The Affair of the Mutilated Mink by James Anderson Page B

She opened her mouth to scream, but he must have anticipated this, for as she did so he released her wrist and clapped his hand over her mouth. She struggled furiously.
    Then, unexpectedly, he pushed her to one side. She staggered, tripped, and sat down hard on the carpet. She drew her breath for a shout. Then she froze.
    All was quiet — and there was complete darkness.
    He'd turned off his flashlight. He was just standing silently, waiting to pounce as soon as he knew her exact position.
    At that moment she heard another noise. But it wasn't in the room. It sounded like some sort of scuffle, maybe a fall or hurrying footsteps. It was from above, probably from the top of the stairs.
    Gerry sat quite still, holding her breath.
     
    * * *
     
    Rex Ransom sat before the dying fire in the magnificent bedroom of the Royal Suite, sunk in gloomy forebodings. At last he stirred and gave a little groan. Keeping up his gay manner throughout the evening had really taken it out of him, and on coming to his room he had flopped down without even removing his evening jacket. Now he felt awful. He had let the room get cold, and he was stiff, uncomfortable and more depressed than ever. There was coming over him, too, that dreaded feeling of oppression, the sense of something pressing in on him. He had to do something about it quickly. He stood up, took off his coat and started to remove his cufflinks.
    Three minutes later, stripped down to shorts and undershirt, Rex stared down at the two objects he was holding. How he hated them. Yet they were so necessary to him. He couldn't carry on without them.
    At that second, to his alarm, he heard a slight sound from the next room.
    The Royal Suite consisted of three connecting rooms: a sitting room, nearest to the grand staircase; next to it the bedroom; and then a dressing room. Rex had told Merryweather to have a fire lit only in the bedroom. It was from the sitting room that the noise had come.
    There was nothing sinister about the sound - just a sharp tap, as though someone's foot had knocked against a piece of furniture. But why should anybody be in there, creeping about in the dark?
    Rex swung round towards the adjoining door and saw to his consternation that it was open a couple of inches. He took a step towards it. Then he stopped. For there appeared through the crack a black-gloved hand.
    Taken utterly aback, Rex stood momentarily transfixed as the hand, followed by a black-sleeved arm, moved like a deadly snake along the wall. Suddenly he came to his senses, gave a shout of anger and took two hurried steps towards the door. But he was too late. The hand had reached the light switch and the room plunged into darkness.
    Rex stood motionless. In the blackness there was not much else he could do. In his best actor's voice he barked, 'Who is that? What are you doing here?'
    There was no reply.
    Rex backed a little towards the bed. Able to see nothing, dressed as he was and barefooted, he felt uncomfortably vulnerable. He spoke again, with a brash confidence he was far from feeling, 'OK, the joke's gone far enough. Clear off and I'll forget about it.'
    He felt a rush of cold air hit him as with a creak the door opened wide. He heard footsteps approaching.
    He shouted, 'I know who you are—'
    Then a blinding light seemed to engulf him. Rex gave an exclamation and staggered back, dropping the objects he had been holding, as the room again went black.
    For a second he flinched, waiting for an attack. But suddenly a sense of the indignity of his situation swept over him. Was this the way for the great Rex Ransom, dashing hero of thirty swashbuckling adventures to behave - skulking in a darkened room, waiting submissively to be set upon?
    Never!
    Rex gave an exclamation of rage and strode blindly forward, swinging random punches. For seconds he punched the air. Then one of his fists made contact with a face. It was a glancing blow, probably in the vicinity of the eye. But it gave him a surge of