CHAPTER XV
ANOTHER FLY IN THE WEB
It was a full hour by the clock when Captain Macdonald, in the hands ofhis burly captor, and looking as furious as it is possible for a man tolook in such circumstances, entered the library at Aygon Castle, wherealready Mr. Narkom, Cleek, and all the other members of thatill-assorted and tragic party were already assembled, and, lookingneither to right nor left of him, pushed past Maud Duggan's detainingfingers and went straight up to his man on sight.
"Look here!" he said angrily, as, hat in hand, he stood before Cleek,his countenance showing a little of what he felt inside his hot youngheart. "What the deuce--what the dickens do you mean by sendin' abeastly policeman for me? That's what I want to know! I was on my way uphere--the awful thing that has just happened I only heard this morningthrough my groom, who met one of the Castle grooms in the village, andhe told him--and I was comin' up to see if I could be any help, when upcomes my lord constable, seizes me by the sleeve, tips his cap, andsays, 'You've got to come along with me'--just as if I'd picked ablessed pocket or something! I'm dashed well furious I can tell you! AndI want an apology at once. Thought there was somethin' decidedly fishyin your appearance here in the Castle grounds last night, and now I knowwhat you were about for."
"But, unfortunately, I don't know what _you_ were about for, Captain,"retorted Cleek with a one-sided smile. "And that's exactly what I sentfor you to find out. After you have explained yourself so fully andso--so emphatically--in the presence of these ladies, I will now claim alittle of your time and attention for myself.
"You were perfectly right. I happened to be coming here, upon this veryunpleasant and tragic errand, at the summons of Miss Maud Duggan----"
"_Maud_ sent for you?"
"She did. We had a prearranged signal--she'll probably tell you allabout it"--he smiled at her sad young face, a hint of tenderness in hisown. "You see, we happen to be friends _through_ friends, if you canfollow what I mean. Miss Duggan's school-mate and chum chances to be thelady who has done me the honour to promise to become my wife, and ofcourse it was naturally a firm link between us."
"Maud's school-friend?" The Captain's voice was incredulous. "And you?A--a policeman! Damned funny!"
"As you say--_very_ funny," returned Cleek, with an ironical bow. "ButI must beg of you, my good Captain, to curb your language a littlebefore the ladies. It's not done, you know, in the best society--even amere policeman knows that. And as all this is entirely beyond the pointI'm aiming at, let's get down to brass tacks at once. What I want toknow is--what were you doing here last night, when the crime had onlyjust been committed? And why did I encounter you, running from thedirection of the house as fast as your feet could carry you? That's whatI want to know."
A sudden gasp of amazement from Maud Duggan, hastily suppressed, broughtCleek's eyes round to her instantly. Meanwhile, the Captain, going redand white by turns, started to speak, hesitated, and then commencedagain, looking the very picture of abject discomfort and unhappiness.
At last:
"Well, if you want so much to know--find out for yourself," he broke outin a sulky tone. "For I'm not going to tell you--that's flat! I've hadnothing whatsoever to do with the beastly affair, and you know it. Andif you don't know it, it won't take you long to find out. But what I wasdoing here last night is my private affair, and nothing to do withanybody."
"Oho!" said Cleek in two different tones, arching an eyebrow in Mr.Narkom's direction. "Still more emphatic, I must say! And 'absolutelyrefuse,' too! The Law takes no refusals, Captain Macdonald, and if youdon't know that fact, you'd better learn it now. And if you and Mr. RossDuggan happen to be friends----"
"We are friends--the best of 'em, eh, old chap?" from Ross himself.
"Very well, then. All I can say is that you are harming Mr. Duggan'scase with your ridiculous silence, and if you're not pretty careful,might end in driving him into the prisoner's dock."
It was a "tall order"--and it almost carried, but not quite. ForMacdonald gave out a smothered exclamation of amazement, swung aroundand looked at Ross, and then, meeting Maud Duggan's agonized eyes,tightened his mouth and faced Cleek again with the set expression uponhis face.
"Ross Duggan's no murderer--and you know it, dash you!" he gave out in aharsh, curt voice. "And it's no business of yours what I was doing herelast night. I'm a friend of the family----"
"But forbidden the house, I take it?"
