CHAPTER XII
THE WOMAN IN THE CASE
The distance between the door of Cheyne Court and the end of the lane,whence the sounds appeared to issue, was by no means a short one, but atthe first sound of Dollops's voice the four men sped down the centre ofthe dark drive and round the corner, the bull's-eye lantern of ConstableRoberts sending a brilliant path of light before them.
Close to the identical spot, where earlier in the evening ConstableRoberts had had his helmet pushed down over his eyes by an unseenassailant, two figures struggled together. One was vainly endeavouringto free herself from the clutches of her captor, the other was intent onbringing her to the ground. Scattered all about were the drawings andparaphernalia with which Dollops had evidently been carrying out hisusual proceedings. The light of the lantern and Cleek's electric torchrevealed his prisoner to be a slim, fair-haired girl of about three andtwenty, clad in a soft white gown now sadly soiled and torn by the roughusage she had undergone, while over her shoulders was hanging acrumpled but unmistakable gold scarf.
It hardly needed the doctor's startled exclamation, "Jennifer!" to tellthe detective that this was indeed the girl of whom he had spoken, foreven from that distance there emanated the sweet fragrance of jasmine.There before him was the girl the host at the Hampton Arms had gossipedabout, and who was a bitter rival of Lady Margaret Cheyne for the loveof Sir Edgar Brenton.
"Why, Doctor!" she said bravely. "This is a lucky meeting. Who and whatis this disgusting individual? I was just taking a little stroll, when Iwas seized hold of and dragged along like a sack of coals, or a criminalon the way to the police-station."
Cleek noted her voice and tone, and stood watching her. He said nothing,however, merely removed the pressure of his thumb from the controllingbutton of his torch, slipped that useful article into his pocket, andbusied himself with picking up Dollops' papers on which he had obviouslybeen taking measurements of footprints.
"Here you, whoever you are, just keep your 'ands off my papers," snappedDollops with a wink at the Superintendent which passed unnoticed by thatirate individual. "I say, Mr. Narkom sir, don't let that new man takeoff my papers, and don't you be took in neither, sir," he added,earnestly. "I didn't do the young person no 'arm, but she wasn't up tono good a creeping and watching in the dark."
"Well, you can take it from me, sir," interposed Dr. Verrall, heatedly,"this lady is a personal friend of mine, and had a perfect right to bestrolling down the lane. She was probably on her way home from LadyBrenton's; were you not, Miss Wynne?"
"Yes, yes, that's just where I had been," the girl answered, her darkeyes flashing gratefully at the doctor, "but I refuse to say anotherword till you send away this enterprising youth who has bruised my armsnearly black and blue."
"Certainly, Miss Wynne," said Mr. Narkom. "Dollops, get along back tothe station."
"But, sir, Mr. Narkom----"
"Not another word: do as I say."
Dollops gave a swift glance at Cleek's impassive face, then sullenlypicked up his papers, the bundle of famous "tickle-tootsies" withoutwhich he never budged when on a case, and lounged away into the shadowsof the trees.
"We are anxious to get on with a very important task, Miss Jennifer,"said the Superintendent. "A very horrible deed has been committed withinthe last few hours, and I and my friend and ally----"
"Mr. George Headland," interjected that gentleman, blandly. Whileappearing to have been absorbed in dispatching Dollops, Cleek had beenquietly taking in every detail relative to the girl's appearance, andhad decided off-hand that he liked the look of her, despite hersuspicious behaviour. She was just the type of womanhood that to connectwith such a thing as _murder_ was simply impossible. "Surely, Mr.Narkom, it is hardly necessary to explain if the details are alreadyknown. Perhaps Miss Jennifer had come down to learn any fresh news?"
"That is just what I have done," she said, gratefully, a note ofagitation sounding in her rich voice, despite an effort to keep it calm."I was just going for a stroll. I had a splitting headache, and only agood walk in the open air ever does it any good. All at once I metConstable Roberts. I stopped him and he told me dear Miss Cheyne hadbeen murdered. Of course I did not want to be caught, and I was justtrying to get back home when that young beggar set on me, mistaking me,I suppose, for an accomplice."
