Part 55 (1/2)

”Next?” said Rattar. ”Well, I just went on keeping my head and bluffing people----” he broke off, looked at Superintendent Sutherland, and gave a short laugh. ”I only lost my nerve a bit once, and that was when the gla.s.s-eyed hangman b.u.t.ted in and said he was going to get down a detective. It struck me then it was time I was off--and what's more, I started!”

The superintendent's mouth fell open.

”You--you weren't the man----” he began.

”Yes,” scoffed the prisoner, ”I was the man with toothache in that empty carriage. I'd got in at the wrong side after the ticket collector pa.s.sed and just about twenty seconds before you opened the door. But the sight of your red face made me change my plans, and I was out again before that train started! A bright policeman you are! After that I decided to stick it out and face the music; and I faced it.”

His mouth shut tight and he sat back in his chair, his eyes travelling round the others as though to mark their unwilling admiration. He certainly saw it in the faces of the two open-eyed policemen, but Cromarty's was hard and set, and he seemed still to be waiting.

”You haven't told us about Sir Reginald yet,” he said.

Rattar looked at him defiantly.

”No evidence there,” he said with a cunning shake of his head, ”you can go on guessing!”

”Would you like to smoke a pipe?” asked Carrington suddenly.

The man's eyes gleamed.

”By G.o.d, yes!”

”You can have one if you tell us about Sir Reginald. We've got you anyhow, and there will be evidence enough there too when we've put it together.”

The superintendent looked a trifle shocked, but Carrington's sway over him was by this time evidently unbounded. He coughed an official protest but said nothing.

The prisoner only hesitated for a moment. He saw Carrington taking out a cigarette, and then he took out his keys and said:

”This is the key for that drawer. You'll find my pipe and baccy there.

I'll tell you the rest.” And then he started and exclaimed: ”But how the h-- did you know I smoked?”

”At five minutes past nine o'clock last night,” said Carrington, as he handed him his pipe, ”I was within three paces of you.”

The prisoner stared at him with a wry face.

”You devil!” he murmured, and then added with some philosophy: ”After all, I'd sooner be hanged than stop smoking.” And with that he lit his pipe.

”You want to know about old Cromarty,” he resumed. ”Well, I made my first bad break when I carried on a correspondence with him which Simon had begun, not knowing they had had a talk between whiles cancelling the whole thing. You know about it and about the letter Sir Reginald sent me after I'd written. Well, when I got that letter I admit it rattled me a bit. I've often wondered since whether he had really suspected anything or whether he would have sooner or later. Anyhow I got it into my head that the game was up if something didn't happen. And so it happened.”

”You went and killed him?” said Ned.

”That's for you and your gla.s.s eye to find out!” snapped the prisoner.

”Take his pipe away,” said Carrington quietly.

”d.a.m.n it!” cried Rattar, ”I'll tell you, only I'm fed up with that man's bullying! I put it in a stocking” (he nodded towards the match box) ”just as you guessed and I went out to Keldale that night. My G.o.d, what a walk that was in the dark! I'd half forgotten the way down to the house and I thought every other tree was a man watching me. I don't know yet how I got to that library window. I remembered his ways and I thought he'd be sitting up there alone; but it was just a chance, and I'd no idea I'd have the luck to pick a night when he was sleeping in his dressing room. Give me another drink!”

Carrington promptly brought one and again it vanished almost in a gulp.

”Well, I saw him through a gap in the curtains and I risked a tap on the gla.s.s. My G.o.d, how surprised he was to see me standing there! I grinned at him and he let me in, and then----” He broke off and fell forward in his chair with his face in his hands. ”This whisky has gone to my head!”