CHAPTER XIX
And so, in this at once amazing and simple way was solved the mystery ofGodfrey Pavely's disappearance.
Inquiries made by the police soon elicited the fact that the Portuguesefinancier had told the truth as regarded his business in England, for aconsiderable number of persons voluntarily came forward to confirm theaccount the man had given of himself in his strange letter.
During his sojourn at the Mayfair Hotel, the now mysterious FernandoApra had impressed those who came in contact with him pleasantly ratherthan otherwise. It was also remembered there that one morning, aboutthree weeks ago, he had come in looking agitated and distressed, andthat he had confided to the manager of the hotel that an accident of avery extraordinary nature had occurred to him. But there his confidenceshad stopped--he had not said what it was that had happened to him. A dayor two later, he had gone away, explaining that his business in Englandwas concluded.
Laura stayed up in town till the inquest, and so, rather to Laura'ssurprise, did Katty Winslow.
As is always the case when there is anything of the nature of a mystery,the inquest was largely attended by the ordinary public. But nosensational evidence was tendered, though person after person went intothe witness-box to prove that they had come in contact with FernandoApra, and that under a seal of secrecy he had informed them of hisgambling concession and of the scheme for developing what he believedwould be a hugely profitable undertaking. In fact, he had spoken to morethan one man of business of a possible two hundred per cent. profit.
It also became clear, for the first time, why Mr. Pavely had gone toYork. A gentleman who bore the aristocratic name of Greville Howard, andwho was in too poor a state of health to come up to the inquest,volunteered the information that Fernando Apra had come to see him,Greville Howard, with an introduction from Mr. Godfrey Pavely. Further,that he, Mr. Howard, having gone into the matter of the proposedgambling concession, had suggested that the three should meet and have achat over the business. As a result, a rather odd thing had happened.Mr. Apra did not accept the invitation, but Mr. Pavely, whom he hadknown for some years, had come to see him, and they had discussed theproject. Then he, Greville Howard, had heard nothing more till he hadseen in a daily paper a casual allusion to the fact of Mr. GodfreyPavely's disappearance!
But, though so much was cleared up, two rather important questionsremained unanswered. There was no proof, through any of the shippingcompanies, that Fernando Apra had left England under his own name. Also,while there were apparently several men of that same rather common namein Lisbon, the Portuguese police seemed unable to give any clue as tothis particular man's identity. But a plausible explanation of this wasto be found in the fact that Portugal had lately changed her form ofgovernment.
Though the mystery was now in no sense any longer a mystery, a ratherpeculiar verdict was returned. The foreman of the jury, a tiresome,self-opinionated man, declared that he and his fellow jurymen were notreally satisfied as to how Godfrey Pavely had come by his death, andthey added a strong rider to their verdict, expressing an earnest hopethat every effort would be made to find Fernando Apra.
The inquest lasted two days, and as Laura insisted on being present thewhole time, the ordeal for her was severe. She was, however, supportedby the companionship and presence of Mrs. Tropenell, who had come up onpurpose to be with her.
* * * * *
After having put Mrs. Tropenell and Laura in a carriage, Lord St. Amantand Sir Angus Kinross walked away from the building where the inquesthad been held. For a while neither man said anything.
Then, suddenly, Lord St. Amant exclaimed: "I don't know what _you_ thinkabout it, but in spite of all we have heard, I can't help having asuspicion that that man Fernando Apra's story is a bit too thin. I takeit that he and Pavely may have had a quarrel--it's even possible thatthis Portuguese fellow may have wanted to get Pavely out of thisexceedingly profitable business. But no man, least of all a manaccustomed to carrying firearms, would play about with a pistol quiteclose to the back of another man's head!"
"I've known stranger things than that happen," said Sir Angus slowly."But in any case this Portuguese fellow is an uncommonly clever chap.He's clean covered up his tracks."