Macdonald flushed an ugly crimson.
"You're exceedin'ly well informed upon family affairs, I must say!" heretorted tartly. "Yes--forbidden the house by the master of it (poor oldchap!) and therefore--well, I'm not goin' to say any more. It mayimplicate someone else who's entirely innocent, and you won't get mymouth open with a sledge-hammer and a nail!"
"And no necessity for it, either--you dunderheaded young donkey!"thought Cleek amusedly. "For if you haven't given the whole show away,and made it perfectly plain to everybody that you were meeting yoursweetheart--or about to do so--then my name's not Cleek--which, ofcourse, it isn't! And there's no telling but that you're a better actorthan you make out! And this may be a 'blind'--but at present there's no'cover' to draw, so we'll be off cantering in the other direction untilthe scent's a bit stronger in _yours_." Aloud, he turned to the irateyoung man with a slight bow, and spoke in his easy, calm manner.
"Well, if you won't, you won't. These are not the days of the thumbscrewand the rack, Captain Macdonald, and a man's tongue cannot be made tospeak by any other means than a little confinement in a prison cell. AndI don't think that's really necessary, in your case, do you, Mr. Narkom?So we'll let that pass for the present. But I'd like you to understandthat--on account of your refusing to acquaint us with the facts of yourpresence here in the grounds of this place last night--we are obliged,in the maintenance of Law and Order, to put you upon your parole."
"Thanks very much."
Captain Macdonald bowed, with much mockery of lip and gesture, and then,turning to the others in that silent little knot of spectators, made hisway over to the side of Maud Duggan, whose face was as pale as a deadface, and in whose eyes lurked the suspicion of a great fear, and laidhis hand upon her arm.
They conversed for a moment or two in low voices utterly oblivious ofthose others who were searching their faces with curious eyes, while inthe background Ross Duggan fidgeted with his watch-chain and sent hishandsome eyes searching each figure in that still room, as though in anendeavour to find a clue therein which would lift the pall of hatefulsuspicion from his own shoulders.
Cleek surveyed them critically. It was an abominably personal sort ofcase, to say the least of it. And not much to his liking. But theelement of mystery in the whole affair gripped his interest in spite ofthese other drawbacks.
Of course there was no truth in the cock-and-bull story of the PeasantGirl--that went without saying. But that it had been used as a "blind"to cover the real perpetrators of the crime was evident to his mind. Andwhy _two_ of them? For in each case death would have been causedinstantaneously. He looked down at the spinning wheel standing there inthe recess of the window, and tried to link the thing up with it. Butthere seemed no peg to hang a clue upon there. Obviously the thing hadbeen "worked" with just such an idea to disguise its real purport.
Then he thought of the letters that he had found in the desk, hiddenaway and yellowed with Time's fingers, and tied about with faded ribbon.And of a sudden something flashed across his face which, Mr. Narkomwatching him as a cat does a mouse and knowing to a nicety what thoseexpressions so often meant, made that worthy gentleman positively jumpwith excitement.
Cleek smiled at him and shook a head over his eagerness. Then he turnedto the rest of them.
"No need now to prolong this unpleasant and unhappy interview," he saidquietly. "Mr. Duggan has given his parole, and also the worthy Captainover there. The Yard's men will do the rest. But I must renew my requestthat none of you leaves this house to-day, or goes beyond the walls ofthe garden, unless under s
pecial permission from Mr. Narkom or myself.Just for to-day, my friends. By to-morrow perhaps the riddle may besolved, or its end in sight. But for the next twenty-four hours I mustbeg your assistance, every one of you, to bring it to a successful anddefinite close."
His request had an immediate and almost eager response. For there wasnot one of that little band of anxious people who was not glad to bereleased from the unpleasant and searching questionings of the Law, asrepresented by this bland gentleman of the fine manner and the polishedways, who seemed, indeed, as good as they were (if not better), and whomet them upon the grounds of an equality which was hardly to be expectedfrom one of his calling.
Maud and the Captain walked away together conversing in low voices,their faces grave. Ross, Cynthia Debenham, and Catherine Dowd--lagging alittle behind, and favouring Cleek with a look of venomous hatred castback at him over her shoulder as she passed through the opendoor--turned toward the terrace, where they all sat down and discussedthe thing from every point of view within their reach, and came to nodefinite ending at all; while Lady Paula, summoning Miss McCall with aregal gesture, rose from her chair, bowed charmingly to each of the twomen left in the room, and withdrew to the safety and peace of her ownboudoir.
