CHAPTER IX.
THE OTHER SIDE OF A "PLAIN CASE."
As may readily be supposed, the emotions excited in the various personspresent differed widely.
But of the two who rejoiced, it is hard to say that Chick was second toDr. Jarvis. The smile which settled down upon Chick's face was beautifulto behold. He was the image of satisfaction.
"I had it right," he said, and hugged himself.
The doctor in the meanwhile sat in a sort of delightful trance. Justwhat had happened he could not have told anybody, but he perceived thathe had sailed out of all his difficulties.
Flint and Deever, of course, protested loudly, but the superintendentpromptly "shut them up."
"Don't you dare to say a word, either of you, till I hear the inside ofthis whole case," said he.
"It is one of the finest examples of the dangers of circumstantialevidence that I ever saw," said Nick. "No jury that ever sat in the boxwould hesitate a moment to convict Dr. Jarvis, yet he is entirelyinnocent.
"The principal confusion, in my own mind, was a result of the doctor'sbelief in his own guilt. That is why he bribed me, believing me to beCleary. By the way, here is your five thousand dollars, doctor."
He handed the package of bills to the astonished physician, who couldonly gasp, "You? you?"
"Yes; I played Cleary," said Nick. "That affair and your attempt toelude Chick amount to no more in the case than that they indicate yourown belief in your guilt.
"Now, what is against that belief? In the first place, you would neverhave disposed of the body by burial. Having that acid, unknown tochemists, in which flesh dissolves like water, you would have used it.
"Your sleep-walking adventure proved to me what you would have doneunder similar conditions, if awake.
"Having seen that, I had only to be present at the digging up of thebody to have a fairly reliable theory of your innocence. Why should you,possessing that acid and that furnace, mutilate a man's face and headwith a spade? You had far better means of preventing an identification.
"But the body was buried in the garden. The question is, by whom? Toanswer that we pass on to the story of the bringing of the body throughthe vacant lot, and hoisting it over the wall.
"The testimony of Prescott I regard as reliable. Chick's investigationssatisfy me as to the man's character and motives. Then we acquit thedoctor at once."
"This is nonsense," cried Deever. "I will not be silent any longer."
"Yes, you will," said Byrnes, in a voice that secured obedience.
"It acquits the doctor, I say," continued Nick. "He could never havelifted that body to the top of the wall. There's a physicalimpossibility in the way of a belief that he is guilty.
"It takes a very strong man to raise a dead body weighing one hundredand seventy-five pounds above his head in the manner described byPrescott. We shall have to work down to that strong man before the caseis proven."
Nick looked significantly at Lawrence Deever. That look was understood.
"You're a liar and a scoundrel," screamed Deever, beside himself withrage.
He sprang upon Nick.
Nobody raised a finger to interfere.
The superintendent and Chick calmly awaited the inevitable issue. Flintdared not go to the assistance of his patron.
It was all over in a few seconds.
Deever lay upon the floor, fettered, and Nick stood over him.
"The strong man in the case has been found," said Nick. "I'm willing toadmit that you gave me hard work, Deever."
"So it was he that buried the body?" asked Byrnes.
"Yes; I suspected it at once," responded Nick. "It was his deliberateintention to throw the crime upon Dr. Jarvis.
"He stole the doctor's cap and dressing-gown on Monday night, and thenreturned them when the job was done. But they showed the signs of hardusage.
"You remember, doctor, that I carefully examined them. It was plain thata much larger man than the doctor had worn them.
"The seams in the back and around the arms were strained, and some ofthem had burst. This was only a hint, of course, but it fitted theremainder of the case.
"The strongest indication, however, was the way Deever securedtestimony. I had only to hint that I wanted to cover a point, and heimmediately went out and secured the witness."
"But most of them told the truth," said the superintendent.
"Yes," Nick admitted, "there he was wonderfully helped by fate. Ithappened that he was seen at just the right moments, when he wasplaying the part of Dr. Jarvis.
"If he hadn't been so impatient it would even have been unnecessary forhim to produce this man Flint. Chick secured real witnesses who weremuch better.
"And there we come to the point where we are sure about Deever. Prescottand Miss Allen told the truth. Flint, prompted by Deever, told exactlythe same story.
"Therefore, Deever must have known precisely what the facts were.Investigation convinces me that he could have known them in only oneway--by being himself the person who performed the acts described."
"Do you mean to accuse me of murdering my brother?" demanded Deever.
"Certainly not," said Nick. "Do you remember the question I asked you onthe first day of the investigation? I asked, 'Who has been murdered?'"
"Well?"
"I answer that question now. Nobody has been murdered. Your brother isalive. There is nothing the matter with him, except a scalp wound. Thebody found was a substitute which you procured. It was you who made thewounds with the spade."
