Slowly Max Barclay regained possession of his senses. The discovery had
so staggered him that, for a few moments, he had stood there in that
room, staring at the woman's tweed coat, transfixed in horror.
There was some great and terrible mystery there, and with it Charlie
Rolfe, the man whom he had so implicitly trusted, his most intimate
friend, and brother of the woman who was all the world to him, was
closely associated.
He glanced around the bare garret in apprehension. All was so weird and
unexpected that a queer, uncanny feeling had crept over him. What could
have occurred to have caused this revolution in the Doctor's house?
Here in that house, only a few hours ago, he had smoked calmly with
Petrovitch, the studious Servian patriot, the man whom the Servians
worshipped, and who was the right hand of his sovereign the King. When
they had chatted of Maud's flirtation there had been no suggestion of
departure. Indeed, the Doctor had invited him to return after dinner,
as he so often did. Max was an easy, gay, careless man of the world,
yet he was fond of study, and fond of the society of clever men like
Petrovitch. The latter was well-known in literary circles on the
Continent by reason of having written a most exhaustive history of the
Ottoman Empire. That night Marion, his well-beloved, had no doubt dined
at that house, prior to going to the concert with Maud. At least she
would be aware of something that might give a clue to this extraordinary
and hurried flight, if not to the ugly stain upon the woman's dress
lying upon the floor at his feet.
He was undecided how next to act. Should he go to the police-station
and inquire of the inspector whether removing vans had been noticed by
the constable on the beat, or should he take a cab to Queen's Hall to
try and find Marion and Maud?
He glanced at his watch, and saw that by the time he got to the concert
they would in all probability have left. Marion was compelled to be in
by eleven o'clock, therefore Maud would no doubt come out with her.
Indeed, in a quarter of an hour his friend's daughter would be due to
return there.
This decided him, and, without more ado, he left the house. Was it
worth while at present, he reflected, saying anything to the police
regarding the blood-stained garment? Charlie might give the
explanation. He would see him before the night was out.
Therefore, finding a constable at the corner of Earl's Court Road, he
inquired of him if he had noticed any removing vans before the house in
question. The man replied that he had only come on duty at ten,
therefore, it would be best if he went to the police-station, to which
he directed him.
"If the man on duty saw any removing vans in the evening, he would
certainly report it," the constable added politely, and Barclay then
went in the direction he indicated.
A quarter of an hour later he stood in the police-office, while the
inspector turned over the leaves of the big book in which reports of
every untoward or suspicious occurrence are entered for reference, in
case of civil actions or other eventualities.
At first he could find nothing, but at last he exclaimed:
"There's something here. I suppose this is it. Listen: P.C. Baldwin,
when he came off duty, reported to the station-sergeant that two large
pantechnicon vans and a small covered van of Harmer's Stores,
Knightsbridge, drove up at 8:10 to Number 127a, Cromwell Road, close to
Queen's Gate Gardens, and with seven men and a foreman removed the whole
of the furniture. The constable spoke to the foreman, and learned that
it was a sudden order given by the householder, a Dr Petrovitch, a
foreigner, for his goods to be removed before half-past ten that night,
and stored at the firm's depository at Chiswick."
"But they must have done it with marvellous alacrity!" Max remarked, at
the same time pleased to have so quickly discovered the destination of
the Doctor's household goods.
"Bless you, sir," answered the inspector, "Harmer's can do anything.
They'd have sent twenty vans and cleared out the place in a quarter of
an hour if they'd contracted to do so. You know they can do anything,
and supply anything from a tin-tack to a live monkey."
"Then they've been stored at Chiswick, eh?"
"No doubt, sir. The constable would make all inquiry. You know
Harmer's place at Chiswick, not far from Turnham Green railway station?
At the office in Knightsbridge they'd tell you all about it. This
foreign doctor was a friend of yours, I suppose?"
"Yes, a great friend," replied Barclay. "The fact is, I'm much puzzled
over the affair. Only late this afternoon I was in his study, smoking
and talking, but he told me nothing about his sudden removal."
"Ah, foreigners are generally pretty shifty customers, sir," was the
officer's remark. "If you'd seen as much as I have of 'em, when I was
down at Leman Street, you'd think twice before you trusted one. Of
course, no reflection intended on your friend, sir."
"But there are foreigners who are gentlemen," Max ventured to suggest.
"Yes, there may be. I haven't met many, and we have to deal with all
classes, you know. But tell me the circumstances," added the inspector,
scenting mystery in this sudden flight. "Petrovitch might be some City
speculator who had suddenly been ruined, or a bankrupt who had
absconded."
