CHAPTER V. HARRY'S MISSION
Minnie Webb's announcement affected her four hearers in four differentways. It shocked Viola--shocked her greatly, for she had, naturally,expected kindly sympathy and agreement from her friend.
Dr. Baird, who had involuntarily begun to twist his small mustache atthe entrance of Miss Webb, looked at her in admiration of her good looksand because she upheld a theory to which he felt himself committed--atheory that Mr. Carwell was a plain out-and-out suicide.
Dr. Lambert was plainly indignant at the bald manner in which MinnieWebb made her statement, and at the same time he had pity for theignorance of the lay mind that will pronounce judgment against the morecautious opinions of science. And this was not the first poisoning casewith which the aged practitioner had dealt.
As for Captain Poland, he gazed blankly at Miss Webb for a momentfollowing her statement, and then he looked more keenly at the youngwoman, as though seeking to know whence her information came.
And when Viola had recovered from her first shock this was the thoughtthat came to her:
"What did Minnie know?"
And Viola asked that very question--asked it sharply and with an airwhich told of her determination to know.
"Oh, please don't ask me!" stammered Minnie Webb. "But I have heard thatyour father's affairs are involved, Viola."
"His affairs? You mean anything in his--private life?" and thedaughter of Horace Carwell--"Carwell the sport," as he was frequentlycalled--seemed to feel this blow more than the shock of death.
"Oh, no, nothing like that!" exclaimed Minnie, as though abashed atthe mere suggestion. "But I did hear--and I can not tell where I heardit--that he was involved financially, and that, perhaps--well, you knowsome men have a horror of facing the world poor and--"
"That can't be true!" declared Viola stoutly. "While I do not knowanything about my father's financial affairs, I know he had no fear offailure--no fear of becoming poor."
"I do not believe he would have feared to face poverty if there wasneed. But there was not, I'm sure. Minnie, who told you this?"
"I--I can not tell!" said Minnie, with a memory of the insinuatingmanner in which LeGrand Blossom had spoken. Bearing in mind her promiseto him not to mention the matter, she began to wish that she had notspoken.
"But you must tell!" insisted Dr. Lambert. "This amounts to anaccusation against a dead man, and you owe it to Viola to give thesource of your information."
"No, Doctor, I can not! Please don't ask me, Viola. Oh, I shouldn't havespoken, but I thought only to help you solve the problem."
"You have only made it harder, unless you tell us more," said Dr.Lambert gently. "Why can not you tell us, Miss Webb?"
"Because I--I promised not to. Oh, can't you find out for yourselves--inyour own way, about his affairs? Surely an examination--"
"Yes, of course, that would be the proper way," said Dr. Lambert gravely."And it must be done, I suppose."
"It will lead to nothing--it will prove nothing," insisted Viola. "I amsure my father's affairs were not involved. Wait, I'll call Aunt Mary.She was in close touch with all the money matters of our household.Father trusted her with many business matters. Call Aunt Mary!"
Her eyes red with weeping, but bearing up bravely withal, Miss MaryCarwell joined the conference. She, it seemed, had guessed somethingwhen Dr. Lambert and Dr. Baird were closeted so long with Captain Poland.
"We must face the facts, however unpleasant they are," said Dr. Lambert,in a low voice. "We must recognize that this will be public talk ina little while. A man--so well-known a character as was my old friendHorace Carwell--can not die suddenly in the midst of a championship golfgame, and let the matter rest there."
"The papers will take it up," said Dr. Baird.
"The papers!" broke in Viola.
"Yes, even now I have been besieged by reporters demanding to knowthe cause of death. It will have to come out. The report of the countyphysician, on which only a burial certificate can be obtained, is publicproperty. The bureau of vital statistics is open to the public and thereporters. There is bound to be an inquiry, and, as I have said, Dr.Rowland has already announced it as a suicide. We must face the issuebravely."
"But even if it should prove true, that he took the poison, I am sureit will turn out to be a mistake!" declared Viola. "As for my father'saffairs being in danger financially--Aunt Mary, did you ever hear ofsuch a thing?"
"Well, my dear, your father kept his affairs pretty much to himself,"was the answer of her aunt. "He did tell me some things, and onlyto-day something came up that makes me think--Oh, I don't know what tothink--now!"
"What is it?" asked Dr. Lambert, quietly but firmly. "It is best to knowthe worst at once."
"I can't say that it is the 'worst,'" replied Miss Carwell; "but therewas something about a loan to the bank, and not enough collateral tocover--Mr. Blossom should have attended to it, but he did not, it seems,and--Won't you tell them?" she appealed to Captain Poland.
"Certainly," he responded. "It is a simple matter," he went on. "Mr.Carwell, as all of us do at times, borrowed money from his bank, givingcertain securities as collateral for the loan.
