CHAPTER XXI
Cross-Purposes
Godfrey was waiting for me at the desk, and I felt him glance at mekeenly as I announced my readiness to accompany him.
"We'll go up to the Kingdon place," he said, "and see if the coroner hasmade any discoveries. The clerk told me you had a visitor," he added, aswe reached the street.
"A client," I answered, with forced jocularity. "A clergyman in need oflegal advice."
"I thought I recognised him as he came out. It was Dr. Schuyler, wasn'tit?"
"Yes."
He glanced at me again, and then walked on in silence; but I felt thereproach he did not utter.
"He's in trouble of some kind," I explained.
"Connected with this affair?"
"I think so. But I don't want it blazed forth in the _Record_ till I'msure."
"The _Record_ doesn't blaze forth everything I know," he said quietly.
"I know it doesn't, but you'd give it this--it would have a right tothis."
"Is it so important as all that?"
"I rather fancy it's the clue we've been looking for."
His eyes were shining now as he looked at me.
"That _is_ important," he said. "I should like to have it."
"I'm not absolutely sure," I said, again. "But I'm going to see himagain this evening. If there's anything I can tell you after that, Iwill."
"That's fair enough," he assented. "The story, whatever it is, is boundto be public property in a few days, I suppose?"
"It will probably come out at the inquest. When is the inquest?"
"It's been set for to-morrow; but it will probably be held open untilLucy Kingdon can testify."
"You'll beat the world a day, then."
"That's what I like to do. But here we are, and there's Haynes at thedoor."
We entered the yard, and Godfrey introduced me to the coroner. Heimpressed me at once as alert and efficient, and he led the way into thehouse, and asked that I tell him the story of the night before, which Idid as circumstantially as I could.
"I hope your wound isn't a bad one," he said, when I had finished,glancing at my bandaged hand.
"Oh, no," I said; "a mere scratch. To tell the truth, I'd nearlyforgotten it."
"Here's the weapon the bullet came from," he added, and produced fromhis pocket a small, pearl-handled revolver. "There are two chambersempty. The other bullet flew straighter than the one fired at you, Mr.Lester."
"You mean----"
"Yes, we probed for it and got it out. It had passed directly throughthe heart, and lodged in the muscles of the back. There can be noquestion that it came from this revolver."
"Whose revolver is it?" I asked.
"Presumably Miss Kingdon's. We've not been able to find any evidence onthat point. It wasn't bought here in Elizabeth. You see it's a foreignmake."
I could decipher upon the barrel the letters "C & I, Paris." Godfreyexamined it with eyes which were gleaming strangely. I watched him witha curious sinking of the heart, but he handed it back to the coronerwithout comment.
"Anything else?" he asked. "No trace of the watch?"
"No," and Haynes shook his head.
"How is Miss Kingdon?"
"A little quieter, but still delirious. She won't be able to testifyto-morrow. We've got a trained nurse for her--the doctor thinks she'dbetter not be moved for a day or two."
"And no light as to the identity of the victim?"
"Not the slightest. I've found a cabman who saw him get off the 10.30train from New York on the morning of the tenth. Then he went into adrugstore near the depot, and asked to look at a directory, afterwardsasking the way to North Broad Street. He probably spoke to no one elsetill he stopped to ask Clemley where the Kingdons lived."
"He'd never been here before, then."
"Evidently not. And he didn't know the Kingdons' address until he gothere."
"No," agreed Godfrey; "no. Well, you've evidently done everything thatcould be done, Mr. Haynes. Perhaps something more will come out at theinquest. It opens at ten o'clock, doesn't it?"
"Yes; here are your subpoenas," and he handed us each a paper.
"Very well," said Godfrey. "We'll be present, of course. Where will itbe held?"
"I thought it best to hold it right here," answered Haynes, "I want thejury to be on the scene."
"But won't it disturb Miss Kingdon?"
"Not at all. There's a large front room which will answer nicely--andI'll have the police keep everybody out who hasn't some business there.Here's the room," and he opened a door and led the way into the roombeyond.
It was the one into which Miss Kingdon had shown me on the morning of mymemorable interview with her, and involuntarily my eyes sought theportrait on the wall opposite the front windows. It was still there--asalluring, astonishing, compelling as ever. Indeed, as I gazed at it now,it seemed even more striking than it had when I saw it first.
"Look at that," I said, turning to Godfrey, but there was no need for meto call his attention to the portrait. He had already seen it, and wasgazing at it in rapt admiration.
"Whose is it?" he demanded, at last. "Who painted it?"
I pointed to the name scrawled in the corner.
"'Ruth Endicott,'" he read slowly. "Well, and who was she?"
"That's her portrait," I said. "Does it remind you of any one?"
