Part 21 (1/2)
”You have done more than I thought you could in so brief a time,” said he at last. ”Have you any theories regarding the ident.i.ty of the woman?”
We had none to offer, and he began to smile ever so slightly. ”Well, it seems to me your woman is a mistake--there was no woman. The a.s.sa.s.sin was a man in a black robe. He ran heavily, of course. You have drawn the murderer of Smith nearer to that of Mark. As regards the sudden deaths of the milkmen, probably both were killed; the examinations after death, conducted as these were, amount to nothing. The murderer of Smith, the two milkmen and of Mark is probably one and the same. Stone, you nearly fell a victim at the bridge the other night, too.”
I did not reply, but a cold perspiration broke out over me. The chain of events seemed clearer now in the light of Oakes's reasoning. Then he turned to Moore.
”Doctor, loan me your cigar-cutter, will you?”
The physician reached for it, but it was gone.
”I think this must be it,” said Oakes, holding out the missing article.
”Next time you hide on your stomach behind a tree, do it properly.”
Moore was dumfounded.
”What!” I cried, ”you know that too? We did not tell you.”
”No, you did not. You began your narration at the wrong end--or perhaps you _forgot_,” and his eyes twinkled.
”But how did you learn of it?” demanded Moore, recovering. And Quintus smiled outright.
”My man was behind another tree only ten feet away from you the whole time. When you left, he picked up this as a memento of your brilliant detective work.”
Moore and I smarted a little under the sarcasm, and I asked what the man was doing there.
”Oh, he was watching Mike and, incidentally, keeping you two from mischief. You need a guardian. You never even suspected his presence, and--suppose he had been the a.s.sa.s.sin!”
”Well,” I said, ”I suppose that you know all about your namesake in town, and don't need any of our information.”
He heard the chagrin in my voice and smiled as he replied:
”Don't mind those little things; they happen to all of us. I am glad 'Quintus Oakes' has arrived. Chief Hallen and I concluded that the sudden arrival of such a man as our decoy would have a salutary effect on the citizens. An appearance of action on Hallen's part would tend to quiet their restlessness; and, now that public attention is focused upon _him_, Mr. Clark and his friends can work more freely.”
During the discussion that followed, he told us that Mike's errand on horseback was as yet unknown, but that the man whom we followed and lost on the way was from a stable in Lorona.
”You see,” continued he, ”Mike has been doing this before. The horse is brought from Lorona in a roundabout way. Doubtless, on his return, he leaves it at some spot where it is met and returned to the stable.”
”Mike is a mystery. What is he up to?” said Moore. ”Can he be the murderer?”
”Wait and see,” replied Oakes enigmatically, as he ended the conversation.
_CHAPTER XVI_
_The Negro's Story_
Sat.u.r.day came and went without event. So far, at least, Hallen's arrangements for the preservation of order had been effective. Or was it that the eyes and hopes of the people were centred upon the new arrival in town, the great detective--as they were led to believe--who had grown famous through his skill in ferreting out just such mysteries. In any case, the Chief's forebodings of a lawless outbreak were unfulfilled.
The real Oakes spent most of his time in the Mansion while we remained in town; but our little party came and went as it pleased. Our movements had ceased to attract that attention which Oakes found so undesirable.