June 9, 2025 • 23 mins
In The Just Men of Cordova (1917), a series of European financiers from London to Cordova are dying under mysterious circumstances, falling victim to an unidentified poison. Edgar Wallace, in his previous novel, introduced us to a group of vigilantes known as the Four Just Men, who are renowned for their ingenuity, persistence, lock breaking skills, and mastery of disguise. They operate in the shadowy realm beyond the law, their lethal justice instilling terror in their targets. But who are these men and who supports their cause? Edgar Wallace, a prolific author from the golden age of detective fiction, penned over 170 novels, including King Kong. With over 160 films based on his work, and a publishers claim that a quarter of all books read in England at the time were his, Wallaces influence is undeniable. - Summary by ASharma
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter fourteen of The Just Men of Cordoba by Edgar Wallace.
This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Read by Atolsharma, Winnipeg, Canada.
Chapter fourteen, Willie Jacob's tells left alone, the man whom
they had called farmer, waited a few minutes. Then he
took down his coat, which hung behind the door, put
(00:22):
on his hat and gloves deliberately and thoughtfully, and left
the house. He walked in the direction which Black and
Sir Isaac had taken, but their taxicab was flying northward
long before he reached the spot where it had waited.
He pursued his way into the Camberwell Road and boarded
a tram car. The street lamps and the lights and
the shop windows revealed him to be a good looking man,
(00:45):
a little above the average height, with a pale, refined face.
He was dressed quietly but well. He alighted near the
Elephant and Castle and strode rapidly along the New Kent Road,
turning into one of the poorer streets, which led to
a labyrinth of smaller and more poverty stricken thoroughfares in
that district, which is bounded on the west by East Street,
(01:06):
and on the east by the New Kent Road. A
little way along, some of the old houses had been
pulled down and new buildings and yellow brick had been erected.
A big red lamp outside a broad entrance notified the
neighborhood that this was the Free Dispensary, though none who
lived within a radius of five miles needed any information
as to the existence of this institution. In the hallway
(01:30):
was a board containing the names of three doctors, and
against them a little sliding panel which enabled them to
inform their visitors whether they were in or out. He
paused before the board. The little indicator against the first
name said out. Farmer put up his hand and slid
the panel along to show the word in. Then he
(01:51):
passed through the door through the large waiting room into
a small room which bore the name doctor Wilson Grayle.
He closed the door behind him and slipped to catch
He took off his hat and coat and hung them up.
Then he touched a bell and the servant appeared. Is
doctor O'Hara in? He asked, Yes, doctor replied the man,
(02:12):
ask him to come along to me, will you please.
In a few minutes, a man of middle height but
powerfully built, came in and closed the door behind him.
Well how did you get on, he inquired, and uninvited,
drew up a chair to the table. They jumped at
the bait, said Gonzalez with a little laugh. I think
they have got something on. They were most anxious to
(02:34):
know whether we were moving at all. You had better
notify Manfred. We'll have a meeting to night. What about Despard?
Do you think he would object to having his name used?
His voice lacked the mock culture which had so deceived Black,
not a bit. I chose him purposely because I knew
he was going abroad to night. And the others, with
(02:54):
the exception of the art man, they are non existent.
Suppose the investigates not he, he will be satisfied to
take the most prominent of the four, Despard, and the
other Chap whose name I have forgotten. Despard leaves to night,
and the other on Wednesday for America. You see that
fits in with what I told Black. He took from
(03:17):
his pocket the two ten pound notes and laid them
on the table. Twenty pounds, he said, and handed them
to the other man. You ought to be able to
do something with that. The other stuffed them into his
waistcoat pocket. I shall send those two brady children to
the sea side, he said. It probably won't save their lives,
but it will give the little devil some conception of
(03:38):
what joy life holds. For a month or so, the
same thought seemed to occur to both, and they laughed.
Black would not like to know to what base use
his good money, as being put said Grail or farmer
or Gonzalez, call him what you will, with a twinkle
in his blue eyes. Were they anxious to know? Who
was the fourth man, asked Porcard. Most keen on it,
(04:00):
he said, But I wondered if they would have believed
me if I had confessed myself to be one of
the four, and had I, at the same time confessed
that I was as much in the dark as to
the identity of the fourth as they themselves. Pochart rose
and stood irresolutely, with his hands stuffed into his trouser pockets,
looking into the fire. I often wonder, he said, who
(04:22):
it is, don't you. I've got over those sensations of curiosity,
said Gonzalez, whoever he is, I am, of course satisfied
that he is a large hearted man, working with a
singleness of purpose. The other nodded in agreement. I am sure,
said Grayle enthusiastically, that he has done great work, justifiable work,
(04:43):
and honorable work. Pochart nodded gravely. By the way, said
the other. I went to old Lord Verlande, you remember
number four, suggested our trying him. He's a pretty bitter
sort of person with a sharp tongue. Pochart smiled. What
did he do, tell you to go to the devil?
