DISAPPEARED
"Oh, never mind," Mrs. Burke exclaimed as Brennan went to the horse's
head and took hold of the reins. "Sure I'm only stopping for a moment--I
won't get out. It's just to see Mr. Eustace I've come."
The men on the footpath looked at one another and then at her.
In the doorway Harding stood hesitating whether to go out or to wait
until Mrs. Burke alighted from the buggy.
"You've heard the news, haven't you?" Allnut asked as he stepped to her
side. "Ill news travels apace, they say. Hasn't word got out as far as
the Downs?"
Mrs. Burke turned the full battery of her dark-fringed eyes on the
storekeeper.
"News? What news?" she exclaimed. "I've only just come in. Has anything
happened?"
She glanced at Harding where he stood in the doorway.
"To Mr. Eustace? Nothing has happened to Mr. Eustace, has there?" she
added, as she leaned towards Allnut.
"Well, I don't know," he replied in an uncertain voice. "It affects him
more or less, I suppose, seeing he is the manager. The bank has been
robbed, you know."
It was well Brennan was at the horse's head, for the shriek with which
Mrs. Burke greeted the information was heard at the post office the
other end of the town and made the horse plunge and rear. Although
Brennan managed to hold it from bolting, it forced the buggy back on the
footpath and almost turned it over. But Mrs. Burke was out long before
then, for with a bound she sprang from the vehicle, sending Allnut
staggering as she blundered against him in her rush for the bank.
Harding, having heard Allnut's words, stepped forward to meet her.
"You need not be alarmed, Mrs. Burke," he said, as she dashed up. "So
far as you are concerned----"
"Where's that villain? Where's that wretch? He's stolen my deeds! I know
it, I know it! I'm ruined! Brennan, come and arrest him."
Her words, shouted at the top of her voice, rang through the place and
out on the roadway, where Brennan was still struggling with her rearing
horse, and Soden and Allnut stood by as sympathetic onlookers.
"If you will come in, the manager will explain the matter to you,"
Harding said.
"Don't talk to me about explaining," she shouted in answer. "Where are
my deeds? Where are the deeds of my Irish property? If you've stolen
them----"
"Pray speak quietly, Mrs. Burke," Harding said. "There are others who
can hear you, and the bank----"
"Others? Others hear me? I'll let them hear me. I want them to hear me.
I've nothing to hide, and I'll not shelter any scoundrel who will rob
and cheat a lonely widow. Maybe others will not stand by and see an
unfortunate poor weak woman robbed and swindled----"
"If you will come inside, Mrs. Burke----"
"I'll not come inside. I want my deeds back. I'll have nothing more to
do with your wretched bank. Sure I'm distracted. Have you those deeds?"
"Mr. Eustace," Harding began, when she flung round and leaped away from
the door.
"Brennan!" she cried. "Brennan! Come here, Brennan. They've robbed me of
my deeds, the deeds of my Irish property. They insisted I should leave
them here, and now they tell me they're stolen. Who's stolen them if it
isn't that scoundrel in there? Come and arrest him. Come and help me
recover my just rights."
She shouted out the words despite the fact that Brennan was still
careering round in the roadway trying to pacify her plunging horse.
Harding glanced over his shoulder towards Eustace's room as she left the
doorway. He saw Eustace slip from the room and make for the door leading
into the private portion of the house. At the door he turned.
"Get her to come in here," he said impatiently.
As he was speaking Mrs. Burke flounced round again and caught sight of
him.
"Oh, there you are," she cried, as she stepped inside. "Now, what have
you to say?"
Eustace closed the door after him as she was speaking.
Mrs. Burke rushed out again into the road.
"Mr. Allnut! Mr. Soden! I can trust you. Will you stay here and see that
villain does not slip out and escape? He's gone into the house. I'll go
to the front door."
She ran towards the private entrance, but stopped opposite Brennan, who
had at last succeeded in getting the horse under control.
"They've robbed me, Brennan," she cried. "I left all the deeds of my
Irish property with them. They've stolen them and say the place has been
broken into as a blind. I don't believe it. It's Eustace. I never
believed in him. Sure, if it hadn't been for Mr. Gale I'd never have
listened to him. But now what am I to do? Where's Mr. Gale? Why isn't he
here to help me? Why don't you tell him to come at once?"
"Mr. Gale has gone along the road with two men we want to know something
about, Mrs. Burke. He'll return shortly. You had better see Mr. Eustace.
It's only money which has been taken, I believe. Mr. Eustace will be
able to tell you all about it."
"But he is trying to escape," she said in a whisper. "I saw him go out
of the other door. He'll get away. Come and arrest him."
"Never fear," Brennan answered, as he smiled. "I'll see he doesn't get
away. I'll watch here till you come out."
"Will you please come this way, Mrs. Burke? Mr. Eustace is waiting to
see you," Harding called out from the bank entrance.
"I'll go," she said to Brennan. "But mind! I rely on you--thank God your
father and mother were Irish even if you were born out here."
"Mr. Eustace asks if you will mind going into the dining-room," Harding
said.
She shot a resentful glance at him as she swept by and passed through
into the house. Eustace met her and led her into the dining-room,
closing the door after him. As Harding shut the door leading from the
bank, Johnson, the postmaster, came in.
"Here is a message just come through--I brought it down at once as I
thought you'd be anxious," he said.
"Half a minute," Harding said, as he took the telegram. "Eustace is
seeing Mrs. Burke in the house. I'll take it to him in case there is a
reply."
