t.i.tania wrenched herself away from the chef.
"I wouldn"t give them the suitcase!" she cried.
Aubrey kept his pistol pinned against Weintraub"s face. With his left hand he picked up the druggist"s revolver. Roger was about to seize the chef, who was standing uncertainly on the other side of the table.
"Here," said Aubrey, "take this gun. Cover this fellow and leave that one to me. I"ve got a score to settle with him."
The chef made a movement as though to jump through the window behind him, but Aubrey flung himself upon him. He hit the man square on the nose and felt a delicious throb of satisfaction as the rubbery flesh flattened beneath his knuckles. He seized the man"s hairy throat and sank his fingers into it. The other tried to s.n.a.t.c.h the bread knife on the table, but was too late. He fell to the floor, and Aubrey throttled him savagely.
"You blasted Hun," he grunted. "Go wrestling with girls, will you?"
t.i.tania ran from the room, through the pantry.
Roger was holding Weintraub"s revolver in front of the German"s face.
"Look here," he said, "what does this mean?"
"It"s all a mistake," said the druggist suavely, though his eyes slid uneasily to and fro. "I just came in to get some books I left here earlier in the afternoon."
"With a revolver, eh?" said Roger. "Speak up, Hindenburg, what"s the big idea?"
"It"s not my revolver," said Weintraub. "It"s Metzger"s."
"Where"s this suitcase of yours?" said Roger. "We"re going to have a look at it."
"It"s all a stupid mistake," said Weintraub. "I left a suitcase of old books here for Metzger, because I expected to go out of town this afternoon. He called for it, and your young woman wouldn"t give it to him. He came to me, and I came down here to tell her it was all right."
"Is that Metzger?" said Roger, pointing to the bearded man who was trying to break Aubrey"s grip. "Gilbert, don"t choke that man, we want him to do some explaining."
Aubrey got up, picked his revolver from the floor where he had dropped it, and prodded the chef to his feet.
"Well, you swine," he said, "how did you enjoy falling downstairs the other evening? As for you, Herr Weintraub, I"d like to know what kind of prescriptions you make up in that cellar of yours."
Weintraub"s face shone damply in the lamplight. Perspiration was thick on his forehead.
"My dear Mifflin," he said, "this is awfully stupid. In my eagerness, I"m afraid----"
t.i.tania ran back into the room, followed by Helen, whose face was crimson.
"Thank G.o.d you"re back, Roger," she said. "These brutes tied me up in the kitchen and gagged me with a roller-towel. They threatened to shoot t.i.tania if she wouldn"t give them the suitcase."
Weintraub began to say something, but Roger thrust the revolver between his eyes.
"Hold your tongue!" he said. "We"re going to have a look at those books of yours."
"I"ll get the suitcase," said t.i.tania. "I hid it. When Mr. Weintraub came in and asked for it, at first I was going to give it to him, but he looked so queer I thought something must be wrong."
"Don"t you get it," said Aubrey, and their eyes met for the first time.
"Show me where it is, and we"ll let friend Hun bring it."
t.i.tania flushed a little. "It"s in my bedroom cupboard," she said.
She led the way upstairs, Metzger following, and Aubrey behind Metzger with his pistol ready. Outside the bedroom door Aubrey halted. "Show him the suitcase and let him pick it up," he said. "If he makes a wrong movement, call me, and I"ll shoot him."
t.i.tania pointed out the suitcase, which she had stowed at the back of her cupboard behind some clothes. The chef showed no insubordination, and the three returned downstairs.
"Very well," said Roger. "We"ll go down in the shop where we can see better. Perhaps he"s got a first folio Shakespeare in here. Helen, you go to the phone and ring up the McFee Street police station. Ask them to send a couple of men round here at once."
"My dear Mifflin," said Weintraub, "this is very absurd. Only a few old books that I had collected from time to time."
"I don"t call it absurd when a man comes into my house and ties my wife up with clothesline and threatens to shoot a young girl," said Roger.
"We"ll see what the police have to say about this, Weintraub. Don"t make any mistake: if you try to bolt I"ll blow your brains out."
Aubrey led the way down into the shop while Metzger carried the suitcase. Roger and Weintraub followed, and t.i.tania brought up the rear. Under a bright light in the Essay alcove Aubrey made the chef lay the bag on the table.
"Open her up," he said curtly.
"It"s nothing but some old books," said Metzger.
"If they"re old enough they may be valuable," said Roger. "I"m interested in old books. Look sharp!"
Metzger drew a key from his pocket and unlocked the bag. Aubrey held the pistol at his head as he threw back the lid.
The suitcase was full of second-hand books closely packed together.
Roger, with great presence of mind, was keeping his eyes on Weintraub.
"Tell me what"s in it," he said.
"Why, it"s only a lot of books, after all," cried t.i.tania.
"You see," said Weintraub surlily, "there"s no mystery about it. I"m sorry I was so----"
"Oh, look!" said t.i.tania; "There"s the Cromwell book!"
For an instant Roger forgot himself. He looked instinctively at the suitcase, and in that moment the druggist broke away, ran down the aisle, and flew out of the door. Roger dashed after him, but was too late. Aubrey was holding Metzger by the collar with the pistol at his head.
"Good G.o.d," he said, "why didn"t you shoot?"
"I don"t know" said Roger in confusion. "I was afraid of hitting him.
Never mind, we can fix him later."
"The police will be here in a minute," said Helen, calling from the telephone. "I"m going to let Bock in. He"s in the back yard."
"I think they"re both crazy," said t.i.tania. "Let"s put the Cromwell back on the shelf and let this creature go." She put out her hand for the book.
"Stop!" cried Aubrey, and seized her arm. "Don"t touch that book!"
t.i.tania shrank back, frightened by his voice. Had everyone gone insane?