CHAPTER IV THE INQUEST BEGINS
As Avice entered the drawing-room, she seemed to sense only a blur offaces. It was incredible that this should be the room where she had sooften laughed and danced and sung in thoughtless joyousness of spirit.She blindly followed Judge Hoyt, and sat where he bade her, quite nearthe coroner and his jury.
The jurymen, though solemnly attentive to their duty, could not helptheir roving gaze being attracted to the splendor of their surroundings.The Trowbridge home was the perfection of quiet, old-fashioned elegance.Often Avice had wanted to introduce more modern furniture anddecorations, but Mr. Trowbridge had firmly denied her requests. And sothe old crystal chandeliers still drooped their festooned prisms and themassive doors were still of a soft, lusterless black, with fine giltoutlines of panelling.
Mrs. Black, too, often sighed for modern bric-a-brac and fashionablewindow draperies, but the will of the master was law, and the quaintSevres vases and heavy hangings remained untouched.
Coroner Berg fairly fluttered with importance. Only lately had he beenappointed to his office, and he assumed a knowing air to hide his lack ofexperience. He was naturally acute and shrewd, but his mind just now wasoccupied more with the manner than the matter of his procedure. He hadstudied well his book of rules, and it was with great dignity that hecalled for the police report on the case.
The testimony of the chief of police and the police surgeon set forth theprincipal known facts, which were, however, lamentably few. Even thecoroner's intelligent questions failed to bring out more than the storyof the telephone message, the account of the finding of the body and thenature of the crime.
"Do you assume the assailant to have been right-handed?" Berg asked ofthe surgeon.
"Apparently, yes. But not necessarily so. The blade penetrated thevictim's left breast, and was most likely dealt by a person standingdirectly facing him."
"Was the thrust directed with an upward slant or downward?"
"Neither. It was just about level. It slanted, however, toward the middleof the body, from the left side, thus practically proving a right-handeduse of the weapon."
"Was death instantaneous?"
"Probably not. But it must have occurred very shortly after the blow."
Doctor Fulton, the family physician, corroborated the report of thepolice surgeon in all its essentials.
"Was Mr. Trowbridge in general good health, so far as you know?" askedthe coroner.
"Absolutely. He was strong, hale and hearty, always. I have known him foryears, and he was never seriously ill."
"And strong?"
"Of average strength."
"Would you not judge then, he could have resisted this attack?"
"Undoubtedly he tried to do so. There is some indication of a muscularstruggle. But the assumption must be that the assailant was a strongerman than the victim."
"How do you explain his contorted features, even in death?"
"By the fact that he was surprised and overpowered, and his dyingstruggles were so desperate as to leave their mark."
"You do not attribute the expression on the dead face to any terrificmental emotion at the moment of death?"
"It may be so. Indeed, it may be the result of both mental and physicalagony."
"The point is important," said the coroner, with an impressive wave ofhis hand. "For if mental, it might mean that the man who attacked him wasknown to him; while merely physical horror would imply a robber or thug."
The jurymen wagged their heads wisely at this sapient remark, as if itopened up a new field of conjecture.
Avice was questioned next.
She was a little startled at the suddenness of the call, but respondedclearly and with an entirely collected manner to all queries.
"You are Mr. Trowbridge's niece?"
"Yes, the daughter of his younger brother."
"You make your home here?"
"Yes."
"How long have you done so?"
"Since childhood. My parents died before I was ten years old."
"And you are your uncle's heiress?"
Judge Hoyt looked a little annoyed at the baldness of this question, butAvice replied, serenely, "To the extent of part of his fortune."
"Can you tell me any details of the last day of your uncle's life?"
"Very few. He left home in the morning to go to his business office quiteas usual. He generally returns about five o'clock. When he did not arriveat that time, I felt anxious, and later, called Judge Hoyt on thetelephone to ask if he had seen or heard of my uncle."
"Why did you call Judge Hoyt?"
"He was not only my uncle's lawyer, but his personal friend. They hadbusiness to transact at times, and I thought my uncle might possibly havegone to see him. When I learned that Judge Hoyt knew nothing of myuncle's whereabouts, I asked him to come here, as I felt decidedly uneasyand wanted some one to confer with in whom I felt confidence."
"Had Mr. Trowbridge manifested any unusual tendencies or habits of late?"
