A STARTLING CLUE
Once clear of the Albert Gate mansion, the barrister was bound to
confess to a sense of indefiniteness, a feeling of uncertainty which
seldom characterised either his thoughts or his actions. He admitted as
much to his companion, for Brett was a man who would not consent to pose
under any circumstances.
"It is quite true," he explained, "that our first duty must be to find
Mr. Talbot, and it is still more certain that we will be able to
accomplish that part of our task; but there are elements in this inquiry
which baffle me at present."
"And what are they, sir?" said the detective.
"I fail to see why Mr. Talbot was dragged into the matter at all. On the
straightforward assumption that Turks were engaged in the pleasant
occupation of taking other Turks' lives--an assumption to which, by the
way, I attach no great amount of credence--why did they not allow Mr.
Talbot to go quietly to his own home? It was not that they feared more
speedy discovery of their crime. The hour was then late; it was
tolerably certain that he would make no move which might prove injurious
to them until next morning, and then the whole affair was bound to be
discovered by the police in the ordinary course of events."
"I don't quite follow you, sir," said Winter, with a puzzled tone in his
voice. They had, for the sake of quietude, turned into the Park, and
were now walking towards Hyde Park Corner. "What do you mean by saying
that Mr. Talbot would make no move in the matter until next morning?"
"Oh, I forgot," said Brett. "Of course, you don't know why the diamonds
were stolen?"
"For the same reason that all other diamonds are stolen, I suppose."
"Oh, dear no," laughed the barrister. "This is a political crime."
"Political!" said the amazed policeman.
"Well, we won't quarrel about words, and as there are perhaps no
politics in Turkey, we will call it dynastic or any other loud-voiced
adjective which serves to take it out of the category of simple felony.
Why? I cannot at this moment tell you, but you may be perfectly certain
that the disappearance of those diamonds from the custody of Mehemet Ali
Pasha will not cause the Sultan to sleep any more soundly."
"What beats me, Mr. Brett," said the detective, viciously prodding the
gravel path with his stick, "is how you ferret out these queer
facts--fancies some people would call them, as I used to do until I knew
you better."
"In this case it is simple enough. By mere chance I happened to read
this morning that there had been some little domestic squabble in royal
circles at Constantinople. I don't know whether you are acquainted with
Turkish history, Mr. Winter, but it is a well-recognised principle that
any Sultan is liable to die of diseases which are weird and painfully
sudden; for instance, the last one is popularly supposed to have
plunged a long sharp scissors into his jugular vein; others drank coffee
that disagreed with them, or smoked cigarettes too highly perfumed. In
any case, the invariable result of these eccentricities has been that a
fresh Sultan occupied the throne. Now, don't forget that I am simply
theorising, for I know no more of this business than you do at this
moment, but I still think that you will find some connection between my
theory and that which has actually occurred. At any rate, I have said
sufficient to prove to you the importance of not being too ready to make
arrests."
"I quite see that," was the thoughtful rejoinder. "But you must not
forget, sir, that we in Scotland Yard are bound by rules of procedure.
Perhaps you will not mind my suggesting that a word from you to the
Foreign Office might induce the authorities to communicate officially
with the Home Department, and then instructions could be issued to the
police which would leave the matter a little more open than we are able
to regard it under the existing conditions."
"I will see to that," said the barrister. "When does the inquest take
place?"
"This evening at six."
"It will be adjourned, of course?"
"Oh, yes; no evidence will be given beyond that necessary for purposes
of identification, and this can be supplied by the police themselves and
an official from the Turkish Embassy."
"Very well. You will mention to no one the theory I have just explained
to you?"
"Not if you wish it, sir."
"I do wish it at present. Which way are you going?"
"Straight to the Yard."
"In that case I will accompany you a portion of the distance."
They had now reached Hyde Park Corner, and, hailing a hansom, Brett told
the driver to stop outside the Carlton Hotel. The man whipped up his
horse and drove in the direction of Constitution Hill, evidently
intending to avoid the congested traffic of Piccadilly and take the
longer, but more pleasant, route through the Green Park and the Mall.