Something of the sort, said doctor Gonzalez. I only got
(05:06):
a grudging half guinea from him, and he regaled me
all the time with more than half a guinea's worth
of amusement. But it wasn't for this work, said the other.
Gonzalez shook his head. No, for another department, he said,
with a smile. They had little more time for conversation.
Patience began to come in, and within a quarter of
(05:26):
an hour the two men were as busy as men
could be, attending to the injuries, the diseases, and the
complaints of the people of this overcrowded neighborhood. This great
dispensary owed its erection and its continuance to the munificence
of three doctors who appeared from nowhere. Who the man
was who had contributed five thousand pounds to the upkeep,
(05:47):
and who had afterwards appeared in person, masked and cloaked,
and had propounded to three earnest workers for humanity his
desire to be included in the organization. Nobody knew unless
it was man It was Manfred the Wise who accepted
not only the offer but the bonafides of the stranger,
Manfred who accepted him as a co partner. Casual observers
(06:10):
described the three earnest medicos not only as cranks but fanatics.
They were attached to no organization. They gave no sign
to the world that they could be in any way
associated with any of the religious organizations engaged in medical work.
It is an indisputable fact that they possessed the qualifications
to practice, and that one Leon Gonzalez was, in addition,
(06:33):
a brilliant chemist. No man ever remembered their going to
church or urging attendance at any place of worship. The
religious bodies that labored in the neighborhood were themselves astonished.
One by one. They had nibbled at the sectarian question.
Some had asked directly to what religious organization these men
were attached. No answer was offered satisfactory to the inquirers.
(06:57):
It was nearly eleven o'clock that night when the words
of the two dispensers had finished. The last patient had
been dismissed, the last fretful whimper of an ailing child
had died away, The door had been locked. The sweepers
were engaged in cleaning up the big waiting room. The
two men sat in the office, tired but cheerful. The
(07:17):
room was well furnished. It was the common room of
the three. A bright fire burnt in the fireplace. Big
roomy arm chairs and settees were in evidence. The floor
was carpeted thickly, and two or three rare prints hung
on the distempered walls. They were sitting discussing the events
of the evening, comparing notes, retelling the particulars of interest
(07:40):
in cases which had come under their notice. Manford had
gone out earlier in the evening and had not returned.
Then a bell rang. Shrilly Leon looked up at the indicator,
that is the dispensary door. He said in Spanish, I
suppose we'd better see who it is. It will be
a small girl, said Pocart. Please, will you come to father?
(08:01):
He's either dead or drunk. There was a little laugh
at this reminiscence of an incident which had actually happened.
Pochard opened the door. A man stood in the entrance.
There's a bad accident just round the corner, he said,
Can I bring him in here? Doctor? What sort of accident,
said Pocart. A man has been knifed. Bring him in,
(08:22):
said Pocart. He went quickly to the common room. It's
a stabbing case, he said, Will you have him in
your surgery leon. The young man rose swiftly yes, he said,
I'll get the table ready in a few minutes. Half
a dozen men bore in the unconscious form of the victim.
It was a face familiar to the two. They laid
(08:43):
him tenderly upon the surgical table, and with deft hands,
ripped away the clothing from the wound. Whilst the policeman
who had accompanied the party pushed back the crowd from
the surgery door. The two men were alone with the
unconscious man. They exchanged glances. Unless I am mistaken, said
Gonzalez carefully. This is the late mister Willie Jacobs. That evening,
(09:08):
May Sandford sat alone in her room reading her father.
When he had come in to say good bye to
May before going to a director's dinner, had left her
ostensibly studying an improving book, but the volume now lay
unheeded at her side. That afternoon, she received an urgent
note from Black asking her to meet him on a
(09:30):
matter of the greatest importance. It concerned her father, and
it was very secret. She was alarmed and not a
little puzzled. The urgency and the secrecy of the note
distressed her unaccountably for the twentieth time. She began to
read the improving plays of Monsieur Moliere, when a knock
(09:51):
at the door made her hastily conceal the paper. There
is a man who wishes to see you, said the girl,
who entered in response to her, Come in what sort
of man? A common looking man, said the maid. She hesitated.
The butler was in the house, otherwise she would not
have seen the visitor. Show him into father's study, she said,
(10:13):
tell Thomas, this man is here, and ask him to
be handy in case I ring for him. She had
never seen the man whom she found waiting. Instinctively, she
distrusted his face, though there was something about him which
compelled her sympathy. He was white and haggard. Black shadows
encircled his eyes and his hands by no means clean shook.
(10:36):
I am sorry to bother you, miss, he said, but
this is important. It is rather a late hour, She said,
What is it you want? He fumbled with his hat
and looked at the waiting girl, and a nod from
May she left the room. This is rather important to you, miss,
said the man again. Black treated me pretty badly. For
(10:58):
a moment, an unworthy suspicion flashed through her mind. Had
Frank sent this man to her to shake her faith
in Black? A feeling of resentment arose against her visitor
and the man she thought was his employer. You may
save your breath, she said coolly, And you can go
back to the gentleman who sent you and tell him
(11:19):
nobody's sent me. Miss. He said eagerly. I come on
my own. I tell you they've done me a bad turn.
