CHAPTER XVIII
DEFINITE SUSPICION
Chettle laughed--a low, suggestive, satisfied chuckle. He laid the watch,its case still open, on the table at which they were standing, and tappedthe photograph with the point of his finger.
"That may be the first step to the scaffold--for somebody," he said, witha meaning glance. "Ah--it's extraordinary what little, innocent-lookingthings help to put a bit of rope round a man's neck! So you took this,Mr. Allerdyke?--took it yourself, you say?"
"Took it myself, some eight or nine weeks ago," answered Allerdyke. "Itook it in my garden one Sunday afternoon when my cousin James happenedto be there. I do a bit in that way--amusement, you know. I just chancedto have a camera in my hand, and I saw James in a very favourable lightand position, and I snapped him. And it was such a good 'un whendeveloped that I printed off a few copies."
The detective's face became anxious.
"How many, now?" he asked. "How many, Mr. Allerdyke? I hope you canremember?--it's a point of the utmost seriousness."
"Naught easier," answered Allerdyke readily. "I've a good memory forlittle things as well as big 'uns. I printed off four copies. One of 'emI pasted into an album in which I keep particularly good photographs ofmy own taking; the other three I gave to him--he put 'em in hispocket-book."
"All unmounted--like this?" asked Chettle.
"All unmounted--like that," affirmed Allerdyke. "And now, then, since itseems to be a matter of importance, I can tell you what James did with atany rate two of 'em. He gave one to our cousin Grace--Mrs. HenryMallins--a Bradford lady. He gave another to a friend of my own, anotheramateur photographer, Wilson Firth--gave him it in my presence at theMidland Hotel one day, when we were all three having a cigar together inthe smoking-room there. Wilson Firth's a bit of a rival of mine in theamateur photographic line--we each try to beat the other, you understand.Now, then, James pulled one of these snapshots out and handed it over toWilson with a laugh. 'There,' he says, 'that's our Marshall's latestperformance--you'll have a job to do aught better than that, Wilson, mylad,' he says. So that accounts for two. And--this is the third!"
"And the question, Mr. Allerdyke, the big question--a most importantquestion!--is, how did it come into this man Lydenberg's possession?"said the detective anxiously. "If we can find that out--"
"I've been thinking," interrupted Allerdyke. "There's this about it, youknow: James and this Lydenberg came over together from Christiania toHull in the _Perisco_. They talked to one another--that's certain. Jamesmay have given it to Lydenberg. But the thing is--is that likely?"
"No!" replied Chettle, with emphatic assurance. "No, sir! And I'll tellyou why. If your cousin had given this photo to Lydenberg, as he might,of course, have given it to a mere passing acquaintance, because thatacquaintance took a fancy to it, or something of that sort, Lydenbergwould in all reasonable probability have just slipped in into hispocket-book, or put it loose amongst his letters and papers. But, as wesee, however Lydenberg became possessed of this photo, he took unusualpains and precautions about it. You see, he cut it down, most carefullyand neatly, to fit into the cover of his watch--he took the trouble tocarry it where no one else would see it, but where he could see ithimself at a second's notice--he'd nothing to do but to snap open thatcover. No, sir, your cousin didn't give that photo to Lydenberg. Thatphoto was sent to Lydenberg, Mr. Allerdyke--sent! And it was sent for onepurpose only. What? That he should be able to identify Mr. JamesAllerdyke as soon as he set eyes on him!"
Allerdyke nodded his head--in complete understanding and affirmation. Hewas thinking the same thing--thinking, too, that here was at least aclue, a real tangible clue.
"Aye!" he said. "I agree with you. Then, of course, the one and onlything to do is--"
"To find out who the person was that your cousin gave this particularprint to!" said Chettle eagerly. "Of course, it's a big field. So far asI understand things, he'd been knocking round a good bit between the timeof your taking this photo and his death. He'd been in London, hadn't he?And in Russia--in two or three places. How can we find out when and howhe parted with this? For give it to somebody he did, and that somebodywas a person who knew of the jewel transaction, and employed Lydenberg init, and sent the photo to Lydenberg so that he should know your cousin bysight--at once. Mr. Allerdyke, the secret of these murders and theftsis--there!"