"By the way," said Brett, "did the driver of the hansom which conveyed
Mr. Talbot and his companion from Albert Gate on Monday night tell you
which road he followed?"
"Yes," said the detective, "he went this way."
Brett rubbed his hands, with a queer expression of thoughtful pleasure
on his keen face.
"Ah," he said, "I like that. It is well to be on the scent."
He did not explain to his professional _confrère_ that it was a positive
stimulant to his abounding energy and highly-strung nerves to find that
he was actually following the path taken by the criminal whom he was
pursuing. The mere fact lent reality to the chase. For a mile, at any
rate, there could be no mistake, though he might expect a check at the
Carlton. Arrived there, Brett alighted.
"Are you going to make any inquiries in the hotel, sir?" said Mr.
Winter.
"Why should I?" said Brett. "You have already ascertained from the
management that no person even remotely resembling any of the parties
concerned is staying at the hotel."
"Yes, confound it, I know I did," cried the other, "but I never told you
so."
"That is all right," laughed Brett. "Come and see me at my chambers
this evening when the inquest is finished. Perhaps by that time we may
be able to determine our plan of action."
Once left to himself, Brett did not enter the hotel. Indeed, he hardly
glanced at that palatial structure, having evidently dismissed it from
his mind as being in no way connected with the tragedy he was
investigating. He made it an invariable rule in conducting inquiries of
this nature to adopt the French method of "reconstituting" the incidents
of a crime, so far as such a course was possible in the absence of the
persons concerned. He reasoned that a very plausible explanation of the
unexpected appearance of the three strangers in the Albert Gate mansion
on Monday night had been given to Jack Talbot. This young gentleman, it
might be taken for granted, had not been selected by the Foreign Office
to carry to a successful issue such an important and delicate matter as
that entrusted to him, without some good grounds for the faith in his
qualities exhibited by his superiors. Brett thought he could understand
the brother's character and attributes from his favourable analysis of
the sister, and it was quite reasonable, therefore, to believe that
Talbot was a man not likely to be easily duped. The principals in this
crime were evidently well aware of the trust reposed in the Assistant
Under-Secretary, and they, again, would not underrate his intelligence.
Hence there was a good cause for Talbot to accept the explanations,
whatever they were, given him during the conclave in the dining-room;
the effect of which, in Inspector Sharpe's words, had been to "puzzle"
the young Englishman. Further, there must have been a very potent
inducement held out before Talbot would consent to drive off with a
stranger at such a late hour, and when the cab was dismissed at the
Carlton, the excuse given would certainly be quite feasible.
"It must surely be this," communed Brett. "The man explained that he was
a stranger in London, that he lived quite close to the Carlton Hotel,
and that he found it convenient not only for the purpose of giving
directions that would be understood, but also for paying fares, to
direct the drivers of hired vehicles to go there and not to his own
exact address, which he had found by experience many of them did not
recognize, whilst his knowledge of the language was not ample enough to
enable him to describe the locality more precisely. It follows, then, in
unerring sequence that Talbot was conveyed to some place within a very
short distance of the spot where I now stand."
He looked along Pall Mall, up the Haymarket, and through Cockspur
Street, and he noted with some degree of curiosity that there were very
few residential buildings in the neighbourhood. Clubs, theatres, big
commercial establishments and insurance offices occupied the bulk of the
available space. It was a part of his theory that none of the other
great hotels in this district could harbour the criminals, otherwise
there would have been no excuse to stop the hansom outside the Carlton.
Brett did not take long to make up his mind once he had decided upon a
definite course. He stood at the corner barely three minutes, and then
walked off through Pall Mall and down the steps near the Duke of York's
Column into the Horse Guards' Parade, intending to walk quietly to his
Victoria Street flat. A call at the Foreign Office procured him an
official authorization from the Under-Secretary to inquire into the
circumstances of Talbot's disappearance and a promise that the Home
Office should be communicated with.