I've kept my mouth shut for Black for years, and
now he's turned me down. I'm ill, Miss. You can
see that for yourself, he said, throwing out his arms
in despair. I've been almost starving, and they haven't given
(11:39):
me a bean. I went to Black's house to day
and he wouldn't see me, he almost whimpered in his
helpless anger. He's done me a bad turn, and I'm
going to do him one, he said fiercely. You know
what his game is. I do not want to know,
she said again, the old suspicion obscuring her vision. You
will gain nothing by speaking against Colonel Black. Don't be foolish, miss,
(12:03):
he pleaded. Don't think I've come for money. I don't
expect money. I don't want it. I dare say I
can get help from mister Fellow. Ah, she said, So
you know, mister Fellow, it was he who sent you.
I will not hear another word, she went on hotly.
I know now where you come from. I've heard all
this before. She walked determinedly across the room and rang
(12:27):
the bell. The butler came in. Show this man out,
said may. The man looked at her sorrowfully. You've had
your chance, miss, he said ominously. Black's esley That's all
with this parting shot. He shuffled through the hall, down
the steps into the night. Left alone, the girl shrank
(12:48):
into her chair, She was shaking from head to foot
with indignation and bewilderment. It must have been Frank who
sent this man? How mean? How inexpressibly mean? How dare he?
How dare he? She asked? It was the policeman in
Frank which made him so horrid, She thought. He always
believed horrid things of everybody. It was only natural. He
(13:12):
had lived his life amongst criminals. He had thought of
nothing but breaches of the law. She looked at the clock.
It was a quarter to ten. He had wasted her evening,
this visitor. She did not know exactly what to do.
She could not read. It was too early to go
to bed. She would have liked to have gone for
a little walk, but there was nobody to take her.
(13:34):
It was absurd asking the butler to walk behind her.
She smiled at the thought. Then she started. She had
heard the distant ring of the front door bell. Who
could it be? She had not long to wait in doubt.
A few minutes afterwards, the girl had announced Colonel Black.
He was in evening dress and very cheerful. Forgive this visit,
(13:57):
he said, with that heartiness of voice which carried conviction
of his sincerity. I happened to be passing, and I
thought i'd drop in. This was not exactly true. Black
had carefully planned this call. He knew her father was out.
Knew also, so bitter had been a discussion of that
afternoon that he would not have sanctioned the visit. May
(14:19):
gave him her hand, and he grasped it warmly. She
came straight to the point. I'm so glad you've come,
she said, I've been awfully bothered. He nodded sympathetically, though
a little at sea. And now this man has come.
This man, which man? He asked sharply, I forget his name?
He came this evening. In fact, he's only been gone
(14:42):
a little time, and he looked awfully. Ill you know him?
I think not Jacob's, he breathed. She nodded. I think
that is the name, She said, Jacobs, he repeated, and
his face went a little white. What did he say?
He asked quickly. She repeated the conversation as nearly as
she could remember it. When she had finished, he rose,
(15:04):
you're not going, she said, in astonishment. I'm afraid I must.
He said, I've a rather important engagement, and er I
only called in passing which way did this man go?
Did he give you any idea as to his destination?
She shook her head. No. All that he said was
that there were people who would be glad of the
(15:24):
information he could give about you. He did, did, he
said black, with an heroic attempt at a smile. I
never thought Jacob's was that kind of man. Of course,
there's nothing that I should mind everybody knowing. But one
has business secrets, you know, miss Sandford. He is a
discharged employee of mine who has stolen some contracts. You
(15:45):
need not worry about the matter, he smiled confidently at
her as he left the room. He drove straight from
the house to his city office. The place was in darkness,
but he knew his way. Without the necessity of lighting up.
He ran upstairs into the board room. There was a
little door in one corner of the room, concealed from
(16:06):
view by a hanging curtain. He closed the shutters and
pulled down the blinds before he switched on the light.
He pushed the curtain aside and examined the face of
the door. There was no sign that it had been forced.
Jacobs knew of the existence of this little retiring room
and had in his indiscretion, mentioned its existence in one
(16:27):
of his letters of demand. Black drew from his pocket
a small bunch of keys attached to a silver chain.
