The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu Read Online Free

the same means that proved so
successful in the case of poor Sir Crichton."
    His square jaw grew truculently prominent, and he leapt stormily
to his feet, shaking his clenched fists towards the window.
    "The villain!" he cried. "The fiendishly clever villain! I
suspected that Sir Crichton was next, and I was right. But I came
too late, Petrie! That hits me hard, old man. To think that I knew
and yet failed to save him!"
    He resumed his seat, smoking hard.
    "Fu-Manchu has made the blunder common to all men of unusual
genius," he said. "He has underrated his adversary. He has not
given me credit for perceiving the meaning of the scented messages.
He has thrown away one powerful weapon-to get such a message into
my hands-and he thinks that once safe within doors, I shall sleep,
unsuspecting, and die as Sir Crichton died. But without the
indiscretion of your charming friend, I should have known what to
expect when I receive her 'information'-which by the way, consists
of a blank sheet of paper."
    "Smith," I broke in, "who is she?"
    "She is either Fu-Manchu's daughter, his wife, or his slave. I
am inclined to believe the last, for she has no will but his will,
except"-with a quizzical glance-"in a certain instance."
    "How can you jest with some awful thing-Heaven knows
what-hanging over your head? What is the meaning of these perfumed
envelopes? How did Sir Crichton die?"
    "He died of the Zayat Kiss. Ask me what that is and I reply 'I
do not know.' The zayats are the Burmese caravanserais, or
rest-houses. Along a certain route-upon which I set eyes, for the
first and only time, upon Dr. Fu-Manchu-travelers who use them
sometimes die as Sir Crichton died, with nothing to show the cause
of death but a little mark upon the neck, face, or limb, which has
earned, in those parts, the title of the 'Zayat Kiss.' The
rest-houses along that route are shunned now. I have my theory and
I hope to prove it to-night, if I live. It will be one more broken
weapon in his fiendish armory, and it is thus, and thus only, that
I can hope to crush him. This was my principal reason for not
enlightening Dr. Cleeve. Even walls have ears where Fu-Manchu is
concerned, so I feigned ignorance of the meaning of the mark,
knowing that he would be almost certain to employ the same methods
upon some other victim. I wanted an opportunity to study the Zayat
Kiss in operation, and I shall have one."
    "But the scented envelopes?"
    "In the swampy forests of the district I have referred to a rare
species of orchid, almost green, and with a peculiar scent, is
sometimes met with. I recognized the heavy perfume at once. I take
it that the thing which kills the traveler is attracted by this
orchid. You will notice that the perfume clings to whatever it
touches. I doubt if it can be washed off in the ordinary way. After
at least one unsuccessful attempt to kill Sir Crichton-you recall
that he thought there was something concealed in his study on a
previous occasion?-Fu-Manchu hit upon the perfumed envelopes. He
may have a supply of these green orchids in his possession-possibly
to feed the creature."
    "What creature? How could any kind of creature have got into Sir
Crichton's room tonight?"
    "You no doubt observed that I examined the grate of the study. I
found a fair quantity of fallen soot. I at once assumed, since it
appeared to be the only means of entrance, that something has been
dropped down; and I took it for granted that the thing, whatever it
was, must still be concealed either in the study or in the library.
But when I had obtained the evidence of the groom, Wills, I
perceived that the cry from the lane or from the park was a signal.
I noted that the movements of anyone seated at the study table were
visible, in shadow, on the blind, and that the study occupied the
corner of a two-storied wing and, therefore, had a short chimney.
What did the signal mean? That Sir Crichton had leaped up from his
chair, and either had received the Zayat Kiss or had seen the