"The bank, as all banks do, kept watch on this security, and when itfell in market value below a certain point, where there was no longersufficient margin to cover the loan safely, demanded more collateral.
"This, for some reason, Mr. Carwell did not put up, nor did his clerk,Mr. Blossom. I know nothing more in this respect than Miss Carwell toldme," and he bowed to indicate the dead man's sister. "I offered to seeto the matter for her, putting up some collateral of my own until Mr.Carwell's affairs could be straightened out. It is a mere technicality,I imagine, and can have nothing to do with--with the present matter,even though Miss Webb seems to think so."
"Oh, I am so sorry if I have made a mistake!" exclaimed Minnie, now verypenitent. "But I only thought it would be helping--"
"It will be--to know the truth," said Dr. Lambert. "Is this all that youheard, Miss Webb?"
"No, it was nothing like that. It had nothing to do with a bank loan.Oh, please don't ask me. I promised not to tell."
"Very well, we won't force you to speak," said the family physician."But this matter must be gone into. What one person knows others aresure to find out. We must see Blossom. He is the one who would havethe most complete knowledge of your father's affairs, Viola. Did I hearsomething about his going into partnership with your father?"
"Yes, there was some such plan. Father decided that he needed help,and he spoke of taking in Mr. Blossom. I know no more than that," Violaanswered.
"Then LeGrand Blossom is the person to throw more light on thatsubject," said Dr. Lambert.
To himself he added a mental reservation that he did not count much onwhat information might come from the head clerk. Blossom, in the mind ofDr. Lambert, was a person of not much strength of character. There hadbeen certain episodes in his life, information as to which had cometo the physician in a roundabout way, that did not reflect on him verywell; though, in truth, he felt that the man was weak rather than bad.
"Then is it to be believed that my father was a suicide?" asked Viola,as though seeking to know the worst, that she might fight to make itbetter.
"On the bare facts in the case--yes," answered Dr. Lambert. "But that isonly a starting point. We will make no hard and fast decision."
"Indeed we will not," declared Viola. "There must be a most rigidinvestigation."
And when the others had gone, Dr. Lambert to make funeral arrangementsfor his old friend, Captain Poland to see the bank officials, Dr. Bairdto his office, taking Minnie Webb home in his car, and Miss Garwell toher room to lie down, Viola, left alone, gave herself up to grief. Shefelt utterly downcast and very much in need of a friend.
And perhaps this feeling made her welcome, more cordially than whenshe had last seen him, Harry Bartlett, who was announced soon after theothers left.
"Oh, Harry, have you heard the terrible news?" falter
ed Viola.
"You mean about your father? Yes," he said gently. "But I do not believeit. I may as well speak plainly, Viola. Your father, for some reasonbest known to himself, did not care for me. But I respected him, andin spite of a feeling between us I admired him. I feel sure he did notcommit suicide."
"But they say it looks very suspicious, Harry! Oh, tell me what to do!"and, impulsively, Viola held out her hands to him. Bartlett pressed themwarmly.
"I'll serve you in any way I can," he said, gazing fondly into her eyes."But I confess I am puzzled. I don't know what to do. Perhaps it wouldbe better, as Dr. Lambert says, to look into your father's affairs."
"Yes. But I want more than that!" declared Viola. "I want his namecleared from any suspicion of suicide. And I want you to undertake it,Harry!"
"You want me?" he exclaimed, drawing back. "Me?"
"Yes. I feel that you will do better than any one else. Oh, you willhelp me, won't you?" she pleaded.
"Of course, Viola. But I don't know how."
"Then let me tell you," and she seemed to be in better controlof herself than at any time that day. "This must be gone intosystematically, and we can best do it through a detective."
"A detective!" cried Harry Bartlett, and he started from his chair."Why, my dear Viola, a detective would be the worst possible person tocall in on a case like this! Let me investigate, if you think it wise,but a detective--"
"I am not speaking of an ordinary detective, Harry. I have in mindan elderly man who was a friend of my father. He has an extraordinaryreputation for solving mysteries."
"Well, of course, if you know the man it makes a difference." Bartletteyed the girl curiously. "I didn't know you knew any detectives."
"The man I have in mind was in some business deal with my father once,and they became very well acquainted. I met him several times, and likedhim immensely. He is well along in years, but I think sharper than manyyounger men. But there is one difficulty."
"What is that?"
"More than likely he will shy at having anything to do with the case.He told my father he was going to retire and devote his leisure time tofishing--that being his great pastime."
"Humph! he can't be much of a detective if he wants to spend most of histime fishing," was Bartlett's comment.
"You're mistaken, Harry. My father, and other men too, considered himone of the greatest detectives in the world, even though he sometimesworks in a very peculiar and apparently uninterested manner." "All rightthen, Viola. If you say so, I'll look up this wonderful detective foryou and get him to take hold of the case."