The door of the room opened easily. There was a
smaller room disclosed, no larger than a big cupboard. A
single incandescent electric burner slung from the ceiling supplied all
the light necessary. There was a dressing table, a chair,
(16:51):
a big looking glass, and a number of hooks from
which were suspended a dozen articles of attire. Air was
admitted through two ventilators led into the wall, and communicating
with the main ventilating shaft of the building, He opened
the door of the dressing table and drew out a
number of wigs. They were wigs such as only Fazure
(17:11):
can supply, perfectly modeled in all of one shade of hair,
though differently arranged. He tossed them on to the table,
impatiently groping for something which he knew should be there,
and was there unless a thief skilled in the use
of skeleton keys, and having moreover some knowledge of the office,
(17:31):
had taken it. He stopped his search suddenly and examined
a pad of paper which lay on the table. It
was a pad, which he kept handy for note taking
to jawt down memoranda. On the white face of the
paper was a large brown thumb mark. And though Colonel
Black knew little of the science of anthropology, he was
sufficiently well acquainted with the sign to know that it
(17:54):
was the mark of a thumb which ought never to
have been in this secret office of his. Then it
was Willie, Willie Jacobs, the befriended, the pension and the scorned,
who had removed a certain green bottle, the duplicate of
which was in his pocket at that moment. Black did
not lose his nerve. He went to a drawer in
the desk of his outer office and took out a
(18:16):
browning pistol. It was loaded. He balanced it in his
right hand, looked at it reflectively, then put it back again.
He hated firearms. They made a great deal of unnecessary noise,
and they left behind them, too shore an indication of
the identity of their user. Men have been traced by bullets.
(18:37):
There were other ways. He lifted from the drawer a long,
thin knife. It was an Italian stiletto of the sixteenth century,
the sort of toy a man might use in these
prosaic days for opening his letters, and indeed this was
the ostensible reason why Black kept the weapon at hand.
He drew it from its ornate leather sheath and tested
(18:58):
its temper, felt its edge, and gingerly fingered its point.
Then he put the stiletto in its case in his
overcoat pocket, switched out the light, and went out. This
was not a case which demanded the employment of the
little bottle. There was too little of the precious stuff left,
and he had need of it for other purposes. There
(19:18):
were two or three places where he might find the man.
A little public house off Regent Street was one. He
drove there, stopping the cab a few paces from the spot.
He strode into the bar, where men of Jacob's kind
were to be found, but it was empty. The man
he sought was not there. He made a tour of
other likely places, with no better success. Willie would be
(19:41):
at home. He had moved to lodgings on the south
side of the Thomas. It was coming from a little
public house off the New Kent Road that Black found
his man. Willie had been spending the evening brooding over
his grievance, and was on his way home to prepare
for his big adventure. When Black clapped him on the shoulder. Hullo, Willie,
he said. The man turned round with a start. Keep
(20:04):
your hands off me, he said, hastily, stumbling against the wall.
Now don't be silly, said Black. Let's talk this matter
out reasonably. You're a reasonable man, aren't you. I've got
a cab waiting round the corner. You don't get me
into no cabs, said Jacobs. I've had enough of you, Black.
You've turned round on me. You cast me out like
(20:25):
a dog. Is that the way to treat a pow.
You've made a mistake, my friend, said Black smoothly. We're
all liable to make mistakes. I've made many, and I
dare say you've made a few. Now let's talk business.
Willie said nothing. He was still suspicious. Once he thought
he saw the other's hand steal to his breast pocket,
(20:46):
he guessed the motive of the action. This then was
where the bottle was. Black was an adept in the
art of cajolery. He knew the weak places of all
the men who had been associated with him. Very slowly,
he led the other aimlessly, So it seemed from one
street to another until they reached a little cold to sack.
(21:08):
Stables occupied one side of the tiny street, and artisanhouse
is the other. One street lamp half way down showed
a dim light. Willie hesitated. There's no thoroughfare, he said, Oh, yes,
there is, said Black, confidently, I know this neighborhood rather well.
Now there's one thing I want to ask you, Willie.
(21:30):
I'm sure you are feeling more friendly towards me, now,
aren't you. His hand rested almost affectionately on the other's shoulder.
You didn't play the game, persisted the other. Let bygones
be bygone, said Black. What I want to know, is, Willie,
why did you take the bottle? He asked the question
in a matter of fact tone. He did not raise
(21:51):
his voice or give the query unusual emphasis. The other
man was taken off his guard. Well I felt sore,
he said, And I suppose, said Black, with gentle reproach,
you're waiting to hand that bottle to our friend fellow.
I haven't handed it to anybody yet, said Willie. But
to tell you the truth, he said no more. The
(22:13):
big man's hand suddenly closed round his throat with a
grip like steel. Willie struggled, but he was like a
child in the grasp of the other. You dog breathed Black.
He shook the helpless man violently. Then with his disengaged hand,
he whipped the tell tale vial from the other's pocket
and pushed him against the wall. And I'll teach you
(22:35):
that that's nothing to what you'll get if you ever
come across me again. Jacob's dropped, white and ghastly against
the wall. You've got the bottle, Black, he said, But
I know everything that you've done with it. You do,
do you? Yes? Everything, said the other, desperately. You're not
going to cast me off, do you hear? You've got
(22:58):
to pension me, same as you've done other people. I
know enough to send you for a lagging without I
thought you did, said Black. Something glittered in the light
of the lamp, and without a cry, Jacobs went down
in a huddled heap to the ground. Black looked round.
He wiped the blade of the stiletto carefully on the
(23:18):
coat of the stricken man, carefully replaced the weapon in
his leather case, and examined his own hands with considerable
care for any signs of blood. But these Italian weapons
make small wounds. He turned, and, pulling on his gloves,
made his way back to where the cab was still
waiting and of chapter fourteen
Chapter fourteen of The Just Men of Cordoba by Edgar Wallace.
