"Yes, sir, you are Inspector Monk," answered the man in surprise, and
somewhat tardily.
"All right, let me then remain here in the hall, but open the door and
then shut it, so that your master can hear it and think I am gone."
The man hesitated a little and looked doubtfully at me.
"Quick! What I do, I do in the name of the law, but I have no time for
further explanations. Now then!"
He did as I told him and went in again to his master.
Everything happened as I had foreseen. The servant came out soon
afterward, sent away by his master, and disappeared at a sign from me
into his own room.
I took off my shoes and opened the door stealthily to the lawyer's room.
As I had expected, he had gone into one of the other rooms, where he
kept his collection.
Without making any noise I followed him.
In the innermost room the old man stood before the open door of one of
his iron safes. His shaky hands were busy trying to adjust a pair of
spectacles with round glasses to his nose.
I took my time, until he had taken out from a secret drawer an object
which he held close up to his eyes. The next minute my hand lay on his
shoulder, and immediately after the black tortoise was safe in my
pocket!
I led the old fellow carefully across the room to a chair. He had never
uttered a word.
He remained seated, gasping for breath with half-shut eyes, and his
withered hands dancing up and down in his lap.
I made him drink a glass of wine, and after a little while he found his
speech again.
"What right have you to sneak in upon me and take my property? The
diamond is mine--I have honestly bought it--" and he stretched out his
hands, as if to get it back.
"The diamond is stolen property," I said, "and will be delivered by me
into the hands of the authorities. I am sorry I have been obliged to
play a trick upon you to get it from you; but I understood at once that
you wouldn't give it up of your own free will."
"I have bought it and paid for it, and it is not stolen property; your
conduct will cost you dear, Mr. Monk."
"No more talk about that, if you please, Mr. Jurgens," I said firmly.
"From whom did you buy the diamond?"
"I bought the diamond from Miss Frick, and she got it from her uncle."
The old man could not say another word, for my hands were round his
throat. Only for a moment, however. I remembered myself, and let go my
hold, but remained standing in front of him quivering with rage.
"What is it you dare say about the young lady, about Sigrid, about my--I
mean about Mr. Frick's niece? Mr. Frick himself has given information
of the robbery, and now you say that Miss Frick has sold the diamond to
you; that is the same as saying that she has stolen it. You can thank
your stars that you are an old man, otherwise--"
The old man stretched out his hand, as if to ring; but no bell was near.
His eyes wandered wildly.
Then it stood clearly before me that I had nearly frightened the life
out of him, and I at once became calmer.
"Be sensible, sir, and take the matter quietly. It was imprudent of you
to buy the diamond, but we all know, of course, that you did it in good
faith. But it will be necessary that you give a truthful account of how
you got it, and from whom. If not, it may become a disagreeable
business for you. That you can well understand."
"I only understand that I have bought the diamond from a young lady and
given five thousand kroners for it. She did not ask for more," said the
old man, trembling, while his eyes began to look brighter. "When you
say it was not Miss Frick, perhaps, after all, it was not she; but then
it must have been the other young girl in the house. I believe they
call her Evelina. Yes, it was she, if you absolutely must know it."
"Well, that is far more probable, sir," I said encouragingly, for I felt
a little ashamed of my violent conduct to the old man, "and you must
excuse me if I was a little rough with you."
I rang myself for the servant, and with him as a witness, I gave the
lawyer a receipt for the tortoise, which I took with me, and left.
* * * * *
The superintendent was not a little surprised when I put the diamond
before him on the table; and when I had given my report, he
congratulated me at the result, and complimented me on the manner in
which I had conducted the affair.
I found it unnecessary to mention Jurgens's wretched attempt to prove
that it was Miss Frick who had sold him the diamond.
The superintendent did not lay much stress on the part Jurgens had
played in the matter.
"The man must soon be pronounced incapable of managing his own affairs,
and be placed under proper control. He will, of course, be declared
irresponsible by the court, if the public prosecutor should proceed
against him."
In this I fully concurred. Then I gave the superintendent a detailed
account of my visit to Mrs. Reierson, and of how the actor's name was
mentioned, and of my hurried meeting with the latter.
"Do I understand you aright," said the superintendent, "that you have a
suspicion that the pretty maid and the fascinating actor are intimate?"
"Yes, I have."
"And you go still farther; in this, you seek the reason why the unhappy
girl has committed the robbery, isn't that so?"