He desired to review the whole of the circumstances attending this
strange mystery of modern life, and the result of his reflections
quickly became apparent when he reached his residence, for in the first
instance he despatched a telegram, and then made several notes in his
private diary.
The telegram, in due course, produced an elderly pensioned police
inspector, a quiet reserved man, whom the barrister had often employed.
He explained briefly the circumstances attending Mr. Talbot's
disappearance, and added--
"I want you to find out the names, and if possible the
business--together with any other information you may happen to come
across--of every person who lives within a distance, roughly speaking,
of two hundred yards from the Carlton Hotel. The Post Office Directory
and your own observation will narrow down the inquiry considerably. It
is the unrecorded balance of inhabitants with whom I am particularly
anxious to become more definitely acquainted." The man saluted and
withdrew.
Brett imagined that he would now be left in undisputed enjoyment of a
few hours' rest before the Earl of Fairholme kept the appointment fixed
for seven o'clock. But in this he was mistaken.
Smith brought in some tea, which was refreshing after his walk, for the
engrossing nature of the morning's occupation caused him to forget his
lunch. A cigar and evening paper next claimed his attention, but he had
barely settled down to the perusal of a garbled account of events at
Albert Gate when his man again entered, announcing in mysterious tones
the presence of Mr. Winter. Smith's attitude towards the myrmidons of
Scotland Yard who occasionally visited the barrister on business, was
peculiar. He regarded them with suspicion, tempered by wholesome awe,
and he now made known the arrival of the detective in such a manner as
caused his master to laugh at him.
"Show him in, Smith," he said cheerily; "he has not come to arrest me
this time."
Winter entered, and a glance at his face brought Brett quickly to his
feet.
"What is the matter?" he cried when the door had closed behind the
servant. "You have received important news?"
"I should think I have," replied the detective, dropping into a seat. "I
was just writing a report in the Yard when I was sent for by the Chief,
and you could have knocked me down with a feather when I heard the
reason. I suppose I am acting rightly in coming at once to tell you,
although in my flurry at the time I quite forgot to ask the Chief's
permission, but as you are mixed up in the case at the request of the
Foreign Office, I thought you ought to learn what had happened."
"Well, what is it?" cried Brett, impatient of the other's careful
provisos.
"Simply this," said the detective. "Mr. Jack Talbot bolted from London
on Tuesday in company with a lady. They crossed over from Dover to
Calais by the midday boat, and went direct to Paris. Mr. Talbot calmly
booked rooms for himself and the girl in the Grand Hotel, had the nerve
to write 'Mr. and Mrs. Talbot, 118, Ulster Gardens, London, W.,' in the
register, and both of them disappeared forthwith. But we will soon lay
hands on the gentleman, no fear. I have somehow suspected, Mr. Brett,
that your notion of a political crime was all poppy-cock. It is a good
big brazen-faced steal."
"Is it?" said Brett, his face glistening with excitement at the
intelligence so suddenly conveyed to him. "Would you mind explaining to
me how this precious information reached you?"
"There is no use, sir, in fighting against facts," said the detective,
with dogged insistence. "This time you are dead wrong. Mr. Talbot was
recognized at Calais by a Foreign Office messenger returning from
France. Seeing him with a lady, and knowing that he was not married, the
messenger--Captain Gaultier by name--did not speak to him, especially as
Mr. Talbot seemed rather to avoid recognition. Captain Gaultier thought
nothing of the matter until this morning, when he visited the Foreign
Office on duty and heard something of the affair. He then saw the
Under-Secretary, the same gentleman who sent the Earl of Fairholme to
you, and told him what had happened. The Under-Secretary could hardly
refuse to believe such a credible witness, so telegrams were despatched
to the Embassy in Paris and the police at Dover. From Dover came the
information that exactly such a couple as described by Captain Gaultier
had crossed to France on Tuesday morning; and a few hours later a wire
from Paris announced the discovery of the registered names at the Grand
Hotel. The Paris telegram went on to say that the gentleman had told the
manager his luggage was following from the Gare du Nord, and that his
wife and himself were going out for half an hour, but would return in
time to dress for dinner. When his traps arrived they were to be taken
to his room. No luggage ever came, nor was either of the pair seen
again; but we will lay hands on them, never fear."
