Gangsters -- New York (State) -- New York -- Fiction; Mystery fiction
Her eyes grew harder. Well, the way was still open, wasn't it? Last
night had changed nothing in that respect. To-night, as the White Moll,
she had only to find and corner Danglar as she had planned to do last
night. She had still only to get the man alone somewhere.
Rhoda Gray's hands clenched tightly. That was all that was
necessary--just the substantiation of her own story that the plot to rob
Skarbolov lay at the door of Danglar and his gang; or, rather, perhaps,
that the plot was in existence before she had ever heard of Skarbolov.
It would prove her own statement of what the dying woman had said. It
would exonerate her from guilt; it would prove that, rather than having
any intention of committing crime, she had taken the only means within
her power of preventing one. The real Gypsy Nan, Danglar's wife, who
had died that night, bad, even in eleventh-hour penitence, refused to
implicate her criminal associates. There was a crime projected which,
unless she, Rhoda Gray, would agree to forestall it in person and would
give her oath not to warn the police about it and so put the actual
criminals in jeopardy, would go on to its fulfillment!
She remembered that night in the hospital. The scene came vividly before
her now. The woman's pleading, the woman's grim loyalty even in death to
her pals. She, Rhoda Gray, had given her oath.
It became necessary only to substantiate those facts. Danglar could be
made to do it. She had now in her possession the evidence that would
convict him of complicity in the murder of Deemer, and for which
murder the original Gypsy Nan had gone into hiding; she even had in her
possession the missing jewels that had prompted that murder; she had,
too, the evidence now to bring the entire gang to justice for their
myriad depredations; she knew where their secret hoard of ill-gotten
gains was hidden--here in this attic, behind that ingeniously contrived
trap-door in the ceiling. She knew all this; and this information placed
before the police, providing only it was backed by the proof that the
scheme to rob Skarbolov was to be carried out by the gang, as she, Rhoda
Gray, would say the dying woman had informed her, would be more than
enough to clear her. She had not had this proof on that first night when
she had snatched at the mantle of Gypsy Nan as the sole means of escape
from Rough Rorke, of headquarters; she did not have it now--but she
would have it, stake all and everything in life she had to have it, for
it, in itself, literally meant everything and all--and Danglar would
make a written confession, or else--or else--She smiled mirthlessly.
That was all! Last night she had failed. To-night she would not fail.
Before morning came, if it were humanly within her power, she and
Danglar would have played out their game--to the end.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account