"Yes, indeed, I cannot deny that something of the sort was in my mind;
only it seemed strange to me that a girl like Evelina, who not only has
the best of characters from Miss Frick, as a good and honest girl, but
who, after all I have been able to ascertain, also possesses a certain
amount of character and love of truth, can have fallen in love with such
a man, or given herself into his power!"
"Why, my dear Monk!" broke in the superintendent, with a smile, which
could have made those who did not know him take him for a heartless
cynic, "do you, after so many years in the police service, still nourish
illusions with regard to the fair sex?"
"I have, of course, in my day seen a good deal of--"
"Yes, you have seen a good deal; which shows you that the greatest Don
Juan is also the greatest liar, and that a man with a smooth face, who
can flatter and deceive, has greater power over the fair sex than any
honest man whatsoever. Isn't that so?"
I was accustomed to my superior's humorous exaggerations, and could not
deny that my experiences as a detective in the police force to a
considerable degree went in the same direction.
"Well," continued the superintendent, "when you have been in the police
force for a generation, you will certainly not have much respect for
women's ideals. But let us return to this affair about the diamond.
You shall at once have a warrant, and then you had better arrest the
young girl as soon as possible. The sooner it's done the greater the
prospect of getting back the money which she got from the lawyer."
"Pardon me, sir," I answered, "Evelina is most probably at this moment
at Mr. Frick's house, and will remain there over night. It would be
very unpleasant for the Fricks if the arrest took place in the house.
Have you any objection to my waiting until to-morrow? Then she will
probably visit her mother, and we can avail ourselves of the opportunity
and make a domiciliary visit at the same time. If Mrs. Reierson is an
accomplice, we might succeed in taking her by surprise, and in getting
her to give up the money. I have an idea that it will be easier to take
her than the daughter by surprise."
"But are you not afraid that one of them can make use of the time to get
the money out of the way, if it has not already been taken to some place
or other?"
"On the contrary, I believe it will be of advantage to leave them in
peace to-night. I shall have them watched by some of my best men
meanwhile."
"And the actor?"
"He is already in good hands. Detective Kolstad has orders to follow
him like a shadow, and arrest him if he should attempt to leave the
town."
"Well, that will do! Do as you think right, Monk. I begin to think you
are the better detective of us two. If you should meet old Frick
to-night, give him my compliments, and tell him I shall keep his diamond
until the case has been settled in court; but in the meantime it will be
in good hands."
It was not with a light heart, however, that I walked along the Drammen
Road, after having given the constable the necessary orders. I knew
that the news I had to bring would greatly distress both old Frick and
Sigrid.
After having proceeded some distance, it struck me that after all I had
nothing to do at Villa Ballarat that night. It ought not to be known in
the house that the diamond had been found--not so long as Evelina was
there. Old Frick and Sigrid would naturally ask me if I had any news,
and I should be obliged to tell a lie and keep back from them what had
happened.
Although I was very anxious to see Sigrid, yet I was sensible enough to
turn back, and, after having had some supper at a cafe, I went home to
my lodgings.
I telephoned to the police office, and asked if there was any news from
the constables who had to watch the three persons before mentioned.
No, there was no news. Evelina was quite safe inside Villa Ballarat,
and the house was being watched.
I lighted a cigar, and gave myself up to thinking over the day's events.
I had been successful in everything, and yet I felt far from satisfied;
it must have been due to a certain feeling of pity for poor Evelina, and
the concern it would occasion her master and mistress. Or--?
If you believe in presentiment, or that great misfortunes--without our
being able to divine the cause--throw their shadows before, you will
have to attribute it to such a cause. But enough,--I felt unwell and
depressed, and when I had lain down it was a long time before I went to
sleep.
*CHAPTER VIII*
*THE ARREST*
"The actor has vanished, sir!"
These were the words with which I was awakened at seven o'clock next
morning.
Before the bed stood my trusty constable, Kolstad, with a face
considerably longer than usual.
"What do you say? Have you let him slip through your fingers? That was
a--"
"Yes; but who could possibly imagine that--"
"All right, go into the next room a bit and get yourself a cup of
coffee; I shall make haste and get dressed, and then we can talk it
over."
It was not long before I had finished dressing and was ready to continue
the discussion.
My landlady had in the meanwhile tried to serve the worthy officer with
a good breakfast, but disappointment had evidently taken away his
appetite; it was impossible to get him to continue his meal after my
appearance.