When the door had shut upon the last of them, Cleek began pacing theroom excitedly, pulling at his chin and gnawing at his lower lip, whichgestures brought Mr. Narkom to the conclusion that he was indulging in a"jolly good think!"
"There's more in those letters than meets the eye," Cleek said aloud,apostrophizing the wall-paper and the fireplace in turn. "H'm. Not adoubt of it. 'Jeannette.' Something Scotch in the flavour of that, eh,Mr. Narkom?... Yes, that's my opinion, too. It wouldn't take a hammerand a nail to drive _that_ fact home, anyhow. And the date of 'em someseventeen years back.... But it's the 'humming sound' which gets me, Iswear. Can't account for that, anyhow. Might be a dynamo, but thereisn't a dynamo in the place, and no need for it, either. Plain stabbingand shooting upon the face of it. We'll go for a prowl this afternoon,old friend, and see what new lands we can discover."
"All right. I'm your man, Cleek--the same as always," returned Mr.Narkom affectionately, as he slapped Cleek on the shoulder with hisbroad hand, and then slipped it about his ally's neck and kept pace withhim up and down the narrow room.
"Anything that's going--with _you_ in it--will find me on the spot, too.I'm a bit of a slow-mover, I know--but you're such a lightning-bug of acreature that there's not a soul on earth can keep pace with you. Haveyou looked into that laundry-bill question you were dickering about awhile ago?"
Cleek threw back his head and laughed.
"I have. But there's nothing doing there, as yet. The particular maid Iquestioned has got a bilious attack this afternoon and can't go over thelists for me. But I'm to hear to-morrow morning for certain.... It _is_rather a teaser for you, isn't it, old chap? But you must bear with meuntil I've unravelled the ends myself, and when that's done, I'll put'em into your hands, and you can wind 'em up for me into a tidy littleball. Let's get a move on now, there's a good fellow. By the way, who'sthe guilty party _now_, eh?"
Mr. Narkom scratched his head perplexedly and let a full minute elapsebefore replying.
"It's a dickens of a tangle, looking at it any way," he returneddejectedly. "I could have sworn that chap Ross Duggan had murdered hisfather for the simple motive of keeping his name in the will and ofcourse the name _wasn't_ erased, after all, was it? That's a black pointagainst him. But this flustery-blustery-Captain-chap with hislord-high-almighty ways rather took the wind out of my sails. And whenyou said you had encountered him last night, Cleek, you could haveknocked me down with a feather. How did it happen?"
"Oh--caught him running as hard as he could from the direction of thelawns beyond this window, and fell plump into him as the best way toattract his attention," returned Cleek serenely. "I thought it strangethat he should be there at such a time. And he looked half-scared out ofhis wits, too. Expected me to tell the household, I suppose. Ratherofficious young chap, I must say--but I've a sneaking liking for him,all the same. D'you think he did the shooting, then?"
"Not a doubt of it!" Mr. Narkom was emphatic.
"Oh! And why, do you suppose?"
"Um--ah! Well, that's got to be discovered yet. Never know, Cleek; theremight be some hidden business in this affair in which this Captain isinvolved. Anyhow, I doubt him--tremendously. Didn't ring true, Ithought. Rather too noisy and all that."
"And you believe in the adage that 'empty vessels make the most sound,'I take it?" rejoined Cleek with a smile. "Well, perhaps you're right.Only I wouldn't call that young gentleman an empty vessel.... Anyhow,this evening will elucidate matters a little. For I'm going to removethat muffling for the nonce, and substitute another one. And it ought toprove quite an enlightening job, too!"
So saying, he swung out of the courtyard of the house, vaulting thewindow lightly, and reaching a helping hand up to Mr. Narkom, who camethrough less easily, perspiring at every pore. And suddenly Cleek'sfinger went up to his lips, and with a hasty "Hush!" for his wheezycomrade, he drew back into the screen of the bushes, standing as stillas a statue, all eyes, while the amazing thing came to pass!