Darkness had settled down upon Brent Rock, following the departure of
Locke, when a trim runabout drew up under the porte-cochère and Dora
stepped lightly out of it.
She paused for a moment and looked about curiously. For some time she
hesitated. In this house lived the girl whom in her heart Dora hated
bitterly.
What sort of reception might she expect? Yet Paul and his
underworldlings had played on Dora's pride until they had prevailed on
her to undertake the mission. As she looked about all her old assurance
came back to her and Dora turned and approached the door boldly.
Eva was just about to go up-stairs to her room when she heard the butler
at the door and a woman's voice asking whether Miss Brent was at home.
Eva paused a moment.
There was evidently a slight altercation between the butler and the
new-comer as the latter raised her voice sharply.
"You will tell Miss Brent I must see her," reiterated Dora.
There was a pause, during which the butler was heard to murmur
something, and then the woman's voice was heard again.
"Tell Miss Brent that if she refuses to see me she will regret it all
her life."
Eva was intensely interested now, for she recognized the voice of De
Luxe Dora. But with her interest there came a feeling of repulsion with
which this woman always inspired her, and her first impulse was to have
Dora shown out of the house.
The very nature of the danger with which they were all surrounded,
however, prohibited such a drastic course. Yet how dare that woman enter
Brent Rock?
Still, the very fact of her so daring pointed to some serious matter
which Eva felt she ought to know. At any rate, there could be no harm to
listen to Dora's reason for coming, and there would probably be much to
be learned.
Eva called to the butler and he stepped aside, and Dora, all smiles now,
and with her hand extended in greeting, advanced toward Eva, who ignored
her extended hand.
"Need I tell you," remarked Eva, coldly, "that I am astounded at your
presumption in coming here?"
"Miss Brent," replied Dora, "believe me, nothing but my present mission
could have induced me to do so. There are wheels within wheels which
have made it appear that I am your enemy. But that is far from being the
truth, as my present mission to you will prove."
Dora was clever and played her cards cleverly. However, Eva was on
guard.
"Please come to the point," she insisted. "Tell me exactly why you have
come."
Dora paused a moment, then replied, impressively, "I have come to save
your father's life."
Eva caught herself almost gasping in astonishment as Dora covertly
watched the effect of her words. "You have the antidote, then?" asked
Eva, breathlessly.
"Not exactly that," replied Dora, quickly. "But I can take you where you
can obtain it. A man has arrived from Madagascar who has it in his
possession."
"What shall I do?" almost wailed the poor girl. "How can I know that you
speak the truth?"
Dora's voice now assumed a cold decisiveness. "That is for you to
decide," she said merely. "Refuse to come with me and your father will
surely die of his madness. Consent--and he may live."
Eva could hesitate no longer. Bidding Dora wait, she ran up the stairs,
returning in a few moments garbed for the street.
They left the house together, but not before the butler had
surreptitiously slipped a large automatic into Eva's hand-bag.
In the Chinese temple, or Joss-house, the last devotee had departed. The
hanging lights had been dimmed and now the fantastic shapes with which
the place was decorated, seen in the subdued light, stood out in all
their shadowy weirdness.
From the raised dais, the seven-handed god assumed an added majesty and
awfulness, while, deep-seated as though from a smoldering caldron, two
points of fire gleamed from the god's eyes with utmost malevolence.
Slowly a panel in the wall slid back and the bestial visage of the
Strangler peered out.
After making sure that there was no one about, with noiseless tread he
glided into the temple.
Like a shadow, a second figure, that of a Chinaman, followed him. The
two made a complete circuit of the temple, stopping now and again to
examine some object which arrested their attention. Then, as if by a
prearranged signal, they both prostrated themselves before the fire god.
After making many obeisances they got to their feet and, as mysteriously
as they entered, slipped away in the same manner that they had come. A
panel closed behind them, but not the same panel.
The inner room in which they now found themselves was divided by a
partition that extended a few feet out into the temple room itself.
This room was vividly painted with weird figures depicting Chinese forms
of torture, a veritable charnel-house of what in Europe would be called
the Dark Ages. There were plenty of evidences that at no very distant
date this chamber had been in use to punish horribly those who had
offended against the fire god or the commands of the Tong leaders.
On one side of the partition was a large iron wheel to which was
attached a rope extending through the partition and forming a loop or
noose on the other side. The purpose of this device was only too
apparent. Once the neck of a victim was in the noose, a few turns of the
wheel, the noose would tighten, and the victim would be inevitably
strangled to death. In a slightly changed form it was the
garroting-machine of old Spain.
The Strangler tested the rope, twisted the wheel, while his companion
occupied himself by watching the effect of the wheel on the noose on the
other side of the partition.
Apparently satisfied that the machine was in good working order, the
Madagascan straightened up and waved his companion out of the room.
The Chinaman returned by means of the sliding panel into the temple
again.
As she left Brent Rock behind, Eva's fears increased. Speeding through
the night with this woman whom she instinctively dreaded, whom she had
every reason to distrust, many times on the trip Eva wished herself back
at her home.
On the other hand, to remain inactive while there was a chance to save
her father's life was unthinkable. And so, for his sake, she kept on and
the car sped ahead.
Dora, on the contrary, anxious to allay Eva's fears, was very voluble,
expressing many sentiments which even to a young girl of little worldly
experience were palpably at variance with the woman's character.
In and out of the narrow streets of the city's lower quarter the car
twisted and turned, and at last entered gaily decked Chinatown, where it
came to a halt.
