Part 21 (1/2)

How did you work it, then? How get him to a.s.sist in that thing, if he did a.s.sist? How lead him up to this abominable act regarding his own father? Yes! To be sure, to be sure. Help you and your crew to St.

Ulmer's money and you'd help him to _his_: to be rid of a father who kept him upon a short allowance, who disapproved of all the things and all the people he cared for, and who treated him as though he were a little foolish boy instead of a great, n.o.ble, splendid man, who ought to be free to live like the king he was.

Oh, it would be easy: just the mere turning of suspicion after the other thing was done. A letter would do that--a forged letter--and that would be prepared for him nicely. Oh, no, no! of course he wouldn't be hanged.

Means would be provided to prevent that. He would be so deeply compromised, however, that there would be no possibility of his escaping but by death, and the means of bringing that about would be conveniently supplied him. A swift but painless poison; or, perhaps, a bottle of ether--something of the sort. No pain, no suffering, all over in a minute or two; then ”darling Harry” would come into everything, and the clever little forged letter would explain everything away.

Would it? Cleek's jaws clamped together as the thought came, Would it, indeed? Well, _he'd_ see that it wouldn't, then! If any one was to suffer it should be the guilty, not the innocent; they should never pull that game off to the end of time.

The forged letter, eh? Ah, be sure that Harry Raynor would take means to preserve it and to have it handy against the time of need. And be sure, too, that Margot would instruct him with the utmost carefulness just how to act with regard to it, and just where to keep it in order to make everything appear natural and in accordance with what he was to tell to his friend, Mr. Barch, in order to set the ball rolling. Claimed to have received it this afternoon, didn't he? So, of course, it would be in the pocket of the coat he had worn at the time. Had to change into evening clothes for dinner, and was in evening clothes still. So, of course----

The thought had no more than shaped itself in Cleek's mind before he put it into action. As swiftly and as soundlessly as he had left the house he now returned to it. But whereas he had gone out unsuspected and unseen, it now became manifest that he was not to be permitted to enjoy the same privilege in returning, for as he stepped into the hall he came face to face with Hawkins advancing from the direction of the servants'

staircase.

”Out for another ramble in quest of a new plot you see, Hawkins,” he said gayly as he entered. ”The woes of the novelist are many when plots come slowly. Where's Mr. Harry--upstairs or in the drawing-room with the ladies?”

”Neither, Mr. Barch, sir. Still sitting in the dining-room. Just on my way there with a message. Shall I say that you will rejoin him there, sir?”

”No, not at present, thanks. Just going upstairs to change my shoes--the gra.s.s is very damp. By the way, Hawkins, do you happen to know what time Mr. Harry got home last night? Your mistress was asking Miss Lorne earlier in the evening, and as he was with me until ten I shouldn't like to contradict anything he may have said, _you_ know, should she conclude to ask _me_. Know when he got back?”

”No, sir, that I don't. All I can tell you is that he wasn't home at half-past twelve when I went to bed.”

Cleek made a mental tally. Wasn't home at half-past twelve; and it was at half-past eleven, according to Mr. Narkom, that the limousine arrived at the head of Mulberry Lane and the first cry of murder was heard.

”Oh, all right,” he said. ”Don't worry him by mentioning that I asked.

See him myself when I come down.” Cleek then pa.s.sed by and went up the stairs two steps at a time.

He did not stop at the second floor, however, but went up still another flight, and then, stopping a moment to look about to see if anybody was watching and to lean over the bannisters and listen if anybody was following, went fleetly to Harry Raynor's den, pa.s.sed in, and shut the door behind him.

The place was quite black, but a touch of the electric b.u.t.ton flooded it with light, and showed him at once what he had come to seek. On a chair close to the open bedroom door lay the clothes which young Raynor had worn this afternoon, neatly folded, just as Hamer had placed them after brus.h.i.+ng and pressing, in case the young man should, by any chance, elect to wear the same suit to-morrow.

Cleek moved rapidly to the chair, partly unfolded the coat and slipped his hand into the inside breast pocket. A letter was there--_the_ letter, as he learned when he drew it out and opened it--typewritten by what was clearly the hand of a novice, and setting forth just such a message as young Raynor had stated.

”A bad move, Margot, and a little less carefully done than I should have thought _you_ would have countenanced, knowing how clever and cunning you are,” was his mental comment as he read the thing. Then carefully refolding it, he slipped it into his own pocket, snicked off the light, and left the room.

In the lower pa.s.sage he encountered Hamer.

”Begging pardon, Mr. Barch,” the footman said, ”but I was just going up to see you, sir. Hawkins tells me that you were anxious to know at what hour Mr. Harry returned home last night, and it happens that I know.”

”Do you?” said Cleek. ”That's jolly. At what hour did he return last night, then?”

”He didn't return last night at all, sir. It was four this morning and day just beginning to break, sir, when I heard a noise, and getting up, looked out of my window, and there he was, a-coming up the drive very cautious-like and acting as though he didn't want to be seen, as no doubt he didn't, sir, considering that master and mistress didn't know he was out at all.”

”Didn't know he was out? How do you know that?”

”Because, sir, he said he was going to sit up and write letters when the master gave the order for Johnston to lock up after Lady Katharine and Miss Lorne returned from Clavering Close; and Mr. Harry he gave me a half a crown to see that the door wasn't bolted before I went to bed, as he intended to slip out and visit a friend. Of course I wouldn't have said anything about it to anybody, sir, if Hawkins hadn't told me that you said he was with you, which, of course, means that you were the friend he was going to see, and not, as I'd supposed, the Lady in Pink.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

WHEN FOUR AND FOUR MAKE EIGHT