登陆注册
5450200000037

第37章 IX ROOM NUMBER ELEVEN(2)

She mounted the stairs, and paused on the landing to look around her again. Here, too, the hallway was lighted by but a single lamp; and here, too, an air of desertion was in evidence. The office tenants, it was fairly obvious, were not habitual night workers, for not a ray of light came from any of the glass-paneled doors that flanked both sides of the passage. She nodded her head sharply in satisfaction. It was equally obvious that Perlmer had already gone. It would take her but a moment, then, unless the skeleton keys gave her trouble. She had never used a key of that sort, but - She moved quietly down the hallway, and, looking quickly about her to assure herself again that she was not observed, stopped before the door of Room Number Eleven.

A moment she hung there, listening; then she slipped the skeleton keys from her pocket, and, in the act of inserting one of them tentatively into the keyhole, she tried the door - and with a little gasp of surprise returned the keys hurriedly to her pocket. The door was unlocked; it had even opened an inch already under her hand.

Again she looked around her, a little startled now; and instinctively her hand in her pocket exchanged the keys for her revolver. But she saw nothing, heard nothing; and it was certainly dark inside there, and therefore only logical to conclude that the room was unoccupied.

Reassured, she pushed the door cautiously and noiselessly open, and stepped inside, and closed the door behind her. She stood still for an instant, and then the round, white ray of her flashlight went dancing inquisitively around the office. It was a medium-sized room, far from ornate in its appointments, bare floored, the furniture of the cheapest - Perlmer's clientele did not insist on oriental rugs and mahogany!

Her appraisal of the room, however, was but cursory. She was interested only in the flat-topped desk in front of her. She stepped quickly around it - and stopped-and a low cry of dismay came from her as she stared at the floor. The lower drawer had been completely removed, and now lay upturned beside the swivel chair, its contents strewn around in all directions.

And for a moment she stared at the scene, nonplused, discomfited.

She had been so sure that she would be first - and she had not been first. There was no need to search amongst those papers on the floor. They told their own story. The ones she wanted were already gone.

In a numbed way, mechanically, she retreated to the door; and, with the flashlight playing upon it, she noticed for the first time that the lock had been roughly forced. It was but corroborative of the despoiled drawer; and, at the same time, the obvious reason why the door had not been relocked when whoever had come here had gone out again.

Whoever had come here! She could have laughed out hysterically.

Was there any doubt as to who it was? One of Danglar's emissaries; the Cricket, perhaps-or perhaps even Danglar himself! They had seen to it that lack of prompt action, at least, would not be the cause of marring their plans.

A little dazed, overwrought, confused at the ground being cut from under her where she had been so confident of a sure footing, she made her way out of the building, and to the street - and for a block walked almost aimlessly along. And then suddenly she turned hurriedly into a cross street, and headed over toward the East Side.

The experience had not been a pleasant one, and it had upset most thoroughly all her calculations; but it was very far, after all, from being disastrous. It meant simply that she must now find Nicky Viner himself and warn the man, and there was ample time in which to do that. The code message specifically stated midnight as the hour at which they proposed to favor old Viner with their unhallowed attentions, and as it was but a little after ten now, she had nearly a full two hours in which to accomplish what should not take her more than a few minutes.

Rhoda Gray's lips tightened a little, as she hurried along. Old Nicky Viner still lived in the same disreputable tenement in which he had lived on the night of that murder two years ago, and she could not ward off the thought that it had been - yes, and was - an ideal place for a murder, from the murderer's standpoint! The neighborhood was one of the toughest in New York, and the tenement itself was frankly nothing more than a den of crooks. True, she had visited there more than once, had visited Nicky Viner there; but she had gone there then as the White Moll, to whom even the most abandoned would have touched his cap. To-night it was very different - she went there as a woman. And yet, after all - she amended her own thoughts, smiling a little seriously - surely she could disclose herself as the White Moll there again to-night if the actual necessity arose, for surely crooks, pokegetters, shillabers and lags though they were, and though the place teemed with the dregs of the underworld, no one of them, even for the reward that might be offered, would inform against her to the police!

And yet - again the mental pendulum swung the other way - she was not so confident of that as she would like to be. In a general way there could be no question but that she could count on the loyalty of those who lived there; but there were always those upon whom one could never count, those who were dead to all sense of loyalty, and alive only to selfish gain and interest - a human trait that, all too unfortunately, was not confined to those alone who lived in that shadowland outside the law. Her face, beneath the thick veil, relaxed a little. Well, she certainly did not intend to make a test case of it and disclose herself there as the White Moll, if she could help it! She would enter the tenement unnoticed if she could, and make her way to Nicky Viner's two miserable rooms on the second floor as secretively as she could. And, knowing the place as she did, she was quite satisfied that, if she were careful enough and cautious enough, she could both enter and leave without being seen by any one except, of course, Nicky Viner.

