CHAPTER SIX
A LITTLE DISCREPANCY
The distance between the gates of Gleer Cottage and the porch whereinlay the body of the dead keeper was by no means a short one, but at thefirst sound of Dollops's voice the two men sped down the centre of thedark, mist-wrapped drive and out into the lane, their electric pockettorches sending two brilliant streams of light in front of them. Thesounds of scuffling feet and of wrangling voices guided them along thebroken, irregular line of the crumbling brick wall which encircled thegrounds of the cottage, and following the lead of them, they camepresently upon an amazing picture.
Close to that identical spot where, earlier in the night, Hammond hadfound the gap in the wall, two figures struggled together: the one, in avain endeavour to free himself from the clutches of his captor; theother intent on bringing him to the ground, on which lay scattered allthe drawings and paraphernalia with which Dollops had evidently beencarrying out his master's instructions. The light of the torchesrevealed his prisoner to be a sturdy, fair-haired young man, and a firstglance showed Cleek that he was arrayed in a fashionable light-weightovercoat which, torn open in the struggle, showed him also to be inimmaculate evening dress. It hardly needed Mr. Narkom's startledexclamation, "Geoff!" to tell the detective that this was indeed the sonand heir of Sir Philip Clavering, the young man whose bitter threatsagainst the dead man in the cottage had been so swiftly carried out.
But the exclamation had a far-reaching effect upon Dollops's prisoner,for he ceased struggling at once and faced round upon the superintendentso that the full glare of the torches could fall upon his features andleave not a shadow of doubt regarding his identity.
"Hullo! Mr. Narkom!" he exclaimed. "This _is_ a stroke of good luck andno mistake! Who and what is this enterprising individual upon my back? Ican't see his interesting face, for he pounced upon me in the dark; butif I had known that his yells and cries were likely to bring _you_ uponthe scene, I certainly shouldn't have gone to the length of strugglingand getting my clothes in this awful mess."
Cleek made a mental tally of that remark, and set alongside of it thecircumstance that Dollops, when he first called out, had most distinctlymentioned Mr. Narkom by name. He said nothing, however; merely removedthe pressure of his thumb from the controlling button of his torch,slipped that useful article into his pocket, and busied himself withpicking up Dollops's effects from the ground.
"Here you, whoever you are! You keep your blessed thievin' irons offthem things!" snapped Dollops, with a wink at the superintendent. "Isay, Mr. Narkom, sir, don't let that josser go carryin' off mydrorin's--them's for my gov'ner, _you_ know that. And, sir," he went onearnestly, "don't you be took in by none of the gammon of this 'ereperson. Actin' suspicious and creepin' along in the dark he was when I'opped up and copped him, sir, and no matter if he _is_ a party asyou're acquainted with, sir----"
"He is," interrupted the superintendent curtly, not, however, withoutsome slight show of agitation at finding this particular young man inthe neighbourhood at this particular time. "The gentleman is Mr.Geoffrey Clavering, my friend Sir Philip Clavering's son and heir."
"Well, sir, I can't 'elp that," began Dollops, but his words wereinterrupted by the captive himself.
"I shouldn't have blamed you if you had failed to recognize me from thestate I'm in through the mistaken ardour of this enterprising youth, Mr.Narkom," he said. "He appears not to have left one inch of my personunmarked with his hands; and if you would oblige me by requesting him todetach himself from me as expeditiously as possible, I shall beunspeakably obliged."
"Certainly, Geoff. Dollops, let the gentleman go."
"But, sir-- Mr. Narkom----"
"Stand back, I tell you!"
"But upon my sacred word of honour, sir----"
"You have heard what I said, haven't you? That's enough," interruptedNarkom, sharply.
Dollops gave a swift glance at Monsieur Georges de Lesparre's face, thensullenly relinquished his hold on his prisoner, and with a knowing winkover his shoulder, busied himself with picking up his scattered andmuddied papers.
"A jolly cheeky young beggar that, Mr. Narkom; I wonder you take hisimpertinences so lightly," said young Clavering, who seemed, somehow, tohave lost a little of his self-possession now that it became evident thematter of his presence must inevitably be the topic of conversation. "Isay, send him away, won't you? And if you would--er--send your friendaway, too, I'd be obliged. I'd like to have a little conversation withyou in private, if you don't mind."
