XXI
A CORDIAL UNDERSTANDING
"Let us make peace!"
Juve held out his hand--a firm, strong hand--the hand of a trusty man.
"Let us make peace frankly, sincerely, wholeheartedly!"
Lieutenant de Loubersac signed the pact, without a moment'shesitation: he put his hand into the hand of Juve, and shook itwarmly.
"Agreed, Monsieur: we are of one mind on that point!"
The two men stood silent, considering each other, despite the violenceof the west wind sweeping across the end of the stockade, bringingwith it enormous foam-tipped waves, rising from a rough, grey sea.
The detective and the officer were on the jetty of Dieppe harbour.This chill December afternoon, the sea looked dark and threatening.
Since their arrival at Dieppe, Juve and de Loubersac had mutuallyavoided each other. Time and again they had come face to face, eachmore bored, more cross-looking than the other. This mutual, sulkyavoidance was over: they had made it up.
* * * * *
The evening before, following his arrest under the guise of Vagualame,Juve had been conducted to the Depot by his colleagues. No sooner werethey seated in the taxi, under the charge of Inspector Michel and hiscompanion, than Juve made himself known to his gratified, unsuspectingcolleagues. It was a humiliating surprise for the two policemen: theyfelt fooled.
Juve, realising that neither Michel nor his colleagues were atpresent likely to lend him their generous aid in the carrying out ofcertain plans, decided to keep silence: nor would he let them into thesecret of his discoveries regarding Bobinette's highly suspiciouscharacter and conduct: that she was an accomplice, a tool of the realVagualame was established beyond a doubt.
The crestfallen Michel had to unhandcuff Juve and restore him toliberty; but he extracted a promise from his amazing colleague that hewould see Monsieur Havard next morning, and give him an account of allthat had passed.
Accordingly, at seven o'clock next morning, Juve was received byMonsieur Havard.
Juve had hoped for a few minutes' interview, then a rush to the EastStation, there to await the arrival of Corporal Vinson. The interviewwas a long one: Juve was too late.
But he had not lost time at Headquarters. The Second Bureau hadtelephoned, warning Police Headquarters that Corporal Vinson, arrivedin Paris, was going to Dieppe very shortly, where a foreignpleasure-boat would take possession of a piece of artillery, stolen,and probably being taken care of by the corporal.
This information coincided with what Juve had learned from Bobinette,and completed it. He must start for Dieppe instanter. If he had anyluck he would arrest the soldier, and Bobinette as well. She wouldconvey the piece to Vinson in the morning, and would accompany him toDieppe. She was daring enough to do it.
At the Saint Lazare station Juve had caught the train for Dieppe whichmeets the one o'clock boat, bound for England. He had just settledhimself in a first-class compartment, of which he was the solitaryoccupant, when he recognised an officer of the Second Bureau walkingin the corridor--Lieutenant Henri de Loubersac!
The train was barely in motion when de Loubersac seated himselfopposite Juve. The recognition had been mutual.
A few hours before, Henri de Loubersac had learned of theextraordinary arrest of the false Vagualame. He then understood thatit was with Juve he had talked on the quay near the rue de Solferino.The officer of the Second Bureau was profoundly mortified: he had beentaken in by a civilian!
He declared:
"It is the sort of thing one does not do! It is unworthy of anhonourable man!"
In the Batignolles tunnel Juve and he began discussing this point: deLoubersac angry, excited; Juve immovably calm.
The discussion lasted until their train ran into Dieppe station. Theyhad exhausted the subject, but had scarcely touched on the motives oftheir journey to this seaport. The two men separated with a stiffsalute.
Obviously both were keeping a watch on the approaches to the quay:they encountered each other repeatedly; it became ridiculous. Beingintelligent men devoted to their duty, they determined to act inconcert for the better fulfillment of this same duty--duty to theirrespective chiefs--duty to the State--duty to France!
So they made it up!
After their cordial handshake, Juve, wishing to define the situation,asked:
"Now what are we after exactly--you and I? What is the common aim ofthe Second Bureau and Police Headquarters?"
De Loubersac's reply was:
"A document has been stolen from us: we want to find it."
Juve said:
"Two crimes have been committed: we wish to seize the assassin."