This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Read by Atolsharma, Winnipeg, Canada.
Chapter fourteen, Willie Jacob's tells left alone, the man whom
they had called farmer, waited a few minutes. Then he
took down his coat, which hung behind the door, put
(00:22):
on his hat and gloves deliberately and thoughtfully, and left
the house. He walked in the direction which Black and
Sir Isaac had taken, but their taxicab was flying northward
long before he reached the spot where it had waited.
He pursued his way into the Camberwell Road and boarded
a tram car. The street lamps and the lights and
the shop windows revealed him to be a good looking man,
(00:45):
a little above the average height, with a pale, refined face.
He was dressed quietly but well. He alighted near the
Elephant and Castle and strode rapidly along the New Kent Road,
turning into one of the poorer streets, which led to
a labyrinth of smaller and more poverty stricken thoroughfares in
that district, which is bounded on the west by East Street,
(01:06):
and on the east by the New Kent Road. A
little way along, some of the old houses had been
pulled down and new buildings and yellow brick had been erected.
A big red lamp outside a broad entrance notified the
neighborhood that this was the Free Dispensary, though none who
lived within a radius of five miles needed any information
as to the existence of this institution. In the hallway
(01:30):
was a board containing the names of three doctors, and
against them a little sliding panel which enabled them to
inform their visitors whether they were in or out. He
paused before the board. The little indicator against the first
name said out. Farmer put up his hand and slid
the panel along to show the word in. Then he
(01:51):
passed through the door through the large waiting room into
a small room which bore the name doctor Wilson Grayle.
He closed the door behind him and slipped to catch
He took off his hat and coat and hung them up.
Then he touched a bell and the servant appeared. Is
doctor O'Hara in? He asked, Yes, doctor replied the man,
(02:12):
ask him to come along to me, will you please.
In a few minutes, a man of middle height but
powerfully built, came in and closed the door behind him.
Well how did you get on, he inquired, and uninvited,
drew up a chair to the table. They jumped at
the bait, said Gonzalez with a little laugh. I think
they have got something on. They were most anxious to
(02:34):
know whether we were moving at all. You had better
notify Manfred. We'll have a meeting to night. What about Despard?
Do you think he would object to having his name used?
His voice lacked the mock culture which had so deceived Black,
not a bit. I chose him purposely because I knew
he was going abroad to night. And the others, with
(02:54):
the exception of the art man, they are non existent.
Suppose the investigates not he, he will be satisfied to
take the most prominent of the four, Despard, and the
other Chap whose name I have forgotten. Despard leaves to night,
and the other on Wednesday for America. You see that
fits in with what I told Black. He took from
(03:17):
his pocket the two ten pound notes and laid them
on the table. Twenty pounds, he said, and handed them
to the other man. You ought to be able to
do something with that. The other stuffed them into his
waistcoat pocket. I shall send those two brady children to
the sea side, he said. It probably won't save their lives,
but it will give the little devil some conception of
(03:38):
what joy life holds. For a month or so, the
same thought seemed to occur to both, and they laughed.
Black would not like to know to what base use
his good money, as being put said Grail or farmer
or Gonzalez, call him what you will, with a twinkle
in his blue eyes. Were they anxious to know? Who
was the fourth man, asked Porcard. Most keen on it,
(04:00):
he said, But I wondered if they would have believed
me if I had confessed myself to be one of
the four, and had I, at the same time confessed
that I was as much in the dark as to
the identity of the fourth as they themselves. Pochart rose
and stood irresolutely, with his hands stuffed into his trouser pockets,
looking into the fire. I often wonder, he said, who
(04:22):
it is, don't you. I've got over those sensations of curiosity,
said Gonzalez, whoever he is, I am, of course satisfied
that he is a large hearted man, working with a
singleness of purpose. The other nodded in agreement. I am sure,
said Grayle enthusiastically, that he has done great work, justifiable work,
(04:43):
and honorable work. Pochart nodded gravely. By the way, said
the other. I went to old Lord Verlande, you remember
number four, suggested our trying him. He's a pretty bitter
sort of person with a sharp tongue. Pochart smiled. What
did he do, tell you to go to the devil?
Something of the sort, said doctor Gonzalez. I only got
(05:06):
a grudging half guinea from him, and he regaled me
all the time with more than half a guinea's worth
of amusement. But it wasn't for this work, said the other.
Gonzalez shook his head. No, for another department, he said,
with a smile. They had little more time for conversation.
Patience began to come in, and within a quarter of
(05:26):
an hour the two men were as busy as men
could be, attending to the injuries, the diseases, and the
complaints of the people of this overcrowded neighborhood. This great
dispensary owed its erection and its continuance to the munificence
of three doctors who appeared from nowhere. Who the man
was who had contributed five thousand pounds to the upkeep,
(05:47):
and who had afterwards appeared in person, masked and cloaked,
and had propounded to three earnest workers for humanity his
desire to be included in the organization. Nobody knew unless
it was man It was Manfred the Wise who accepted
not only the offer but the bonafides of the stranger,
Manfred who accepted him as a co partner. Casual observers
(06:10):
described the three earnest medicos not only as cranks but fanatics.
