A Husband by Proxy

by Jack Steele

  CHAPTER II

  A SECOND EMPLOYMENT

  For a moment, when he found himself alone, Garrison stood absolutelymotionless beside the door. Slowly he came to the desk again, and slowlyhe assembled the bills. He rolled them in a neat, tight wad, and heldthem in his hand.

  Word for word and look for look he reviewed the recent dialogue, shakinghis head at the end.

  He had never been so puzzled in his life.

  The situation, his visitor--all of it baffled him utterly. Had not themoney remained in his grasp he might have believed he was dreaming.

  "She was frightened, and yet she had a most remarkable amount of nerve,"he reflected. "She might be an heiress, an actress, or a princess. Shemay be actually married--and then again she may not; probably not, sincetwo husbands on the scene would be embarrassing."

  "She may be playing at any sort of a game, financial, political, ordomestic--therefore dangerous, safe, or commonplace, full of intrigue, ora mystery, or the silliest caprice.

  "She--oh, Lord--I don't know! She is beautiful--that much is certain.She seems to be honest. Those deep, brown eyes go with innocence--andalso with scheming; in which respect they precisely resemble blue eyes,and gray, and all the other feminine colors. And yet she seemed, well,helpless, worried--almost desperate. She must be desperate and helpless."

  Again, in fancy, he was looking in her face, and something was stirringin his blood. That was all he really knew. She had stirred him--and hewas glad of the meeting--glad he had entered her employment.

  He placed the roll of money in his pocket, then looked across his desk atthe clean, white letter which the postman had recently delivered.

  He took it up, paused again to wonder at the meaning of what hadoccurred, then tore the envelope and drew forth the contents.

  He had barely spread the letter open when a knock on the door startledevery thought in his brain.

  His first conclusion was that Mrs. Fairfax had returned to repudiate herbargain and ask the surrender of her money. With a smile for any fate,he crossed the room and opened the door.

  In the hallway stood a man--a little, sharp-faced, small-eyed, thin-nosedperson, with a very white complexion, and a large, smooth-shaved mouth,open as if in a smile that never ceased.

  "Garrison?" he said sharply. "Wicks--I'm Wicks."

  "Wicks?" said Garrison. "Come in."

  Mr. Wicks stepped in with a snap-like alacrity. "Read your letter," hesaid--"read your letter."

  Obediently Garrison perused the missive in hand, typed on the steel-platestationery of the New York Immutable Life Insurance Company:

  "DEAR SIR:

  "At the recommendation of our counsel, Mr. Sperry Lochlan, who is stillabroad, we desire to secure your services in a professional capacity.Our Mr. Wicks will call upon you this afternoon to explain the nature ofthe employment and conclude the essential arrangements.

  "Respectfully yours, "JOHN STEFFAS, "Dep't of Special Service."

  A wave of gratitude toward Lochlan, the lawyer who had first employedhim, and advised this New York office, surged with another, of almostboyish joy, through Garrison's being. It seemed almost absurd that twoactual clients should thus have appeared within the hour. He looked upat the little man with a new, keen interest.

  "I am glad to meet you, Mr. Wicks," he said. "Will you please sit down?I am at your service."

  Mr. Wicks snatched a chair and sat down. It was quite a violentmaneuver, especially as that sinister grin never for a moment left hisfeatures. He took off his hat and made a vicious dive at a wisp of long,red hair that adorned the otherwise barren top of his head. The wisp laydown toward his left ear when thus adjusted. He looked up at Garrisonalmost fiercely.

  "Obscure, ain't you?" he demanded.

  "Obscure?" inquired Garrison. "Perhaps I am--just at present--here inNew York."

  "You are!" stated Mr. Wicks aggressively.

  Garrison was not enamored of his manner.

  "All right," he said--"all right."

  Mr. Wicks suddenly leaned forward and fetched his index finger almost upagainst the young man's nose.

  "Good at murder?" he demanded.

  Garrison began to suspect that the building might harbor lunatics,several of whom had escaped.

  "Am I good at murder?" he repeated. "Doing murder or----"

  "Ferreting murder! Ferreting murder! Ferreting murder!" cried thevisitor irritably.

