"Nat Pinkerton, King Of Detectives - The Bloody Talisman" - читать интересную книгу автора (Pinkerton Nat)

Chapter II: Caught All the Same
The Hotel Victoria stood in a busy area, and that had a calming effect on Nefeldt. The Chinese could not dare to come there.

He slept till noon, and soon Nat Pinkerton appeared at this doorway.

The detective was disguised as an old graybeard. Before entering the hotel he had wandered around the building, but had noticed nothing suspicious.

One might think that the Chinese still had not discovered where Nefeldt was, but Pinkerton was not at all convinced, knowing the peculiarities of the yellow people and their craftiness.

He did not hide his fears from Nefeldt and advised him not to go out all day.

Nefeldt, of course, did not like that. He felt like he was under arrest, and not being at all cowardly, he did give much significance to PinkertonТs warnings. It was hardly possible that the Chinese could have found him in such a huge city, where there were always thousands of people on the streets. And he was now living far from Chinatown.

He went out after lunch to make a few business calls. Returning near evening, he had supper in the dining room on the second floor and then took the elevator back up to the eighth.

Back in his room he had a strange, gnawing feeling: an inexplicable fear weighed on his chest. He scolded himself for it, as he had never before known fear or horror.

Around ten oТclock he lay down in bed, and this time too he got his revolver ready to give any uninvited guest a loud greeting.

He lay awake until midnight, but then sleep overcame him and he slept soundly until two, when he suddenly awoke in a sweat. He wanted to raise himself on the bed, but his body, as if made of lead, did not respond to his efforts. A sickly-sweet odor was smothering him, and his head was spinning.

Somehow he realized that a new attempt was being made on him, but the terrible heaviness binding his limbs was stronger than he.

Nefeldt lost consciousness. He tried to get his revolver from the night stand, but could not: his hand would not move.

A red mist covered his eyes. It seemed to him he saw a yellow face distorted by a malicious grin. With a heavy moan he lost consciousness.

The two Chinamen who had stolen into the room lifted NefeldtТs body and wrapping it in a piece of mottled cloth they had brought with them and carried it out to the corridor.

Then with silent steps they went two floors below and stopped by the door to a room in which, judging by the huge trunks, a commercial traveller with sample wares was staying.

The Chinese unlocked one of the trunks, all the while glancing over their shoulders to make sure they were not caught unawares. Their long, sharp daggers lay near them on the floor, and they would not have stopped at murder if someone had found them at their work.

Opening the trunk-lid, they removed some of the samples and stowed the wrapped up Nefeldt in such a way that he would not suffocate. Only later was he to die.

Then they carefully closed the lid and with a gloating grin looked at the trunk that held their victim.

For the time being, their task could be considered successfully completed. There was nothing more for them to do in the Hotel Victoria. Silently they slipped down the staircase. Nobody saw them. A waiter moaned in a second floor corridor, with a large wound on his head that was dripping blood, and the porter lay bound by the front entrance.

The Chinamen cautiously opened the door and look around the street. A third Chinese joined them from the portersТ room.

The corner of 27th Street and Fifth Avenue was animated even at night, and the Chinese had to wait until they could walk out of the building unnoticed. As soon as a convenient moment presented itself, they leapt out and quickly disappeared.

Only after an hour had passed did one of the hotel employees come upon the bound porter and the wounded waiter. He immediately raised the alarm.

When the porter was untied he could not say what happened.

He had been sitting in the portersТ room and dozing when suddenly someone had struck him a terrible blow from behind. He had crumpled to the floor instantly. When he returned to his senses, he was lying bound and gagged. Everything was dark, but still it seemed that some person was standing next to him. This person soon left though.