Part 14 (1/2)
CHAPTER VI
NINE-THIRTY
Chance is often a skilled stage manager, and chance had arranged a really effective scene in the hall of the Central Hotel. The Earl of Valletort seemed to be somewhat unwilling to take up any of the gauntlets so readily thrown down by Devar and the Curtis family, and, for a few seconds, the ring of reporters was held spellbound by a situation which promised most excellently with regard to the all-important question of ”copy.”
Then the police captain, after waiting for Steingall to take the lead, nudged his silent colleague, and said gruffly:
”This thing cannot be gone into here. Those who can bring forward testimony of any value ought to come with Mr. Steingall and myself to the precinct station-house.”
”Why lose time which cannot be overtaken later?” urged the Earl, appealing to Steingall, since it was the detective who had spoken to him in the first instance.
”We appear to be at cross purposes,” said Steingall. ”How did you two gentlemen get to know that a murder had been committed?”
”Murder!” gasped Count Va.s.silan.
”We are not talking of a murder, but of a most scandalous abduction, which will provide only one of a number of most serious charges against this person, Curtis,” cried the Earl.
Va.s.silan seized him by the arm excitedly.
”Don't you understand, dear friend,” he muttered in French. ”The rascal must have killed de Courtois in order to gain possession of the marriage certificate.”
”It will save trouble, sir, if you speak English here,” said Steingall.
Then he turned to the hotel clerk.
”Place a room at our disposal at once. Lord Valletort is quite right.
We have not a second to waste.”
A murmur of protest arose from the pressmen, though it was obvious that the police could not conduct the inquiry in the midst of an ever-growing crowd of residents and servants.
”Say, Steingall,” whispered the reporter who had spoken for the others earlier, ”can't you let us into this? We'll suppress anything you wish--I'll guarantee that, absolutely without reservation.”
”_I_ have no objection, but these high-toned strangers may not like it,” said the detective quietly.
The Earl, when the point was referred to him, made no difficulty whatsoever about the presence of the journalists--in fact, he rather welcomed publicity.
”It is better that the truth should appear than a garbled and misleading version,” he said affably. ”I want your help, gentlemen. I know enough of newspaper ways to feel sure that a story of some sort will be star-headed in every news sheet in New York to-morrow, so my friend, Count Va.s.silan, and I are more than willing that you should be well informed.”
Now, that phase of the problem was precisely what Count Ladislas Va.s.silan seemed to be exceedingly disconcerted about. He was singularly ill at ease. His florid face had paled to a dusky wanness when he heard the ugly word ”Murder,” and each pa.s.sing moment served only to increase his agitation. Steingall, to all intents and purposes paying less heed to the man than to any other person present, had not missed one labored breath, one twitch of an eyelid, one nervous gesture. His phenomenal instinct in the detection of crime had fastened unerringly on a singular coincidence. Curtis had hazarded a guess that the real malefactors were Hungarians, and here was a Hungarian Count denouncing Curtis. Certainly that question of nationality promised remarkable developments.
When the whole party, consisting of some fifteen persons, had gathered behind the closed door of the hotel's private office, Steingall took the lead in directing the proceedings.
”It will help straighten out a tangle if I say exactly what has taken place here to-night--that is, to the best of our knowledge,” he said.
”There is every reason to believe that Mr. John D. Curtis arrived in New York this afternoon from Europe----”
”Right,” broke in Devar. ”I traveled with him on the _Lusitania_.”
”Yes, his presence on board was announced in most of the papers,” added a journalist.