They were attached to no organization. They gave no sign
to the world that they could be in any way
associated with any of the religious organizations engaged in medical work.
It is an indisputable fact that they possessed the qualifications
to practice, and that one Leon Gonzalez was, in addition,
(06:33):
a brilliant chemist. No man ever remembered their going to
church or urging attendance at any place of worship. The
religious bodies that labored in the neighborhood were themselves astonished.
One by one. They had nibbled at the sectarian question.
Some had asked directly to what religious organization these men
were attached. No answer was offered satisfactory to the inquirers.
(06:57):
It was nearly eleven o'clock that night when the words
of the two dispensers had finished. The last patient had
been dismissed, the last fretful whimper of an ailing child
had died away, The door had been locked. The sweepers
were engaged in cleaning up the big waiting room. The
two men sat in the office, tired but cheerful. The
(07:17):
room was well furnished. It was the common room of
the three. A bright fire burnt in the fireplace. Big
roomy arm chairs and settees were in evidence. The floor
was carpeted thickly, and two or three rare prints hung
on the distempered walls. They were sitting discussing the events
of the evening, comparing notes, retelling the particulars of interest
(07:40):
in cases which had come under their notice. Manford had
gone out earlier in the evening and had not returned.
Then a bell rang. Shrilly Leon looked up at the indicator,
that is the dispensary door. He said in Spanish, I
suppose we'd better see who it is. It will be
a small girl, said Pocart. Please, will you come to father?
(08:01):
He's either dead or drunk. There was a little laugh
at this reminiscence of an incident which had actually happened.
Pochard opened the door. A man stood in the entrance.
There's a bad accident just round the corner, he said,
Can I bring him in here? Doctor? What sort of accident,
said Pocart. A man has been knifed. Bring him in,
(08:22):
said Pocart. He went quickly to the common room. It's
a stabbing case, he said, Will you have him in
your surgery leon. The young man rose swiftly yes, he said,
I'll get the table ready in a few minutes. Half
a dozen men bore in the unconscious form of the victim.
It was a face familiar to the two. They laid
(08:43):
him tenderly upon the surgical table, and with deft hands,
ripped away the clothing from the wound. Whilst the policeman
who had accompanied the party pushed back the crowd from
the surgery door. The two men were alone with the
unconscious man. They exchanged glances. Unless I am mistaken, said
Gonzalez carefully. This is the late mister Willie Jacobs. That evening,
(09:08):
May Sandford sat alone in her room reading her father.
When he had come in to say good bye to
May before going to a director's dinner, had left her
ostensibly studying an improving book, but the volume now lay
unheeded at her side. That afternoon, she received an urgent
note from Black asking her to meet him on a
(09:30):
matter of the greatest importance. It concerned her father, and
it was very secret. She was alarmed and not a
little puzzled. The urgency and the secrecy of the note
distressed her unaccountably for the twentieth time. She began to
read the improving plays of Monsieur Moliere, when a knock
(09:51):
at the door made her hastily conceal the paper. There
is a man who wishes to see you, said the girl,
who entered in response to her, Come in what sort
of man? A common looking man, said the maid. She hesitated.
The butler was in the house, otherwise she would not
have seen the visitor. Show him into father's study, she said,
(10:13):
tell Thomas, this man is here, and ask him to
be handy in case I ring for him. She had
never seen the man whom she found waiting. Instinctively, she
distrusted his face, though there was something about him which
compelled her sympathy. He was white and haggard. Black shadows
encircled his eyes and his hands by no means clean shook.
(10:36):
I am sorry to bother you, miss, he said, but
this is important. It is rather a late hour, She said,
What is it you want? He fumbled with his hat
and looked at the waiting girl, and a nod from
May she left the room. This is rather important to you, miss,
said the man again. Black treated me pretty badly. For
(10:58):
a moment, an unworthy suspicion flashed through her mind. Had
Frank sent this man to her to shake her faith
in Black? A feeling of resentment arose against her visitor
and the man she thought was his employer. You may
save your breath, she said coolly, And you can go
back to the gentleman who sent you and tell him
(11:19):
nobody's sent me. Miss. He said eagerly. I come on
my own. I tell you they've done me a bad turn.
I've kept my mouth shut for Black for years, and
now he's turned me down. I'm ill, Miss. You can
see that for yourself, he said, throwing out his arms
in despair. I've been almost starving, and they haven't given
(11:39):
me a bean. I went to Black's house to day
and he wouldn't see me, he almost whimpered in his
helpless anger. He's done me a bad turn, and I'm
going to do him one, he said fiercely. You know
what his game is. I do not want to know,
she said again, the old suspicion obscuring her vision. You
will gain nothing by speaking against Colonel Black. Don't be foolish, miss,
(12:03):
he pleaded. Don't think I've come for money. I don't
expect money. I don't want it. I dare say I
can get help from mister Fellow. Ah, she said, So
you know, mister Fellow, it was he who sent you.