"Certainly, Geoff. Dollops, take yourself off--hot shot!"
"Me, sir? My hat! Where'll I go? Wot'll I do, sir?"
"Go and continue what you were told to do in the first place. Gather upyour traps, and be off about it."
"Oh, yuss--of course--nuthink easier than _that_ after the way as thegent 'ere has went gallopin' all over 'em with his muddy boots!" saidDollops with apparent disgust. "Look at that for a sample of drorin',will yer?"
He slyly twitched the corner of his eye round in Cleek's direction,turned the mud-stained paper so that he should see the footprint, andmumbling and muttering shambled away in the direction of the cottage anddisappeared in the mist and darkness.
"I'm afraid, Geoff," went on Narkom as soon as Dollops had gone, "that Ican't humour you to the extent of requesting this gentleman, too, toleave us; but let me have the pleasure of introducing him--MonsieurGeorges de Lesparre, the famous French criminologist. We are engagedtogether upon a very serious matter to-night. In short, an exceptionallyghastly murder has been committed since I left Clavering Close, Geoff,and you will be horrified to hear----"
"Gently, gently, monsieur," softly interposed Cleek, who, whileappearing to be absorbed in acknowledging the introduction, had beenquietly taking in every detail relative to the young man's appearanceand had decided offhand that he liked him; that he was simply ahandsome, straight-looking, frank-faced, clear-eyed young fellow who, inthe general order of things, ought not to have one evil impulse in him."Shall one go into details that may, possibly, be unnecessary?" he wenton. "Perhaps Mr. Clavering has already heard of the crime, and it isthat which is accountable for his presence in this neighbourhood."
In his heart he knew that there was no such possibility, that there wasnot even the ghost of a chance that news of the murder could so soonhave gotten abroad when even the local police had not yet learned ofit, and he threw out this "feeler" hoping that young Clavering would ridhimself of any shadow of complicity by at once rejecting it. To hisdisappointment, however, Geoff rose to it as a trout to a fly; and hisface, which had betrayed a strong effort to repress an overwhelmingagitation from the instant Narkom made mention of the crime, now litwith something like relief and thankfulness.
"Yes, that's the case. You have guessed it, monsieur," he saidgratefully, a sound that seemed a curious blend of a sigh and a sobgetting into his voice despite an effort to keep it level andemotionless. "I had gone to bed--that is, I mean to say I was gettingready to go to bed--but I knew I shouldn't be able to sleep, so I camedown into the grounds for a walk and a smoke. The open air always doesme good. All at once a motor came along with Mellish, the policeconstable, in it. I stopped him, and he told me of this awful thing. Inearly went mad. To think what it means to my dear girl! She hasn'theard yet, of course----"
"No," said Mr. Narkom. "She will have to be told in the morning. Poorgirl, it will be a shock to her, but it means a great obstacle removedfrom your path."
"Yes," agreed the young man uneasily. "That's what made me so anxious tocome here and find out for myself if the murderer had been traced. Yousee I lost my head a bit to-night," he added half apologetically, "andyou never know what people will say, so I was just coming cautiouslyalong when that cheeky young chap threw himself on me, mistaking me, Isuppose, for the assassin."
He made an attempt to laugh, but even to Mr. Narkom it was palpable thatthe young fellow was making a desperate effort to cover up hisagitation.
"You can't, in the circumstances
, blame him for that, Geoff," repliedNarkom. "Besides, it was a most indiscreet thing for you--you of allmen--to come here to-night, especially after what happened at theClose."
"You mean about my threatening De Louvisan?"
"Yes. At least twenty or thirty persons heard that; and although afteryou were calmer and the Austrian had left the house, you excusedyourself to your guests and were said to have gone to your room for thenight----"
"I did go to it!" rapped in Geoff excitedly. "Purviss, my valet, willprove that if there's any question regarding it. Simply because I didn'thave the heart to indulge in any more dancing or tomfoolery of that sortwhen my dear girl had been dragged away from me as though I were aleper. Good God, Mr. Narkom! _you_ don't believe I had anything to dowith this awful thing, do you?"