同类推荐
  • 元始天尊说得道了身经

    元始天尊说得道了身经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大宋僧史略

    大宋僧史略

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 戴氏族谱

    戴氏族谱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 梦幻居画学简明

    梦幻居画学简明

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 疠疡机要

    疠疡机要

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 让未来的你,喜欢现在勇敢的自己

    让未来的你,喜欢现在勇敢的自己

    生活值得你一次又一次的尝试,只要生命没有终结,所有的过程都不是你的“拦路虎”,而是你美丽人生的财富与风景。本书告诉你:生命不在其长短,只要活得充实;不在其华丽,而要活得真实。不要在能吃苦的年纪选择安逸,不要在年华逝去后嘲笑自己。
  • 一夜孤城何忘念

    一夜孤城何忘念

    那一年初遇,他是落魄不堪的乞儿,她是家破人亡的孤女。那一年大婚,他是风光无限的王爷,她是身份尊贵的小姐。那一年宫乱,他是起兵造反的逆臣,她是人人诛之的妖女。一场鸠占鹊巢的身世之谜,她如履薄冰。一局以命为码的搏杀对弈,他步步为营。唯有曾卑微如尘,才渴望权势如摘星辰。阴差阳错,猝不及防,本是不相干两人,从此便是纠缠一生。尘埃落定,江山沉浮,天下与她,是全盘皆输,还是天各一方?
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 独宠魔瞳财女

    独宠魔瞳财女

    一场阴谋,她身染剧毒。走出戒毒所,迎接她的却是哥哥的死讯。重生,花季年华从此不再平凡。前有黑道压榨,没事,数月后便知这是谁的天下。后有喽啰炸桥,没事,数月后,便知谁才是他们的女王。华夏传言,13少女,数天之内,成为神秘的古玩专家;数月之内,将黑道玩弄于股掌;数年之内,成为商界传奇。重生,抢黑帮,控黑道,玩商战,拼古玩!神挡杀神、佛挡杀佛。只为一件事——财!黑道教父,强势来袭。痴情兄长,不离不弃。商界美男,甘心臣服。古玩妖少,玩味进攻。今生重来,又岂会耽念男色?玩转人世,赚尽钱财,位及至尊,方为大乐。◆◆◆◆◆男强女强、无虐爽文◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆结局一对一◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆收藏要给力◆◆◆◆◆
  • 漫漫仙灵路

    漫漫仙灵路

    漆黑的房间,望着笼中的身影,林雪生仔细一看,才发现那居然是一个女子。只见那女子蜷缩在那里一动不动,因为看不清她的脸,所以一时间,也不清楚对方此时的心情。林雪生试着开口。“能听到我说的话吗?”话音落下,只见笼中女子却毫无反应。林雪生苦笑,也懒得再说。…
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 爱的心愿

    爱的心愿

    汉莉艾娜幼小时父母双亡,从此在孤儿院长大。现在,她在一家医院当临时工,努力维持着生计。一天傍晚,当她在医院的庭院里抱起野猫时,不小心踩着了顾问医生,亚当·罗斯比特的脚。两人就这么相遇了,亚当·罗斯比特不知为何对汉莉艾娜有了好感。亚当白天在医院的工作结束后,晚上还在一间诊所帮忙,一天,汉莉艾娜生病了,碰巧被送进了他的诊所。亚当为汉莉艾娜诊疗并送她回家,在目睹了她拮据的生活环境后,决定为她介绍新工作。因为亚当的亲切,汉莉艾娜不由得渐渐地喜欢上了他。但是,汉莉艾娜明白富裕的名医和自己是不同世界的人,即使心里感情澎湃,她仍决心要和他划清界限……
  • 落英锦涩染芳痕

    落英锦涩染芳痕

    她不过是个小村姑。与他相逢,恰逢落英纷纷,二人逐渐生情,本欲成婚,终不尽人意。二人遗恨而归,又于江州花下重逢。仍不结连理,只因他有了旁人。——“他何时又曾念过你?只负了你一片痴心,竟追他至此。”——“却不悔那一染芳痕,历经情劫。”是啊,本该如此发展……可那是穿越前之事了。换(入)魂(梦)后,一切皆不将如此罢……
  • 傲气丫环闯江湖

    傲气丫环闯江湖

    “丫头,那是你亲大哥。”“那又如何,我又没见过,杀了便是。”“丫头,在皇宫要收敛一些。”“收敛做什么,难道等着他们来杀我啊!”“丫头,咱们什么时候成亲啊?”“等你把那个说是我大哥的人杀了给我当聘礼的那天。”没有最腹黑,只有更腹黑。此女上得了厅堂,下得了厨房;调戏得了美女,勾引的上帅哥;杀的了大哥,踩得扁皇帝。
  • 妩媚则天

    妩媚则天

    本书写武则天从幼年到入宫一步一步成为昭仪的故事。全书以第一人称抒写,缠绵悱恻。内容大多真实,但也有不少虚构。更有穿越的元素在内——武则天的母亲风明就是穿越的人物。情节跌宕起伏,注重心理刻画,深刻剖析了古代一个原本天真纯洁的女子是如何一步步走向权力的巅峰。