Part 36 (1/2)
”Yes.”
”And you know the persons?”
”I've no doubt about them. It's the Premier--and--and Mrs. Medland.”
”Exactly. Now read this,” and he gave him the copy of a certificate of marriage between George Benyon and Margaret Aspland.
”Quite so,” nodded Kilshaw.
”And this.”
Kilshaw took the slip of newspaper, old and yellow. It contained a few lines, briefly recording that Mrs. Benyon had left her home secretly by night, in her husband's absence, and could not be found.
Kilshaw nodded again.
”It doesn't surprise me,” he said. ”I knew all this. I was in Mr.
Benyon's confidence.”
”Perhaps you can tell us how he lived?” hazarded the Superintendent, with a shrewd look.
Mr. Kilshaw looked doubtful.
”The inquest is fixed for to-morrow. The more we know now, the less it will be necessary to protract it.”
”I have been helping him lately,” admitted Kilshaw; and he added, ”Look here, Superintendent, I don't want that more talked about than necessary.”
”You needn't say a word to me now unless you like, sir; but I only want to make things as comfortable as I can. You see, the coroner is bound to look into it a bit. Had you given him money lately?”
”Yes.”
”Much?”
Kilshaw leant forward and answered, almost in a whisper,
”Five hundred on Friday night,” and in spite of himself he avoided the Superintendent's shrewd eye. But that officer's business was not to pa.s.s moral judgments. Law is one thing, morality another.
”Then the thing's as plain as a pikestaff. This Gaspard got to know about the money, and murdered him to get it. We needn't look further for a motive.”
”I suppose all this will have to come out? I wonder if Gaspard knew who Benham was?”
”It's not necessary to suppose that, unless we believe all Evans says.
Certainly, if we trust Evans, Gaspard hinted designs on some one before he could have known Benyon had this money. Could he have known he was going to have it?”
”Benyon may have told him I had promised to help him.”
”Well, sir, we must see about that. We shall want you at the inquest, sir.”
”I suppose you will, confound you! And I should think you'd want a greater man than I am, too.”
The Superintendent looked grave.