Part 2 (2/2)

”Eight hours!” exclaimed Mr. Tertius. ”And you first saw him at----”

”A quarter past eight,” said the doctor. ”I should say he died just about midnight.”

”Midnight!” murmured Mr. Tertius. ”Midnight? Then----”

Before he could say more, a policeman, stationed in the corridor outside, opened the door of the room, and glancing at his inspector, announced the arrival of Mr. Barthorpe Herapath.

CHAPTER III

BARTHORPE TAKES CHARGE

The man who strode into the room as the policeman threw the door open for him immediately made two distinct impressions on the inspector and the doctor, neither of whom had ever seen him before. The first was that he instantly conveyed a sense of alert coolness and self-possession; the second that, allowing for differences of age, he was singularly like the dead man who lay in their midst. Both were tall, well-made men; both were clean-shaven; both were much alike as to feature and appearance. Apart from the fact that Jacob Herapath was a man of sixty and grey-haired, and his nephew one of thirty to thirty-five and dark-haired, they were very much alike--the same mould of nose, mouth, and chin, the same strength of form. The doctor noted this resemblance particularly, and he involuntarily glanced from the living to the dead.

Barthorpe Herapath bent over his dead uncle for no more than a minute.

His face was impa.s.sive, almost stern as he turned to the others. He nodded slightly to Mr. Tertius and to Selwood; then he gave his attention to the officials.

”Yes?” he said inquiringly and yet with a certain tone of command. ”Now tell me all you know of this.”

He stood listening silently, with concentrated attention, as the inspector put him in possession of the facts already known. He made no comment, asked no questions, until the inspector had finished; then he turned to Selwood, almost pointedly ignoring Mr. Tertius.

”What is known of this in Portman Square, Mr. Selwood?” he inquired.

”Tell me, briefly.”

Selwood, who had only met Barthorpe Herapath once or twice, and who had formed an instinctive and peculiar dislike to him, for which he could not account, accepted the invitation to be brief. In a few words he told exactly what had happened at Jacob Herapath's house.

”My cousin is here, then?” exclaimed Barthorpe.

”Miss Wynne is in the larger waiting-room down the corridor,” replied Selwood.

”I will go to her in a minute,” said Barthorpe. ”Now, inspector, there are certain things to be done at once. There will, of course, have to be an inquest--your people must give immediate notice to the coroner.

Then--the body--that must be properly attended to--that, too, you will see about. Before you go away yourself, I want you to join me in collecting all the evidence we can get on the spot. You have one of your detective staff here?--good. Now, have you searched--him?”

The inspector drew open a drawer in the front desk which occupied the centre of the room, and pointed to some articles which lay within.

”Everything that we found upon him is in there,” he answered. ”You see there is not much--watch and chain, pocket articles, a purse, some loose money, a pocket-book, a cigar-case--that's all. One matter I should have expected to find, we didn't find.”

”What's that?” asked Barthorpe quickly.

”Keys,” answered the inspector. ”We found no keys on him--not even a latch-key. Yet he must have let himself in here, and I understand from the caretaker that he must have unlocked this door after he'd entered by the outer one.”

Barthorpe made no immediate answer beyond a murmur of perplexity.

”Strange,” he said after a pause, during which he bent over the open drawer. ”However, that's one of the things to be gone into. Close that drawer, lock it up, and for the present keep the key yourself--you and I will examine the contents later. Now for these immediate inquiries. Mr.

Selwood, will you please telephone at once to Portman Square and tell Kitteridge to send Mountain, the coachman, here--instantly. Tell Kitteridge to come with him. Inspector, will you see to this arrangement we spoke of, and also tell the caretaker that we shall want him presently? Now I will go to my cousin.”

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