"And," continued de Loubersac, with a smile, "as it is probable themurderer of Captain Brocq and Nichoune is none other than theindividual who stole our document."...
"By uniting our efforts," finished Juve, "we have every chance ofdiscovering the one and the other."
There was a pause. Then Juve asked:
"Nevertheless, Lieutenant, since I find you here, I fancy there issome side development--some incident?... In reality, have you not cometo Dieppe to intercept a certain corporal who is to deliver to aforeign power a piece of artillery of the highest importance?"
"You have hit it!" was de Loubersac's reply. "I see you know aboutthis gun affair!"
Juve nodded.
The two men were slowly returning towards the town by way of the outerharbour quays. They approached a dock, in which was anchored a prettylittle yacht flying the Dutch flag. Juve stared hard at this elegantcraft. De Loubersac enquired if yachting was his favourite sport. Juvesmiled.
"Far from it! Nevertheless, when that yacht weighs anchor, it would bemy delight to inspect her from stem to stern, accompanied by theCustom House officials. It is my conviction that Corporal Vinson willsoon turn up, slip aboard with the stolen gun-piece, conceal it insome prepared hiding-hole below: his otherwise uninteresting personwill be hidden also."
"I am of the same mind," declared de Loubersac.
As the two men strolled they exchanged information.
De Loubersac told Juve that, according to the latest messages from theSecond Bureau, Vinson had left Paris with a priest, in a hiredmotor-car, and had taken the road to Rouen, that in all probabilitythey would reach Dieppe before nightfall, and when they arrived!...
"It is precisely at that moment we shall arrest them. I have made allarrangements with the local police," finished de Loubersac.
"Ah!" murmured Juve. "What a pity Captain Loreuil and Inspector Michelcame on the scenes last night and arrested me prematurely, thinkingthey had got the real Vagualame, for now I can never make use of theruffian's disguise to pump the different members of the great spyorganisation we are on the track of!"
"But what prevents you now from masquerading as Vagualame?" demandedde Loubersac.
"Why, when no one knew I was a false Vagualame, I could make up in hislikeness: now they know the truth; not only is it known by thefollowers of Vagualame by this time, but--I am certain of it--I wasrecognised by the real Vagualame himself!"
"Did he see you then?"
"I would stake my life on it!" asserted Juve.
"Just when?... Where?... In the street?" de Loubersac was keenlyinterested.
"No--just when I was arrested."
"But, from what I have heard, there were very few of you!" cried deLoubersac. "Then the real Vagualame must have been at the Baron deNaarboveck's?"
"Hah!" was Juve's non-committal exclamation.
"Whom do you suspect?"
Juve kept silence.
Suddenly he concealed himself behind a deserted goods waggon. DeLoubersac did the same. Both fixed examining eyes on a couple comingin their direction. They were not the expected pair of traitors.
"Who?" again asked de Loubersac.
Juve was impenetrable.
"I am inclined to think that the companion, Mademoiselle Berthe,otherwise Bobinette, has played, and perhaps still plays, anincomp
rehensible part in these affairs."
"You find it incomprehensible?" Juve burst into laughter. "I do not!"
"Well then, were I in your place, I should not hesitate to arresther!"
"And then?"
"Oh, explanations could follow."
Juve considered his companion a minute: then, taking his arm infriendly fashion, continued their walk along the quay.
"I have a theory," said Juve; "that when dealing with such complexaffairs as these we are now engaged on, affairs in which the actorsare but puppets, acting on behalf of the prime mover, a master-mind,ungetatable, or almost so, we should aim at first securing the primemover. To secure the puppets and leave the prime mover free is toobtain but a partial success: the victory is then more apparent thanreal.... I might have arrested Bobinette as we shall probably arrestCorporal Vinson before long; but would her arrest furnish us with themaster key to this problem? Have we not a better chance ofdiscovering the powerful head of this band if we allow hiscollaborators to perform their manoeuvres in a fancied security?"
The prime mover of these mysteries? Juve was convinced that the primemover of these nefarious mysteries, the murderous master mind was, andcould be, none other than--Fantomas!
Juve paused abruptly.
A man was coming to meet them--an investigating agent attached to thegeneral commissariat department at Dieppe.
"They are asking for Monsieur Henri on the telephone," he announced.
