A Husband by Proxy

by Jack Steele

  CHAPTER XXII

  A MAN IN THE CASE

  The hour was just after four o'clock when Garrison stepped from a cabin Hackatack Street, Jersey City, and stood for a moment looking at thered-brick building numbered 937.

  It was a shabby, smoke-soiled, neglected dwelling, with signs of lifeutterly lacking.

  Made wary by his Central Park experience, Garrison had come there armedwith his gun and suspiciously alert. His cabman was instructed to wait.

  Without apparent hesitation Garrison ascended the chalk-marked stepsand rang the bell.

  Almost immediately the door was opened, by a small and rather prettyyoung woman, dressed in good taste, in the best of materials, andwearing a very fine diamond ring upon her finger.

  Behind her, as Garrison instantly discerned, were rich and costlyfurnishings, singularly out of keeping with the shabby exterior of theplace.

  "How do you do?" he said, raising his hat. "Is my wife, Mrs.Fairfax----"

  "Oh," interrupted the lady. "Won't you please come in? She hardlyexpected you to come so promptly. She's lying down to take a rest."

  Garrison entered and was shown to a parlor on the left. It, too, wasfurnished in exceptional richness, but the air was close and stuffy,and the whole place uncomfortably dark.

  "If you'll please sit down I'll go and tell her you have come," saidhis hostess. "Excuse me."

  The smile on her face was somewhat forced and sad, thought Garrison.His feeling of suspicion had departed.

  Left alone, he strode across the room and glanced at a number ofpictures, hung upon the walls. They were excellent oils, one or two bymasters.

  Dorothy must have slept lightly, if at all. Garrison's back was stillturned toward the entrance when her footfall came to his ear. She cameswiftly into the apartment.

  "Oh, you were very good to come so soon!" she said in a tone made lowfor none but him to hear. "I wired you, both at your house and office,not more than an hour ago."

  "I got the message sent to the house," he said. "It came as a greatrelief." He paused for a moment, looking in her eyes, which wereraised to his own appealingly. "Why did you run away?--and how did youdo it?" he asked her. "I didn't know what in the world to think or do."

  Her eyes were lowered.

  "I had to--I mean, I simply obeyed an impulse," she confessed.

  In an almost involuntary outburst she added: "I am in very greattrouble. There is no one in the world but you that can give me anyhelp."

  All the pain she had caused him was forgotten in the joy of thatinstant. How he longed to take her in his arms and fold her insecurity against his breast! And he dared not even be tender.

  "I am trying to help you, Dorothy," he said, "but I was utterlydumfounded, there in the crush on the bridge. Where did you go?"

  "I ran along and was helped to escape the traffic," she explained."Then I soon got a car, with my mind made up to come over here just assoon as I could. This is the home of my stepbrother's wife--Mrs.Foster Durgin. I had to come over and--and warn--I mean, I had tocome, and so I came."

  He had felt her disappearance had nothing to do with the vanishing ofthe chauffeur. Her statement confirmed his belief.

  "Durgin?" Garrison repeated. "Didn't some Durgin, a nephew of Hardy,claim the body, up at Branchville?"

  Dorothy was pale again, but resolute.

  "Yes--Paul. He's Foster's brother."

  "You told me you had neither brothers nor sisters," Garrison remindedher a little sternly. "These were not forgotten?"

  "They are stepbrothers only--by marriage. I thought I could leave themout," she explained, flushing as she tried to meet his gaze. "Pleasedon't think I meant to deceive you very much."

  "It was a technical truth," he told her; "but isn't it time you told meeverything? You ran off before I could even reply to something youappeared to wish to know. You----"

  "But you don't suspect me?" she interrupted, instantly reverting to thequestion she had put before, in that moment of her impulse to run. "Icouldn't bear it if I thought you did!"

  "If I replied professionally, I should say I don't know what to think,"he said. "The whole affair is complicated. As a matter of fact, Icannot seem to suspect you of anything wrong, but you've got to help meclear it as fast as I can."

  She met his gaze steadily, for half a minute, then tears abruptlyfilled her eyes, and she lowered her gaze to the floor.

  "Thank you, Jerold," she murmured, and a thrill went straight to hisheart. "I am very much worried, and very unhappy--but I haven't doneanything wrong--and nothing like that!--not even a wicked thought likethat! I loved my uncle very dearly."

