Godfrey's Panegyric
I was quite dazed for the moment.
"A crowd of them in my room!" I repeated. "A crowd of whom, Mrs.
Fitch?"
"A crowd of reporters! They've been worrying my life out. They seemed
to think I had you hid somewhere. I hope you're not in trouble, Mr.
Lester?"
"Not the least in the world, my dear madam," I laughed, and I breathed
a long sigh of relief, for I had feared I know not what disaster.
"I'll soon finish with the reporters," and I went on up the stair.
Long before I reached my rooms, I heard the clatter of voices and
caught the odor of various qualities of tobacco. They were lolling
about over the furniture, telling stories, I suppose, and they greeted
me with a cheer when I entered. They were such jovial fellows that it
was quite impossible to feel angry with them--and besides, I knew that
they were gentlemen, that they labored early and late at meager
salaries, for the pure love of the work; that they were quick to scent
fraud or trickery or unworthiness, and inexorable in exposing them;
that they loved to do good anonymously, remaining utterly unknown save
to the appreciative few behind the scenes. So I returned their
greeting smilingly, and sat me down in a chair which one of them
obligingly vacated for me.
"Well?" I began, looking about at them.
"My dear Mr. Lester," said the one who had given me the chair, "permit
me to introduce myself as Rankin, of the _Planet_. These gentlemen,"
and he included them in a wide gesture, "are my colleagues of the
press. We've been anxiously awaiting you here in order that we may
propound to you certain questions."
"All right; fire away," I said.
"First, we'd like to have your theory of the crime. Your work this
afternoon convinced us that you know how to put two and two together,
which is more than can be said for the ordinary mortal. The public
will want to know your theory--the great public."
"Oh, but I haven't any theory," I protested. "Besides, I don't think
the great public is especially interested in me. You see, gentlemen,
I'm quite out of the case. When we cleared Miss Holladay, our
connection with it ended."
"But is Miss Holladay cleared?" he persisted. "Is it not quite
conceivable that in those two hours she was absent from her carriage,
she may have changed her gown, gone to her father's office, and then
changed back again? In that case, would she not naturally have chosen
a green gown, since she never wore green?"
"Oh, nonsense!" I cried. "That's puerile. Either she would disguise
herself effectually or not at all. I suppose if you were going to
commit a capital crime, you would merely put on a high hat, because
you never wear one! I'll tell you this much: I'm morally certain that
Miss Holladay is quite innocent. So, I believe, is the district
attorney."
"But how about the note, Mr. Lester? What did it contain?"
"Oh, I can't tell you that, you know. It's none of my business."
"But you ought to treat us all alike," he protested.
"I do treat you all alike."
"But didn't Godfrey get it out of you?"
"Godfrey?" I repeated. "Get it out of me?"
He stared at me in astonishment.
"Do you mean to tell me, Mr. Lester," he questioned, "that you haven't
been spending the evening with Jim Godfrey, of the _Record_?"
Then, in a flash, I understood, and as I looked at the rueful faces
of the men gathered about me, I laughed until the tears came.
"So it was you," I gasped, "who chased us up Broadway?"
He nodded.
"Yes; but our horses weren't good enough. Where did he take you?"
"To the Studio--Sixth Avenue."
"Of course!" he cried, slapping his leg. "We might have known. Boys,
we'd better go back to Podunk."
"Well, at least, Mr. Lester," spoke up another, "you oughtn't to give
Godfrey a scoop."
"But I didn't give him a scoop. I didn't even know who he was."
"Didn't you tell him what was in the note?"
"Not a word of it--I told him only one thing."
"And what was that?"
"That the person who wrote the note didn't know that Rogers was
color-blind. You are welcome to that statement, too. You see, I'm
treating you all alike."
They stood about me, staring down at me, silent with astonishment.
"But," I added, "I think Godfrey suspects what was in the note."
"Why?"
"Well, his theory fits it pretty closely."
"His theory! What is his theory, Mr. Lester?"
"Oh, come," I laughed. "That's telling. It's a good theory, too."
They looked at each other, and, I fancied, gnashed their teeth.
