Five minutes later Malcolm Sage pressed a bell-push on the fifth floor of a large block of flats known as Coventry Mansions. The door was opened by a heavily-built, ill-favoured man. In response to Malcolm Sage"s request to see Mr. Goldschmidt, he was told that he couldn"t.
"Tell him," said Malcolm Sage, fixing his steel-grey eyes upon the man in a steady gaze, "that Mr. Malcolm Sage wishes to see him about something that happened last night, and about something more that is to happen to-morrow night. He"ll understand."
A sudden look of apprehension in the man"s eyes seemed to suggest that he at least understood. He hesitated for a moment, then, with a gruff "Wait there," shut the door in Malcolm Sage"s face. Three minutes later he opened it again and, inviting him to enter, led the way along a pa.s.sage, at the end of which was a door, which the man threw open.
Malcolm Sage found himself in a darkened room, from which the light was excluded by heavy curtains. For a moment he looked about him, unable to distinguish any object. When his eyes became accustomed to the gloom, he saw seated in an armchair a man with a handkerchief held to his face.
"Mr. Goldschmidt?" he interrogated, as he seated himself in the centre of the room.
"Well, what is it?" was the thickly spoken retort.
"I came to ask your views on the fight to-morrow night, and to enquire if you think the odds of nine to two on Jefferson are justified."
There was an exclamation from the arm-chair.
"If you"ve got anything to say," said the thick voice angrily, "get it off your chest and go--to h.e.l.l," he added, as an afterthought.
"What do you want?" the voice demanded, as Malcolm Sage remained silent.
"I want you to take a little run with me in my car," said Malcolm Sage evenly. "Fresh air will do your nose good."
"What the----" the man broke off, apparently choked with pa.s.sion, then, recovering himself, added, "Here, cough it up, or else I"ll have you thrown out into the street! What is it?"
"I want either you, or one of your friends, to come with me to where Charley Burns has been taken."
There was a stifled exclamation from the chair, then a howl of agony as the hand holding the handkerchief dropped. At the same moment three men burst into the room. Malcolm Sage"s back was to the door.
He did not even turn to look at them.
Somebody switched on the light, and Malcolm Sage saw before him the puffy face of a man of about sixty, in the centre of which was a hideous purple splotch that had once been a nose. A moment later the handkerchief obscured the unsavoury sight.
"What the h.e.l.l"s all this about?" shouted one of the men, advancing into the room, the others remaining by the door.
Slowly Malcolm Sage turned and regarded the three men, whose appearance proclaimed their pugilistic calling.
"I was just asking Mr. Goldschmidt to be so good as to accompany me to where Charley Burns is----"
He was interrupted by exclamations from all three men.
"What the h.e.l.l do you mean?" demanded he who had spoken, a dark, ill-favoured fellow with a brow like a rainy sky.
"I will tell you," said Malcolm Sage. "Last night Mr. Goldschmidt, accompanied by certain friends, went to Burns"s training-quarters to keep an appointment made in the name of a girl friend of Burns. He came out quite unsuspectingly, was overpowered, and subsequently taken in Mr. Goldschmidt"s car to a place with which I am unacquainted, so that he shall not appear at the Olympia to-morrow night."
He drew his pipe from his pocket and proceeded to fill it. His air was that of a chess player who knows that he can mate his opponent in two moves.
"It"s a d.a.m.ned lie!" roared one of the men, whilst Goldschmidt shrieked something that was unintelligible.
"You drove out by way of Putney Hill, Esher, and Clandon Cross Roads.
You backed the car to within two hundred yards of "The Grove," where you all got out with the exception of the driver. You then entered "The Grove," taking cover behind a large clump of rhododendrons."
"It"s a d.a.m.ned lie," choked Goldschmidt.
"By the way," continued Malcolm Sage, "your fair friend drove out in the tonneau; but returned seated beside the driver, and one of you was nearly left behind and entered the car after it had started."
The men looked at one another in bewilderment.
"You, Goldschmidt, carried an umbrella," continued Malcolm Sage, "and took cover behind the holly bush; but you came out a little too soon, hence that nose. Burns was playing "possum. You were rather anxious for a smoke too. I am a smoker myself."
A stream of profanity burst from Goldschmidt"s lips.
"You see I am in a position to prove my points," said Malcolm Sage calmly.
"Oh! you are, are you?" sneered the spokesman, as he moved a little closer to Malcolm Sage, "and I am in the position to prove that we"re four to one."
"Three to one," corrected Malcolm Sage quietly. "Your friend,"
indicating Goldschmidt, with a nod, "is scarcely----"
He was interrupted by a stifled oath from the armchair.
"Good old n.i.g.g.e.r!" murmured one of the men by the door.
"Well, and what about it?" demanded n.i.g.g.e.r.
"If Burns is delivered over to me within two hours, unharmed and in fighting trim, and a cheque for 1,000 pounds is paid to St.
Timothy"s Hospital by noon to-morrow, there will be no prosecution, and I will not divulge your names. If not, during the next twenty-four hours, London will probably have its first experience of lynch-law."
With that Malcolm Sage struck a match and proceeded to light his pipe.
"That all?" sneered the man. "Ain"t there nothink else you"d like?"
"I cannot recall anything else at the moment," said Malcolm Sage imperturbably, as he looked across at the fellow over the top of the burning match.
"You dirty nark," burst out the man by the door, who had hitherto remained silent. "A pretty sort of stool-pigeon you are."
"Spyin" on us, wasn"t you?" demanded n.i.g.g.e.r, edging nearer to Malcolm Sage.
"It"s ten minutes past four," remarked Malcolm Sage coolly, as he glanced at his wrist-watch.
"Oh, it is, is it?" was the retort, "and in another hour it"ll be ten minutes past five."
"I have to be back at my office by half-past four." Malcolm Sage looked about for some receptacle in which to throw the spent match.
"You don"t say so." Again n.i.g.g.e.r edged a little nearer; but Malcolm Sage appeared not to notice it.
"Well, I may as well tell you that you don"t leave here until eleven o"clock to-morrow night, see?"
There were murmurs of approval from the others.
"Then, perhaps, you will send out and buy me a tooth-brush," was Malcolm Sage"s quiet rejoinder.