Within the Law Part 23

"Young woman," Burke said, peremptorily, "the Twentieth Century Limited leaves Grand Central Station at four o'clock. It arrives in Chicago at eight-fifty-five to-morrow morning." He pulled a ma.s.sive gold watch from his waistcoat pocket, glanced at it, thrust it back, and concluded ponderously: "You will just about have time to catch that train."

Mary regarded the stockily built officer with a half-amused contempt, which she was at no pains to conceal.

"Working for the New York Central now?" she asked blandly.

The gibe made the Inspector furious.

"I'm working for the good of New York City," he answered venomously.

Mary let a ripple of cadenced laughter escape her.

"Since when?" she questioned.

A little smile twisted the lips of the District Attorney, but he caught himself quickly, and spoke with stern gravity.

"Miss Turner, I think you will find that a different tone will serve you better."

"Oh, let her talk," Burke interjected angrily. "She's only got a few minutes anyway."

Mary remained unperturbed.

"Very well, then," she said genially, "let us be comfortable during that little period." She made a gesture of invitation toward chairs, which Burke disdained to accept; but Demarest seated himself.

"You'd better be packing your trunk," the Inspector rumbled.

"But why?" Mary inquired, with a tantalizing a.s.sumption of innocence.

"I'm not going away."

"On the Twentieth Century Limited, this afternoon," the Inspector declared, in a voice of growing wrath.

"Oh, dear, no!" Mary's a.s.sertion was made very quietly, but with an underlying firmness that irritated the official beyond endurance.

"I say yes!" The answer was a bellow.

Mary appeared distressed, not frightened. Her words were an ironic protest against the man's obstreperous noisiness, no more.

"I thought you wanted quiet words with me."

Burke went toward her, in a rage.

"Now, look here, Mollie----" he began harshly.

On the instant, Mary was on her feet, facing him, and there was a gleam in her eyes as they met his that bade him pause.

"Miss Turner, if you don't mind." She laughed slightly. "For the present, anyway." She reseated herself tranquilly.

Burke was checked, but he retained his severity of bearing.

"I'm giving you your orders. You will either go to Chicago, or you'll go up the river."

Mary answered in a voice charged with cynicism.

"If you can convict me. Pray, notice that little word 'if'."

The District Attorney interposed very suavely.

"I did once, remember."

"But you can't do it again," Mary declared, with an a.s.surance that excited the astonishment of the police official.

"How do you know he can't?" he bl.u.s.tered.

Mary laughed in a cadence of genial merriment.

"Because," she replied gaily, "if he could, he would have had me in prison some time ago."

Burke winced, but he made s.h.i.+ft to conceal his realization of the truth she had stated to him.

"Huh!" he exclaimed gruffly. "I've seen them go up pretty easy."

Mary met the a.s.sertion with a serenity that was baffling.

"The poor ones," she vouchsafed; "not those that have money. I have money, plenty of money--now."

"Money you stole!" the Inspector returned, brutally.

"Oh, dear, no!" Mary cried, with a fine show of virtuous indignation.

"What about the thirty thousand dollars you got on that partners.h.i.+p swindle?" Burke asked, sneering. "I s'pose you didn't steal that!"

"Certainly not," was the ready reply. "The man advertised for a partner in a business sure to bring big and safe returns. I answered. The business proposed was to buy a tract of land, and subdivide it. The deeds to the land were all forged, and the supposed seller was his confederate, with whom he was to divide the money. We formed a partners.h.i.+p, with a capital of sixty thousand dollars. We paid the money into the bank, and then at once I drew it out. You see, he wanted to get my money illegally, but instead I managed to get his legally. For it was legal for me to draw that money--wasn't it, Mr. Demarest?"

The District Attorney by an effort retained his severe expression of righteous disapprobation, but he admitted the truth of her contention.

"Unfortunately, yes," he said gravely. "A partner has the right to draw out any, or all, of the partners.h.i.+p funds."

"And I was a partner," Mary said contentedly. "You, see, Inspector, you wrong me--you do, really! I'm not a swindler; I'm a financier."

Burke sneered scornfully.

"Well," he roared, "you'll never pull another one on me. You can gamble on that!"

Mary permitted herself to laugh mockingly in the face of the badgered official.

"Thank you for telling me," she said, graciously. "And let me say, incidentally, that Miss Lynch at the present moment is painlessly extracting ten thousand dollars from General Hastings in a perfectly legal manner, Inspector Burke."

"Well, anyhow," Burke shouted, "you may stay inside the law, but you've got to get outside the city." He tried to employ an elephantine bantering tone. "On the level, now, do you think you could get away with that young Gilder scheme you've been planning?"

Mary appeared puzzled.