"Well, it's very deplorable," put in Cleek, mildly, "but you see, miss,he'd been told to arrest anybody who came along, and under thecircumstances----" His voice trailed off into silence and the rest ofthe sentence went by default.
Miss Wynne nodded her head vigorously.
"Yes, yes, I suppose so; still, it has all been a mistake and now Ithink I had better be going home. You will be suspecting me of theactual murder next.
"Nonsense, Miss Jennifer, we might as well suspect Lady Brenton, or SirEdgar, for that matter."
"Why, yes, indeed," said the girl, quickly. "But as Lady Brenton wasconfined to her room, also with a headache, and Sir Edgar is notexpected back till the morning, I think we are all quite safe."
The curious one-sided smile moved up Cleek's left cheek, then vanishedas quickly as it had come.
"Quite so, Miss Jennifer," he said, blandly. "Besides, it is not withwomen we are concerned but the owner of this revolver that we found onthe spot----"
She saw the revolver and whirled upon him like a mad woman.
"My God! He did lea--Edgar--he said it had been stolen!"
Realizing the effect of her words, she then turned fiercely on them. "Ifyou dare to suspect Edgar, you are wrong. He was never within miles ofthe place! You shan't drag him into this wretched mess, you shan't, Isay, you shan't----"
"Calm yourself, my dear young lady; there is every proof of its being awoman as much as a man," put in Cleek gently.
"You are absolutely sure you have no knowledge of the murder, nosuspicion?"
For the briefest second she seemed to hesitate. Then she spokehysterically:
"Why should I? I shouldn't have come if Roberts had not told me it wasMiss Cheyne."
"There is no more to be said, then," returned Cleek. "We will all saygood-night, and perhaps you will let one of us see you home."
"I will take Miss Jennifer back, myself," responded the doctor with apathetic alacrity which Cleek noted, and with a last good-night the twoturned and set off down the lane.
"H'm!" said Cleek, rubbing his chin, "and so a fresh element of mysteryenters. She knew all that had been done this night, I'll swear. Therewas no surprise, was there, Roberts, when you told her?"
"Come to think of it, sir, she never turned a hair, might have been adead cat I was talking about."
"What do you make of it, Cleek?" Mr. Narkom asked, in a mystifiedmanner.
"Nothing as yet. Roberts, get a guard round the house, and then turn in.We'll wait here till relief comes. Good-night."
But after the burly policeman had tramped thankfully away, Cleek turnedto his companion.
"For a liar, commend me to a woman every time," he said. "Miss Jenniferdoes know who it was. She knew that it had already been committed, andevery blessed thing of hers smelt of _Huile de jasmin_ strong! Did younotice the gold lace scarf also?"
"Good Lord! Surely you do not believe----?" Mr. Narkom's voice was fullof anxiety.
"I never 'believe' anything till I get proof. I may have my doubts and Ido think at the moment that the young lady is either in the possessionof dangerous knowledge, or else she is bent on throwing the blame on toSir Edgar----"
"Good heavens, Cleek, how, why, what makes you think that?"
"First, because she was so evidently on the spot to be caught; secondly,her remark about the revolver was not so unstudied as it looked. No, myfriend, you will find that Miss Jennifer knows a little more than youimagine, and means to turn that little to account in winning the man shehas set her heart upon, much to our good doctor's dismay. I wonder, now,what poor young Dollops has got to say?"
A shrill whistle speedily brought the boy along, and his face when hesa
w that they were alone was a veritable picture of disgust.
"Lor' lumme, sir!" he exclaimed, "you never went and let yerself betaken in by that young woman's soft soap! Taking a stroll, indeed! Notshe! Why, she climbed right out of one of those winders there, anddropped to earth like a first-class burglar born."
"In the house itself, did you say?"
"Yes, I did, Mr. Narkom, and I would 'ave told yer if yer 'adn't pitchedinto me! In the room over the porch she was, and she slid down the ivy,right in front of my blessed eyes, and then made out wot it was me that'ad torn all 'er fings. I was running full tilt after another female,when I sees 'er, so there!"
"Another woman!" Narkom looked at Cleek, significantly.