He hesitated a moment--and then added "I can tell you one queer thing,St. Amant. This man Pavely's pockets were very thoroughly gone throughby whoever shot him. One side of his coat had the lining ripped open."
"Yet quite a good bit of money was found on him," observed Lord St.Amant.
"Whoever went through his pockets wasn't looking for money." Sir Angusspoke significantly.
He went on: "Though it was implied to-day that no papers or letters werediscovered on the body, there was, as a matter of fact, an envelopefound in an inner pocket. It was one of those inner pockets which somemen have put into the inner lining of a waistcoat, the kind of pocketwhich is practically impossible to find--especially if you're in ahurry, and don't suspect its existence."
Lord St. Amant's curiosity was sharply aroused. He ventured a question:"And the contents of the envelope?"
"Well, between ourselves, the contents of the envelope astonished mevery much. The envelope, stamped with the name of Pavely's Bank,contained two rather scurrilous anonymous letters. To me, the curiousthing consisted in the fact that Pavely had thought it worth while tokeep them. I should have destroyed them at once in his place."
"Do they throw any light on the mystery?"
"No, of course not, or they would have been produced in evidence to-day.But still, one never can tell. Of course we are keeping them." He addedsignificantly, "They were not letters I should have cared to hand backto Mr. Pavely's widow."
And then the Commissioner of Police added something which very muchsurprised his companion: "By the way, talking of Mr. Pavely's widow, Ido earnestly beg you to try and dissuade Mrs. Pavely from continuingthat thousand pounds reward."
"Surely the reward has lapsed now? The only person entitled to it wouldbe this man, Fernando Apra himself."
"Ah, but Mrs. Pavely--or so Mr. Tropenell tells me--is quite determinedto keep the offer of the reward open. Whereas before the discovery ofMr. Pavely's body the reward was offered for any information leading tohis discovery dead or alive, that same sum is now to be offered to anyone who can bring us into communication with this Portuguese fellowhimself. I'm bound to say that Mr. Tropenell saw at once all theinconvenience of such a course, and he has done his best to dissuadeMrs. Pavely. But she's quite set on it! I fancy she's been persuaded togo on with it by Mrs. Winslow."
"Ah!" said Lord St. Amant. "I can't say that that surprises me. Mrs.Winslow----"
Then he stopped short, and the other looked quickly round at him, andexclaimed: "I wish you'd tell me a little more than I've been able tofind out about this Mrs. Winslow. What exactly was her position in thePavely _menage_?"
Lord St. Amant hesitated. He felt bound to stand up for poor Katty. So,"Only that she and poor Godfrey Pavely were very old friends--friendsfrom childhood," he answered slowly. "And since the time she divorcedher husband Mrs. Winslow has lived close to The Chase--in fact, she wastheir tenant."
"Then Mrs. Winslow was Pavely's rather than Mrs. Pavely's friend?"
"Yes--if you care to put it that way."
"I've very little doubt--in fact I feel quite sure, St. Amant, that Mrs.Winslow knows a great deal more about the whole affair than she haschosen to reveal. When she and I talked the whole thing over, I broughther to admit that she _had_ heard something of this secret businessarrangement between Pavely and Fernando Apra. But if she was speakingthe truth--and I think she was--there was a reason for her having beentold. She was herself investing a small sum in the concern."
"The devil she was!" Lord St. Amant was very much surprised.
"Yes, and on Pavely's advice, of course. I take it that he was on moreconfidential terms with this lady than he was with his own wife?"
The other nodded, reluctantly. "Well, you must know by thi
s time almostas well as I did that the Pavelys were not on very--well, happy terms,together!"
Sir Angus went on: "D'you remember something I told you concerning Mr.Pavely's day at York? Even before we knew all you have heard to-day, wefelt quite convinced that he'd gone down there to see the old rascal whocalls himself Greville Howard. But some further information about thatjourney to York is in our possession."