Chettle replaced the watch in the cardboard box from which he had takenit, produced a bit of sealing-wax from his pocket, sealed up the box, andput it and the other things belonging to Lydenberg back in the smalltrunk from which he had withdrawn them to show his companion. AndAllerdyke watched him in silence, wondering and speculating about thisnew development.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked suddenly. "You've got some scheme,of course, or you wouldn't have got me down here alone."
"Just so," agreed Chettle. "I have a scheme--and that's why I did get youdown here alone. Mr. Allerdyke, you're a sharp, shrewd man--all youYorkshiremen are!--at least, all that I've ever come across. You're goodhands at ferreting things out. Now, Mr. Allerdyke, let's beplain--there's no two ways about it, no doubt whatever of it, the onlypeople in England that we're aware of who knew about this Nastirsevitchjewel transaction are--Fullaway and whoever he has in his employ! Weknow of nobody else--unless, indeed, it's the Chicago millionaire,Delkin, and he's not very likely to have wanted to go in for a job ofthis sort. No, sir--Fullaway is the suspected person, in myopinion!--though I'm going to take precious good care to keep thatopinion to myself yet awhile, I can tell you. Fullaway, Mr. Allerdyke,Fullaway!"
"Well?" demanded Allerdyke. "And so--"
"And so I want you to use your utmost ingenuity to find out if yourcousin James gave that photo to Fullaway," continued Chettle. "We knowvery well that he was in touch with Fullaway before he went off toRussia--I have it in my notes that when Fullaway came to see you here inHull, at the Station Hotel, the day of your cousin's death, he told youthat he and Mr. James Allerdyke had been doing business for a couple ofyears, and that they'd last met in London about the end of March, justbefore your cousin set off on his journey to Russia. Is that correct?"
"Quite correct--to the letter," answered Allerdyke.
"Very well," said Chettle. "Now, according to you, that 'ud be not sovery long after you took that snapshot of your cousin? So, he'd probablyhave the third print of it--the one we've just been looking at--on himwhen he was in London at that time?"
"Very likely," assented Allerdyke.
"Then," said Chettle with great eagerness, "try, Mr. Allerdyke, try yourbest and cleverest to find out if he gave it to Fullaway. You canthink--you with a sharp brain!--of some cunning fashion of finding thatout. What?"
"I don't know," replied Allerdyke, slowly and doubtfully. He possessedquite as much ingenuity as Chettle credited him with, but his ownresourcefulness in that direction only inclined him to credit other menwith the possession of just the same faculty. "I don't know about that.If James did give that print to Fullaway, and if Fullaway made use of itas you think, Fullaway'll be far too cute ever to let on that it wasgiven to him. See!"
"I see that--been seeing it all through," answered Chettle. "All thesame, there's ways and means. Think of something--you know Fullaway a bitby this time. Try it!"
"Oh, I'll try it, you bet!" exclaimed Allerdyke. "I'll try it for allit's worth, and as cleverly as I can. In fact, I've already thought of aplan, and if you don't want me any more just now, I'll go to thepost-office and send off a telegram that's something to do with it."
"Nothing more now, sir," answered Chettle. "But look here--you're notgoing back to town to-night?"
"Why, that's just what I meant to do," replied Allerdyke. "There's naughtto stop here for, is there?"
"I'm expecting a message from the Christiania police some time thisafternoon or evening," said Chettle. "I cabled to them yesterday makingfull inquiries about Lydenberg--he represented himself here, to Dr. Orwinand the police-surgeons especially, as being a medical man i
n practice inChristiania, who had come across to Hull on some entirely private familybusiness. Now, we've made the most exhaustive inquiries here inHull--there isn't a soul in the town knows anything whatever ofLydenberg! I'm as certain as I am that I see you that he'd no businesshere at all--except to kill and rob your cousin. And so, of course, wewant to know if he really was what he said he was, over there. I pressedupon the Christiania police to let me know all they could withinthirty-six hours. So if you'll stop the night here, I'll likely be ableto show you their reply to me."
