CHAPTER XVIII
A New Turn to the Puzzle
How we got her down, I scarcely know. I dimly remembered bringing achair for Godfrey and holding up the body for a dreadful instant whilehe severed the cord about the neck; but my first clear recollection isof her form upon a bed in the adjoining room, with Godfrey bending overher and Lucy Kingdon standing by with such a face of anguish and despairthat, for the first time since I had known her, I found it in my heartto pity her.
She had snatched up some dark garment and thrown it over hernight-dress, and she stood looking down at the limp form on the bed,with its hideous, staring face, as though struck to stone. All but herlips--they opened and shut, drinking the air in gasps, and from momentto moment she muttered to herself, "I should have known! I should haveknown! I should have known!"
At last Godfrey stood erect and turned to her, and his face was verytender.
"It's no use," he said gently. "Perhaps we'd better summon a physician;but he can do nothing."
For a moment she did not seem to understand; then she suddenly threw herblack hair out of her eyes and fell on her knees beside the bed. Shecaught one dead hand to her and fondled it and kissed it; while a greatwave of sobbing swept over her.
"I should have known!" she repeated. "I should have known! It was myfault!"
I shuddered. Was it her fault? Had she been false to Marcia Lawrence,and her sister true, and was this the result of that treachery?
At last she controlled herself and stood erect, still quivering, butfairly calm. And some of her old proud, disdainful spirit returned toher.
"This gentleman I know," she said, with a little gesture in mydirection, after looking at us a moment. "You," she added to Godfrey, "Ido not know."
"My name is Godfrey," he answered. "I'm a friend of Mr. Lester's."
"And what are you doing here?"
Not until then did I think of our strange appearance, shoeless, coveredfrom head to foot with yellow clay, spotted here and there with theblood which had dripped from my wound--astonishing objects, truly, toburst in upon a woman in the middle of the night! Even Godfrey, ready ininvention as was ever the wily Ulysses, found himself unable, for themoment, to explain.
"I suppose you were lurking about the house," she went on, her facedarkening with sudden anger, "Mr. Lester, I know, has a fondness fordoing that. No doubt you're also an amateur detective."
But Godfrey had got back his self-possession.
"Something of the kind," he admitted good-humouredly. "We heard youscream and rushed to your assistance."
"You were very kind!" she sneered; then her face changed. "The door waslocked," she said. "I locked it when I came home. How did you get in?"She glanced through the dining-room and saw that the door was stillclosed.
"It wasn't locked at the time we entered," explained Godfrey coolly."But that was nearly an hour ago. We were not lurking about the house,Miss Kingdon, when we heard you scream. We were in the cellar."
He was watching her keenly, but she showed no sign of understanding.
"In the cellar?" she repeated, and scanned our soiled clothes. "Whatwere you doing there?"
"We were making some investigations," answered Godfrey composedly. "Yoursister discovered us there and took a shot at my friend here," and hepointed to my bleeding hand. "Luckily her aim was bad. Didn't you hearthe shot?"
"No," she said, staring from one to the other of us, her anger andinsolence quite gone. "I heard no shot. I was asleep in the bedhere--the door was closed. Why did she shoot at you? Did she take youfor burglars?"
"No," said Godfrey, "I hardly think she took us for burglars."
"And yet you were burglars--she was justified in shooting."
"No doubt of that," Godfrey agreed. "We took the chance, and are notcomplaining."
"You had no business in the cellar. You have no business here. You'reintruders. I don't wish you here. I insist that you leave."
"In a moment," said Godfrey.
"At once!" she cried, flushing darkly again. "Or I'll compel you to,"and she made a motion toward the pillow of the bed.
"Oh, no, you won't, Miss Kingdon," protested Godfrey easily. "We won'tconsent to be shot at any more to-night. We _have_ some business here,and we're going to stay till it's completed. Since you didn't hear theshot, will you kindly tell us what it was awakened you? Please believethat we shall be glad to be of service to you. I fear you're going tostand in need of us before long."
She hesitated, still looking at him; but there was no resisting thestern kindness of his eyes, nor doubting that his warning was inearnest.
"I came home about half an hour ago," she began, "or perhaps it's longerthan that----"
"Was your sister expecting you?"
"No; I had intended to stay with Mrs. Lawrence all night. But I found Iwasn't needed, and so came home."
"The side door was unlocked?"
"Yes, and that surprised me for a moment."
"Was your sister here at the time?"