Cleek took the reins before Narkom could utter so much as a single word.
"Of a certainty he does not, monsieur. Who could on so slight a thing asthe mere hot-headed outburst of an excited young man?" he said suavely,making, as was his way, a cunning hazard that should at once prove ordisprove a suspicion that lay at the back of his head. "And to base itupon no stronger circumstance than that you afterward left thedrawing-room and did not return! Ridiculous! One might as well suspectLady Clavering herself when she, too, was obliged to retire and leaveher guests for the time, if merely absenting one's self is to beregarded as suspicious. It is what you Anglais shall call 'tommyrot,'that, eh?"
"Of course it is, monsieur--er--what's-your-name--of course!" assentedGeoff gratefully, rather liking this suave and gentle Frenchman whoseemed bent upon coming to his rescue and showing him the way outwhenever matters took an awkward turn. "You're a jolly, sharp-sightedchap, you are, and you spot the weak points in these affairs like ashot. My stepmother doesn't often suffer from headaches, but just as ithappens, she was so queer that she had to lie down for about an hour;but her maid can prove that she stopped in her room, just as Purviss canvouch for it that I remained in mine."
The curious one-sided smile moved up Cleek's left cheek, then vanishedagain.
"Quite so, quite so," he said blandly. "Besides, it is not with LadyClavering that we are concerned, but with the owner of a jewel that wefound on the spot--a little gold scent bangle that smelt of violets----"
"My God! Kathie's! She said she lost it!" cried Geoffrey through hisclenched teeth; then realizing what his words meant, he turned on thetwo men fiercely.
"What do you mean? What are you trying to infer? That she--my deargirl---- Good heavens! but if you dare to bring her name into thishorrible business, I'll throttle the pair of you! You shan't connect herwith the abominable affair! By God, you shan't!"
"M'sieur is too quick with his threats," put in Cleek suavely. "Would itnot be as well to wait? Unfortunately, we have only too much proof thata woman was concerned in the murder, and----"
"But it was not Lady Katharine. That I swear!" The young man's voiceshook with emotion, and his strained eyes gazed from one face to theother in heartbreaking intensity.
"You are absolutely sure that you have no suspicion of the murderer'sidentity?" Cleek asked with a sharpness unusual to him. "No reason todoubt any living soul?"
For just the merest fraction of a second young Clavering appeared tohesitate.
"No," he said curtly. "No, I have not. I know no more about it than achild. Mellish told me about the murder, and it was only natural that Ishould come up here to make inquiries."
"But, yes, monsieur, of course," agreed Cleek softly. "There is, then,no more to be said save good-bye. I fear me I shall not have thepleasure of meeting you again, as I return to Paris to-morrow. The caseis one of the most mysterious, and I leave it to your English detective,Mr. George Headland. So it is adieu, monsieur, and not au revoir."
He held out his hand to the young man, who grasped it in his owntrembling one, and then, with a sharp "good-night," Geoff Claveringturned and strode back in the direction whence he had come.
"Hum-m-m!" said Cleek, taking his chin between his thumb and forefingerand rubbing it up and down. "A total denial! And with enough decency toblush! Quite so! Quite so!"
Mr. Narkom, knowing the signs and being torn with eagerness for thefather of that rash boy, moved forward and laid a shaking hand upon hissleeve.
"Cleek," he said in a whisper full of anxiety and excitement, "don'tkeep it back, dear chap. You've come to some conclusion. Speak up, do,and tell me what you make of it?"
"Make of it, Mr. Narkom? Well, for one thing, I make of it that thatyoung man lied like a pickpocket and deliberately attempted to throwdust in our eyes. He not only _does_ suspect some one--and with goodgrounds, too--but he has been here before and in that house to-night. Inother words, his was the foot that crushed that golden capsule. Thescent of the _Huile Violette_ was upon the drawing paper, the measure,the muffler, the cap--every blessed thing he trod on in his scuffle withDollops!"
"Good God! Oh, his poor father! Surely, surely, Cleek, you do notbelieve----"
"My dear Mr. Narkom, I never suffer myself to 'believe' anything until Ihave absolute proof of it. What I may _think_ is a different matter."
"And you think of that boy--what?"
