Evening Star Newspaper, March 25, 1930, Page 27

The Emperor By Of n enca Sax Rohmer Copyright, 1990, by North American Newspaper Allisnce and Metropolitan SYNOPSIS. . Drake Roscos of the United Navy has incurred the enmity @ powerful and mysterious band of CMminale ®hile attempting to save the Nfe of Peter Champion, a millionaire, is marked for death, He takes pion 0. the steamer Ruritania, 5. Where hie friend, Dr. Stopford, s chief ks Then, dispuised as a steward, % leaves the ship in an efort to get \&ncm concerning Louis Mever, a | der of the bamd who was killed ®hen {ts leader, kmown @s ‘Head Centre,” suspected him of treachery. When Stopford finds that Roscoe has left Re goes after him, although it is almost Ssiling time. He finds his friend, but Btopford’s movements are watched, and Ae does mot realize that Mme. Czerna, whom he meets while looking for Roscoe, is an agent of the criminal band and & trailing him, FIFTH INSTALLMENT. point of red light glowed in the darkness of a room high above the hurrying, pleasure-seeking throngs of New York. “H. Q.” said a clear voice. “Mmrt of Zone Officer 2-A from Hotel Memphis. Dr. Stopford arrived at three minutes after midnight. She ullb]l:htd touch. He is now in his room. The| steward who booked the room is wnh‘ him. Zone Officer 2-A awaits instruc- | $ions. Report ends.” lu'port of H. Q. patrol covering the | ,” demanded a musical voice in tho darkened room. “To hand. Patrol reports that Zone | Officer 2-A reached the hotel 10 min- utes ahead of Stopford. She spoke to| him on his arrival. He went up in ele-‘ vator. Zone Officer 2-A shortly after-| ward received H. Q. call, was paged| and went to a phone box. Report ends.” “Report of Zone Officer 3-C.” “To hand. Dr. Stopford left the Ru- ritania at 11:05. A group muur fol- lowed. Stopford went first to Roscoe's apartment, but, failing to get admit- \ D led to Hotel Memphis. Re- “The fourth report of Divisional Chief A. This is already six minutes late.” “To hand. Commander Roscoe is not in the A Zones. Report en Pollowed some moments of absolute | silence. A yellow hand moved. The| became exflngul.shed Te- ! he will- Newspaper Servics. phone. Closing the door: “H. Q,” a familiar sing-song voice had said over the wires. P “Zone 2-A." TR o “ ve spoken ford. He arrived at three minutes after 12. He humuphmmn,buth]otnln; me later.” «Where is the ship's steward?” “I suppose, upstairs. “Keep in touch. Stand by for instruc- tions.” had rung off. But madame was cour&y watching & man who sat in the itly reading an evening plper He was a sallow-faced man, lnd she had seen hith before—more than once. This service—which was less serv- ice than highly paid slavery—-was be- gimning to tell upon her sensitive tem- perament. She had not realized all that it meant. She had never counted upon Dr smprwds becoming involved in the 1‘he sallow-faced man was wltchlng her—unmistakably. He had crossed to the desk and asked for a number. Now he was entering an ldlolnh;f booth. A definite conviction came. e was re- porting her movements! She took a des- perne ch:nce She called the telephone Ple.se put me_ through to Stop- roglq = -p:hr:nem * Bshe said. “Qulcny en topford her ltnnte message, watching all the time saturnine man:in -the g boot She replaced the receiver and came out striving to conceive some plan, when: eyening, miss,” uld a subdued | voice. “YOII are a stranger! Mme. Czerna turned, n.-rtled. staring at a bellboy, who was regarding her with slavelike admiration. And as she stared the plan came, “Why!” she exclaimed and dazzled her betwitching smile. the man with her “It is Harry from Paris! 1 am so glad to see you “I'm’ o ‘tain here, miss,” Harry con- fided proudly. “And always at your service.” “Can you please come outside for a moment, Harry? There is something you can do frr me.” She passed through the revolving doors and stood in the deserted porch. Harry followed. He had been a devoted slave of the beautiful French girl dur- h'll her stay at the Paris hotel, wi e had earned his &"k -mfl:n:umh‘ h n Xin, ‘whic] dl’eln,l of a pugilistic . Adtenv“lhx bin !mmd It w‘y into his an “There’s a man in the lounge, lhrry. Samnot Jeave, because 1 st expeciing & cann ve, use I am e: ’phone call. But if he comes out—and m-—how do you say?— put him to ll!!‘g P Where 1s hes” Harry inquired truc- ulent! ly ‘Do not look! He 1s coming out! Please!” tl: steward, I have passed so far. is not dead?” 3 flpered fearfully. “Not him, Miss. Only sleeping! Go in and tell ‘em somebody's been took il 111 gez 2 'flpffll‘dl room debate ran “Mme. Czerna's charming,” said Ros- coe. “I only met her once, but she’s un- | forgettable. It's damned unfortunate, Stoppy. But I should take her advice, if 1 were you.” “Nonsense!” Stopford rejoined. “A ‘man can’t be kidnaped or murdered in a main street without attractin’ atten- tion of passin’ citizens.” Yet only a few minutes earlier a man had been knocked out on the steps of the hotel—and, save two—not a soul had seen the blow struck. At that very moment an ambulance was whistling its ‘way along Sixth avenue. “You know better than that,” said Roscoe grimly. “You have seen Peter Champion, a multi-millionaire, barri- caded in his home under police guard. You saw Louis Meyer—shot dead in a taxi on Forty-eighth street. He's lying in a morgue, now, and the success of my job's at stake, if I fail to get there be- fore he’s moved.” “Why?"” “He was one of the Zone group, Stop- ford. The police have been advised that nothing found on him 1s to be touched. But I can’t be sure what I'm looking for wasn't taken before he reached the you under- stand