A STRANGE REQUEST.
Before Jen had time to inquire the meaning of David's strange
exclamation, the young man had turned on his heel and was walking
rapidly back to the house. Surprised by this behavior, and suspicious
of its reason, the major called out to him to stop; but without taking
any notice the young man increased his pace, and was soon lost to
sight. Still marveling, Jen went after him, and on entering the
library found that only Arkel was present.
"Where is Dr. Etwald?" demanded the major, anxiously.
"He went upstairs a few minutes ago to see your servant," replied the
inspector, rising.
"Alone, Mr. Arkel?"
"Why no, major. Mr. Sarby was with him."
Jen started. Evidently David had returned before him in order to see
Etwald, and to gain private speech with the doctor, had conducted him
to Jaggard's sick-room. For the moment Jen--still suspicious of
Sarby's behavior--had it in his mind to follow; but a few minutes of
reflection convinced him that this was unnecessary. David did not know
all the conversation which had taken place between himself and
Isabella, therefore he could inform Etwald of nothing new. But,
indeed, the major wondered why David wished to speak privately with
the doctor. It looked, to his mind, as though the two men were in
league.
"I'll find out what it all means after I have had speech with Arkel,"
said Jen to himself. "The doctor cannot escape me, and if David has an
understanding with him, I'll force them both to confess. There can be
no harm in leaving them together for a few minutes."
In this Jen was wrong, but, as he was only an amateur detective, he
cannot be blamed very severely for his negligence at this particular
moment. He acted--as he thought--for the best, and therefore hastened
to explain to Arkel the position of affairs before the return of Dr.
Etwald. Afterward, when the matter of the accusation and arrest were
settled, he intended to have speech with David, and insist upon an
explanation of the young man's mysterious behavior. Thus did the
situation present itself to his inexperienced eyes.
"Well, never mind Dr. Etwald just now," he said aloud, pointing to a
chair. "He has his duties to perform, and I have mine. Sit down, Mr.
Arkel. I suppose you wonder why I have sent for you?"
"Well; no, major. I presume it is in connection with the case."
"You are right. I wish to know if you have discovered anything new."
"Yes. Your messenger, Battersea, was wandering about your grounds on
that night."
"Battersea!" cried Jen, thunderstruck. "Did he see the body carried
off?"
"He did not see it taken out of the house," explained Arkel, referring
to some notes which he held in his hand, "but he saw it put into the
carriage."
"A carriage?"
"Yes, which was waiting in the winding lane at the foot of your
grounds. Two people carried the body between them--a man and a
woman--but Battersea cannot give me their names."
"I can, however," said Jen, grimly. "Oh, it is just as I thought."
"What are the names, major?" asked Arkel, anxiously.
"I'll give you the names later on, Mr. Inspector. In the meantime, be
good enough to conclude your report of Battersea's confession. It
interests me deeply."
"I thought it would," replied Arkel, with a look of satisfaction.
"Well, Battersea wondered at the body being put into the
carriage--"
"Did he know that it was Alymer's corpse?" interrupted Jen, sharply.
"He guessed as much from the circumstance that the body was carried
through your grounds to the lane where the carriage was waiting. You
know, major, that this tramp is rather stupid, and it is not an easy
thing for him to put two and two together."
"On this occasion, however, he discovered that they made four,"
replied the major, dryly. "Well, the man and the woman put the body
into the carriage--a closed carriage, I suppose?"
"Yes," assented Arkel, with a nod, "a brougham."
"A doctor's brougham?"
"What," cried the inspector, with a look of surprise, "has the scamp
told you?"
"He has told me nothing. Please go on."
"Well," said Arkel, making his invariable beginning, "when the body
was placed in the carriage and the door closed, the woman went away."
"In what direction?"
"She returned through your grounds, but where she went Battersea does
not know."
"I do, however," muttered Jen, divining that Dido had taken the usual
route back to "The Wigwam."