"This is all bare assertion," cried Deever, who, in irons, sat upon thefloor with his back against a chair. "You cannot prove what you say."
"Let me first explain how the trick was done," said Nick, coolly. "Yourbrother, after he had somewhat recovered from the effects of the blow hehad received, went to your house.
"He wished you to help him get revenge upon Dr. Jarvis. You had your owngrudge against him on account of your unsuccessful suit for hisdaughter.
"You saw the chance of a deeper revenge than your brother had any ideaof. You then planned this whole conspiracy. He was to go away forever.You were to remain, and make this charge against the doctor."
"It is an infernal lie," shrieked Deever. "Where is my brother? I demandthat you produce him."
"Your brother is now hidden in your house at Nyack. It was vacant. Youtold him to go there, until you could make arrangements to get himsafely away. As to the body, you bought it of a grave-robber."
"How do you pretend to know that?" asked Deever, scornfully.
"As to the body, I can produce the man who sold it. As to your brother,I know where he has gone, because no other course was practicable; andbecause I have had word that he is there."
"I defy you to prove it," cried Deever. "I am willing to let thequestion of my guilt or innocence rest on that event. He is not there."
There was a peculiar light of triumph in Deever's eyes as he spoke. Itdid not escape Nick's observation.
The shrewd detective saw at a glance that Deever believed his brother tohave already escaped.
Could it be possible? In any event, Nick would not evade the other'schallenge.
He felt that his reputation was at stake, but he did not hesitate.
"If I do not produce him in twenty-four hours," said Nick, "I willwithdraw my charge against you."
CHAPTER X.
NICK'S REPUTATION AT STAKE.
As Nick made the bold assertion of his power to produce Patrick Deeveralive, both Chick and the superintendent looked at him with something asnear doubt as anybody who knew Nick Carter could feel in any of hisstatements.
They both saw that Deever felt sure of his brother's escape, and theycould not help seeing that there was many chances in favor of it.
But Nick was undismayed. He put his trust in Patsy's fidelity.
"I shall hold you and Flint under arrest," said Superintendent Byrnes toDeever. "Dr. Jarvis, you may go when you wish."
Nick, Chick and Dr. Jarvi
s left the room, after the last-named hadexpressed his thanks to those concerned in his deliverance.
Nick went at once to Nyack. It was very late when he reached there.
He made his way to the house of Lawrence Deever, which stood somedistance from the centre of the town.
There was no sign of Patsy about the place. The house seemed to bedeserted.
Nick easily effected an entrance. He searched the house thoroughly.
There were signs of the recent presence of Patrick Deever. He had donesome rude cooking. The remnants of the food which he had prepared werevisible.
But the man himself was not to be found. The method of his exit,however, Nick discovered.
A window in the end of the house, farthest from the street, was wideopen, and beneath it, with the aid of his lantern, Nick found thefoot-prints of a man who had leaped from the window.
Unquestionably that man was Patrick Deever.
The footprints could be traced a little way. They led toward a hedgewhich separated the property from a large, vacant tract south of it.
Nick could see where some person had recently broken through this hedge.And here he made a more important discovery, which gladdened his eyes.
Beside the hedge were Deever's foot-prints, and another's. The secondmust be Patsy's.
Passing through, Nick saw a wide field with a grove at its end. Thefoot-prints were very faint, but it seemed that Deever had started inthe direction of that grove.
Nick hurried thither. He searched through the little clump of trees withthe utmost minuteness, till at last, on the farther side, in a bit ofsoft ground, he found the foot-prints.
They still led in the direction of the river. Following such faint clewsas he could find, Nick continued the search till dawn broke.
* * * * *
"Uncle Jimmy" Redwood has boats to let in Nyack. He has a boat-house onthe river bank from which a flight of steps leads down to a long "float"extending into the river.
His boats are moored to that float, or anchored near the end of it. Hehas several fine, fast cat-boats, of which he is very proud.
Uncle Jimmy was overhauling his boats about six o'clock on the morningafter the events just described, when a man, whom he had never seenbefore, came somewhat hurriedly down the steps, and said he wished tohire a cat-boat.
"I want the fastest boat in the fleet," he said.
Uncle Jimmy looked the stranger over carefully. There was a bandagearound his head. Uncle Jimmy suspected that something was wrong, butthat, after all, might not be any of his business.
"Get the Clio ready for this man," Uncle Jimmy shouted to an assistantat the far end of the float.
"Ay, ay, sir," said the man.
The Clio was lying with her nose against the float, and there wasnothing to do but hoist her sail.
However, the stranger seemed impatient of even this delay.
When the sail was up, he jumped into the boat, and prepared to get underway.
