WHAT KITTY KNEW.
The trio soon arrived at Kitty's house, and Ezra was just about to
ring the front-door bell, when suddenly Naball touched his arm to stop
him.
"Hist!" he said in a quick whisper; "listen."
A woman's voice, talking in a high key, and then the deep tones of a
man's voice, like the growl of an angry beast.
"What did I tell you?" whispered Naball again. "Villiers and Caprice,
both in the drawing-room; wait a moment, count twenty, and then ring
the bell."
He stepped round the corner of the porch, stepped stealthily on to the
verandah, and then stole softly towards one of the French windows in
order to listen. He was correct in his surmise; the two speakers were
Kitty Marchurst and Randolph Villiers.
"You'd better give me what I ask," growled Villiers in a threatening
tone, "or I'll go straight and tell how you were at Lazarus's on the
night of the murder."
"Perhaps you'll tell I killed him?" said Caprice, with a sneer.
"Perhaps I will," retorted Villiers; "there's no knowing."
"There's this much knowing," said Kitty deliberately, "that I won't
give you a single penny. If I am called on to explain my movements, I
can't do so; but it will be the worse for you, it will place--"
At this moment the bell rang, and Caprice started in alarm.
"Hush," she cried, advancing towards Villiers; "come to me again. I
must not be seen talking with you here. Go away--not by the door," she
said, with an angry stamp of her foot as Villiers went towards the
door; "by the window--no one will see you."
Villiers moved towards the French window, opened it, and was just
about to step out when Naball stepped forward.
"I'm afraid some one will," he said serenely, pushing Villiers back
into the room, and closing the window.
"Naball!" cried Kitty and Villiers in a breath.
"Exactly," replied that gentleman, taking a chair. "I've come to have
a talk with you both."
"How dare you force your way into my house?" cried Kitty angrily,
while Villiers stood looking sullenly at the detective.
"It's about the diamond robbery," went on Naball, as if he never heard
her.
"Leave the house," she cried, stamping her foot.
"And about the murder," he finished off, looking from one to the
other.
Kitty glanced at Villiers, who looked at her with a scowl, and sank
into a chair. Just as he did so, the drawing-room door opened, and
Eugénie entered, followed by Ezra Lazarus.
"I don't understand the meaning of all this," said Caprice, with a
sneer; "but you seem to have a good idea of dramatic effect."
"Perhaps so," replied Naball lazily. Kitty shrugged her shoulders and
turned to Eugénie.
"Perhaps you can explain all this, Miss Rainsford?" she said coolly.
"Yes," answered Eugénie slowly; "it's about Mr. Stewart. You know he
has been arrested for this murder?"
"Know," repeated Kitty impatiently, "of course, I know. I'm sure I
ought to--morn, noon and night I've heard nothing else. I don't know
how it will affect the piece, I'm sure."
"Never mind the piece," said Ezra, a trifle sternly. "I don't mind
that, as long as I save my friend."
"I hope you will," said Caprice heartily. "I am certain he never
committed the crime. What do you say?" turning to the detective.
"I'm beginning to be of your opinion," replied Naball candidly. "I did
think him guilty once," fixing his eyes on Villiers, "but now I don't."
"What about the knife I gave you?" asked Villiers abruptly.
"Ah!" said Naball musingly, "what, indeed."
"I found it on the scene of the crime," said Villiers in a defiant
manner.
"So you said."
"Don't you believe me?"
"Humph!"
At this ambiguous murmur Villiers gave a savage growl, and would have
replied, but Kitty stopped him by waving her hand.
"It's no good talking like this," she said quickly. "There is some
reason for you all coming here; what is it?"
"I'll tell you," said Naball in a sharp official tone. "Do you
remember the diamond robbery at this place? Well, those diamonds were
sold to old Lazarus, and he sent them to Amsterdam for sale. The
person who stole those diamonds thought they were still in the safe of
Jacob Lazarus; and the person who stole those diamonds murdered Jacob
Lazarus to recover them."
He finished triumphantly, and then waited to see what effect his
accusation would have on Kitty. To his astonishment, however, she
never moved a muscle of her face, but asked calmly,--
"And who is the thief and the murderer?"
"That's what I want to find out."
"Naturally; but why come to me?"
"Because, you know."
"I!" she cried, rising to her feet in anger. "I know nothing."
"Yes, you do, and so does Villiers there," persisted Naball.
Villiers glanced strangely at Kitty, and growled sullenly.