  "Oh," said Garrison, "if you wish to employ me on a murder case, I'll dothe best I can."

  "You worked out the Biddle robbery?" queried Mr. Wicks.

  Garrison replied that he had. The Biddle robbery was the Lochlancase--his first adventure in criminology.

  "Take the case!" commanded Mr. Wicks in his truculent manner. "Twohundred and fifty a month as long as you work. One thousand dollarsbonus if you find the murderer. Accept the terms?"

  "Yes, I'll take the case," he said. "What sort of----"

  Mr. Wicks made a sudden snatch at his wisp of hair, adjusted it quite tothe other side of his head, then as abruptly drew a paper from his pocketand thrust it into Garrison's hand.

  "Statement of the case," he interrupted. "Read it."

  Garrison accepted the document, spread it open, and read as follows:

  STATEMENT: Case of John Hardy.

  Name--John Hardy.

  Age--57.

  Occupation--Real estate dealer (retired).

  Residence--Unfixed, changed frequently (last, Hickwood, two days,boarding).

  Family--No immediate family (no one nearer than nephews and nieces).

  Rating in Bradbury's--No rating.

  Insured in any other companies--No.

  Insured with us for what amount--Twenty thousand dollars.

  Name of beneficiary--Charles Scott.

  Residence--Hickwood, New York (village).

  Occupation--Inventor.

  Date of subject's death--May 27th.

  Place of death--Village of Branchville (near Hickwood).

  Verdict of coroner--Death from natural causes (heart failure or apoplexy).

  Body claimed by--Paul Durgin (nephew).

  Body interred where--Shipped to Vermont for burial.

  Suspicious circumstances--Beneficiary paid once before on claim forsimilar amount, death of risk having been equally sudden and unexplained.

  Remarks--The body was found on the porch of an empty house (said bysuperstitious neighbors to be haunted). It was found in sitting posture,leaning against post of porch. No signs of violence except a green stainon one knee. Deceased uncommonly neat. There is no grass growing beforethe empty house, owing to heavy shade of trees. No signs of strugglenear house. Details supplied by old woman, Mrs. Webber, whose son founddeceased. Our company not represented, either at inquest or afterward,as no notification of subject's death was filed until the 31st inst.

  At the bottom, written in pencil, appeared the words:

  "Quiet case. Steffas."

  That was all. Garrison turned the paper. There was nothing on thereverse. Placing it face upward on the table, he thrust his hands intohis pockets and looked at Mr. Wicks.

  "I'm expected to fasten this crime on Scott?" he inquired. "Is that whatyour company requires?"

  "Fasten the crime on the guilty man!" replied the aggressive Mr. Wicks."If Scott didn't do it, we'll pay the claim. If he did, we'll send himto the chair. It may not be murder at all."

  "Of course," said Garrison. "Who wrote this report?"

  "What's that to you?" said Wicks.

  "I wondered why the writer drops out of the case," answered Garrison."That's all."

  "I wrote it," said Wicks. "Scott knows me from the former case. If youwant the case, you will start this evening for Hickwood and begin yourwork. Use your own devices. Report everything promptly--everything. Goat once to the office and present your card for expenses and typedinstructions. Good-day!"

  He had clapped on his hat. He strode to the door, open
ed it,disappeared, and closed it again as if he worked on springs. Garrisonwas left staring at the knob, his hand mechanically closed on thestatement intrusted to his keeping.

  "Well," he said, "I'll be scalloped! Good old New York!"

  He was presently out upon the street, a brisk, active figure, boarding aBroadway car for the downtown office of the company.

  At half past five he was back once more in his office with a secondhundred dollars in his pocket, fifty of which was for expenses.

  He was turning away from his desk at last to leave for his lodgings,thence to journey to Hickwood, when a messenger-boy abruptly appearedwith a telegram.

  When Garrison had signed, he opened the envelope and read the following:

  "Wire me you have arrived unexpectedly and will be here at eight, thencome.

  "DOROTHY FAIRFAX."

  He almost ran from the building, bought a five-dollar bunch of thechoicest roses, and, after wiring in accordance with instructions, sentthem to the house.