He looked at it for a moment in silence; then he shook his head.
"No, I can't say that it does. But who was Ruth Endicott?"
"Nobody in particular--a distant relative of the Kingdons."
Godfrey gazed at me sceptically.
"Really?" he asked.
"Really. This was the last picture she painted--of herself. You see howcrude it is."
"Crude--yes; but it's got power, Lester. The woman's _there_, somehow,looking right out of the canvas. Did she die?"
"Yes; thirty years ago," and I told him the little I knew of RuthEndicott and her history.
He listened without comment, his eyes still on the bewitching facegazing down from the wall at us.
"Well, it beats me," was his only remark, when I had ended, and with avisible effort he tore himself away from the portrait, and turned to thecoroner, who had been waiting patiently until our inspection of thepainting was ended. "Is this where the inquest will be held?"
"Yes, sir; I'll have some chairs brought in. It won't last very long.I'll have to adjourn it, of course, until Miss Kingdon can give hertestimony."
Godfrey nodded.
"Yes, you'll have to do that. Well, you may depend upon us--but I doubtif our evidence will go very far toward solving the mystery."
* * * * *
If the town had been glowing the night before over the disappearance ofMarcia Lawrence, it was fairly blazing now over this new mystery. Infact, the one had quite eclipsed the other, and I was mightily relievedto find that no one suspected any relation between them. I bought copiesof both the local papers, and observed again their prodigal use of blacktype and exclamation points. Each of them devoted the whole front pageto the case, without, however, throwing any new light upon it. Onanother page, one of them stated in a few lines that nothing further hadbeen heard from Miss Lawrence; the other contained no reference whateverto the Lawrence affair, and had apparently forgotten all about it.
Could any good come of reviving it? Why need Dr. Schuyler interfere atall? If it was Marcia Lawrence who was insane, the law could not touchher, whatever she had done. Harriet Kingdon was dead, and the obloquy ofthe crime could do her no injury. Besides, whoever had fired theshot----
Then, suddenly, I remembered the revolver. That was going to prove anawkward piece of evidence. Godfrey had suspected instantly who its ownerwas; and he, certainly, would permit no sentimental considerations tointerfere with placing the whole truth before the public.
But perhaps I was mistaken, after all. Granted that Marcia Lawrence hadbeen subject to spells of derangement, that was no proof that sh
e hadcommitted this crime. It might be, indeed, that that very infirmity wasthe cause of her flight. She may have believed herself cured, andaccepted Curtiss in good faith, only to discover at the last moment thatshe was not cured; or the impulse to flight may have seized her during asudden aberration caused by the excitement of her wedding-day. Aversionto friends and kindred was, as I knew, one of the most common symptomsof such derangement. Was this the key to the mystery? Was this theexplanation of her flight?
It was with my mind in this tumult that I approached Dr. Schuyler'shouse, that evening, and rang the bell. He opened the door himself.
"I was expecting you," he said, and led the way to his study. "Sit down,Mr. Lester. I've been thinking over what you told me, and it seems to methat the world should know the whole truth."
My heart sank at the words.
"But what good will it do?" I questioned. "Of course, Dr. Schuyler, Isuspect what the secret is. What good will it do that the world shouldknow it?"
"It will at least turn loathing into pity; it will show that she wasjustified, in so far as there can be justification for such an act. Itwill show that she was not mentally responsible--therefore neitherlegally nor morally guilty."
"I wasn't aware that she was regarded with loathing," I said. "In fact,I didn't know that she was connected with this case at all in any one'smind outside of ourselves and a friend of mine."
"Not connected with it!" Dr. Schuyler cried. "You astonish me!"
"The public doesn't know the facts, and I see no reason why they should.You will answer me, perhaps, that it's a duty to protect the memory ofthe dead; but the dead was guilty equally with the living."
"My dear sir," said Dr. Schuyler, staring at me in a way I found mostpuzzling, "you're speaking in riddles. I confess that I don't in theleast understand you. What is it you propose?"
"What I propose," I said bluntly, "is this. Let Harriet Kingdon bear theobloquy of the crime--it can't harm her now--besides, she largelydeserves it. My evidence and Godfrey's will show that Lucy Kingdon hadno hand in it, so there'll be no danger of wronging her. Let us see thatMarcia Lawrence is placed in proper hands and receives proper care.Perhaps she may yet----"
"Marcia Lawrence!" he repeated hoarsely. "What has she to do with thiscase, Mr. Lester?"
The question, the expression of his face, brought me to my feet. I wastrembling so that I caught at the chair for support. I saw it all. In aninstant, I saw it all!
"Then it wasn't Miss Lawrence----"
"Nonsense! Not at all!" he broke in testily. "It was Harriet Kingdon."