Part 14 (1/2)
”Oh, the devil,” Emerson growled. ”You cannot mention his name, Amelia, for you don't know what it is. Call him whatever you like, so long as it is pejorative.”
”Whatever we call him, it would be folly to deny that he is involved. He has favored us with communications on no less than four occasions. First, the attempted abduction of Ramses; second, the return of the stolen communion vessels; third, the presentation of the flowers and the ring; and last, today's attack. Only a mind hopelessly and irrevocably prejudiced”-I carefully refrained from looking at Emerson, but I heard him snarl-”would deny that all four events bear the signature of Sethos.”
”I beg your pardon, Mama,” Ramses said. ”I concur with your conclusions regarding the last three incidents, but in the first case-”
”Who else would want to abduct you, Ramses?”
”A great number of people, I should think,” said Emerson. ”Ordinarily I would agree with your premise, Peabody-that there cannot be many individuals in Egypt who yearn to make off with Ramses-but as I have learned to my sorrow, we seem to attract criminals as a dog attracts fleas. I should feel hurt if we had fewer than five or six murderers after us.”
”He is speaking ironically,” I explained to Donald, whose bewildered expression betokened his failure to comprehend. ”However, there is some truth in his statement. We do attract criminals, for the simple reason that we threaten to destroy them and their vile activities.”
”Yes, but curse it, we aren't threatening anyone now,” Emerson cried. ”At least... Ramses! Look Papa straight in the eye and answer truthfully. Are you threatening any criminals at this time?”
”To the best of my knowledge, Papa-”
”Just answer yes or no, my son.”
”No, Papa.”
”Have you unearthed any buried treasures or antiquities you neglected to mention to your mama and me?”
”No, Papa. If you would allow me-”
”No, Ramses, I will not allow you to elaborate. For once in my life I intend to direct the course of a family discussion and decide upon a sensible course of action.
”To return, then, to the subject of the murder. I find it difficult to believe that the police really consider Miss Debenham a serious suspect. If she were to surrender herself-”
Donald started up from his chair. ”Never!” he exclaimed. ”Even if she were to be cleared of the crime, the shame-the notoriety-”
”Be still a moment,” I said. ”Emerson, I think you underestimate the strength of the case against her. Let me play devil's advocate and state the facts as they will appear to the police. Item: Miss Debenham and Kalenischeff were intimately acquainted-lovers, to put it bluntly. (Donald, I insist that you be quiet.) They quarreled on the night of the murder. He was found dead in her bed, and she was with him in the room when the dastardly deed was done. Alone with him, mark you, and in her nightclothes. Her story of a midnight intruder who rendered her helpless by means of a drug will be dismissed as a not very clever invention. You may be sure no one else saw a sign of the fellow.”
”Kalenischeff's shady reputation-his criminal connections-” Emerson began.
”His criminal connections are no more than suspicions in so far as the police are concerned. As for his reputation-don't you see, Emerson, that might work against Miss Debenham? To put it as nicely as possible, Kalenischeff was a ladies' man. Is not jealousy a motive for murder?”
Emerson looked grave. ”Is there no other suspect?”
”Er-yes,” I said. ”As a matter of fact, there are two.”
Emerson brightened. ”Who?”
”Both,” I said, ”are in this room.”
Emerson's eyes moved, quite involuntarily, I am sure, to Ramses.
”Oh, come, Emerson,” I said impatiently. ”If a woman could not strike such a blow, how could an eight-year-old boy? No! Who is the man with thews of steel and a formidable temper, who has been heard on numerous occasions to describe Kalenischeff as a villain and a rascal and has stated that his very presence was an affront to any decent woman?”
A modest smile spread across Emerson's face. ”Me,” he said.
”Grammar, Emerson, if you please. But you are correct. You are the person I meant.”
”On my word, Peabody, that is cursed ingenious,” Emerson exclaimed. ”If I didn't know I hadn't done it, I would suspect myself. Well, but who is the other suspect?”
”She is referring to me, Professor,” said Donald, carefully avoiding the grammatical error Emerson had committed. ”I was at the hotel that night. You had told me to meet you there-”
”But you didn't,” Emerson said.