Max Barclay was, however, not very communicative. Perhaps it was
because of Charlie's inexplicable presence in that deserted house, or
perhaps on account of the inspector's British antipathy towards
foreigners; nevertheless, he said nothing regarding that woman's coat
with the tell-tale mark of blood.
Besides, the Doctor and Maud must be somewhere in the vicinity. No
doubt he would come round to Dover Street in the morning and explain his
unusual removal. The discovery of Rolfe's presence there was
nevertheless inexplicable. The more he reflected upon it, the more
suspicious it seemed. The inspector's curiosity had been aroused by
Max's demeanour. The latter had briefly related how he had called, to
find the house empty, and both occupier, his daughter, and the servants
gone.
"Did you see any servant when you were there this evening?"
"Yes; the man-servant Costa."
"Ah, a foreigner! Old or young?"
"Middle-aged."
"A devoted retainer of his master, of course."
"I believe so."
"Then he may have been in his master's secret--most probably was. When
a master suddenly flies he generally confides in his man. I've known
that in many instances. What nationality was this Petrovitch?"
"Servian."
"Oh, we don't get many of those people in London. They come from the
East somewhere, don't they--a half-civilised lot?"
"Doctor Petrovitch is perfectly civilised, and a highly-cultured man,"
Max responded. "He is a statesman and diplomat."
"What! Is he the Minister of Servia?"
"He was--in Berlin, Constantinople, and other places."
"Then there may be something political behind it," the officer
suggested, beaming as though some great flash of wisdom had come to him.
"If so, it don't concern us. England's a free country to all the scum
of Europe. This doctor may be flying from some enemy. Russian refugees
often do. I've heard some queer tales about them, more strange than
what them writers put in sixpenny books."
"Yes," remarked Barclay, "I expect you've had a pretty big experience of
foreigners down in Whitechapel."
"And at Vine Street, too, sir," was the man's reply, as he leaned
against the edge of his high desk, over which the flaring gas jets
hissed. "Nineteen years in the London police gives one an intimate
acquaintance with the undesirable alien. Your story to-night is a queer
one. Would you like me to send a man round to the house with you in
order to give it a look over?"
Max reflected in an instant that if that were done the woman's dress
would be discovered.
"Well--no," he replied. "At present I think it would be scarcely worth
while. I think I know where I shall find the Doctor in the morning.
Besides, a friend of mine is engaged to his daughter, so he'll be
certain to know their whereabouts."
"Very well--as you wish. But," he said, "if you can't find where
they're all disappeared to, give us a call again, and we'll try to
assist you to the best of our ability."
Max thanked him. A ragged pickpocket, held by two constables, was at
that moment brought in and placed in the railed dock, making loud
protests of "I'm quite innocent, guv'nor. It warn't me at all. I was
only a-lookin' on!"
So Barclay, seeing that the inspector would be occupied in taking the
charge, thanked him and left.
Outside, he reflected whether he should go direct to Charlie's chambers
in Jermyn Street. His first impulse was to do so, but somehow he viewed
Rolfe with suspicion. If his friend had not seen him--and he believed
he had not--then for the present it was best that he should hold his
secret.
Perhaps the Doctor had sent a telegram to his own chambers. He would
surely never leave London without sending him word. Therefore Max
hailed a passing cab and drove to Dover Street.
His chambers, on the first floor, were cosy and well-furnished,
betraying a taste in antique of the Louis XIV period. Odd articles of
furniture he had picked up in out-of-the-way places, while several of
the pictures were family portraits brought from Kilmaronock Castle.
The red-carpeted sitting-room, with its big inlaid writing-table, bought
from an old chateau on the Loire, its old French chairs and modern
book-case, was lit only by the green-shaded reading lamp, beneath which
were some letters where his man had placed them.
On a small table at the side was a decanter of whisky, a syphon,
glasses, and cigars, and beside them his letters. Eagerly he turned
them over for a telegram, but there was none. Neither was there a
letter from the Doctor. On the writing-table stood the telephone
instrument. It might have been rung while his man Gustave had been
absent. That evening he had sent him on a message down to Croydon, and
he had not yet returned.
He pushed his opera-hat to the back of his head, and stood puzzled as to
how he should act. Green had told him that is master had left for the
Continent, and yet had he not with his own eyes seen him fly from that
house in Cromwell Road?
Yes; there was a mystery--a deep, inexplicable mystery. There was not a
doubt of it!