"Are you sure it wasn't the same woman in the dark, Dollops?" askedCleek, suddenly, "you might have made a mistake, you know."
Dollops gave vent to a little snort of disgust.
"Certain sure, sir, but the other lady wasn't near the house she wasn't.Sort of floating about under the trees in a kind of red dressinggown----"
"What's that--red--do you mean scarlet? Was it scarlet satin, Dollops?Do you think you know?"
"That I do, sir. Shining stuff it were and when I got near, she smeltsomething hevingly, like a garden full o' flowers."
"What's that?" rapped out Cleek, suddenly. "_Huile de jasmin_, ofcourse. It must be the same woman I myself saw a month ago; and yet howdoes Miss Jennifer come to be there? If she is innocent, what was shedoing in that room? And she was wearing a gold scarf, a piece of which Ihave here and which was clenched in the dead man's hand!"
"Heavens above, man!" snapped Narkom. "It's as clear as crystal. Ishould apply for a warrant for her arrest immediately."
"And yet, it was a revolver that had also been used, and one belongingto Sir Edgar. Miss Jennifer would hardly go so far as to murder the onlyobstacle that stood between the man she loved and his marriage to herrival. What, too, has become of that poor girl?"
"Don't ask me, Cleek," returned the puzzled Superintendent, dolefully."It's the most infernal riddle I ever came across, and my head's achingwith it. I'm off to get additional help, if you don't mind, or else weshall have crowds surging into that room before we know where we are."
"Right, Mr. Narkom, and as I still have a few threads to collect,Dollops and I will be off, too. We'll meet at the Hampton Arms. Come on,Dollops, we'll take a few impressions of those footprints beforethey're trodden out of existence to-morrow."
"Righto, Guv'nor."
Cleek took out his electric torch and the two set forth on theirappointed task, leaving Mr. Narkom to set a sufficient guard over thesilent figure of a dead man on whose face there rested an inscrutablesmile. It was as if he were smiling over the secret he held and whichwas to puzzle many minds, and was one of the greatest riddles Cleek hadever attempted to solve.
Meanwhile that gentleman and his zealous assistant worked silently andsurely. Not a depressed blade of grass was left before it was subjectedto the keenest scrutiny, while exact outlines were taken of the clearlydefined footprints, with which the lawn was fairly alive. To recognizethe unmistakable imprint of the Government Regulation boot worn by Mr.Narkom and Constable Roberts was a simple matter. The footprints ofCleek and Dollops were also distinguishable, for both had early in theircompanionship decided to wear boots which would always enable them totell their own footprints from any they might be tracking, a precautionthat had stood them in good stead on more than one occasion.
It did so now, but even after having eliminated all the known onesthere yet remained a bewildering number of marks, and a disgusted gruntbroke from Dollops.
"Lor' lumme, the place is alive with them, sir, and they're all aboutthe same size. They're that young woman's or I'll eat my 'at!"
But Cleek was silent, and as Dollops cautiously flashed his torch sothat the light fell full upon his master's face, he gave a little start.Cleek was staring fixedly at the imprint of a newcomer, a man who hadevidently come right up to a certain point, then stood still, as ifwaiting for something or someone to join him.
"Lor', sir," said Dollops, looking down now in the same direction,"there's that girl's footmarks, too. They go down the lane side byside."
An odd look flashed across Cleek's face, an odd smile dwelt for a momentabout his mouth, for it looked as if the lad were right: the girl hadbeen joined by a companion who had waited while she committed the deed.Once more Cleek's mind went back to the principals in the grim drama.Which was it? Jennifer Wynne, whose deception was so obvious; Sir EdgarBrenton, supposed to be in town; or the unknown stranger whose footprintthey had found? It was a difficult problem, more difficult than he hadat first imagined.
Finally he threw up his chin and faced the earnest young Cockney who wasstaring at him.
"Come, Dollops," he said with a little sigh, "there's no more to be donehere. But if we'd only had a crop of your 'tickle-tootsies' we'd havecaught those fine birds by their tail feathers and caged them. However,we haven't, so let's be off. There's plenty to do and not much time todo it in, and a walk back to the inn on this beautiful night will do usboth a power of good."