”No. I-I was in a strange state of mind. Appreciating your trust and yet resenting your interference ... I wandered half the night trying to decide what to do.”
”I believe I can understand, Mr. Fraser. But the fact that you were in the motley crowd outside the hotel doesn't make you a suspect. You were there other evenings, you and dozens of other nondescript Egyptians. I a.s.sume you did not enter the hotel?”
”How could I?” Donald asked with a wry smile. ”A ragged beggar like myself would not be admitted to those precincts.”
”Then I fail to see how you can fall under suspicion.”
Ramses had been trying for some time to get a word in. ”Papa-were Mr. Fraser's true ident.i.ty known-”
”Just what I was about to say,” I remarked, frowning at Ramses. ”Mr. Donald Fraser might have a motive for killing Kalenischeff that a ragged beggar would not. Furthermore, I know for a fact that he is suspected.”
”Who told you?” Emerson demanded. ”Baehler?”
”No, it was-”
”You went to police headquarters the day you were in Cairo,” Emerson said accusingly. ”You misled me, Amelia. You promised-”
”I made no promise, Emerson. And in fact the police were of little a.s.sistance. I cannot think why our friend Sir Eldon has such incompetent people as his aides. Major Ramsay is a perfect fool, and he has no manners besides. The person I was about to mention is a well-known private investigator. I started to tell you about him last night before you-before we-”
”Please continue with your narrative, Amelia,” said Emerson, glowering.
”Certainly, Emerson. I only mentioned the-er-interruption because I don't want you to accuse me of concealing information from you.”
”Your explanation is noted and accepted, Peabody.”
”Thank you, Emerson. As I was saying, I happened to meet this gentleman outside the Administration Building. He recognized me and addressed me-most courteously, I might add-and it was he who informed me that a certain beggar in a saffron turban was under suspicion. His name is Tobias Gregson. He has solved such well-known cases as the Camberwell poisoning-''
I was not allowed to proceed. Every member of the group-with the exception of the cat Bastet, who only blinked her wide golden eyes-jumped up and attempted to speak. Enid cried, ”Ronald is behind this! How could he...” Donald declared his intention of turning himself in at once. Emerson made incoherent remarks about the moral turpitude of private detectives and told me I ought to know better than to speak to strange men. Ramses kept exclaiming, ”But, Mama- but, Mama-Gregson is-Gregson is-” like a parrot that has been taught only a few phrases. group-with the exception of the cat Bastet, who only blinked her wide golden eyes-jumped up and attempted to speak. Enid cried, ”Ronald is behind this! How could he...” Donald declared his intention of turning himself in at once. Emerson made incoherent remarks about the moral turpitude of private detectives and told me I ought to know better than to speak to strange men. Ramses kept exclaiming, ”But, Mama- but, Mama-Gregson is-Gregson is-” like a parrot that has been taught only a few phrases.
By speaking all at once, each defeated his (or her) purpose, and as the hubbub died, I seized the opportunity to go on. ”Never mind Mr. Gregson; we won't speak of him since he has aroused such a storm. It is out of the question for Donald and Enid to give themselves up. Donald's case is as desperate as Enid's- indeed, it may be worse, for I am sure the authorities would prefer to arrest a man rather than a young lady. No; we must sit pat, as one of my American friends once said-in regard, I believe, to some sort of card game. Our game is a dangerous one, and we must hold our cards close to our persons. I have made one attempt to lure Sethos out of hiding; I propose to continue that method tomorrow-”
Another outcry silenced me, punctuated, like the monotonous tolling of a bell, by Ramses' reiterated ”But Mama.” Emerson won over the rest this time, by sheer volume.
”Rather than allow you to repeat that imbecile and hazardous experiment, Amelia, I will bind you hand and foot. Why must you take these things on yourself? Can't you leave it to me to smoke out the villain?”
”I cannot because I am the only one who can pa.s.s for Enid. Or do you propose to a.s.sume women's clothing and walk with her dainty, tripping steps?”
The very idea outraged Emerson so thoroughly that he was momentarily mute. It was Enid who said timidly, ”But, Amelia-are you absolutely certain it was I the man wanted? Perhaps you were the intended victim all along.”