He went through to the dining-room, knocked at the door and opened it.
Mrs. Burke, her eyes flashing and her cheeks flushed, was standing
facing Eustace, who sat by the table with his head resting on his hand.
"Here's a telegram--Johnson is waiting to see if there is any reply,"
Harding said, as he held out the message.
Eustace took the telegram mechanically, opened and read it and handed
it, open, to Harding.
"Read it," he said. "There's no answer. I'll join you presently."
Harding left the room, glancing at the message as he crossed the
passage. It required no answer, as Eustace had said. It was very brief.
"Inspector Wallace will take charge."
Harding whistled. Wallace was the senior inspector of the service, and
his special faculty was the unravelling of tangled accounts and the
detection of defaulting managers and cashiers. Leaving the ordinary
inspection of branches to his juniors, Wallace only journeyed from the
head office to take charge when grave suspicions were entertained as to
the integrity of a branch staff. The telegram was tantamount to an
intimation that the authorities of the bank did not regard the robbery
as the work of an outsider.
As he re-entered the office, Brennan was standing at the entrance with
Johnson.
"No answer," Harding said quietly, and Johnson nodded and went off.
Brennan turned and crossed to the counter.
"Is Mr. Eustace about?" he asked.
"He is talking to Mrs. Burke in the dining-room. She's rather excited,
and he took her in there because she would shout so. He'll be back in a
few minutes, unless you want to tell him something particularly at
once," Harding answered.
Brennan glanced at a telegram he held in his hand.
"It will do when he comes out," he answered slowly. "Have you had any
word?" he added, as he leant over the counter.
"The head office wires that Inspector Wallace--our bank inspector, that
is, not one of your police inspectors--is coming up."
"Is that all?"
Harding gave a short laugh.
"All? It's quite enough, Brennan. Between you and me it means that
Eustace and I are suspected--one of us or both."
"Yes, that's right," Brennan said quietly. "One or both."
As he spoke he held out a message for Harding to read.
"Keep manager under close surveillance till I arrive.
"DURHAM."
"You know who Durham is?" Brennan asked.
"Never heard of him," Harding answered.
"He's the finest man who ever put on a uniform," Brennan exclaimed. "He
is the sub-inspector in charge of this district--he's only been
appointed a couple of months. I reckon it's only a temporary thing for
him, just until there's room to make him an inspector. It's a good thing
for your bank he is coming up. If anyone on earth can unravel a mystery,
my sub-inspector is the man. He won't be long before he has the matter
cleared up."
"If he can get to the bottom of this business, I'll agree with you,"
Harding replied. "But I don't think very much of his first idea; I don't
think he is right if he suspects Eustace. When do you expect him?"
"I should say he will be here some time during the day. He wired from
Wyalla, and I expect he'll ride across country--it will be quicker than
waiting for a train at the junction. Ah, there's Mr. Gale back," he
exclaimed, as a buggy drove past the bank. "If you'll let me know when
Mr. Eustace is free, I'll just step out and hear what he has discovered
about the yarn the men told us."
"All right. I'll call you as soon as Eustace comes in," Harding said,
and Brennan left the office.
Soon after he had gone Harding heard the dining-room door open and Mrs.
Burke's voice ring through the house.
"I don't believe a word of it. It's false; it's untrue. It's all a
blind. I'll see whether there is not justice in the land for an
unfortunate widow robbed of her all."
Then the door was slammed and the front door opened and slammed also.
Harding sat waiting for Eustace to come back to the office. He heard
Mrs. Burke's voice sounding shrill outside, but not clear enough for him
to distinguish what she was saying. Then the buggy started and drove
rapidly away.
A gentle tap came at the door leading to the house, and Mrs. Eustace
opened it and looked in.
"Has that dreadful woman gone?" she asked in an agitated voice. "Is
Charlie here?"
Harding rose and went over to her.
"No. He has not come back yet. He is in the dining-room. Shall I tell
him you want him?"
"Oh, no, perhaps it will be better to leave him alone till he comes out.
Did you hear what she said? She has been making such a scene in there.
Poor Charlie, as if he had not enough to worry him as it is, without her
saying such terrible things."
Brennan, with Gale and Johnson, appeared at the entrance, and Mrs.
Eustace went back into the house, closing the door after her.
"Mrs. Burke has gone," Brennan said, as he came over to the counter. "Is
Mr. Eustace in the office?"
"He has not come out of the dining-room yet. Shall I tell him?" Harding
replied.
"I'll go through," Brennan said.
Harding opened the door and stood holding it, with Gale and Johnson
behind him, as Brennan went to the dining-room door and knocked.
Receiving no answer, he opened the door.
"There is no one in there," he called out.
With one accord the three moved forward. Brennan was half-way across the
room when they reached the door. He went to the window and looked at the
fastening.
"He did not get out this way," he cried. "He must be in the house
somewhere."
Mrs. Eustace appeared on the stairs, and came down.
"Where is your husband, Mrs. Eustace?" Brennan exclaimed directly he saw
her.
"He was in there--isn't he in there now?" she said, as she passed into
the room.
"He is not here, Mrs. Eustace, though Mrs. Burke left him here when she
came out a few minutes ago. Where is he?"
With widely open eyes Mrs. Eustace stared from one to the other.
"Oh, what is it?" she cried. "What is it? Tell me--is it----"
For a moment she stood with her eyes fixed on Brennan.
"Oh, my God!" she cried as she flung up her arms and fell headlong to
the floor.