"And the man?"
"He mounted the carriage-box and drove off. It appears that there was
no coachman."
"I don't wonder at that," rejoined the major. "This precious pair were
afraid to trust their infernal secret to a third party. No doubt the
horse, being quiet, was left to stand in the deep shadow of the lane,
while the robbers stole the corpse. However, I understand. The woman
went away, the man mounted the box, and I suppose, drove off with the
corpse."
"Also with Battersea," added Arkel, with a significant smile. "It
seems that the tramp wished to see the end of this singular adventure,
or, no doubt, he wished to make money out of it."
"By blackmailing? I see. I suppose he hung on behind."
"Yes; like a street arab. He was one, once, you know, major, and has
not forgotten his early habits. Well, he was driven with the carriage
to Deanminster."
"Quite so, and into that gloomy courtyard which surrounds the house of
Dr. Etwald," added Major Jen, with a satisfied smile, "Battersea saw
the doctor take the body out of the carriage and carry it into the
house. Then, on his return--Etwald's I mean--he unharnessed the horse
and put it into the stable; also the carriage into the coach-house. Is
that not so, Mr. Arkel?"
"Battersea told you," stammered Arkel, amazed at his insight.
"I assure you he told me nothing. But I am as clever as Battersea, and
can put two and two together. Next day Battersea went to Etwald, did
he not, and tried to blackmail him, but this clever doctor compelled
him to keep silent."
"It's all quite true," assented the inspector, thunderstruck; "though
how you guessed it all I cannot say. But, as you know so much, perhaps
you can tell me one thing more, which bothers me not a little. How did
Dr. Etwald compel Battersea to keep silence?"
"Very easily," said Jen, with a shrug. "Battersea is half negro. The
black race adore the Voodoo stone, of which Dr. Etwald is the
possessor. Etwald simply threatened Battersea with the vengeance of
the Voodoo stone if he spoke. Therefore, he held his tongue, and was
forced to confess all this only by your threatening to have him
arrested as the murderer of Mr. Alymer.
"I did threaten him; but how you know--"
"I know a great many things, Mr. Inspector. For instance, I know that
the woman who assisted Dr. Etwald to steal the body is Dido, the
negress of Mrs. Dallas; also that Dr. Etwald is a murderer as well as
a thief."
"Heavens! If I had only known that I would have had the warrant
altered."
"What!" cried Jen, with an expression of ferocious joy lighting up his
face, "you have a warrant for the arrest of Etwald?"
"Yes, but on the charge of stealing the body only. I took it out after
hearing the evidence of the tramp, Battersea."
"Very good. Then you can take out a warrant for his arrest as a
murderer, after hearing my evidence."
"Can you prove him guilty?"
Jen rose to his feet and stretched out one hand toward Arkel.
"I swear, on my sacred honor, that Maurice Alymer was killed by Max
Etwald!"
At this moment the door of the library opened slowly, and Dr. Etwald,
calm and composed, appeared on the threshold. Behind him, over his
shoulder, peered the pale countenance of David. From the ironical look
on the doctor's face it would appear that he had overheard the
accusation of the major, and was prepared to treat it with contempt.
That such was the case appeared by the first words which issued from
his mouth as he faced his accuser.
"I hear the name of Max Etwald coupled with the crime of murder. Is
this the way you treat your guests, major?"
"You are not my guest," retorted Jen, furiously.
"No; rather your victim, seeing that you have lured me into a trap. It
was not to see Jaggard that you asked me here; but rather to force
me--if you can--into confessing that I am guilty of a triple crime."
"You make one slight mistake, sir," said Jen, coldly. "I accuse you of
two crimes, not of three."
"Ah, you are lenient," replied Etwald, a shade of surprise passing
over his features, a surprise which was reflected in the agitated face
of David Sarby.
"Well, sir, let me hear of what I am accused."
