CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
THE ORANGE-YELLOW DIAMOND
His various listeners had heard all that the old solicitor had said,with evident interest and attention--now, one of them voiced what allthe rest was thinking.
"What makes you think that, Mr. Killick?" asked the man from NewScotland Yard. "Why should Levendale and Purvis have been trapped?"
Mr. Killick--who was obviously enjoying this return to the arena inwhich, as some of those present well knew, he had once played adistinguished part, as a solicitor with an extensive police-courtpractice--twisted round on his questioner with a sly, knowing glance.
"You're a man of experience!" he answered. "Now come!--hasn't it struckyou that something went before the death of old DanielMultenius--whether that death arose from premeditated murder, or fromsudden assault? Eh?--hasn't it?"
"What, then?" asked the detective dubiously. "For I can't say that ithas--definitely. What do you conjecture did go before that?"
Mr. Killick thumped his stout stick on the floor.
"Robbery!" he exclaimed, triumphantly. "Robbery! The old man was robbedof something! Probably--and there's nothing in these cases likeconsidering possibilities--he caught the thief in the act of robbinghim, and lost his life in defending his property. Now, supposingLevendale and Purvis were interested--financially--in that property,and set their wits to work to recover it, and in their efforts got intothe hands of--shall we suppose a gang?--and got trapped? Or," concludedMr. Killick with great emphasis and meaning, "for anything weknow--murdered? What about that theory?"
"Possible!" muttered Ayscough. "Quite possible!"
"Consider this," continued the old solicitor. "Levendale is awell-known man--a Member of Parliament--a familiar figure in the City,where he's director of more than one company--the sort of man whom, inordinary circumstances, you'd be able to trace in a few hours. Now, youtell me that half-a-dozen of your best men have been trying to trackLevendale for two days and nights, and can't get a trace of him! What'sthe inference? A well-known man can't disappear in that way unless forsome very grave reason! For anything we know, Levendale--and Purviswith him--may be safely trapped within half-a-mile of Praed Street--or,as I say, they may have been quietly murdered. Of one thing I'm deadcertain, anyway--if you want to get at the bottom of this affair,you've got to find those two men!"
"It would make a big difference if we had any idea of what it was thatDaniel Multenius had in that packet which he fetched from his bank onthe day of the murder," remarked Ayscough. "If there's been robbery,that may have been the thief's object."
"That pre-supposes that the thief knew what was in the packet," saidPurdie. "Who is there that could know? We may take it that Levendaleand Purvis knew--but who else would?"
"Aye!--and how are we to find that out?" asked the New Scotland Yardman. "If I only knew that much--"
But even at that moment--and not from any coincidence, but from the lawof probability to which Mr. Killick had appealed--information on thatvery point was close at hand. A constable tapped at the door, andentering, whispered a few words to the chief official, who havingwhispered back, turned to the rest as the man went out of the room.
"Here's something likely!" he said. "There's a Mr. John Purvis, fromDevonshire, outside. Says he's the brother of the Stephen Purvis who'sname's been in the papers as having mysteriously disappeared, and wantsto tell the police something. He's coming in."
The men in the room turned with undisguised interest as the door openedagain, and a big, fresh-coloured countryman, well wrapped up in a stouttravelling coat, stepped into the room and took a sharp glance at itsoccupants. He was evidently a well-to-do farmer, this, and quite at hisease--but there was a certain natural anxiety in his manner as heturned to the official, who sat at the desk in the centre of the group.
"You're aware of my business, sir?" he asked quietly.
"I understand you're the brother of the Stephen Purvis we're wanting tofind in connection with this Praed Street mystery," answered theofficial. "You've read of that in the newspaper, no doubt, Mr. Purvis?Take a seat--you want to tell us something? As a matter of fact, we'reall discussing the affair!"
The caller took the chair which Ayscough drew forward and sat down,throwing open his heavy overcoat, and revealing a whipcord riding-suitof light fawn beneath it.
"You'll see I came here in a hurry, gentlemen," he said, with a smile."I'd no thoughts of coming to London when I left my farm this morning,or I'd have put London clothes on! The fact is--I farm at a veryout-of-the-way place between Moretonhampstead and Exeter, and I neversee the daily papers except when I drive into Exeter twice a week. Nowwhen I got in there this morning, I saw one or two London papers--lastnight's they were--and read about this affair. And I read enough toknow that I'd best get here as quick as possible!--so I left all mybusiness there and then, and caught the very next express toPaddington. And here I am! And now--have you heard anything of mybrother Stephen more than what's in the papers? I've seen today's, onthe way up."
"Nothing!" answered the chief official. "Nothing at all! We'vepurposely kept the newspapers informed, and what there is in themorning's papers is the very latest. So--can you tell us anything?"