De Loubersac rushed to the police station. Over the telephone, a WarOffice colleague informed him that the fugitive corporal, accompaniedby a priest, had during the last hour arrived at a garage in Rouen.
Meanwhile Juve had received a cypher telegram at the police station,confirming the news, with the addition that, after replenishing themotor with petrol, they had set off again at once--they had received atelegram.
Juve and de Loubersac returned to the quay.
"Our beauties will not be so long now," said he.
With twilight the tempest had died down, night was falling fast. Thewaters in the docks reflected the light from the quay lamps on theirshining, heaving, surface.
Now, for some time, Henri de Loubersac had been longing to ask Juve aquestion, longing yet fearing to voice it--a question relating to hispersonal affairs. Had not Juve, as Vagualame, clearly insinuated thatWilhelmine de Naarboveck must have been the mistress of Captain Brocq?Had not de Loubersac protested vehemently against such an odiouscalumny? But now that he knew this statement was Juve's, he was in astate of torment--his love was bleeding with the torture of it!
At last he summoned up courage to put the question to Juve.
Juve frowned, looked embarrassed. He had foreseen the question. He didnot believe that Wilhelmine de Naarboveck had been Captain Brocq'smistress; but he knew there was an undecipherable mystery in thisgirl's life, and he had an intuition that the discovery of thissecret would probably throw light on certain points which, as far ashe was concerned, had remained obscure. Was this fair-haired girlreally the baron's daughter? Since he had learned that Wilhelminevisited Lady Beltham's tomb regularly--this notorious Lady Beltham,mistress of Fantomas--he had been saying to himself:
"No--Mademoiselle Wilhelmine is not the daughter of de Naarboveck, therich diplomat! But who, then, is she?"
Juve knew it was useless to say this to de Loubersac, blinded by loveas he was; but his aim--a rather Machiavellian one--was to sow seedsof suspicion in the heart of this lover, which would drive him toprovoke an explanation, and force Wilhelmine to speak out, for shemust surely know the facts relating to her identity!
This Machiavellian Juve did not hesitate to say to de Loubersac:
"You remember what the false Vagualame told you when you talked withhim on the banks of the Seine?... You are to-day in the presence ofthis false Vagualame--of me, Juve--as you know.... Well, I am sorry totell you that, whatever outside appearance I adopt, my way ofthinking, my way of seeing things seldom changes."
Henri de Loubersac understood: he grew pale: his lips were pressedtightly together: he clenched his fists.
Satisfied with this result, Juve repeated to himself this celebratedaphorism of the Bastille:
"Slander! Slander! Some of it always sticks!"
It was dark. In a little restaurant near by, the two men dinedfrugally: it was a mediocre repast, not too well cooked. Anxiousquestionings tormented them. The fugitives were long in coming: hadthey got wind of what was afoot? Had Vinson and the priest been warnedthat detectives were hot on their trail? If so, it was all up with thearrest!
De Loubersac remained on the watch. Juve returned to the policestation. He was crossing the threshold when the telephone shrilled.News from the police sergeant at Rouen!
The corporal and the abbe, leaving Rouen, had taken the road toBarentin, had dined at _The Flowery Crossways Hotel_, and, accordingto the chauffeur's statement, they would pass the night there: theywould reach Dieppe next morning at the earliest possible moment.
Juve hurried with the news to de Loubersac. After a short consultationthey separated: each pretended he was going to his own particularhotel to get some rest.
* * * * *
Juve did not quit the neighbourhood of the quay. Installed in a customhouse official's sentry box, he stolidly set himself to pass the nightwith only his thoughts for company. An hour passed. Juve cocked alistening ear; there were furtive footsteps--stealthy movements closeby!... Juve thrilled!... If it were the traitor Vinson? The steps camenearer, nearer. Juve slipped out of his shelter. Someone rose upbefore him--and ... mutual recognition, and laughter!
De Loubersac was on the watch as well!
Jovially, Juve summed up the situation:
"Lieutenant, we can truly declare that, civilian or soldier, inpursuit of our duty we are ever on a war footing!"
Philosophically resigned to a wakeful night, the pair marchedstolidly, persistently, doggedly up and down the Dieppe quay--up anddown--up and down--an interminable up-and-down!