With the utmost coolness he entered the room and sat down in a chair
near Arkel. The inspector, with his hand in his breast-pocket,
fingered the warrant, but did not deem it wise to execute it until he
had heard what proof the major possessed against Etwald for the murder
of Maurice Alymer. David sat down near the door, and followed every
movement of the scene which ensued with keen eyes. Thus, three of the
occupants of the room were seated--Sarby, Arkel, and Etwald. Only one
man stood up--Major Jen--and he stood as the accuser.
"Dr. Etwald," said the major, with great calmness and deliberation,
"you are a clever and ambitious man, who wishes to make his way in the
world, but has hitherto failed to do so for lack of money. To procure
money for your experiments in chemistry, you would do anything--even
marry a rich woman!"
"Or murder the man formerly engaged to her," retorted Etwald, with a
pale smile. "Go on. Major Jen, I see the mark you are aiming at."
"You found this rich match here," resumed Jen, without noticing the
interruption, "in the person of Miss Dallas, already engaged to the
late Mr. Alymer."
"And also loved by Mr. Sarby," said the doctor, coolly.
"We will come to that later on, if you please," said the major, making
a gesture to David to be silent. "You loved her and wanted your rival,
Mr. Alymer, out of the way. To do so you had my devil-stick stolen."
"Ho, ho; and by whom?"
"By Mrs. Dallas!"
"Mrs. Dallas?" cried David, starting from his seat. "Did she steal the
devil-stick?"
"It would seem so from this veracious history the major is telling us,
said Etwald, with irony.
"Mrs. Dallas stole the devil-stick," resumed Jen, imperturbably, "and
gave it to Dido, who, by your directions, filled it with fresh poison.
Dido gave the newly-prepared weapon of death to you, and with it you
killed my poor boy at the very gates of the girl he loved."
"Really!" said Etwald, with pointed satire. "Was I as cruel as that!"
"Afterward you stole the body of the man you murdered. Dido helped you
to do so, and drugged my servant, Jaggard, with the perfume of the
devil-stick poison, in order that the theft might be carried out with
safety."
"It would seem that Dido has a great deal to do with these matters,"
said Etwald, looking up to the roof.
"She has everything to do with them. She will be brought up against
you as a witness."
"Indeed! Then it appears that I am to be arrested."
"I can answer that," broke in Arkel, amazed at the self-possession of
the man. "I have here a warrant to arrest you for stealing the body of
Maurice Alymer."
Etwald glanced over the warrant and smiled.
"How can you prove that I did so?" he demanded.
"By the evidence of the tramp Battersea."
"Battersea!" repeated the doctor, and for the first time he frowned.
"Yes. He saw you place the body in your brougham, with the assistance
of Dido. He followed you to Deanminster, and saw you take the body
into your house."
"Really! But all this evidence is circumstantial. Have you searched my
house?"
"We intend doing so."
"I am afraid you will have your trouble for nothing," rejoined Etwald,
coolly. "Moreover, you can't arrest me without actual proof."
"I can arrest you on suspicion," said Arkel, rising with his warrant,
"and I arrest you now in the Queen's name."
"On what charge?"
"On the charge of stealing the body of Maurice Alymer."
"Oh, then," said Etwald, turning toward Jen, "I am not to be accused
of the murder."
"Later on, my friend Cain," said the major, grimly. "You will have
quite enough to do to save your neck from the halter."
"I am afraid so, indeed, major, therefore I must have assistance.
There is nothing like being provided in time with counsel for the
defense; therefore, I must ask Mr. David Sarby to defend me from these
absurd charges."
"I!" cried David, starting up with pale cheeks. "I defend you!"
"Assuredly," replied Etwald, fixing a piercing glance on the young
man. "Do you refuse?"
"Of course he does," cried Jen, wrathfully.
David raised his head and looked at the major, at the doctor, at the
inspector.
"No," he said in a firm voice to all three. "I accept. I shall defend
Max Etwald."