TAMAROO SPEAKS
"You did not expect to find me here?" said Frank, after he had shaken
hands warmly with his friend.
"The very last place in which I should have looked for you. How did
you come?" He glanced inquiringly at Tamaroo.
"I brought him," replied the old negro. "When you overturned the lamp
I drew Mr. Frank away in the darkness. We went to the nearest railway
station and came to town. Then did we seek this shelter. The Captain
will never think to find us here. What of him?"
"He is furious, and quite at a loss to find you. But--" Eustace
glanced at Balkis, where she stood with folded arms staring at Frank
with no very pleasant expression.
"There is nothing to fear," she said, guessing Jarman's meaning. "As
yet I am not sure if this man killed my Walter."
"I did not," interposed Frank. "I told you so before."
"And I also assured you of his innocence," said Tamaroo, uneasily.
Balkis still continued to glare. "As I say, I am not sure," she
declared obstinately. "If you did not kill my Walter you will come to
no harm. Here you can stay until I send you out of the place to
foreign parts. But if you killed him"--she looked savage--"there will
be no escape for you. Now you know!" And with this not very reassuring
speech she passed through the door again, shutting it with a clang.
Eustace heard a key turn in the lock and recalled the warning of Mrs.
Burl.
"Are we safe here?" he asked Tamaroo, who appeared quite easy in his
mind. "I was told that these rooms were dangerous."
"Dangerous?" echoed the negro, looking round. "Why should they be
dangerous?"
Jarman repeated the warning of Mrs. Burl and the boast of Balkis. But
Tamaroo merely laughed. "There is no danger," he said decisively. "I
am quite sure that. Balkis will do nothing to harm us."
"She does not seem to be very well disposed towards Frank."
"Because she will insist that I killed Starth," said Frank. "No doubt
Berry has been poisoning her mind. However, Berry will not look for me
here."
"Darrel might," hinted Eustace, uneasily.
"Nonsense! How can he find this place?"
"Oh, he knows it! My belief that he had the negro blood in his veins
is true. He is a relative of Balkis, and sometimes comes here; but he
is not proud of the relationship."
"But even if he does know this place he'll never think that I am
here."
Eustace looked doubtful. "I had to pitch him out of the garden of Rose
Cottage," he said. "He was impertinent to Mildred."
"To Mildred?" repeated Frank, with an angry flush.
"Yes," responded Jarman, keeping his eyes away from Frank's face. "He
said--well, never mind what he said. I punished him for his insolence,
and he went away, vowing that he would hunt you down."
Tamaroo laughed. "He will never come here," he said. "He must know
that Balkis is on the side of the Berrys, and will believe that this
is the last place I would bring my master to. The very danger of the
refuge makes its safety."
"I am not sure that Balkis _is_ on the side of Captain Berry now," was
the reply of Eustace. "She certainly will not help him, if only
because she hates Fairy Fan," and Eustace related how he had made use
of the letter Miss Berry had written.
Tamaroo nodded approvingly. "That is a good plan," he said. "If she
thinks the white woman loved Starth, she will not help her plots.
Balkis was madly in love with Mr. Starth."
"She says he would have married her," said Jarman.
Frank laughed. "I don't believe that. Starth was nice in his ideas of
female beauty, and would not marry a black woman. Moreover, he was
desperately in love with Fan."
"Balkis knows that, and hates Fan accordingly," said Eustace, grimly.
"But Starth might have married Balkis for her money."
"She is certainly rich," put in Tamaroo, meditatively. "Already she
has made up her mind to return to America. She goes next week."
"And what will you do with Frank then?"
"Take him abroad. I have arranged it all with Balkis. She knows many
sailors, and can get some captain to give Mr. Frank and myself a
passage--say to Spain. There we will wait till there is a chance of
learning who killed Starth."
Jarman looked attentively at the negro. "You do not know who is the
guilty person?" he asked meaningly.
"No." Tamaroo looked surprised. "Why should I?"
"Well," said Eustace, quietly, "I went to Sand Lane to examine Tilly,
the servant. She said that the right-hand window of the house was
open--"
"I remember that. I told you so," said Frank.
"Yes, and on your report I questioned Tilly. She admitted that she
told a lie at the inquest. The window was open when she left the
house. On her return"--here Eustace looked again at Tamaroo--"it was
locked, which proves that the assassin entered by the window, and,
after committing the murder, locked it so that no one should get into
the house, and discover the crime. Then he left by the door."
"Why do you look at Tamaroo when you say that?" asked Frank.