If Eva was afraid before she was now doubly so. The strange Oriental
faces which seemed to leer at her from street and curb seemed to be
almost of another world, and she thought of the many tales she had
heard, of their treachery and cunning.
Dora, sensing what was passing through her mind, kept up a patter of
small talk as she urged Eva forward.
By another entrance than the one that led through the Chinese curio-shop
they entered the Joss-house and came to the worshiping-room of the
temple.
Eva gazed fearfully about her now at all the fantastic decorations with
which she was surrounded. Her only comfort was the handle of the
automatic that the butler had pressed on her as she was leaving home.
"This Madagascan with the antidote," asked Eva, tremulously, "where is
he?"
"Don't worry, dearie," quieted Dora. "Wait a moment here and I will
bring him."
Dora turned on her heel and left the temple by the door leading into the
beautiful lounging-room beyond.
Eva stood transfixed by the solemn awfulness of the place and the grim
visage of the fire god. Why had she been brought to such a place? What
new terrors awaited her here?
She seemed alone--yet was she?
She felt a thousand eyes regarding her, as though a thousand dangers
lurked to destroy her just beyond those fearful walls.
She was staring now at the god. What made his eyes gleam so banefully?
She thought she heard a sound!
Was the wall at the right of the statue moving? Or was it merely her
heightened imagination?
Fascinated, she watched.
Yes, she was sure now. Slowly, slowly a portion of that wall was
actually sliding back.
Now she saw a hand. Then an arm followed. With a slow, gliding movement
that even to Eva's strained ears was noiseless, a man, his back toward
her, slid into the room.
Eva, shrinking back, wanted to shriek. But instead she whipped out the
automatic and in an instant had the man covered.
The man was still evidently unconscious of her presence. But suddenly he
must have heard Eva move. For he wheeled around, and instinctively his
hands went above his head.
As for Eva, the cry that she had suppressed at his appearance was
suppressed no longer, for the man whom she held at her mercy was--Locke!
"How did you come here?" gasped Eva.
Hurriedly he told her his story--how he felt that the clue that would
lead to the unraveling of this mystery was now to be found in Chinatown,
how he had made his way, therefore, to the Chinese quarter, how he had
tracked the Madagascan.
Knowing the futility of trying to enter any private place of the
Orientals, much less their temple, in Occidental garb, he had waylaid a
Chinaman in an alley, had stripped him, and had changed clothes with
him.
Disguised thus, Locke had managed to enter, to observe, and was only now
on his way to summon assistance. For he had decided to have the place
raided. Only now he was stricken almost dumb with astonishment at being
confronted by Eva.
There was no time for more. Before Eva could explain her own presence
there the door burst open, the panels slid back, and a horde of
emissaries and Chinamen swarmed about them.
Eva fired her automatic again and again, but could not stay the rush.
Locke fought with the courage of despair. But they were too many and
soon bore him down.
As they carried Locke into the chamber of torture the last thing he saw
was Eva surrounded by her foes, who were closing in on the poor girl.
Towering above them all, he saw the gigantic form of the Automaton.
In the torture-chamber Locke was shackled hand and foot to the
partition, while the noose of the garroting-machine was placed about his
neck.
The Madagascan supervised this work, then waved the emissaries out of
the room. They were alone there now, these two--the professional
murderer and his victim.
With a sneer the Madagascan turned and went to the other side of the
partition where the wheel was by which the noose was tightened,
strangling the victim.
But the Strangler little knew with whom he had to deal, for already
Locke was struggling at his shackles.
With almost incredible dexterity Locke succeeded in loosening them, one
after the other, so that, as the Madagascan started to turn the wheel,
Locke, with a marvelous effort, bracing his feet against the wall and
grasping the staples to which the shackles had been attached, managed to
pin-wheel his body around and around, as the Strangler turned the iron
wheel that tightened the noose which was to stifle out his life.
Fortunately the Madagascan turned slowly, so that Locke managed to turn
his body faster than the wheel was being turned, thus gaining on the
noose and at each revolution loosening it a trifle.
Another quick turn of his body, the pressure against his neck had become
less!
Yet another complete circle, and, tearing at the noose, he managed to
get his head free.
It was the work of only an instant to dash around the partition and beat
the Strangler to the floor. Another instant, and he had torn back the
panel into the temple.
The sight that confronted him was sickening.
Two fiends were holding Eva close to the floor, while now from the fire
god's eyes a blinding glare of flame blazed forth, the two rays
converging and scorching the very ground as they traveled slowly nearer
and nearer, in their fatal focus, to the helpless girl.
With a wild shout, Locke charged on them all.
Taken by surprise, the brutes holding Eva were easy to handle, for the
others had gone.
Fortunately, the automatic which Eva had been carrying was lying,
neglected, on the floor. Locke snatched it up and, shooting one of the
thugs, managed to cower the other.
Half supporting Eva, he retreated through the torture-chamber into an
outer room. There was no time to lose. Already the alarm had been spread
to the other emissaries and Chinamen, and it was only a matter of
seconds when all the murderous crew would again be piling after them.
Locke looked about in desperation. There was a window. He flung it open.
Below, the air-shaft or court was blind. But there was a balcony by
which he could reach an adjoining low roof. He had no idea where it
might lead, but any unknown danger was preferable to the known dangers
that threatened behind him.
Through the window he passed with Eva, and so across balconies and roofs
until they came to a fire-escape, which they descended.
In another moment they were free of Chinatown.
Many a curious glance was cast at them, a young girl, well gowned, and a
disheveled white man in Chinese garb.
Locke hailed a night-hawk cabman and they were soon speeding on their
way back to safety and Brent Rock.