OLD KING BRADY BLUNDERS AHEAD AS BEST HE CAN.
It was undoubtedly the mildness with which the old detective spoke which
influenced the young woman to stand her ground.
"Who are you? What are you doing in this room?" she faltered.
"I might put the same question to you, young woman," Old King Brady
replied. "I was a witness to your display of rage against a picture. You
must be in love with Dr. Garshaski, then?"
"In love with him!" she cried with a hysterical laugh. "I hate him! I am
his wife."
"So? In that case I may as well introduce myself. Did you ever happen to
hear him speak of Old King Brady, the detective?"
"Yes; many a time. He also was a detective. He once worked for you in
New York."
"Yes, for a short time. Were you his wife then, may I ask?"
"Sure I was. I married him five years ago. He deserted me. He has never
provided for my support since. I have been living in Los Angeles. I only
came to San Francisco day before yesterday. I happened to meet him in
the street. I tell you I made it hot for him. He gave me the slip or I
would have had him arrested. I learned that he was living here. I have
been here again and again, but this is the first time I have been able
to get into the room."
"Do you know whose picture that was which you destroyed?"
"Sure I do. A woman he married in New York two years ago. He is living
with her here now, but I'll have him arrested. I am his lawful wife."
"You are quite mistaken. He never married her."
"He told me he did. He showed me her picture one time about a year ago."
"He lied. That lady is my partner. Dr. Garshaski so pestered her with
his attentions that I had to have him arrested. Then I was told that he
went to China."
"So he did. Twice since then. Mr. Brady, I begin to believe you are
telling me the truth."
"I certainly am, but let us leave this house. I don't wish the doctor to
know I have been here. I should like to talk with you further, Mrs.
Garshaski."
"I'll go, but you needn't call me that. I go now by my mother's maiden
name. I am known as Inez Reyes."
"Mrs. or miss?"
"Miss."
"Very well, Miss Reyes. Let us get out; that is if you have accomplished
your purpose here."
"My purpose!" she replied, grimly. "My purpose is to catch my husband
and make him give me money to live on. He is an opium smuggler. He is
rolling in wealth. I don't care what he does so long as he gives me
money to live on."
"Perhaps I may be able to help in that, but we won't talk any more about
it till we get on the street."
They then hurriedly left the house.
As they walked along, Old King Brady explained about the disappearance
of Alice.
"You say you heard that Dr. Garshaski had her in his power," he added.
"Who told you this?"
"A Chinese woman I know. She is my aunt."
"You are Chinese on your father's side?"
"Yes, I am, and I'm not ashamed of it, either. My father was a good
man."
"He is dead?"
"Yes, and so is my mother. She was a Mexican woman. I was born and
brought up in Mexico. I wish I had never left it."
"Listen, Miss Reyes," said the old detective. "You say you need money.
If through your means I can rescue Miss Montgomery from the clutches of
Dr. Garshaski, I am going to give you $200."
"And you will arrest him and send him up?"
"I most certainly shall."
"Then I'll help. My aunt told me that the doctor had Miss Montgomery at
the House of the Seven Delights, but she did not say he was holding her
a prisoner. She lives there herself. She ought to know."
"Where is this House of the Seven Delights?"
"It runs through from Dupont street to China alley," was the reply, and
the woman named the block.
"And what is it?" persisted Old King Brady.
"Oh, a sort of club-house. A lot of different Chinese clubs meet there.
There is a big restaurant on the ground floor; there are opium joints
and fan-tan joints in it."
"Same place," thought the old detective. "But where are the dungeons of
this House of Delights, I wonder?"
"Can you find out in just what part of the house the doctor has Miss
Montgomery concealed?" he asked.
"Listen here," replied the woman. "The only thing I can do is to see my
aunt and tell her that you have promised to aid me. She hates my husband
as much as I do. Still, you know how helpless Chinese women are, so just
what she will do I cannot say.
"But we must not be seen together on Chinese alley, Mr. Brady. Where can
I find you? Appoint a place."
"How long shall you probably be gone?" asked the old detective.
"Not over half an hour. I will keep on the block on the Dupont street
side. Meet me there."
They parted at the alley, Old King Brady pushing on to Dupont street.
He had scarcely turned the corner when he ran into Detective Leggett.
"Well?" he demanded. "What about Volckman?"
"I haven't seen him since," was the reply. "Evidently he has given me
the slip somehow."
"Let him go. I have secured evidence against him which will enable us to
arrest him at any time," and the old detective went on to explain.
"I want your help in this new business," he said.
"Right," replied Leggett. "Can't we go it alone, thin?"
"I'm going to try it that way, anyhow. You follow me right after I make
the start. If I want you to join me I'll let you know."
They separated then, and for more than half an hour Old King Brady paced
the block; finally he was joined by Inez Reyes.
She did not stop to talk to him, but merely said as she walked slowly
past the doorway in which the old detective was standing:
"We must not be seen together. You follow me."
Old King Brady fell in behind.
Looking back he caught sight of Leggett on the other side of the street,
and made a sign for him to join the procession.
The woman rounded the corner and entered the alley, slipping in at the
door of the House of the Seven Delights.