"She was in the yard--she came in a moment later."
Godfrey and I exchanged a glance, which Miss Kingdon intercepted.
"Wasn't she in the yard?" she demanded. "What is this mystery?"
"We'll tell you in a moment," said Godfrey; "but please let us hear yourstory first. You had been, you say, at the Lawrence house?"
"Yes; Mrs. Lawrence has been very nervous since Marcia disappeared. Ihad been sitting with her until she went to sleep. I met Mr. Lesterthere earlier in the evening," she added, and cast me a half-mockingglance.
"Yes, he told me," said Godfrey. "He's been having an exciting timeto-night. Were you with Mrs. Lawrence last night?"
"Yes; I spent the entire night with her."
Again we exchanged a glance.
"And you say that you expected to stay there again to-night?"
"Yes; but my sister hasn't been well for the past two days, so, as soonas Mrs. Lawrence fell asleep and I found she wouldn't need me, I hurriedhome. I found Harriet very nervous and excited, and finally persuadedher to take a soothing draught and go to bed. I was so tired that I fellasleep almost at once, and I knew nothing more until I was awakened bywhat seemed to be a kind of drumming on the head-board."
She stopped, shuddering. We, too, had heard that drumming!
"Yes," said Godfrey. "Your bed, I see, is backed against the closetpartition--tight against it. It no doubt makes a kind ofsounding-board."
"I suppose that's it. I felt for Harriet and found she wasn't there.That startled me wide awake. Again I heard that drumming, and sprang outof bed, lighted the lamp, and rushed to the closet to find that shehad----"
The words ended in a sob, which she tried in vain to repress. Godfreybent again over the figure on the bed.
"She used what is evidently a curtain cord," he said. "Don't look ather, Miss Kingdon. The death is an easy one, whatever it may appear."
"But why did she do it?" demanded Lucy Kingdon. "Why should she get upin the middle of the night, like that, and hang herself? What impulsewas it----"
She stopped suddenly, regarding us fixedly, her face livid, her eyesagleam.
"It was you!" she cried hoarsely, pointing an accusing finger. "Sheheard you in the cellar--you frightened her--you drove her to it!"
"That's nonsense, Miss Kingdon," broke in Godfrey sternly, "and you knowit! How could we drive her to suicide?"
"What was it, then?" she demanded. "I've had enough of this mystery."
Godfrey looked at her keenly.
"You really don't know?"
She shook her head, staring mutely up at him, fascinated by the purposein his face.
"She was deeply devoted to Miss Lawrence, wasn't she?"
"Yes."
"More devoted than you?"
A sudden flush overspread Lucy Kingdon's face, giving place in a momentto deadly pallor.
"Perhaps," she admitted hoarsely. "But that had nothing to do with it.That was no reason!"
"No," assented Godfrey; "not in i
tself. But it was at the bottom ofit--for it led to something totally unforeseen."
She shook herself together.
"You're speaking in riddles," she said. "It's scarcely fair."
"Pardon me," said Godfrey instantly. "I don't want to be unfair. Comewith me and I'll show you the cause of this act. Bring the lamp,Lester."
Together we crossed the kitchen to the door which gave entrance to thecellar stairs. It seemed to me that Miss Kingdon shrank back a little asshe saw where we were taking her. But it may have been only my fancy.Certainly she followed promptly enough when Godfrey started down.
At the foot he paused.
"You've not been down here for some days, I take it, Miss Kingdon?" heasked.
"No," she answered, her eyes glancing from right to left. "I very seldomcome down here. Harriet always attended to the household affairs. But Isee nothing wrong."
"Come this way," and he passed around the angle of the wall into therecess.
"Some one has been digging," she said, as her eyes fell upon the heap ofdirt.
"Yes; what was this recess for, Miss Kingdon?"
"We had intended placing a furnace here," she said, "but after the housewas finished, we decided that a furnace wasn't needed. Who has beendigging here? You?" and her eyes again examined our earth-stainedclothes.
"It was your sister dug the hole, and then filled it again, as you see."
"My sister?"
"Yes--she worked at it last night, and again to-night, when she thoughtherself secure from interruption."
"But why?" she asked, in bewilderment.
"Because she had something to conceal. This hole is a grave, MissKingdon. See there."
He flashed a ray from his electric torch full upon the leering facestaring up at us.
Lucy Kingdon gazed down at it for a moment with distended eyes. Then,with a deep sigh, she sank backward to the floor.