"It is just as well that I give my report at once, sir, and tell you how
shamefully I have been made a fool of. Yes; that such a pomatummed
lady-killer should befool me--I who have been in the service of the
police these twenty-seven years!"
"Don't trouble yourself about that, Kolstad," I said reassuringly, for
the man was so excited that he apparently had some difficulty in
explaining himself; "we shall soon get hold of him, if we want him. I
am sure it is not your fault that he has disappeared temporarily: have
another cup of coffee, and let us hear about it."
"No, thanks, no more coffee; but here is the report, sir. You remember
that it was yesterday, at dinner time, that I got orders to watch the
actor and arrest him if he should try and leave the town? Well, it was
not difficult to keep my eye on him for the first few hours, for he was
sitting in a room on the first floor of the Tivoli Restaurant, together
with eight or ten other actors and actresses. They had the best dinner
one could get and drank so much champagne that it was simply disgusting
to see all the empty bottles being taken out--I know the head waiter
there, you see, and went and spoke to him while the carousing was going
on. Frederiksen paid for it all."
"You are sure it was he who paid?"
"Yes, that I am; the head waiter showed me the bill: it was 142 kroners.
By that I knew, sir, that you, as usual, were on the right track. If
only I had not been so stupid, well--you must excuse me, sir, if I am a
little excited--it is the first time it has ever happened to me
that--but--"
"Now, now, let us come to the point, my good Kolstad," I answered, with
assumed severity, as the best means of "bringing him to."
It helped, for he pulled himself together, and from then on he did not
attempt to diverge from the dry style of an ordinary report.
"Well, sir, I telephoned to the station for assistance, and got one of
our new men. We took it in turn to keep watch while the actors were
eating and drinking. After dinner they had coffee and all kinds of
liquors, and went on like that until six o'clock in the evening. Then
Frederiksen went home to No. 44 Russeloek Street, and there he remained
till nine o'clock. He must have slept during that time, for he looked
quite sober when he came out again, and he had been not a little muddled
when he got home after the carousal at the Tivoli. He had a large
hand-bag in his hand, but no other luggage. He wore the same clothes he
had had on in the afternoon."
"Was the hand-bag new?"
"Yes, it was brand new; and now you shall hear how sly the fellow was.
"He went up to the cab-stand at the corner of Drammen Road, and there he
took a carriage. I and the young officer took another carriage and
drove after him. Whether he knew that any one was following him or not,
I can't say. We were obliged to keep a little behind, so that he should
not be suspicious.
"He drove to the Victoria Hotel, and there we saw him go in at the door,
and the carriage drive away empty. Soon after I went in and asked the
porter what was the name of the gentleman who had just entered the
hotel, and what room he had obtained. The porter, who was a new man and
not one of my acquaintances, answered that the servant was just then
upstairs with the visitor's book, but that the new arrival had taken
room No. 47. He had not said anything about how long he intended to
remain, or anything of significance.
"Now, for the time being, I felt entirely sure of my bird. After
telling him who I was, I got the porter to promise to telephone to me if
the stranger should be getting ready to leave; then I set my young
officer to watch outside, and went home to take a nap.
"It was just about half-past ten when the porter rang up and said that
the gentleman in No. 47 had just ordered a carriage, as he was going by
the midnight train to Sweden. As you know, sir, the train goes eleven
five, so I had only just time to dress and go to the station; but I was,
of course, sure that the young officer would follow the actor so that we
could arrest him together. I got to the station seven minutes before
eleven; but there was no sign of the actor or the officer.
"A minute before the train started, I went for the last time through all
the carriages and had a railway official with me. There was not a sign
of the actor! In the first class there sat only one personage. It was
Mr. D----, the ambassador from Paris, said the official. I went in and
looked at him--yes, quite right, it was he."
"Do you know the ambassador, then?"
"Yes, of course, I know him by sight; it is he who is so like Peer Gynt
on the stage,--not, perhaps, in the beginning of the piece, but in the
third and fourth acts."
I couldn't help laughing. "There, you see, Kolstad! it's not an easy
thing to have to do with an actor. It was just by playing his old role
of Peer Gynt in the fourth act that the actor made a fool of you!"
"Yes, of course it was; but who the devil could imagine--"
"No, you are right there; but how was it that your assistant didn't
follow him from the hotel?"