"Now, look here Miss Marchurst," said Naball rapidly, "it's no use
beating about the bush--I know more than you think. You denied that
you stole your own jewels, but I know you did, in order to pay the
money embezzled by Malton. Lazarus's boy saw you go to his place
during the week of the robbery, late at night. You did so in order to
dispose of the jewels. The crescent I took from Villiers down Bourke
Street was given to him by you as an accomplice; and I listened at
that window to-day and heard Villiers say you were on the Russell
Street premises on the night of the murder. Now, what do you say?"
Kitty, still on her feet, was deadly pale, but looked rapidly at
Naball.
"You have made up a very clever case," she said quietly; "but entirely
wrong--yes, entirely. I did not take my own jewels, as I told you
before, therefore I was unable to pay the money for Mr. Malton. I did
go to see Lazarus one night during the week of the robbery, in order
to get some money, but was unable to do so. I never gave the crescent
to Villiers, as he will tell you; and lastly, as you overheard him
state, I was at Lazarus's on the night of the murder, but did not
think it necessary to state so. I went there after I left the Bon-Bon,
and made no secret of my doing so, as my coachman can inform you. I
found the door locked, and no light inside, so thinking the old man
had gone to bed, I came away, and went home; so, you see, your very
clever case means nothing."
"Is this true?" asked Naball, turning to Villiers.
"Is what true?" asked that gentleman angrily.
"What she says."
"Some of it. Well, yes, most of it."
"You'd better go a little further," said Kitty quietly, "and say all
of it. Did I give you the diamond crescent?"
"No, you didn't."
"Then, who did?" asked Naball pertinaciously.
"I sha'n't tell you," growled Villiers.
"Oh, yes, you will," said the detective, "because if you know who
stole the diamonds, you know the murderer of Lazarus."
"No, I don't," retorted Villiers savagely. "I tell you I saw her round
about the place on that night, and I picked up the knife I gave you;
that's all I know."
"Humph! we'll see about that."
"You are sure that the person who stole the diamonds committed the
crime?" asked Caprice, with a strange smile on her pale lips.
"Well, I'm pretty sure; it looks uncommon like it."
"And you think I stole the diamonds?"
"Yes," retorted Naball bluntly; "I believe you did."
"In that case, by your own reasoning, I'm a murderess," said Caprice.
"I don't say that," said the detective; "but I believe you know who
did it," looking significantly at Villiers.
"I'm afraid your reasonings and your assertions are at variance," said
Kitty quietly. "I don't know who committed the murder, but I do know
who stole my diamonds."
"Who?" asked Ezra, in an excited tone.
"Keith Stewart!"
"Keith Stewart!" echoed all; "impossible!"
Eugénie stepped forward with a frown on her pale face, and looked at
Kitty.
"I don't believe it," she said, "and you are a wicked woman to say
so."
"Unfortunately, it's true," replied Caprice, with a sigh. "I have
kept the secret as long as I could, but now it's impossible to do
so any longer. Keith Stewart was at my place on the night of the
robbery, and heard me say where my diamonds were. He was coming to the
drawing-room, and saw my child descending the stairs, having got out
of bed. He picked her up, and put her in bed again. The temptation was
too strong to resist, I suppose, and he opened the drawer of the
mirror, and took the jewels. He then got out of the window, and came
round by the front of the house so as to enter by the front-door. Meg
was awake all the time, and told it to me in her childish way, how he
had gone to the window and got out of it. I told her not to speak of
it, and kept silence."
"Why did you keep silence?" asked Naball.
"Why," cried Kitty, her face flushing with anger, "because he saved my
child from death. He might have stolen anything of mine, but I would
have kept silent, nor would I have betrayed him now but that you
accuse me of murder."
There was a dead silence in the room, as every one was touched by the
way in which Kitty spoke. Then Villiers gave a coarse laugh.
"Ha! ha!" he said harshly; "you said, Naball, that the person who
stole the diamonds committed the murder also, so you've got the right
man in gaol."
Naball cast a look of commiseration at Eugénie, and said nothing.
"Wait a moment," cried Ezra, stepping forward, "we've got to find the
stolen bank-notes first. I don't believe Keith Stewart committed such
a base crime; he is no murderer."
"No," cried Eugénie, springing to her feet; "nor is he a thief. I will
prove his innocence."
"I'm afraid that's difficult," said Naball reflectively; "things look
black against him."
"Of course they do," said Villiers coarsely. "Who knows he is
innocent?"
Eugénie stepped in front of the ruffian, and raised her hand to the
ceiling.
"There is One who knows he is innocent--God."