"None whatever. He has been well, happy and quite as usual in every way."
"Can you form any opinion or have you any suspicion as to who might havecommitted this crime?"
"Absolutely none. But I have an unflinching determination to find out, atany expense of time, labor or money!"
The girl's voice rang out in a high, sharp tone, and she clenched herslender hands until the knuckles showed through the white skin.
"We all have that determination, Miss Trowbridge," said the coroner, alittle stiffly, and after a few unimportant questions, Avice wasdismissed.
Mrs. Black was called next. This time it was a case of diamond cutdiamond. If the coroner was self-important, he was no more so than hiswitness. If he spoke with pomposity she answered with disdain, and if hewas dictatorial she was arrogant.
"You are housekeeper here?" Berg began.
"That is my position, but I was also the fiancee of the late Mr.Trowbridge and should have been his wife next month, had he lived solong."
"Confine your answers, please, to the questions asked."
"Your question required two statements in reply."
"You are a beneficiary under the will of Mr. Trowbridge?"
"I have not yet heard the will read."
"Do you not know?"
"I know only what Mr. Trowbridge himself told me."
"And that was?"
"That I should inherit a handsome sum, in addition to this house and itscontents."
"In the event of your being his wife?"
"In the event of his death."
"Do you know anything further than we have heard of Mr. Trowbridge'smovements on the day that he met his death?"
"I do,--a little." Eleanor Black bridled and smiled sadly. The jurymengazed in involuntary admiration, for the features of the beautifulbrunette took on an added charm from that slight smile.
"What is it?"
"He telephoned to me about two o'clock, saying he would be home early andwe would go out for a little motor ride. He was very fond ofmotoring,--with me."
The last two words were added in a lower tone that implied a mostromantic attachment between these two.
"He intended to leave his office shortly after noon, then?"
"Possibly it was a little later than two that he called me up. I don'tremember exactly. But he said he would be home by three or four."
"And when he did not appear were you not alarmed?"
"No, Mr. Trowbridge was so apt to have unexpected business matters turnup, that I merely supposed that was the case, and thought nothing strangeof it. Nor was I surprised when he did not appear at six. I felt sure,then, that some important development in his affairs had kept him downtown so late."
"Miss Trowbridge was greatly alarmed?"
"Yes."
The superb indifference of Eleanor Black's manner showed clearly that itwas a matter of no moment to her if another had been anxious.
"Have y
ou any suspicion as to who could have done this thing?"
The great black eyes of the witness turned slowly toward the coroner. Atthe remark about Avice she had looked carelessly in another direction.
"I think not," she said.
"Are you not sure?"
"What do you mean by suspicion?"
"Do you know of anybody who might have killed Mr. Trowbridge?"
"That's no question!" Her scorn was marked. "Hundreds of people _might_have killed him."
"Do you know of any one, then, who you think would be likely to have doneso?"
"Likely to? Goodness, no."
"Who possibly did do so, then?"
"Possibly?"
"Yes, possibly. Is there any one whom you can definitely consider apossible suspect?"
"No; I don't know of any one."
The widow was a most provoking witness. She gave an impression of holdingsomething back, yet her face wore an ingenuous expression and she pouteda little, as if unfairly addressed.
"You were at home all day yesterday?" the coroner went on.
"Yes, I expected Mr. Trowbridge, so of course I did not go out."
"Why, Eleanor," exclaimed Avice, impulsively, "you went out for an hoursoon after luncheon. Don't you know, I gave you a letter to post?"
"Oh, yes, I forgot that," and Mrs. Black looked a trifle confused. "I wassure Mr. Trowbridge wouldn't get here before three, so I ran out for afew moments."
"Where did you go?"
"Oh, nowhere in particular. I only went to get a little air. Just walkingaround the adjacent blocks." She spoke lightly, but her heightened colorand quickened breathing betokened an embarrassment which she strove notto show, and, too, she cast a glance at Avice that was anything butfriendly.
The coroner seemed unable to think of anything else to ask the witness.He looked at her thoughtfully, and she returned his glance coolly, but hequestioned her no further just then.
The butler came next, and his testimony was garbled and incoherent. Hisemotion frequently overcame him, and he was unable to speak.
At last Judge Hoyt spoke rather sharply to him.