Brett took a hasty stride or two up and down the room.
"So you think," he burst forth at last, "that Mr. Talbot has not only
taken part in some vulgar intrigue with a woman, but that he has also
bolted with the Sultan's diamonds, sacrificing his whole career to a
momentary impulse and imperilling his neck for the sake of a few gems,
which he cannot even convert into money?"
"Why not? It is not the first time in the history of the world that a
man has made a fool of himself over a woman, or even committed a murder
in order to steal diamonds."
"My dear Winter, do be reasonable. Where is the market for diamonds such
as these are supposed to be? You know, even better than I do, that the
slightest attempt to dispose of them at any figure remotely approaching
their value will lead to the immediate detection and arrest of the
person rash enough to make the experiment. Don't you see, man, that the
Foreign Office and its messenger, its Under-Secretary, your
Commissioner, and the Embassy officials in Paris have been completely
and abjectly fooled--fooled, too, in a particularly silly fashion by the
needless registration of names at the hotel?"
"No, I do not see it. One cannot go against facts, but this time the
evidence looks so strong that I shall be mightily mistaken if Mr. Talbot
does not swing for his share in the matter. Anyhow, I have done my duty
in letting you know what has happened, so I must be off."
"To arrest somebody, of course?" cried Brett, with an irritating laugh;
but Mr. Winter was already hurrying down the stairs.
The momentary feeling of annoyance soon passed, to be succeeded by
profound pity for the household at 118, Ulster Gardens. He well knew
that once the police became convinced that a particular individual was
responsible for the commission of a crime it required the eloquence of
several counsel and the combined intelligence of a judge and jury at the
Old Bailey to force them to change their opinion. Brett had never, to
his knowledge, seen Talbot, yet he felt that this bright, alert and
trustworthy young official was innocent of the slightest voluntary
complicity in a crime which must shock London when its extent became
known.
The testimony of the Foreign Office messenger was, of course, staggering
at first sight, especially when backed up by the hurried investigations
made at Dover and Paris. But there must be an explanation of Talbot's
supposed journey, and, even assuming the most unfavourable view of his
actions, why on earth should he so ostentatiously parade himself and his
companion at the bureau of the Grand Hotel? There could be but one
answer to this question. He acted in this manner in order to make
certain that his presence in Paris should be known to the police at the
first instant they endeavoured to trace him. Then, who could the woman
be? The last thing that a clever criminal flying from outraged law would
dream of doing would be to encumber himself with a young and probably
good-looking companion of the opposite sex.
The more Brett thought out the complexities of the affair, the more
excited he became, and the longer and more rapid were his strides up and
down the length of his spacious sitting-room. This was his only outward
sign of agitation. When thinking deeply on any all-absorbing topic, he
could not remain still. He felt obliged to cast away physical as well as
mental restriction on the play of his imagination, and he would at times
pace back and forth during unrecorded hours in the solitude of his
apartments, finally awakening to a sense of his surroundings by reason
of sheer exhaustion.
He was not destined to reach this ultimate stage on the present
occasion. With a preliminary cough--for the discreet Smith was well
versed in his master's peculiarities--his servant announced the
appearance of the Earl of Fairholme.
Brett looked at his watch, and was caught in the act by his visitor.
"Yes, I know we fixed on seven o'clock," cried the impetuous young peer,
"but I was simply dying to hear the result of your inquiries thus far,
and I ventured to call an hour earlier."
The barrister explained that he sought to learn the time as a matter of
mere curiosity. "Indeed," he added, "your appearance at this juncture is
particularly welcome. I want to ask you many things concerning Mr.
