Part 34 (2/2)
The manager showed more politeness in returning to the hotel office and making inquiry. He came back full of disappointment that he could not oblige his customer. No--no address--merely there for two nights--then gone--n.o.body knew where. Perhaps he would return--some day.
”Oh, it's of no great consequence, thank you,” remarked Selwood. ”I'm much obliged to you.”
He had found out, at any rate, that a man named Dimambro had certainly stayed at the Hotel Ravenna on the critical and important date.
Presumably he was the man who had presented Jacob Herapath's cheque at Bittleston's Bank first thing on the morning after the murder. But whether this man had any connection with that murder, whether to discover his whereabouts would be to reveal something of use in establis.h.i.+ng Barthorpe Herapath's innocence, were questions which he must leave to Professor c.o.x-Raythwaite, to whom he was presently going with his news.
He had just finished his coffee, and was about to pay his bill when, looking up to summon the waiter, he suddenly saw a face appear behind the gla.s.s panel of the street door--the face of a man who had evidently stolen quietly into the entry between the evergreen shrubs and wished to take a surrept.i.tious peep into the interior of the little restaurant. It was there, clearly seen through the gla.s.s, but for one fraction of a second--then it was withdrawn as swiftly as it had come and the panel of gla.s.s was blank again. But in that flash of time Selwood had recognized it.
Burchill!
CHAPTER XXIX
THE NOTE IN THE PRAYER-BOOK
Selwood hurried out of that restaurant as soon as he had paid his bill, but it was with small hopes of finding the man whose face had appeared at the gla.s.s panel for the fraction of a second. As well look for one snowflake in a drift as for one man in those crowded streets!--all the same, he spent half an hour in wandering round the neighbourhood, looking eagerly at every tall figure he met or pa.s.sed. And at the end of that time he went off to Endsleigh Gardens and reported progress to Professor c.o.x-Raythwaite.
The Professor heard both items of news without betraying any great surprise.
”You're sure it was Burchill?” he asked.
”As sure,” answered Selwood, ”as that you're you! His is not a face easy to mistake.”
”He's a daring fellow,” observed the Professor, musingly. ”A very bold fellow! There's a very good portrait of him on those bills that the police have put out and posted so freely, and he must know that every constable and detective in London is on the look-out for him, to say nothing of folk who would be glad of the reward. If that was Burchill--and I've no doubt of it, since you're so certain--it suggests a good deal to me.”
”What?” asked Selwood.
”That he's not afraid of being recaptured as you'd think he would be,” replied the Professor. ”It suggests that he's got some card up his sleeve--which is what I've always thought. He probably knows something--you may be certain, in any case, that he's playing a deep and bold game, for his own purpose, of course. Now, I wonder if Burchill went to that restaurant on the same errand as yourself?”
”What!--to look for Dimambro?” exclaimed Selwood.
”Why not? Remember that Burchill was Jacob Herapath's secretary before you were,” answered the Professor. ”He was with Jacob some time, wasn't he? Well, he knew a good deal about Jacob's doings. Jacob may have had dealings with this Dimambro person in Burchill's days. You don't remember that Jacob had any such dealings in your time?”
”Never!” replied Selwood. ”Never heard the man's name until yesterday--never saw any letters from him, never heard Mr. Herapath mention him. But then, as Mr. Halfpenny said, yesterday, Mr. Herapath had all sorts of queer dealings with queer people. It's a fact that he used to buy and sell all sorts of things--curios, pictures, precious stones--he'd all sorts of irons in the fire. It's a fact, too, that he was accustomed to carrying not only considerable sums of money, but valuables on him.”
”Ah!” exclaimed the Professor. He rose out of his chair, put his hands behind his broad back, and began to march up and down his study. ”I'll tell you what, young man!” he said earnestly. ”I'm more than ever convinced that Jacob Herapath was robbed as well as murdered, and that robbery and murder--or, rather, murder and robbery, for the murder would go first--took place just before Barthorpe entered the offices to keep that appointment. Selwood!--we must find this Dimambro man!”
”Who's most likely left the country,” remarked Selwood.
”That's probable--it may be certain,” said the Professor. ”Nevertheless, he may be here. And Burchill may be looking for him, too. Now, if Dimambro stopped two days at that Hotel Ravenna, from November 11th to 13th, there must be somebody who knows something of him. We must--you must--make more inquiry--there at the hotel. Talk quietly to that manager or the servants.
Get a description of him. Do that at once--first thing tomorrow morning.”
”You don't want to tell the police all this?” asked Selwood.
”No! Not at present, at any rate,” answered the Professor. ”The police have their own methods, and they don't thank anybody for putting them off their beaten tracks. And--for the present--we won't tell them anything about your seeing Burchill. If we did, they'd be incredulous.
Police-like, they'll have watched the various seaports much more closely than they'll have watched London streets for Burchill. And Burchill's a clever devil--he'll know that he's much safer under the very nose of the people who want him than he would be fifty miles away from their toes!
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