"He seems a pretty clever fellow," I added, just to pile up the agony.
"I fancy you'll say so, too, when you see his theory in to-morrow's
paper."
"Clever!" cried Rankin. "Why, he's a very fiend of cleverness when it
comes to a case of this kind. We're not in the same class with him.
He's a fancy fellow--just the _Record_ kind. You're sure you didn't
tell him anything else, Mr. Lester?" he added anxiously. "Godfrey's
capable of getting a story out of a fence-post."
"No, I'm quite sure I didn't tell him anything else. I only listened
to his theory with great interest."
"And assented to it?"
"I said I thought it plausible."
An electric shock seemed to run around the room.
"That's it!" cried Rankin. "That's what he wanted. Now, it isn't his
theory any more. It's yours. Oh, I can see his headlines! Won't you
tell us what it was?"
I looked up at him.
"Now, frankly, Mr. Rankin," I asked, "if you were in my place, would
you tell?"
He hesitated for a moment, and then held out his hand.
"No," he said, as I took it. "I shouldn't. Shake hands, sir; you're
all right. Come on, boys, we might as well be going."
They filed out after him, and I heard them go singing up the street.
Then I sank back into my chair and thought again of Godfrey's theory;
it seemed to fit the case precisely, point by point--even--and I
started at the thought--to Miss Holladay's reticence as to her
whereabouts the afternoon before. The whole mystery lay plain before
me. In some way, she had discovered the existence of her half-sister,
had secured her address; she had gone to visit her and had found her
away from home--it was probable, even, that the half-sister had
written her, asking her to come--though, in that case, why had she not
remained at home to receive her? At any rate, Miss Holladay had
awaited her return, had noticed her agitation; had, perhaps, even seen
certain marks of blood upon her. The news of her father's death had
pointed all too clearly to what that agitation and those blood-spots
meant. She had remained silent that she might not besmirch her
father's name, and also, perhaps, that she might protect the other
woman. I felt that I held in my hand the key to the whole problem.
Point by point--but what a snarl it was! That there would be a
vigorous search for the other woman I could not doubt, but she had a
long start and should easily escape. Yet, perhaps, she had not
started--she must have remained in town, else how could that note have
been sent to us? She had remained, then--but why? That she should feel
any affection for Frances Holladay seemed absurd, and yet, how else
explain the note?
I felt that I was getting tangled up in the snarl again--there seemed
no limit to its intricacies; so, in very despair, I put the matter
from me as completely as I could and went to bed.
* * * * *
The morning's _Record_ attested the truth of Rankin's prophecy. I had
grown famous in a night: for Godfrey had, in a measure, made me
responsible for his theory, describing me with a wealth of adjectives
which I blush to remember, and which I have, even yet, not quite
forgiven him. I smiled as I read the first lines:
A _Record_ representative had the pleasure, yesterday
evening, of dining with Mr. Warwick Lester, the
brilliant young attorney who achieved such a remarkable
victory before Coroner Goldberg yesterday afternoon, in
the hearing of the Holladay case, and, of course, took
occasion to discuss with him the latest developments of
this extraordinary crime. Mr. Lester agreed with the
_Record_ in a theory which is the only one that fits
the facts of the case, and completely and
satisfactorily explains all its ramifications.
The theory was then developed at great length and the article
concluded with the statement that the _Record_ was assisting the
police in a strenuous endeavor to find the guilty woman.
Now that the police knew in which quarter to spread their net, I had
little doubt that she would soon be found, since she had tempted
providence by remaining in town.
Mr. Graham and Mr. Royce were looking through the _Record_ article
when I reached the office, and I explained to them how the alleged
interview had been secured. They laughed together in appreciation of
Godfrey's audacious enterprise.
"It seems a pretty strong theory," said our senior. "I'm inclined to
believe it myself."
I pointed out how it explained Miss Holladay's reticence--her refusal
to assist us in proving an alibi. Mr. Royce nodded.
"Precisely. As Godfrey said, the theory touches every point of the
case. According to the old police axiom, that proves it's the right
one."