Talbot."
"Fire away," said Fairholme. "I'm no good at spinning a yarn, but I can
answer questions like a prize boy in a Sunday-school."
"Well, in the first instance, have you known him many years?"
"We were at school together at Harrow. Then I entered the Army whilst he
had a University career. My trustees made me give up the Service when I
succeeded to the estates, and about the same time Jack entered the
Foreign Office. That is three years ago. We have seen each other
constantly since, and, of course, when I became engaged to his sister
our friendship became, if anything, stronger."
"Nothing could be more admirably expressed. Do you know anything about
his private affairs?"
"Financially, do you mean?"
"Well, yes, to begin with."
"He got a salary, I suppose, from Government, but he has a private
income of some thousands a year."
"Then he is not likely to be embarrassed for money?"
"Most unlikely. He is a particularly steady chap--full of eagerness to
follow a diplomatic career and that sort of thing. Why, he would sooner
read a blue-book than the _Pink 'Un_!"
"If you were told that he had bolted with a nondescript young woman,
what would you say?"
"Say!" vociferated Fairholme, springing up from the seat into which he
had subsided, "I would tell the man who said so that he was a d----d
liar!"
"Exactly. Of course you would! Yet here are all kinds of people--Foreign
Office officials, policemen, and hangers-on of the British Embassy in
Paris--ready to swear, perhaps to prove, if necessary, that Talbot and
some smartly-dressed female went to Paris quite openly by the day
service yesterday, and even took care to announce ostentatiously their
arrival in the French capital."
For a moment the two men faced each other silently, the one amused by
the news he was imparting, the other staggered by its seeming absurdity.
Then Fairholme flung himself back into his chair.
"Look here, Mr. Brett," he went on, "if Jack himself stood there and
told me that what you have said is true I would hardly believe it." A
note of agony came into his voice, as he added: "Do you know what this
means to his sister? My God, man, it will kill her!"
"It will do nothing of the sort," cried Brett. "Surely you understand
Miss Talbot better. She will be the first to proclaim to the world what
you and I believe, namely, that her brother is innocent, no matter how
black appearances may be. I have no knowledge of him save what I have
learned within the last few hours, yet I stake my reputation on the
certainty that he is in no way connected with this terrible occurrence
save by compulsion."
"It gives one renewed courage to hear you speak so confidently," said
the earl, his face lighting with enthusiasm as he looked eagerly at the
other, whose earnestness had, for an instant, lifted the veil from
features usually calm and impassive, betraying the strength of character
and masterful purpose that lay beneath the outward mask.
"Is there anything else I can tell you?" asked Fairholme.
"You are quite sure that his was a nature that could not stoop to a
vulgar intrigue?" said Brett. "Remember that in this relation the finest
natures are prone to err. From long experience, I have learnt to place
such slips in quite another category than mere lapses of criminality."
"Of course any man who knows the world must appreciate your reasons
fully, but from what I know of Jack I am persuaded the thing is quite
impossible. Even if it were otherwise, he would never be so mad as to go
off when he knew that something very unusual and important was about to
occur with reference to a special mission for the successful conclusion
of which he had been specially selected by the Foreign Office."
"Ah, there you touch on the strange happenings of coincidence.
Circumstantial evidence convicts many offenders, but it has hanged many
an innocent man before to-day. I could tell you a very remarkable case
in point. Once----"
But Smith appeared to announce dinner, and Brett not only insisted that
his new acquaintance should dine heartily, but also contrived to divert
him from present anxieties by drawing upon the rich storehouse of his
varied experiences.
The meal, therefore, passed pleasantly enough. Both men arranged to
visit Sir Hubert Fitzjames during the evening and decide on a definite
course of action which would receive the approval of the authorities.
Armed with a mandate from the Foreign Office, Brett could enter upon his
task without fear of interference from officialdom. Nothing further
could be done that night, as the private inquiry agent could not
possibly complete any portion of his house-to-house scrutiny in the
vicinity of the Carlton until the following morning at the earliest.
