!【简介转折抢先看】:或许还没有真正明白什么是爱,所以即使如被甩了无数次的苏小小,依然可以屹立不倒,反正有个小破孩供她欺负!都说酒后就会出意外,所有人貌似都难幸免。这不,当一脚被刚醒的苏小小踹出了家门,裴小孩只能摸了摸脑袋,他其实很想说,要是我说昨晚我什么都没做,你会相信么?他没说,原因一,就是说了,“聪明”如苏小小也一定不信,外加铁定还会再来一脚;二么,就是没有必要了,既然有人都自己认为生米煮成了熟饭,他何不来个顺水推船呢。【于是便有了以下小白一幕】:“不是吧,就这样,我就成了家庭妇女了!”苏小小糊里糊涂的走出来民政局,手里多了个小红本本,满脸痛苦加不甘。“小小,你可不能做家庭妇女啊!”裴子寒笑的那叫一个灿烂,连掩饰一下都觉得浪费:“现在怎么说也是你的人了,你可得努力挣钱养家糊口的!”然后,你就会在人来人往的政府大门外,看见一个斜睨着双眸,“啧啧”摇着头,自以为看透一切事实真相的女子,轻轻弹了弹红本,还好没有发挥她的狮吼功,“裴小孩,姐姐我就是让你养着一辈子了!怎么了!?”*****轻松搞笑小言文,期间不乏某些煽情小情节,不为博取眼泪,只因每段情,都该被珍惜;每个人,都是被上帝轻吻过的天使,坠落凡间,等待爱!小妞群号108298168(景色如风),敲门砖:书中人名~风景恭候大家,么么~~~===========风尚阁书评:爱情借据http://m.wkkk.net/diary/view/m.wkkk.net?id=1004248************小小自荐下:某妞第一篇古典架空穿越文《倾城色:慵懒王妃》http://m.wkkk.net/a/207185/希望大家多去捧捧场~~~~O(∩_∩)O~
  • 祁连悲歌

    祁连悲歌

    马二忘记了竹妹身上还有枪,他也没想到他身后会响起枪声,他一点准备也没有,子弹在离他很远的地方飞过,响声在半天空炸开。训练有素的马二几乎是下意识地就回身扬了一下手,他的手没抖,居然一点也没抖。他没想到团长的枪会这么快,这么灵。他手中的枪也在顷刻间就响了。然后他就听见身后那个女人好像是轻叹了一声似的倒下了。
  • 混在敌人内部的那些年

    混在敌人内部的那些年

    当大剑从手上滑落的那一刻,申不欢以为自己会和那些曾经的战友一样,彻底消散在这世间。但他并没有,上天和他开了个玩笑,让他重生到了新生开启前,并且还认识了赫尔斯,这个入侵地球的统帅
  • 重生八零傻媳妇

    重生八零傻媳妇

    重生在一个娇俏可人儿的农家女孩身上!而这个小美人居然是个傻子……李可人有点无奈、但眼前这个行走的荷尔蒙却把傻丫头当宝一样宠!李可人果断反扑,结果发现:外表霸气凛然,强硬精壮的他,明明就是一个腹黑邪魅的大灰狼!从此,古灵精怪的她携手强悍腹黑的他,斗智斗勇斗白莲,带着家人发家致富,奔小康!