Part 35 (2/2)
”Anything in all the world that I can do to help you, I will do,” I said, looking at her. And the thing that I could not keep out of my eyes made her drop hers.
”Sweet little doc.u.ment!” said McWhirter, looking over my shoulder.
”Sent by some one with a nice disposition. What do the crosses mark?”
”The location of the bodies when found,” I explained--”these three.
This looks like the place where Burns lay unconscious. That one near the rail I don't know about, nor this by the mainmast.”
”We thought they might mark places, clues, perhaps, that had been overlooked. The whole--the whole doc.u.ment is a taunt, isn't it? The scaffold, and the axe, and 'not yet'; a piece of bravado!”
”Right you are,” said McWhirter admiringly. ”A little escape of glee from somebody who's laughing too soon. One-thirty--it will soon be the proper hour for something to happen on the Ella, won't it? If that was sent by some member of the crew--and it looks like it; they are loose to-day--the quicker we follow it up, the better, if there's anything to follow.”
”We thought if you would go early in the morning, before any of them make an excuse to go back on board--”
”We will go right away; but, please--don't build too much on this. It's a good possibility, that's all. Will the watchman let us on board?”
”We thought of that. Here is a note to him from Marshall, and--will you do us one more kindness?”
”I will.”
”Then--if you should find anything, bring it to us; to the police; later, if you must, but to us first.”
”When?”
”In the morning. We will not leave until we hear from you.”
She held out her hand, first to McWhirter, then to me. I kept it a little longer than I should have, perhaps, and she did not take it away.
”It is such a comfort,” she said, ”to have you with us and not against us! For Marshall didn't do it, Leslie--I mean--it is hard for me to think of you as Dr. Leslie! He didn't do it. At first, we thought he might have, and he was delirious and could not rea.s.sure us. He swears he did not. I think, just at first, he was afraid he had done it; but he did not. I believe that, and you must.”
I believed her--I believed anything she said. I think that if she had chosen to say that I had wielded the murderer's axe on the Ella, I should have gone to the gallows rather than gainsay her. From that night, I was the devil's advocate, if you like. I was determined to save Marshall Turner.
She wished us to take her taxicab, dropping her at her hotel; and, reckless now of everything but being with her, I would have done so.
But McWhirter's discreet cough reminded me of the street-car level of our finances, and I made the excuse of putting on more suitable clothing.
I stood in the street, bareheaded, watching her taxicab as it rattled down the street. McWhirter touched me on the arm.
”Wake up!” he said. ”We have work to do, my friend.”
We went upstairs together, cautiously, not to rouse the house. At the top, Mac turned and patted me on the elbow, my shoulder being a foot or so above him.
”Good boy!” he said. ”And if that s.h.i.+rtfront and tie didn't knock into eternal oblivion the deck-was.h.i.+ng on the Ella, I'll eat them!”
CHAPTER XXIV
THE THING
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