She did not ascend the stairs, but passed along the dimly lighted hall
till she came to a door under the main stairway. There appeared to be
nobody but themselves in the hall. Looking sharply up and down, the
woman halted and waited for Old King Brady to come up in response to her
signal.
"All I could get out of my aunt," she whispered, "is that this door is
one way of getting into the private rooms in this building. It is not
the way used by the club members; there are several other ways in and
out. She says that Miss Montgomery was still there this evening; she is
locked in one of the secret rooms. She won't tell me which one nor how
to find it. There seems to be some mystery about it all which I can't
fathom, and she is evidently afraid to reveal it. But she says that what
you tell me is true, Mr. Brady. Miss Montgomery hates my husband.--It is
such a relief to know it. I tried every way I knew to persuade my aunt
to help up, but she is afraid to make a move. I don't know what more to
do."
"There is nothing more you can do," replied the old detective. "Go and
leave me to do the best I can. You will probably see a tall man standing
just outside the door. Tell him I want him, please. I am staying at the
Palace Hotel. Call there to-morrow and I will give you your money in
case I succeed. I shall be glad to do what I can to help you in any
case."
She thanked him and left; in a moment Leggett joined the old detective
who in the meantime had unlocked the door with his skeleton keys.
Three Chinamen came shuffling through the hall from the Dupont street
end, evidently diners from the restaurant going out that way.
Old King Brady with his back to the door talked aloud to Leggett on a
different subject.
The men, paying no attention to them, passed on.
"All the young woman has been able to learn is that this stairway leads
down to the private rooms," Old King Brady then explained. "I have
managed to unlock the door. Let us push right ahead."
He opened it and a long, dark, narrow stairway was revealed.
"This is probably intended for a way of escape in case of fire," said
the old detective. "Shut the door, Leggett, I'll get out my flash light
and we will go on down."
"It's mighty dangerous business, Mr. Brady."
"Of course. Come on!"
He led the way and they descended the stairs, ending up at a door
covered with sheet iron which had neither lock nor knob.
"Balked," breathed Leggett.
"Balked nothing," replied Old King Brady. "This door is controlled by a
spring which works in the simplest sort of fashion."
He pressed it and the door flew open.
The long, lighted corridor already described lay beyond.
Old King Brady surveyed its many doors in silent dismay.
"Now we are balked," he whispered. "This is more than a Chinese puzzle.
Which door to choose?"
"You may search me," replied Leggett. "What can be the object of all
these doors?"
"Stand back!" breathed Old King Brady, and he allowed the iron door
which was self-closing to swing almost to.
For out of one of the doors a man now came and that man was Dr.
Garshaski.
Hastily closing the door behind him he walked on rapidly along the
corridor, opened another door and disappeared.
Old King Brady carefully noted the door and was about to venture in,
when the first door opened and two Chinamen emerged.
Both were in American dress. One pointed along the corridor in the
direction taken by the Doctor. They halted at the door through which
Garshaski vanished.
It was too far off to enable the watching detectives to see their faces
plainly, the dim red lights making it additionally obscure.
The two men stood talking for a few seconds then one of them got out
what seemed to be a bunch of keys and began fumbling with the lock. As
their backs were now turned to the detectives it was impossible to make
out just exactly what they were doing.
In a moment the door was opened and they disappeared inside.
Old King Brady was about to press forward, but now came other delays.
A different door opened and four Chinamen came out. They shuffled along
the corridor, talking, and entered at still a different door.
At the same time five others came out of that door and for fully ten
minutes stood talking in the corridor, vanishing at last through the
door out of which the others came.
Again Old King Brady thought he had got his chance, but once more he was
balked in the same way.
At last his chance really did come and finding that they had the
corridor to themselves he and Leggett pushed on.
Now at the start the old detective had been at particular pains to
identify that door.
But did he still remember it? was the question.
He could not feel by any means certain and the worst of it was a quick
decision was absolutely necessary.
"I think this is it," he said, pausing before a certain door.
"You want to be sure," replied Leggett.
"I am as sure as I can be. Yes. I think this is it."
The door was locked and the old detective getting out his skeleton keys
went at the job of opening it vigorously.
He quickly succeeded.
A narrow, dark staircase leading up lay beyond; leaving the door
unlocked, Old King Brady pressed on to the top flight, no great
distance, coming out upon a semi-circular platform where there were
three doors.
There was no light here.
The old detective flashed his electric lantern around.
"Your Chinese puzzle isn't it, Mr. Brady," whispered Leggett. "Is there
any end to the mysteries with which these Chinks like to surround
themselves?"
"None, absolutely none," replied the old detective. "It makes one tired
to try to follow their curves. But listen a moment. We may catch on to
something."
"It's a blame sight more likely that someone will catch on to us,"
growled Leggett.
"Hush! Hush! Listen!"
He had scarcely spoken when someone behind the middle door called out in
a loud voice in English:
"Now, Ah Lung, I've got you. You scoundrel! It was I myself who
kidnapped your princes! The secret of Gong Schow's hidden treasure is
mine! Now you die!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots were instantly fired.
"This is murder!" cried Old King Brady, and he threw himself against the
middle door from behind which the shots came.