I will not hear another word, she went on hotly.
I know now where you come from. I've heard all
this before. She walked determinedly across the room and rang
(12:27):
the bell. The butler came in. Show this man out,
said may. The man looked at her sorrowfully. You've had
your chance, miss, he said ominously. Black's esley That's all
with this parting shot. He shuffled through the hall, down
the steps into the night. Left alone, the girl shrank
(12:48):
into her chair, She was shaking from head to foot
with indignation and bewilderment. It must have been Frank who
sent this man? How mean? How inexpressibly mean? How dare he?
How dare he? She asked? It was the policeman in
Frank which made him so horrid, She thought. He always
believed horrid things of everybody. It was only natural. He
(13:12):
had lived his life amongst criminals. He had thought of
nothing but breaches of the law. She looked at the clock.
It was a quarter to ten. He had wasted her evening,
this visitor. She did not know exactly what to do.
She could not read. It was too early to go
to bed. She would have liked to have gone for
a little walk, but there was nobody to take her.
(13:34):
It was absurd asking the butler to walk behind her.
She smiled at the thought. Then she started. She had
heard the distant ring of the front door bell. Who
could it be? She had not long to wait in doubt.
A few minutes afterwards, the girl had announced Colonel Black.
He was in evening dress and very cheerful. Forgive this visit,
(13:57):
he said, with that heartiness of voice which carried conviction
of his sincerity. I happened to be passing, and I
thought i'd drop in. This was not exactly true. Black
had carefully planned this call. He knew her father was out.
Knew also, so bitter had been a discussion of that
afternoon that he would not have sanctioned the visit. May
(14:19):
gave him her hand, and he grasped it warmly. She
came straight to the point. I'm so glad you've come,
she said, I've been awfully bothered. He nodded sympathetically, though
a little at sea. And now this man has come.
This man, which man? He asked sharply, I forget his name?
He came this evening. In fact, he's only been gone
(14:42):
a little time, and he looked awfully. Ill you know him?
I think not Jacob's, he breathed. She nodded. I think
that is the name, She said, Jacobs, he repeated, and
his face went a little white. What did he say?
He asked quickly. She repeated the conversation as nearly as
she could remember it. When she had finished, he rose,
(15:04):
you're not going, she said, in astonishment. I'm afraid I must.
He said, I've a rather important engagement, and er I
only called in passing which way did this man go?
Did he give you any idea as to his destination?
She shook her head. No. All that he said was
that there were people who would be glad of the
(15:24):
information he could give about you. He did, did, he
said black, with an heroic attempt at a smile. I
never thought Jacob's was that kind of man. Of course,
there's nothing that I should mind everybody knowing. But one
has business secrets, you know, miss Sandford. He is a
discharged employee of mine who has stolen some contracts. You
(15:45):
need not worry about the matter, he smiled confidently at
her as he left the room. He drove straight from
the house to his city office. The place was in darkness,
but he knew his way. Without the necessity of lighting up.
He ran upstairs into the board room. There was a
little door in one corner of the room, concealed from
(16:06):
view by a hanging curtain. He closed the shutters and
pulled down the blinds before he switched on the light.
He pushed the curtain aside and examined the face of
the door. There was no sign that it had been forced.
Jacobs knew of the existence of this little retiring room
and had in his indiscretion, mentioned its existence in one
(16:27):
of his letters of demand. Black drew from his pocket
a small bunch of keys attached to a silver chain.
The door of the room opened easily. There was a
smaller room disclosed, no larger than a big cupboard. A
single incandescent electric burner slung from the ceiling supplied all
the light necessary. There was a dressing table, a chair,
(16:51):
a big looking glass, and a number of hooks from
which were suspended a dozen articles of attire. Air was
admitted through two ventilators led into the wall, and communicating
with the main ventilating shaft of the building, He opened
the door of the dressing table and drew out a
number of wigs. They were wigs such as only Fazure
(17:11):
can supply, perfectly modeled in all of one shade of hair,
though differently arranged. He tossed them on to the table,
impatiently groping for something which he knew should be there,
and was there unless a thief skilled in the use
of skeleton keys, and having moreover some knowledge of the office,
(17:31):
had taken it. He stopped his search suddenly and examined
a pad of paper which lay on the table. It
was a pad, which he kept handy for note taking
to jawt down memoranda. On the white face of the
paper was a large brown thumb mark. And though Colonel
Black knew little of the science of anthropology, he was
sufficiently well acquainted with the sign to know that it
(17:54):
was the mark of a thumb which ought never to
have been in this secret office of his. Then it
was Willie, Willie Jacobs, the befriended, the pension and the scorned,
who had removed a certain green bottle, the duplicate of
which was in his pocket at that moment. Black did
not lose his nerve. He went to a drawer in
the desk of his outer office and took out a
(18:16):
browning pistol. It was loaded. He balanced it in his
right hand, looked at it reflectively, then put it back again.