"Brace up, Stryker," he said. "If you can do a good turn for a master whowas always kind to you, don't spoil your chance by acting like a baby. Ifyour betters can control themselves, surely you can."
With an effort Stryker stopped shuffling about and a few more sniffsended his emotional outburst.
"I'm sixty years old," he said, apologetically, and, apparently, to allpresent, "and I've been in this same employ for fifteen years. It'snatural as to how I should feel bad, ain't it, now, Mr. Coroner?"
"Yes, my man, but it's also natural that you should try to control yourgrief. As Judge Hoyt says, you may render assistance to your late masterby your testimony. Now, tell us all you know of Mr. Trowbridge's callersof late, or any little thing that might come to your notice as a butler.Sometimes you servants have opportunities of observation not knownupstairs."
"That we have, sir," and Stryker nodded his head thoughtfully. "Yes, thatwe have. But I know nothing, sir, nothing at all, as has a bearing on thedeath of the master,--no, sir, not anything."
"'Methinks the fellow doth protest too much,'" Pinckney murmured tohimself. The reporter sat, with sharpened pencils, but so far he felt hehad not much to work on in the way of clues. As to getting a story forhis paper, he was more than satisfied. The elements of the fashionablehousehold, a divided interest between the two women, the mysterious deathof the millionaire, and now, the uncertain evidence of the old butler,all these would give him enough for a front page spread. But Pinckneywanted more than that. He wanted food for his detective instinct. Hewanted clues and evidence of a tangible nature, or at least of anindicative trend. And he had found little so far. Still, he had foundsome, and he had tucked away in his mind several speeches and looks,that, though not emphasized by the coroner, seemed to him to pointsomewhere, even if he had no idea where.
Further questions brought nothing definite from Stryker, and he wassucceeded by two of the maids. These frightened creatures were even lesscommunicative, and it was with a sigh of relief that Coroner Berg gave upall attempt to learn anything from the household, and called on JudgeHoyt, feeling sure that now he would, at least, get intelligenttestimony.
The Judge was too well known to be questioned as to his identity and thecoroner proceeded to ask concerning his relations with the deceased.
"Lifelong friends, almost," replied Hoyt. "We were at college togetherand have been more or less associated ever since. Unfortunately, I wasout of town yesterday, or I might know more of Mr. Trowbridge'smovements. For I had expected to see him at his office, but was preventedby an unexpected call to Philadelphia. I wrote to Mr. Trowbridge that Icould not see him until evening, and as the Philadelphia matter wasconnected with his business, I telegraphed from there that I would callat his house last evening, and give him my report."
"And then Miss Trowbridge telephoned you?" observed the coroner, who hadheard this before.
"Yes, and I came right up here, and was here when the police telephonedof their discovery."
"Then as you can tell us nothing of yesterday's events, can you throw anylight on the case by anything you know of Mr. Trowbridge's affairs ingeneral? Had he any enemies, or any quarrel of importance?"
"No, I am sure he had no quarrel with any one who would go so far as tokill him. It seems to me it must have been the work of some of thoseCamorra societies."
"Why would they attack him?"
"Only for purposes of robbery, I should say. But the dagger implies ormay imply an Italian, for American citizens do not go around with suchweapons."
"That is true. And there may have been robbery of some valuables that wedo not know of. But do you think, Judge Hoyt, that the Camorra is such adesperate menace? Are not fears of it exaggerated and unfounded?"
"There is a great deal of the real thing, Mr. Berg. When you considerthat there are a million and a half Italians in America and six hundredthousand of them are in New York City, it is not surprising that many oftheir secret societies are represented here. Therefore, it seems to me,that circumstances point to a crime of this sort, whether for robbery orwhether at the hire of some superior criminal."
"It is certainly possible that if Mr. Trowbridge was desired dead by someenemy in his own rank of life, the actual deed might have been committedby a hired crook, whether of an Italian society or of a New York gang.And the fact of the information first coming from an Italian woman, givesplausibility to the foreign theory."
"It may be, and if so, it may prove a very difficult matter to discoverthe truth."
"You are right, Judge, and so far we have but the slightest shreds ofevidence to work on. The articles found in the pockets of Mr. Trowbridgegive absolutely no clues toward detection."
At this, Pinckney pricked up his ears. Surely there must be a hint here,if one were but bright enough to see it.