But Uncle Jimmy's assistant had hold of the "painter," or rope, by whichthe Clio had been fastened to the wharf.
"Avast there!" he said. "Mr. Redwood don't let his boats go out thatway."
"What do you mean?" demanded the stranger with the bandaged head.
"He won't let you go out alone. How does he know that you will bring theboat back?"
"Nonsense. I want to go by myself."
"He wants to take her out himself," called the assistant to Uncle Jimmy,who stood near the end of the float talking with another tarry old salt.
"He can't, and that settles it," said Uncle Jimmy.
"Shall I go with him?" asked the assistant, who held the Clio's painter.
"No; let Dick, here, go."
Dick, thus delegated to the duty of skipper, rolled down the float withthe gait of an old sailor, and got aboard the Clio.
The stranger with the sore head grumbled, but he could not helphimself. He insisted, however, on taking the helm as the Clio moved outfrom the float.
She was scarcely a hundred yards away when a young man, panting withhaste, rushed down the stairs from the boat-house. The reader would haveknown Patsy by his activity, despite his disguise.
"I want a boat," he cried out.
"Quite a run o' business for so early in the morning," said Uncle Jimmy,calmly. "What sort o' boat do you want?"
"I want one that can overhaul the one that just left the float."
"I ain't got it," said Uncle Jimmy. "The Curlew is about even with her,but they ain't one o' them that can outsail her."
"Then give me the Curlew, and do it in a hurry," cried Patsy.
"By whose orders, I'd like to know?"
Patsy was in no mood for trifling. He showed Uncle Jimmy in less thantwo seconds that obedience would pay well.
The Curlew also was hauled in to the float, and Patsy was aboard of herand clear of his moorings before anybody could stop him, or even get inwith him.
A brisk southerly wind was blowing in from the sea.
By the course which the Clio was taking Patsy guessed that it was theintention of her occupants to "beat" down the river against the wind.
Meanwhile, in the Clio, the man with the bandaged head was in a fever ofexcitement. He crowded the boat for all she could stand, but he seemed,on the whole, to be a clever boatman.
The old salt watched him critically for a few minutes, and then seemedto be satisfied.
Presently he began to notice the anxious glances which the man at thehelm cast over his shoulder at the pursuing boat.
"You seem to be anxious to outrun that feller," he said at last.
Patrick Deever, for it was he, nodded his head and set his teeth. Theold sailor looked long and earnestly at their pursuer.
"Wall, ye ain't doin' of it," he said, at last.
"Is she gaining?" asked Deever, nervously.
"She be," said the tar, calmly.
"I thought this was the fastest of Redwood's boats."
"So she be," was the answer; "but the Curlew's overhauling her thistime."
"What's the matter?"
"The other feller's the best sailor, that's what's the matter. I don'tknow who he is, but he's a skipper from away back."
For some minutes Deever kept silent. From time to time he glancedastern.
There was no doubt about it; the Curlew was gaining.
"Can you get any more speed out of her?" he said at last, indesperation.
"Reckon I kin," said the tar. "Shall I take her?"
"Yes, and if you outrun them I'll give you a hundred dollars."
"All right."
The grizzled seaman took the helm. In ten minutes it began to look bluefor Patsy and his chief. The Clio had reasserted her superiority. Shewas slowly dropping the Curlew astern.
When they tacked on the other side of the river the Clio had doubled herlead. In an hour the Curlew was half a mile behind.
"Where are ye bound?" asked the old tar.
"There's a vessel anchored in the harbor. I'll show you where. You'reto put me aboard and keep still about it. The hundred is yours, and asmuch more to go with it."
They were nearly abreast the Battery, when suddenly the police-boat wasseen heading toward them.
"That's the 'Patrol,'" said Deever. "Give her a wide berth."
Instead of complying, the boatman put his helm over, and stood straighttoward the tug.
"Here!" cried Deever; "what does this mean?"
"It means," said the boatman, "that you're my prisoner, Patrick Deever.I am Nick Carter."
Ten minutes later they were both aboard the police-boat, and in anotherhour Nick had redeemed his pledge to produce Patrick Deever alive beforethe superintendent.
"I'd have had him, anyway," said Patsy, afterward. "He turned on me inthe woods up there in Nyack and knocked me down, and tied me.
"He thought I was done, but I wasn't. I was just going for a tug whenyou ran him aboard the police-boat.
"At any rate," he said in co
nclusion, "it's some satisfaction to knowthat it was you, and not he, that outsailed me."
The two Deevers were punished in due course for conspiracy, and Flintfor perjury.
"On the whole," said Superintendent Byrnes to Nick, "I think that wasabout the prettiest work I ever saw. The most puzzling thing in theworld, I've noticed, is apt to be a perfectly plain case."
THE END.
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