Lord St. Amant again nodded. There came a rather uneasy look over hisface. He thought he knew the nature of the further confidence which wasabout to be made to him. He had never had any doubt in his own mindthat Godfrey Pavely had not gone alone to Yorkshire.
"We feel quite certain that Mrs. Winslow was with Pavely in York. He wasseen there, in the company of a lady, by a business acquaintance. We'veascertained that Mrs. Winslow went, on that same day, to stay with somerather well-known people in the neighbourhood. Mind you, I'm not for amoment suggesting that there was anything wrong."
"I wonder," said Lord St. Amant suddenly, "why Mrs. Winslow stilldesires the reward to be offered."
"I think I can tell you why."
The Commissioner of Police looked straight into the other man's eyes."Mrs. Winslow wishes this reward to be offered because she has vaguehopes of earning it herself."
Lord St. Amant uttered an exclamation of extreme astonishment.
The other smiled. "Yes--queer, isn't it? But, mind you, that's by nomeans an uncommon trait in the type of woman to which Mrs. Winslowbelongs. Their motives are almost always mixed. They're subtle littledevils for the most part, St. Amant. Mrs. Winslow was quite sufficientlyfond of this unfortunate man to wish to avenge his death, and she alsowould be very glad suddenly to receive an addition to her fortune--whichis, I understand, very small--of even a thousand pounds."
He added, in a graver tone: "It seems to me that the one chance we haveof influencing Mrs. Pavely is through you. And then again, the mere factthat you are one of her trustees may make a difference. Would you nothave it in your power to _prevent_ her continuing this reward?"
Lord St. Amant shook his head very decidedly. "No, I should not feeljustified in doing that, even if I had the power. As a matter of fact,she has a certain amount of money at her own absolute disposal. I maytell you that I did my best to dissuade her from offering the rewardwhen she first made up her mind to do so--you will remember when Imean?"
* * * * *
As Lord St. Amant made his way back to his own rooms, the rooms where heknew Mrs. Tropenell and Laura Pavely were now waiting for him, his mindwas in a whirl of surprise and conjecture.
Katty Winslow acting the part of amateur detective? What anextraordinary notion! Somehow it was one which would never have crossedhis mind. That, no doubt, was the real reason why she had been sodetermined to attend the inquest. But she had not sat with Mrs. Pavely,Mrs. Tropenell, and himself. She had chosen a place in a kind of littlegallery behind the jurymen, and by her side, through the wholeproceedings, had sat, with his arms folded, Oliver Tropenell.
Tropenell, since the discovery of Godfrey Pavely's body, had kepthimself very much apart from the others. He had gone down to Pewsbury,and had broken the sad news to Mr. Privet--this by Laura's directrequest and desire. But he had not shown even the discreet interest LordSt. Amant would have expected him to show in the newly-made widow andher affairs, and there was something enigmatic and reserved in hisattitude.
One thing he had done. He had made a great effort to prevent LauraPavely's being put into the witness-box. He had discovered that sheshrank with a kind of agonised horror from the ordeal, and he had beggedLord St. Amant to join him in trying to spare her. But of course theirefforts had been of no avail. Laura, in one sense, was the principalwitness. But for her receipt of the letter, the body of her husbandmight not have been discovered for weeks, maybe for months. FernandoApra would only have had to send a further instalment of rent, with theproviso that his room should not be entered till he returned, for themystery to remain a mystery for at any rate a long time.
The funeral of Godfrey Pavely was to take place the next day in the oldParish Church of Pewsbury, where the Pavely family had a vault. Thearrangements had all been left to Mr. Privet, and the only time Lord St.Amant had seen Oliver Tropenell smile since the awful discovery had beenmade, had been in this connection.
"I'm very glad we thought of it," he said, "I mean that Mrs. Pavely andmyself thought of it. Poor old Privet! He was one of the very few peoplein the world who was ever really attached to Godfrey Pavely. And thefact that all the arrangements have been left to him is a greatconsolation, not to say pleasure, to the poor old fellow."