They smoked and chatted quietly until 7.30 p.m., when Inspector Winter
again put in an appearance, to announce that the coroner's jury had
brought in a verdict of "Wilful murder by some two or more persons
unknown."
The detective was somewhat quieter in manner now that the sensational
turn of events in Paris had assimilated with the other remarkable
features of the crime. Moreover, the presence of a peer of the realm had
a subduing influence upon him, and he had the good taste not to insist
too strenuously that Lord Fairholme's prospective brother-in-law was not
only an accessory to a foul murder, but also a fugitive thief.
One new fact was established by the post-mortem examination of the
victims. Considerable violence had been used to overcome the struggles
of the servant, Hussein. His neck was almost dislocated, and there was a
large bruise on his back which might have been caused by the knee of an
assailant endeavouring to garrotte him.
They were discussing this discovery and its possible significance when
Smith entered, bearing a lady's visiting-card, which he silently handed
to his master.
Brett read the name inscribed thereon. He merely said, "Show the lady
in." Then he turned to the Earl of Fairholme, electrifying the latter by
the words: "Miss Edith Talbot is here."
An instant later Miss Talbot came into the room. The three men knew that
she brought momentous, perchance direful, intelligence. She was deathly
pale. Her eyes were unnaturally brilliant, her mouth set in tense
resolution.
"Mr. Brett," she said, after a single glance at her lover, "we have
received a letter from my brother."
"A letter from Jack!" cried Fairholme.
"Well, I never did!" ejaculated Mr. Winter.
But Brett only said--
"Have you brought it with you, Miss Talbot?"
"Yes; it is here. My uncle, who was too ill to accompany me, thought you
ought to see it at once," and she handed a torn envelope to him.
He glanced at the postmark.
"It was posted in Paris last evening," he said, his cool utterance
sending a thrill through the listeners. "Is the address written by him?"
he added.
"Oh, yes. It is undoubtedly from Jack."
Here was a woman moulded on the same inscrutable lines as the man whom
she faced. Seldom, indeed, would either of these betray the feelings
which agitated them. Then he took out the folded letter. It contained
but three lines, and was undated.
"My dear Uncle and Sister," it ran. "I am in a position of some
difficulty, but am quite safe personally.--Ever yours, JACK."
Mr. Winter was the first to recover his equanimity. He could not control
the note of triumph in his voice.
"What do you think of it now, Mr. Brett?"
The barrister ignored him, save for a glance which seemed to express
philosophical doubt as to whether Mr. Winter's head contained brains or
sawdust.
"You are quite positive that both letter and envelope are in your
brother's handwriting?" he said.
"Absolutely positive."
"There can be no doubt about it," chimed in Fairholme, to whom, in
response to a gesture, Brett had passed the damning document.
"Then this letter simplifies matters considerably," said Brett.
Miss Talbot looked at him unflinchingly as she uttered the next
question:
"Do you mean that it serves to clear my brother from any suspicion?"
"Most certainly."
"I thank you for your words from the bottom of my heart. Somehow, I knew
you would say that. Will you please come and help to explain matters to
my uncle? Harry, you will come too, will you not?"
The sweet gentle voice, with its sad mingling of hope and despair,
sounded so pathetic that the impetuous peer had some difficulty in
restraining a wild impulse to clasp her to his heart then and there.
Even Mr. Winter was moved not to proclaim his disbelief.
"I will see you in the morning, sir," he muttered.
Brett nodded, and the detective went out, saying to himself as he
reached the street--
"Nerve! Of course he has nerve. It's in the family. Just look at that
girl! Still, it did require some grit to sign his name in the hotel
register and then calmly sit down to write a letter telling his people
not to worry about him. I've known a few rum cases in my time, but this
one----"
The remainder of Mr. Winter's soliloquy was lost in the spasmodic
excitement of boarding a passing omnibus, for this latest item of news
must be conveyed to the Yard with all speed.