He hated firearms. They made a great deal of unnecessary noise,
and they left behind them, too shore an indication of
the identity of their user. Men have been traced by bullets.
(18:37):
There were other ways. He lifted from the drawer a long,
thin knife. It was an Italian stiletto of the sixteenth century,
the sort of toy a man might use in these
prosaic days for opening his letters, and indeed this was
the ostensible reason why Black kept the weapon at hand.
He drew it from its ornate leather sheath and tested
(18:58):
its temper, felt its edge, and gingerly fingered its point.
Then he put the stiletto in its case in his
overcoat pocket, switched out the light, and went out. This
was not a case which demanded the employment of the
little bottle. There was too little of the precious stuff left,
and he had need of it for other purposes. There
(19:18):
were two or three places where he might find the man.
A little public house off Regent Street was one. He
drove there, stopping the cab a few paces from the spot.
He strode into the bar, where men of Jacob's kind
were to be found, but it was empty. The man
he sought was not there. He made a tour of
other likely places, with no better success. Willie would be
(19:41):
at home. He had moved to lodgings on the south
side of the Thomas. It was coming from a little
public house off the New Kent Road that Black found
his man. Willie had been spending the evening brooding over
his grievance, and was on his way home to prepare
for his big adventure. When Black clapped him on the shoulder. Hullo, Willie,
he said. The man turned round with a start. Keep
(20:04):
your hands off me, he said, hastily, stumbling against the wall.
Now don't be silly, said Black. Let's talk this matter
out reasonably. You're a reasonable man, aren't you. I've got
a cab waiting round the corner. You don't get me
into no cabs, said Jacobs. I've had enough of you, Black.
You've turned round on me. You cast me out like
(20:25):
a dog. Is that the way to treat a pow.
You've made a mistake, my friend, said Black smoothly. We're
all liable to make mistakes. I've made many, and I
dare say you've made a few. Now let's talk business.
Willie said nothing. He was still suspicious. Once he thought
he saw the other's hand steal to his breast pocket,
(20:46):
he guessed the motive of the action. This then was
where the bottle was. Black was an adept in the
art of cajolery. He knew the weak places of all
the men who had been associated with him. Very slowly,
he led the other aimlessly, So it seemed from one
street to another until they reached a little cold to sack.
(21:08):
Stables occupied one side of the tiny street, and artisanhouse
is the other. One street lamp half way down showed
a dim light. Willie hesitated. There's no thoroughfare, he said, Oh, yes,
there is, said Black, confidently, I know this neighborhood rather well.
Now there's one thing I want to ask you, Willie.
(21:30):
I'm sure you are feeling more friendly towards me, now,
aren't you. His hand rested almost affectionately on the other's shoulder.
You didn't play the game, persisted the other. Let bygones
be bygone, said Black. What I want to know, is, Willie,
why did you take the bottle? He asked the question
in a matter of fact tone. He did not raise
(21:51):
his voice or give the query unusual emphasis. The other
man was taken off his guard. Well I felt sore,
he said, And I suppose, said Black, with gentle reproach,
you're waiting to hand that bottle to our friend fellow.
I haven't handed it to anybody yet, said Willie. But
to tell you the truth, he said no more. The
(22:13):
big man's hand suddenly closed round his throat with a
grip like steel. Willie struggled, but he was like a
child in the grasp of the other. You dog breathed Black.
He shook the helpless man violently. Then with his disengaged hand,
he whipped the tell tale vial from the other's pocket
and pushed him against the wall. And I'll teach you
(22:35):
that that's nothing to what you'll get if you ever
come across me again. Jacob's dropped, white and ghastly against
the wall. You've got the bottle, Black, he said, But
I know everything that you've done with it. You do,
do you? Yes? Everything, said the other, desperately. You're not
going to cast me off, do you hear? You've got
(22:58):
to pension me, same as you've done other people. I
know enough to send you for a lagging without I
thought you did, said Black. Something glittered in the light
of the lamp, and without a cry, Jacobs went down
in a huddled heap to the ground. Black looked round.
He wiped the blade of the stiletto carefully on the
(23:18):
coat of the stricken man, carefully replaced the weapon in
his leather case, and examined his own hands with considerable
care for any signs of blood. But these Italian weapons
make small wounds. He turned, and, pulling on his gloves,
made his way back to where the cab was still
waiting and of chapter fourteen
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Law & Order: Criminal Justice System - Season 1 & Season 2
Season Two Out Now! Law & Order: Criminal Justice System tells the real stories behind the landmark cases that have shaped how the most dangerous and influential criminals in America are prosecuted. In its second season, the series tackles the threat of terrorism in the United States. From the rise of extremist political groups in the 60s to domestic lone wolves in the modern day, we explore how organizations like the FBI and Joint Terrorism Take Force have evolved to fight back against a multitude of terrorist threats.