"Well, it happened like this. The constable saw a servant beckoning for
a carriage from the stand. He went up to the servant and asked who was
going away. It was Mr. D----, the ambassador, he answered, and when the
constable saw a fine old gentleman with grey whiskers step into the
carriage he suspected nothing, but continued to keep his watch outside,
as before."
"That is all right, so far; but I can't understand that the man's
hand-bag did not betray him. Both you and your assistant knew it well.
Besides, it seems to me that the porter must have been astonished to see
a young, smooth-shaven man come into the hotel, and then leave it as a
'fine old gentleman,' as you say, 'with grey whiskers.'"
"Yes; but I have not yet told you all, sir. You shall hear how clever
the rascal was. Inside the large hand-bag which he carried, he had
another suit, a false beard, and all his apparatus, besides a smaller
travelling bag to carry in the hand. It was in the carriage that he
transformed himself into an ambassador; the hood was well pulled down,
as it rained a little. The hotel porter had, therefore, only seen him
as the elderly gentleman the whole time; and we, who only saw him step
out of the carriage with his back toward us, several hundreds of yards
off, could have no idea that he had thus changed his appearance. It did
not enter into our minds to ask the porter about the appearance of the
man whom we had followed the whole time."
"But the large hand-bag?"
"Well, he let that remain in the carriage, and gave the coachman orders
to take it back to his lodgings early to-day. I got hold of the driver
at last, and heard how all had happened. He himself thought it was a
little strange that the man should disguise himself during the drive;
but as far as I could understand, he was a little tipsy on this
occasion, and as he got two kroners as a tip he presumed it was no
business of his. Now you know all, sir, and can see how cleverly I was
taken in by that vagabond of an actor; only--"
I did not let him dilate further upon this subject, but sent him away.
I had heard enough.
It will also be sufficient for this narrative, if I explain that the
actor, on the same day, after telegraphic instructions from us, was
arrested at Gothenburg, where he arrived next morning, and that he, when
arrested, was only in possession of a very small sum of money. He was
taken back to Christiania, and it was soon ascertained that he had been
or was engaged to Evelina. Also, that the day before his journey he had
been very flush with his money; but it was impossible to prove any
complicity in the theft, and he was set free in a few days, with the
warning not to leave town, as he would have to appear as witness at the
trial of Evelina Reierson.
* * * * *
In the meantime I must return to my account of what happened later on
that day, which began with the melancholy apparition of the disappointed
constable beside my bed.
As I have already stated, it was my intention to have Evelina arrested
that day. There was no longer anything to wait for after the actor had
disappeared; and when I, in addition, received information from one of
my men that she had left Villa Ballarat to visit her mother, I decided
to avail myself of the opportunity. As before mentioned, I wished to
prevent the arrest taking place at old Frick's.
I have no liking for this sort of work, but this time I decided to take
it in hand myself, for several reasons.
It appeared to me, beyond all doubt, that Evelina's motive for the
robbery must be sought for in her relations to the actor. In any case,
I felt she deserved some pity, and I wished therefore to make the arrest
myself in order that it might be effected as gently and considerately as
possible.
It occurred to me to be quite likely that the mother might be an
accomplice, or in any case be cognizant of the crime and the place where
Jurgens's money was to be found. To get hold of this was now my chief
aim, and I hoped to take the woman by surprise and get her to reveal it.
It was not later than nine o'clock in the morning when I drove to
Russeloek Street with a policeman in plain clothes.
We told the driver to wait outside the gate; the constable remained
behind in the yard, and I went up alone.
I stopped outside Mrs. Reierson's door and listened. I heard voices
within, but very indistinctly. As I opened the door, I saw the first
room was empty; then I heard the voices still more plainly in the inner
room, although the door was shut.
"You should have done as your mother told you, you unlucky child; then
we should have been able to take things as easy as any one--but--"
It was Mrs. Reierson's shrill angry voice. It was interrupted by a
sound of suppressed sobbing, and then by a youthful voice rendered
hoarse by passion and sorrow. I stepped nearer to the door and
listened, although the task before me was most repulsive to my feelings.
"Don't talk to me any more, mother! you know that what you wanted me to
do I could never have done, never in this world! and what I already have
done cannot now be undone--I have nothing more to do now but to put an
end to myself--if only I had the strength to--"
Here the unhappy girl's words were interrupted by loud sobbing, and some
angry exclamations from her mother.
Soon after the door was opened, and the ugly old woman appeared in the
doorway, while her daughter could be seen lying across the bed with her
head buried in the pillows.