"Because Tilly found a scrap of tartan ribbon on the kitchen floor
similar to that worn by Balkis. I brought it with me, and Balkis
acknowledged that it was a piece she gave to Tamaroo, when he decided
to see Starth."
Frank wheeled round and looked anxiously at the negro. "Did you see
Starth?" he demanded. "I thought you did not arrive in London till
after the murder, and for that reason you could not find me."
Tamaroo considered for a few minutes. "I did say that," he admitted;
"because I thought it wise for the moment to conceal that I had been
in Starth's house. I thought you might mistrust me."
"I should never do that," replied Lancaster, patting the old man on
the back. "But why did you visit Starth?"
"I should like to know that also," said Eustace, who was not so easily
convinced of the negro's innocence.
The man gave him a reproachful glance. "I acted for the best, Mr.
Jarman. You can trust me."
"I think I can," answered Eustace, cautiously. "And yet--why did you
visit Starth?"
"To explain that, I must remind you of the murder of Anchor in San
Francisco. It was Sakers who shot him. I was glad of it."
Eustace looked as surprised as Frank. "I thought Anchor was the
executor of my father?" said the latter.
"He was, and he intended to betray his trust. He was so madly in love
with his wife that he could not give her up. She threatened to leave
him and go with her uncle if he did not let her share in the money of
Mr. Lancaster. Anchor had the papers--some of them. But I had others
which he wanted, so that he could dispose of the money. He intended to
join his wife in Chicago, and, with Sakers, to arrange for the
robbery. I do not know how he intended to manage it. But I do know,"
added Tamaroo, emphatically, "that it was his intention to return to
his house, where I was waiting for him, to get the papers from me, and
to leave me dead behind him."
Eustace could scarcely believe this, "If you heard how the man spoke
to me--"
"I know. It was to throw dust in your eyes. You would report that
Anchor was at enmity with Sakers and Mrs. Anchor, and thus no one
would suspect him of the robbery. When he spoke to you, Mr. Jarman, he
had the papers on him. Sakers--or rather Berry--knew this. He intended
to kill Anchor, and to rob the body of the papers. However, he chose
the wrong moment, as you were talking to the man. You chased Sakers,
and he could not search the body. I did so."
"Ah! you were on the spot. You said something about it."
"I learnt--in a way that it is not necessary to explain--that the man
intended to betray his trust. Mrs. Anchor gave the information."
"Was she at the house?"
"Yes, and I was waiting there for the return of Anchor. I left the
house and went to your rooms, Mr. Jarman, where Mrs. Anchor said her
husband had gone. I saw the shot fired, and saw also that Sakers fled,
pursued by you. When the street was quiet I came to see the body, and
got the papers from the breast-pocket."
"But what about the Chinaman, Lo Keong, who stabbed him?"
"It was not a Chinaman," said Tamaroo, quietly. "I stabbed him."
"You?" Jarman was beginning to see the connection between the San
Francisco crime and the Sand Lane murder.
"Yes, I," said Tamaroo, perfectly calm and collected, while Frank
shivered. "Anchor was a traitor. He was betraying a sacred trust. When
I took the papers he opened his eyes. I saw that he was still alive,
so I stabbed him."
Jarman jumped up, and even Frank recoiled from the negro. "You had no
right to kill the man," said Eustace, hoarsely.
"I did not. The shot was a fatal one. I simply stabbed him to make
sure. You need not rebuke me, Mr. Jarman. I did it then and I would do
it again."
"Did you do it again?" asked Frank, remembering the death of Starth.
"You are thinking of Sand Lane. Yes, sir, it was I who stabbed
Starth."
Eustace shuddered. "Was he alive?"
"No. He was quite dead. But I stabbed him in order to frighten Mr.
Berry. When he saw that the man had died from wounds similar to those
Anchor had died from, I fancied he would be afraid, and abandon his
scheme to get the money."
"Did Berry know that you stabbed Anchor?"
"No. Nor does he know that I stabbed Starth. But, seeing that there
was a shot wound and a knife wound in the two cases, he must have
gathered that someone else was mixed up in the matter. Such a
knowledge would make him careful."
"It didn't, however," said Frank.
The young man did not like the way in which Tamaroo had behaved, for,
although he had not murdered either Anchor or Starth, still he had
mutilated them. But then, in spite of his veneer of education, Tamaroo
was a negro pure and simple, with the savage instincts of the African
race. To rebuke him would be as futile as punishing a dog for barking.