that in a secret organization of this kind, officials must have some method of establishing their identity? Think what such a clue might mean!” He took three nervous paces, turned, and “Listen,” he said. His manner lllu grown grimly determined. “As our e they know you're here I think I may e thamrpe “They'll be waf “Iknow. ButIhave a plan. You have met Father Burke?” “Dear old Father Pat? Rather!” “Well, he's part of my plan. The other part, Stoppy, and I think your safety as well as mine hangs on it, is that you sit tight here. Your rush to find out what become of me has landed you in a fine pickle! But there's too i e claj ward’s cap on his head the door. 2 ran to ho,” said Stopford, gloomily. “Give my love to the keeper of the morgue. I may call one day when he's not so busy.” ‘The door closed. Stopford crossed and craned out of the open window. He @uld see the hotel porch below to hll right. A small of persons dispersing in the wake of an lmbllhnce Just moving away. The sight was dis- his | turbing. He wandered if it was specially significant. In the entrance to the apartment house where had his quarters a man was lundh\l cigar in mouu:, hands in pockets, The figure was familiar in some wly Away to the left, in a recess formed by the door of & big store, two other men loitered. A closed car was drawn up by the sidewalk farther along to- ward Fifth avenue. A pair of rough- looking fellows were seated on the step ater on Sixth avenue corner. A whistle was blown. A taxi drew up below. Roscoe, in his steward’s unum'm. got in quickly. The eab mov Stopford, conscious ot excllement. much at stake for me to hesitate. Wait | of the scenery dock of the closed the- |forward, entrance to the m turmd and went in; two, as 's taxi_passed the closed car this urmovedoflln ltthreeoneol the men in the rway along Pifth avenue walked to the np-rtmznt house and stood where the other man with the cigar had been standing; four, one of the hard cases sitting outside the scene dock a match and al- lowed it to burn out without using it. “Sound staff work,” Stopford mur- mured. “Scout in car is followin’ Ros- coe. Scout in doorway has gone to re- port this to somebody. Scout with match is confirmin’ facts— namely, ‘one bloke in cab'—for benefit of scout relievin’ man at present re- '. Great work.” Something—a rustling, the creak of a hinge in the room behind—suddenly brought him sharply about. Mme. Czerna stood watching him. ! ‘Two_sections of the Zone mlp of New York City faded from view as a red light glowed in the darkness. “H. Q.” a voice announced. “Re- port of Zone Officer 3-C. Sector Cap- tain C-3, covering Hotel Memphis, re- ports that a mdn unknown either fainted or was knocked out on steps of hotel at 11:17. Removed in ambu- lance at 11:22. Group Master 4 fol- lowed. The steward from the Ruritania left in a clb at 11:23. Firing group cov- harge of Group Master 2. “Report of Zone Officer 2-A.” “Not to hand.” “Report of H. Q. patrol covering offi- cer.” “Not to hand.” Complete silence ensued. In the dark- ness of that room, so high above the city, a brill'ant, perverted brain was working out & problemi. Presen‘ly: "‘l‘hc identity of the man removed to hospital must be notified within 15 minutes from now. Advlae Zone OM- cer 3-C. Another H. Q. patrol to be dispatched l.mmedllm{ to report upon :‘): situation n"l;llou Mem;:m:e '1‘1: ng groups, with group masters, charge of a sector captain, will woeeed ',hz hote First at once w secure lwplfltds lptfi- men\‘,—mutlne A-—-nd report if Comdr. Roscoe is there or has been there. Sec- ond group will cover the lobby. A third and fourth group, with group masters, in charge of a sector captain, will in- o Sure their retirement on Forty-fourth street. Reinforce from Zones 1 and 2. Concentrate all available units on Zone 1. Instruct Divisional Chief C to take personal charge. Move. , . . “Please understand,” Mme. Czerna pleaded, “that I risk my life to come. See!" She extended her slim, bare arm. “I leave my ®eloak in the cloak room and then steal up six flights of stairs, like a thief! That is not all. I have done a desperate thing. But you have given me your word, and I ask no more. I can speak now—a little.” Dr. Stopford stared at her dazedly. He had always admired her, since their first meeting on the Ruritania. But not until tonight had he fully appreciated how beautiful she was. “Your friend, m" she went on rapidly, “he must lnn New York at save wi t lt all r. If"— Ty e g sk ey houg woulzw;.ry to n’hln why I know so much as I do. “Please!” he exclaimed, and, u-nlng her liistless hand. "Plnu believe uut I:hnll understand.” -'vmrr' ml&me I’Ied. “Wait! Let me think.” !fop!ord ‘who had started up, paused. Mme. lhoul‘ from ter of her destiny. “Re-establish touch immediately. Use evm possible means to detain him.’ Then: “If it is some one for me," lhz nld npldly “dv not seem su stop!ord cm-ed and lifted the re- celver. “Hullo!” he said. A sing-song voice said: “Would you be good enough to ask Mme. Czerna to come to the phone?” e:m' you,” said Stopford, and beck- oned. Mme. Czerna took the receiver, and: “You wish to speak to me?” she said. “H. Q,” was the reply. “Is Dr. Stop- ..Y""" in his apartment?” “Are sure? I nmlhnd m csn't answer in detail. nobody elle in tha sul 1" “l do not kn “Did you see tm steward go?” “Yes.” "Anyusnu else?” Mme. Czerna hesitated for three sec- he said. “Leave at once” % instructed. “};}II: are relieved of Xurt er duty to- night.” wsgmprl:cednmel receiver and turned o) ly, through the M window, came the wund“g( a steamer whistle. 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