"Right!" answered Allerdyke. "I'll put up at the Station Hotel. You comeand have your dinner with me there at seven o'clock."
"Much obliged, Mr. Allerdyke," replied Chettle. "I'll come."
Then Allerdyke went off to the General Post Office and sent a telegram tohis housekeeper in Bradford--
"Send off at once by registered parcel post to me at Waldorf Hotel,London, the morocco-bound photograph album lying on right-hand corner ofmy writing-desk in the library.--MARSHALL ALLERDYKE."
He went out of the post-office laughing cynically. Bit by bit thingswere coming out, he said to himself as he strolled away towards thehotel; link after link the chain was being forged. But around whom, inthe end, was it going to be fastened? It was the first time in his lifethat he had ever been brought face to face with crime, and the seekingout of the criminal was beginning to fascinate him.
"Egad, it's a queer business!" he muttered. "A thread here, a threadthere!--Heaven knows what it'll all come to. But this Chettle's a good'un--he's like to do things."
Chettle joined him in the smoking-room of the hotel at a quarter toseven, and immediately produced a telegram.
"Came half an hour ago," he said as they sat down in a corner. "Nobodybut myself seen it up to now. And--it's just what I expected. Read it."
Allerdyke slowly read the message through, pondering over it--
"We have made fullest inquiries concerning Lydenberg. He was certainlynot in practice here either under that or any other name. Nothing isknown of him as a resident in this city. We have definitely ascertainedthat he came to Christiania from Copenhagen, by land, via Lund andCopenhagen, arriving Christiania May 7th, and that he left here bysteamship _Perisco_ for Hull, May 10th."
"You notice the dates?" observed Chettle. "May 7th and 10th. Now, it wason May 8th that your cousin wired to Fullaway from Christiania, Mr.Allerdyke--there's no doubt about it! This man, Lydenberg, whoever he isor was, was sent to waylay your cousin at Christiania--sent from London.I've worked it out--he went overland--Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark,Sweden, Norway. Sounds a lot--but it's a quick journey. Sir--he was sent!And the sooner we find out about that photograph the better."
"I'm at work," answered Allerdyke. "Leave it to me."
He found his morocco-bound photograph album awaiting him when he arrivedat the Waldorf Hotel next day, and during the afternoon he took it in hishand and strolled quietly and casually into Franklin Fullaway's rooms.Everything there looked as he had always seen it--Mrs. Marlow, charmingas ever, was tapping steadily at her typewriter: Fullaway, himself alarge cigar in his mouth, was reading the American newspapers, justarrived, in his own sanctum. He greeted Allerdyke with enthusiasm.
"Been away since yesterday, eh?" he said, after warm greetings. "Home?"
"Aye, I've been down to Yorkshire," responded Allerdyke offhandedly. "Oneor two things I wanted to see to, and some things I wanted to get. Thisis one of 'em."
"Family Bible?" inquired Fullaway, eyeing the solemnly bound album.
"No. Photos," answered Allerdyke. He was going to test things at once,and he opened the book at the fateful page. "I'm a bit of an amateurphotographer," he went on, with a laugh. "Here's what's probably the lastphoto ever taken of James. What d'ye think of it?"
Fullaway glanced at the photograph, all unconscious that his caller waswatching him as he had never been watched in his life. He waved his cigarat the open page.
"Oh!" he said airily. "A remarkably good likeness--wonderful! I said sowhen I saw it before--excellent likeness, Allerdyke, excellent! Couldn'tbe beaten by a professional. Excellent!"
Marshall Allerdyke felt his heart beating like a sledgehammer as he puthis next question, and for the life of him he could not tell how hemanaged to keep his voice under control.
"Ah!" he said. "You've seen it before, then? James show it to you?"
Fullaway nodded towards the door of the outer room, from which came thefaint click of the secretary's machine.
"He gave one to Mrs. Marlow the very last time he was here." he answered."They were talking about amateur photography, and he pulled a print ofthat out of his pocket and made her a present of it; said it couldn't bebeaten. You're a clever hand, Allerdyke--most lifelike portrait I eversaw. Well--any news?"