The Night of the Dubious Plot Device

Chapter 8

The Captive

Doctor Loveless heard the bell in hotel reception ring and sneaked a peek around the office door to see who it was. The man standing in the lobby was elderly with grey hair, whiskers, beard and moustache. He was dressed in an overcoat with a shoulder cape and there was a monocle in his left eye and a carpet bag at his feet.

Loveless withdrew into the office and practically jumped for joy. The man he had been waiting for had arrived.

Responding to the sound of the bell, as they had been directed, Loveless' henchmen entered reception and took hold of the old man by the arms, one on each side of him. Once he was helpless in their grip Loveless appeared and walked over to stand in front of him.

"I suppose you want a room," he said with a smile.

"I did want a room but what I want now is for these two gentlemen to let go of me," the man responded, struggling.

"I'm sure you do…Mr Gordon." Loveless chuckled.

"What are you talking about? My name is Hope, Douglas Hope and I demand that you order these men to unhand me. I presume that they work for you?"

"Come, come Mr Gordon, you can drop the charade. I knew you wouldn't disappointment me, that you would come here at any risk to yourself in order to rescue your partner."

"Partner? What partner? Are you completely mad?"

Loveless' hackles rose at that accusation and his expression darkened with temper.

"You and Mr West would like to explain away my actions by labelling me as mad wouldn't you? Your tiny minds cannot conceive of an imagination and an intellect such as mine. Well," he added calming down a little, "we shall see whether you think I am mad when I show you what I have planned for your fellow agent."

"What are you….?" The rest of this speech was cut short as Loveless gave the signal and his henchmen began to remove the facial hair sported by the old man. After a while the ugliest of them turned to Loveless.

"It ain't a disguise, Boss," he said. "It's real!"

"What…?" It was Loveless' turn to boggle. "It can't be."

Then he turned to the elderly man. "Why have you come here?" he demanded.

"I met a young man in town and he recommended this hotel. I'm beginning to think now that he was playing some sort of joke on me."

"The hotel is closed," Loveless said shortly. "Good day to you, sir," he added and turned his back on him

"You haven't heard the last of this," the man shouted at him as he was helped into the street by the two henchmen.

"Quick!" Loveless said, running as fast as he was able to the staircase leading up to the first floor. "He was a decoy. Right now Mr Gordon is in the process of mounting a rescue."

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As soon as Artie got close enough to the hotel he realised that the two henchmen he had seen with Loveless at the tavern were acting as lookout from the window of the front parlour. He had looked around him for a way to get inside when he saw an elderly gentleman descend from a stagecoach and collect his luggage from the driver. With his usual flair he had soon ascertained that the old man needed somewhere to stay and persuaded him to try the Grand Hotel. He was betting that Loveless wouldn't shoot the old man on site. He just hoped he was right in thinking it was him and that his arrival at the front desk would occupy both Loveless and his henchmen while he carried out his plan.

He had been correct, much to his relief and with the coast clear he had shinned with a little difficulty up the drainpipe at the side of the building and entered the hotel through an open window. Well, it was open when Artie had finished with it. As luck would have it he found the room where Jim was being held on his second attempt at opening doors and the only thing standing in the way of a rescue was a skinny, middle-aged man who was losing his hair and his nerve, by the look on his face when Artie burst in.

"Jim!" Artie breathed, seeing the unconscious form of his friend tied to the bed. "What have you done to him?" he demanded.

Harding rather thought he might have a heart attack at this turn of events but he was a doctor first and foremost and a coward second so he managed to say. "He has been like that since he arrived. He's under the influence of a strong sedative."

Artie nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. It must be the sedative Dr Lovell gave him, he thought. Then it struck him just how difficult it was going to be to remove Jim from the hotel in his present state. He could see now that he must have been mad to think that it would be just a case of untying Jim and expecting him to leave the same way that Artie had arrived. Great flaming balls of…. Suddenly he heard someone running along the corridor. He looked around him; there was nowhere to hide and anyway there was a witness who could tell on him. He ran to the window; it was locked and there was no time to get it open. He thought of fighting his way through whoever was in the hall but that was Jim's forte, not his. With resignation he seated himself on the bed, examining his finger nails while he ad waited for the door to, open.

One of Loveless' henchmen flung the door open and entered with gun drawn. Loveless was right behind him and stopped dead when he saw his prey calmly waiting for him.

"Ah Doctor Loveless, what a surprise meeting you here," Artie said. "What have you been up to you insidious little toad?"

"Come, come Mr Gordon, is that any way to talk to the person who holds your life and the life of Mr West in his hands?"

"Put that way I suppose not. Would it make any difference though?"

"No, you are both going to die anyway."

"Hmm, I thought that would be the case."

Harding Gave an audible gasp at the revelation of Loveless' plans

Loveless heard him. "Let me introduce you to Mr Harding. He is the one who produced the drug I used on Mr West. Ironic really, as he was a doctor once but he was struck off for being a little too fond of the bottle. None of his patients died, luckily for him. Now getting back to you and your friend Mr West, I am going to have some fun with you two first."

"We're not going to play Happy Families are we? That would be spoiling us."

"No we are not going to play Happy Families," Loveless said, keeping his anger in check.

"Because you never had a family I expect you can't bear to see anyone else have a happy one," Artie remarked.

"My mother loved me very much, if you must know."

"Yes, as only a mother could love someone like you. It's just as well," he carried on swiftly before Loveless could interrupt. "Jim always cheats. Lucky in love, unlucky at cards, that's why he does it."

"Mr Gordon, will you please stop talking non…" That was as far as Loveless got before there was an audible groan from the man on the bed and all eyes turned to see Jim stir and let out another groan and then a grunt as he realised he was unable to move his arms and legs.

"What the…..?" he said and then, through bleary eyes he caught sight of the diminutive figure of his captor. "Loveless?" he said squinting at him. "Hey have you got anything to drink?"

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To be continued