Tamaroo had only obeyed his nature. And Eustace, on his side, shrewdly
suspected that Balkis--also an African--would act in the like
barbaric fashion did she think it necessary. The race instinct held
good, in spite of the fact that both these black people were educated.
"Tell me exactly what occurred in the house," said Eustace, "and also
explain why you went to see Starth?"
"When I came to England I stopped here for a time," said Tamaroo, "as
I knew Balkis in San Francisco, and knew that she would not betray me
to Berry."
"Why not, considering--"
"That is a secret of Obi," said the old man, with a savage look. "I
was here in these rooms, which are not generally known to the outside
world. Starth and Berry came here, and I knew them, but when they were
here I always kept out of their way. From listening I became aware
that there was a plot against you, Mr. Frank, to have you hanged.
Starth and Berry were the movers, also Miss Berry. Starth was to
receive his share on condition that he inveigled you to his house, and
there you were to be saddled with the guilt of murder."
"But Starth did not expect to be killed himself?"
"Oh no! But Berry intended that he should be the victim. That was why
Miss Berry made trouble and created rows between Starth and you, Mr.
Frank. Berry, at the theatre on the previous night, brought about that
quarrel so that you might be accused. Then the next day Starth wrote
the letter asking you to visit him. How Starth fancied that the crime
was to be brought about I don't know. He drugged you, and then waited
for the arrival of Berry to carry on the rest of the plot."
"How did you come to know all this?"
"I gathered it at various times, and thought out the rest," said
Tamaroo, nodding. "Of course, some of it is my own fancy."
"Theory," grunted Eustace, admitting, however, that the negro had
pieced things together very cleverly. "Well, you went to Sand Lane?"
"Yes. As I thought that this trouble was coming, I pretended to Balkis
that I wished to see Starth, and she gave me the tartan ribbon she
wore as a sign that I could be trusted."
"In what way?" asked Frank.
Tamaroo shook his head. "I can't tell you that. There was something in
Starth's life which Balkis knew, and which gave her a hold over him.
He was always afraid of people of my colour. Unless I had taken the
tartan ribbon he would not have spoken."
"Did he speak?"
"I never saw him," replied the negro, simply. "I did not get to the
house till nearly seven. The window was open, and as I saw no one
about, and could get no answer when I rang, I climbed in. I then
locked the window, so that no one should enter in that way to
interrupt between Starth and myself."
"There was no chance of that."
"I don't know, Mr. Jarman. I had entered that way, and, seeing what a
plot was in progress, others might have come in. I then went down the
stairs to see the servant, as Balkis had mentioned her."
"Balkis knew Tilly," murmured Eustace. "And then?"
"There was no one there. I went up the stairs, and found Starth dead.
He lay in the middle of the room, and you, Mr. Frank, were unconscious
on the sofa--drugged as I saw."
"Why did you not give the alarm?" asked Lancaster, angrily. "I could
not, sir. I was a stranger and a man of colour. Also I had entered by
the window. Had I given the alarm I should have been arrested and
perhaps hanged. You can see my difficulty."
"Yes," admitted Frank. "I see it was an awkward position."
"I thought it best to go away and say nothing. I knew that Starth had
been shot so as to inculpate you, and that you would be arrested. Had
that happened I should have come forward. As you escaped I waited,
hoping to trap Berry in the dark. I wished to find you, and to tell
you what I knew. That was why I posted the Scarlet Bat over London. I
knew that it was tattooed on your arm, and that if you became aware of
the posters you would, out of curiosity, inquire for the sealed
letter."
"That's exactly what happened," said Eustace. "But you say that Starth
was waiting for Berry after he drugged Frank. Perhaps Berry came and
shot Starth with Frank's pistol, and then departed."
"No," said Tamaroo, decisively, "I can't think that. Berry wanted to
enjoy the money, and wouldn't have risked the murder."
"Then I can't say who shot the man if not Berry," said Jarman.
"However, on what you say, we'll try and bluff Berry. And before you
Berry," said Jarman. "However, on what you say, we'll try and bluff
Berry. And before you left, you stabbed the body?"
"Yes, I did," rejoined Tamaroo, defiantly. "The man was dead and I
thought to frighten Berry. There was much at stake. I then left the
house, but I don't think anyone saw me going, as it was growing dark.
That is all I know. What else is to be found out must be discovered by
you, Mr. Jarman."
"I'll do my best," said Eustace. "But who am I to follow?"
Providence answered that question. There was the sound of the door
opening. Balkis entered, and after her came Captain Berry, his niece,
and Darrel. The Rhodesian, fulfilling his threat, had hunted Frank
down, and was face to face with his prey.