"I can tell you all I know myself," replied John Purvis, with a solemnshake of his head. "And I should say it's a good deal to do withStephen's disappearance--in which, of course, there's some foul play!My opinion, gentlemen, is that my brother's been murdered! That's aboutit!"
No one made any remark--but Mr. Killick uttered a little murmur ofcomprehension, and nodded his head two or three times.
"Murdered, poor fellow, in my opinion," continued John Purvis. "AndI'll tell you why I think so. About November 8th or 9th--I can't besure to a day--I got a telegram from Stephen, sent off from Las Palmas,in the Canary Islands, saying he'd be at Plymouth on the 15th, andasking me to meet him there. So I went to Plymouth on the morning ofthe 15th. His boat, the _Golconda_, came in at night, and we went to anhotel together and stopped the night there. We hadn't met for someyears, and of course he'd a great deal to tell--but he'd one thing inparticular--he'd struck such a piece of luck as he'd never had in hislife before!--and he hadn't been one of the unlucky ones, either!"
"What was this particular piece of luck?" asked Mr. Killick.
John Purvis looked round as if to make sure of general attention.
"He'd come into possession, through a fortunate bit of trading, upcountry in South Africa, of one of the finest diamonds everdiscovered!" he answered. "I know nothing about such things, but hesaid it was an orange-yellow diamond that would weigh at least ahundred and twenty carats when cut, and was worth, as far as he couldreckon, some eighty to ninety thousand pounds. Anyway, that was whathe'd calculated he was going to get for it here in London--and what hewanted to see me about, in addition to telling me of his luck, was thathe wanted to buy a real nice bit of property in Devonshire, and settledown in the old country. But--I'm afraid his luck's turned to a poorend! Gentlemen!--I'm certain my brother's been murdered for thatdiamond!"
The police officials, as with one consent, glanced at Mr. Killick, andby their looks seemed to invite his assistance. The old gentlemannodded and turned to the caller.
"Now, Mr. Purvis," he said, "just let me ask you a few questions. Didyour brother tell you that this diamond was his own, sole property?"
"He did, sir!" answered the farmer. "He said it was all his own."
"Did he tell you where it was--what he had done with it?"
"Yes! He said that for some years he'd traded in small parcels of suchthings with two men here in London--Multenius and Levendale--he knewboth of them. He'd sent the diamond on in advance to Multenius, byordinary registered post, rather than run the risk of carrying ithimself."
"I gather from that last remark that your brother had let some otherperson or persons know that he possessed this stone?" said Mr. Killick."Did he mention that? It's of importance."
"He mentioned no names--but he did say that one or two knew o
f hisluck, and he'd an idea that he'd been watched in Cape Town, andfollowed on the _Golconda_," replied John Purvis. "He laughed aboutthat, and said he wasn't such a fool as to carry a thing like that onhim."
"Did he say if he knew for a fact that the diamond was delivered toMultenius?" asked Mr. Killick.
"Yes, he did. He found a telegram from Multenius at Las Palmas,acknowledging the receipt. He mentioned to me that Multenius would putthe diamond in his bank, till he got to London himself."
Mr. Killick glanced at the detective--the detectives nodded.
"Very good," continued Mr. Killick. "Now then--: you'd doubtless talk agood deal about this matter--did your brother tell you what was to bedone with the diamond? Had he a purchaser in view?"
"Yes, he said something about that," replied John Purvis. "He said thatMultenius and Levendale would make--or were making--what he called asyndicate to buy it from him. They'd have it cut--over in Amsterdam, Ithink it was. He reckoned he'd get quite eighty thousand from thesyndicate."
"He didn't mention any other names than those of Multenius andLevendale?"
"No--none!"
"Now, one more question. Where did your brother leave you--at Plymouth?"
"First thing next morning," said John Purvis. "We travelled together asfar as Exeter. He came on to Paddington--I went home to my farm. AndI've never heard of him since--till I read all this in the papers."
Mr. Killick got up and began to button his overcoat. He turned to thepolice.
"Now you know what we wanted to know!" he said. "That diamond is at thebottom of everything! Daniel Multenius was throttled for thatdiamond--Parslett's death arose out of that diamond--everything'sarisen from that diamond! And, now that you police folks know allthis--you know what to do. You want the man, or men, who were in DanielMultenius's shop about five o'clock on that particular day, and whocarried off that diamond. Mr. Purvis!--are you staying in town?"
The farmer shook his head--but not in the negative.
"I'm not going out of London, till I know what's become of my brother!"he said.
"Then come with me," said Mr. Killick. He said a word or two to thepolice, and then, beckoning Lauriston and Purdie to follow with Purvis,led the way out into the street. There he drew Purdie towards him. "Geta taxi-cab," he whispered, "and we'll all go to see that American manyou've told me of--Guyler. And when we've seen him, you can take me tosee Daniel Multenius's granddaughter."