  She broke down and turned away to give vent to an outburst of grief.

  "There, there," said Garrison after a moment. "We must do the best wecan. If you will tell me more, my help is likely to be greater."

  Dorothy dried her eyes and resumed her courage heroically.

  "I haven't asked you to be seated all this time," she saidapologetically. "Please do--and I'll tell you all I can."

  Garrison took a chair, while Dorothy sat near him. He thought he hadnever seen her in a mood of beauty more completely enthralling thanthis one of helplessness and bravery combined.

  "We are quite, well--secure from being overheard?" he said.

  She went at once and closed the door.

  "Alice would never listen, greatly as she is worried," she said. "Itwas she who met you at the door--Foster's wife."

  Garrison nodded. He was happy only when she came once more to her seat.

  "This is your stepbrother's home?" he inquired. "Is he here?"

  "This is Alice's property," Dorothy corrected. "But that's way aheadof the story. You told me my uncle was poisoned by my cigars. Howcould that possibly have been? How did you find it out? How was itdone?"

  "The box had been opened and two cigars had been so loaded with poisonthat when he bit off one, at the end, to light it up, he got the deadlystuff on his tongue--and was almost instantly stricken."

  Despite the dimness of the light in the room Dorothy's face showed verywhite.

  She asked; "What kind of poison?"

  He mentioned the drug.

  "Not the kind used by photographers?" she asked in affright.

  "Precisely. Foster, then, is a photographer?"

  "He used to be, but---- Oh, I don't see how he--it's terrible! It'sterrible!"

  She arose and crossed the room in agitation, then presently returned.

  "Your suspicions may be wrong," said Garrison, who divined she hadsomething on her mind. "Why not tell me all about it, and let meassist, if I can? What sort of a looking man is Foster?"

  "Rather small, and nearly always smiling. But he may not have done it!He may be innocent! If only you could help me now!" she said. "Idon't believe he could have done it!"

  "But you half suspect it was he?"

  "I've been afraid of it all along," she said, in an outburst ofconfession. "Before I even knew that Uncle John was--murdered--beforeyou told me, I mean--I felt afraid that something of the kind mighthave happened, and since that hour I've been nearly distracted by mythoughts!"

  "Let's take it slowly," said Garrison, in his soothing way. "I imaginethere has been either anger or hatred, spite or pique on the part ofyour stepbrother, Foster, towards John Hardy in the past."

  "Yes--everything! Uncle John spoiled Foster at first, but when hefound the boy was gambling in Wall Street, he cut him off and refusedto supply him the means to pay off the debts he had contracted. Fosterthreatened at the time.

  "The breach grew wider. Uncle didn't know he was married to Alice.Foster wouldn't let me tell. He had used up nearly all of Alice'smoney. She refused to mortgage anything more, after I took thenecklaces, on a loan--and if Foster doesn't get ten thousand dollars inAugust I don't know what he'll do!"

  Garrison was following the threads of this quickly delivered narrativeas best he might. It revealed a great deal, but not
all.

  "I see," he commented quietly. "But how could Foster hope to profit bythe death of Mr. Hardy?"

  Dorothy turned very white again.

  "He knew of the will."

  "The will that was drawn in your favor?"

  "Yes."

  "And he thought that you were married, that the conditions of the willhad been fulfilled?"

  Dorothy nodded assent.

  Garrison's impulse was to push a point in personal affairs and ask ifshe had really married some Fairfax, not yet upon the scene. But headhered strictly to business.

  "What you fear is that Foster, aware that you would become your uncle'sheir, may have hastened your uncle's end, in the hope that when youcame in for the property you would liquidate his debts?"

  Dorothy nodded again.

  She said: "It is terrible! Do you see the slightest ray of hope?"

  Garrison ignored the query for a moment.

  "Where is Foster now?"

  "No one knows--he seems to have run away--that's one of the worstthings about it."

  "But you came over here to warn him," said Garrison.

  Dorothy flushed.

  "That was my impulse, I admit, when you told me about the cigars. Ihardly knew what else I could do."

  "You are very fond of Foster?"

  "I am very fond of Alice."

  Garrison was glad. He could even have been jealous of a brother.