"That he is either a hot-headed, quixotic, loyal, lovable young ass, Mr.Narkom, or he's a remarkably dangerous and crafty criminal! I'm put toit for the moment to decide which. One thing is pretty certain, and thatis that young Geoffrey Clavering knows more of this crime than he willadmit, and that the woman he is shielding is Lady Katharine Fordham, whowas not only on the Common but in Gleer Cottage itself with MasterGeoffrey."
"Good heavens! Cleek, how do you know that?" cried Mr. Narkom, his voicehoarse and shaken.
"Firstly, because his clothes are all scented with that peculiar scentof violets, and although I know from the dead keeper that another woman,probably Lady Clavering, was on the Common, he is certainly notshielding her; otherwise he would not have admitted that she hadabsented herself from her guests. No, I think you will find that boththe young people were out here to-night. Let's hear now what Dollops hasto say."
A minute later there sounded the familiar cry of a night owl, whichbrought the boy himself running up at full speed.
"Lor' lumme, sir!" he cried disgustedly, as a quick glance revealed theabsence of his former prisoner. "You never went and let 'im go after mea-showin' of you the footprint wot he'd left on my drorin' paper! It'sjust the same as one of 'em in the lane wot you told me to measure, sir;measure 'em off yourself and see. And him a-playin' off innercent andactin' like he was a respectable gent as was comin' here unsuspectin'and got copped by mistake! He wasn't, the bounder! He was tryin' tosneak away, that's wot _he_ was a-doin' of--trying to do a bunk beforeanybody dropped to where he was a-hidin'."
"What's that? Hiding? Did you say hiding?"
"Yes, I did, Mr. Narkom, and I'd a-told you of it at the time, only youwouldn't let me open me blessed mouth, but jist shuts me up and ordersme off prompt. Hidin' in that blessed 'oller tree there--look!" Heflashed the light of his torch upon a tree which stood about three orfour yards distant. "In that he was," he went on, "and jist as soon asthe motor had went and the way was clear, I sees him sneak out and maketoward the Common; so I ups and does a tiptoe run along this strip o'grass, sir, so's me feet wouldn't make no noise, and jist as he startsto do a bunk I does a spring, and comes down on his blessed back like a'awk on a guinea 'en."
Narkom twitched up his chin and looked at Cleek; and for a moment therewas silence, a deep significant silence, then Cleek spoke.
"How shall we sum him up by the measure of these things, Mr. Narkom, asa hero or as a scoundrel?" he said. "If he is innocent, why was hehiding? And if not for a criminal purpose, why did he come to this placeat all?"
"Heavens above, man, don't ask _me_!" returned Narkom irritably. "It'sthe most infernal riddle I ever encountered. My head's in a positivewhirl. But look here, old chap. Supposing he did have a hand in themurder, how on earth could he have coaxed De Louvisan to this house--aman who had cause to
dread him, a man whose life he had threatened?"
"Perhaps he didn't, Mr. Narkom; perhaps somebody did the coaxing forhim. A woman is a clever lure, my friend, and we know that one or two,perhaps three---- Oh, well, let it go at that."
A faint sound of an automobile horn sounded its blare through thedistance and darkness.
"Lennard is coming back with the local authorities. I'd know the hootingof that horn among a thousand, Mr. Narkom. And with their coming,'Monsieur de Lesparre' returns to his native kit bag. This way,Dollops--look sharp! Pick us up at the old railway arch as soon as youcan, Mr. Narkom. We'll be on the lookout for you. Now then, Dollops, mylad, step lively!"
"Right you are, gov'ner. So long, Mr. Narkom. We're off--as the eggssaid to the cook when she got a whiff of 'em."
"Good-bye for a little time," said Cleek, reaching out and gripping thesuperintendent's hand. "At the arch, remember. It has been child's playup to this, Mr. Narkom. Now the real work begins. And unless all signsfail, it promises to be the case of my career."
And so, like this, he stepped off into the mist and darkness, and wenthis way--to the beginning of the chase; to the reading of the riddle; tothose things of Love and Mystery, of Faith and Unfaith, of Sorrow and ofJoy, whose trail lay under the roof of Wuthering Grange and which walkedas shadows with Lady Katharine Fordham and Ailsa Lorne.