  "But how could Foster have tampered with your cigars?" he inquired."Was he up there at Hickwood when you left them?"

  "He was there all the time of uncle's visit, in hiding, and even on thenight of his death," she confessed in a whisper. "Alice doesn't knowof this, but he admitted it all to me."

  "This is what you have been trying to conceal from me, all the time,"Garrison observed. "Do the Robinsons have their suspicions?"

  "I can't be certain. Perhaps they have. Theodore has exercised a verybad influence on Foster's life. He intimated once to me that perhapsUncle John had been murdered."

  Garrison thought for a moment.

  "It is almost impossible for anyone to have had that suspicion who hadno guilty knowledge," he said. "Theodore was, and is, capable of anycrime. If he knew about the will and believed you had not fulfilledthe conditions, by marrying, he would have had all the motive in theworld to commit the crime himself."

  "But," said Dorothy, "he knew nothing of the will, as I told youbefore."

  "And he with an influence over Foster, who _did_ know all about thewill?"

  Dorothy changed color once again. She was startled.

  "I never thought of that," she admitted. "Foster might have told."

  "There's a great deal to clear up in a case like this," said Garrison,"even when suspicions point your course. I think I can land Mr.Theodore on the things he attempted on me, but not just yet. He mayreveal himself a little more. Besides, our alleged marriage willhardly bear a close investigation."

  For the moment Dorothy was more concerned by his personal danger thanby anything concerning the case.

  "You told me a little of what was attempted in the park," she said."I've thought about it ever since--such a terrible attack! If anythingdreadful should happen to you----"

  She broke off suddenly, turned crimson to her hair, and dropped hergaze from his face.

  In that moment he resisted the greatest temptation of his life--theimpulse to sink at her feet on his knees, and tell her of his love. Heknew she felt, as he did, the wondrous attraction between them; he knewthat to her, as to himself, the impression was strong that they hadknown each other always; but hired as he had been to conduct an affairin which it had been particularly stipulated there was to be nosentiment, or even the slightest thought of such a development, hethrottled his passion and held himself in check.

  "Some guardian angel must have hovered near," was all he permittedhimself to reply, but she fathomed the depth of his meaning.

  "I hope some good spirit may continue to be helpful--to us both," shesaid. "What are you going to do next?"

  "Take you back to New York," said Garrison. "I must have you near.But, while I think of it, please answer one thing more. How did ithappen that your uncle's life was insured for that inventor inHickwood, Charles Scott?"

  "They were lifelong friends," said Dorothy. "They began as boystogether. Uncle John was saved by this Mr. Scott, when he wastwenty-one--his life was saved, I mean. And he was very much in lovewith Mr. Scott's sister. But something occurred, I hardly know what.The Scotts never had much money, and they lost the little they had.Miss Scott was very shamefully treated, I believe, by some other friendin the group, and she died before she was thirty--I've heard as aresult of some great unhappiness.

  "Uncle and Mr. Scott were always friends, though they drifted apart tosome extent. Mr. Scott became an inventor, and spent all his poorwife's money, and also funds that Uncle John supplied, on hisinventions. The insurance was Uncle John's last plan for befriendinghis old-time companion. There was no one else to make it in favor of,for of course the estate would take care of the heirs that he wished toremember. Does that answer your question?"

  "Perfectly," said Garrison. "I think if you'll make ready we willstart. Is there any particular place in New York where you prefer tostay?"

  "No. I'd rather leave that to you."

  "By the way," he said, his mind recurring to the motor-car incident andall that had followed, "did you know that when you deserted me soabruptly on the bridge, the chauffeur also disappeared--and left mewith the auto on my hands?"

  "Why, no!" she said. "What could it mean?"

  "It seems to have been a stolen car," he answered. "It was left incharge of a strange young woman, too poor to own it--left her by afriend. She found it in my possession and accepted my explanation asto how it was I chanced to have it in my care. She is living in ahouse near Washington Square."

  "How very strange!" said Dorothy, who had suddenly conceived some queerfeminine thought. "If the house near Washington Square is nice,perhaps you might take me there. But tell me all about it!"

  What could be actuating her woman's mind in this was more than he couldtell. But--why not take her to that house as well as to any in NewYork?

  "All right," he said. "It's a very nice place. I'll tell you thestory as we go."