Hadley stared across the room.' Yes, I remember. I could see she was hinting at somebody she suspected or wanted us to suspect; that was why I asked her flat out. She practically made me see it was somebody in this house. But to tell you the truth,' - he rubbed his hand across his forehead - ' this is such a rum crowd that for a second I thought she was hinting at her own mother.'
'Not by the way she dragged in Drayman. "You haven't met Annie - or Mr Drayman, come to think of it." The important news was in the postscript...' Dr Fell stumped round the typewriter desk, peering malevolently at the glass of milk. 'We must rout him out. He interests me. Who is this Drayman, this old friend and hanger - on of Grimaud, who takes sleeping draughts and wears Fifth of November masks? What's his place in the household; what's he doing here, anyway?'
'You mean - blackmail?'
'Rubbish, my boy. Did you ever hear of a schoolmaster being a blackmailer? No, no. They're much too worried about what people might find out about them. The academic profession has its faults, as I know for my sins; but it doesn't produce blackmailers ... No, it was probably only a kindly impulse of Grimaud to take him in. but -'
He paused as a rush of cold air blew his cloak. A door across the room, evidently communicating with a staircase to the attic and the roof, opened and shut. Mills popped in. His mouth was bluish and a large wool muffler was wound round his neck; but he looked warm with satisfaction. After refreshing himself with a pull at - the glass of milk (impassively, with head thrown back in a way which somehow suggested a sword - swallower), he put out his hands to the fire.
He chattered: 'I have been watching your detective, gentlemen, from a point of vantage at the top of the trapdoor. He has caused a few landslides, but - Excuse me! Didn't you have a commission of some description for me to execute? Ah, yes. I am anxious to lend assistance, but I fear I forgot -'
'Wake up Mr Drayman,' the superintendent said, 'if you have to slosh him with water. And - Hullo! Pettis! If Mr Pettis is still here, tell him I want to see him. What did Sergeant Betts discover up there?'
Betts answered for himself. He looked as though he had taken a header in a ski - jump; he breathed hard, stamped and slapped the snow from his clothes as he shook his way towards the fire.
'Sir,' he announced, 'you can take my word for it that not even a bird's lit on that roof anywhere. There's no mark of any kind in any place. I've covered every foot of it.' He stripped off his sodden gloves. 'I had myself tied on a rope to each of the chimneys, so I could get down and crawl straight along the gutters. Nothing round the edges, nothing round the chimneys, nothing anywhere. If anybody got up on that roof to - night, he must have been lighter than air. Now I'll go down and have a look at the back garden...'
'But -!' cried Hadley.
'Quite so,' said Dr Fell. 'Look here, we'd better go down and see what your bloodhounds are doing in the other room. If the good Preston - '
Sergeant Preston, fuming a little, pulled open the door to the hall as though he had been summoned. He looked at Betts and back to Hadley.
'It's taken me a little time, sir,' he reported, 'because we had to pull out all those bookcases and shove 'em back again. The answer is nothing! No secret entrance of any kind. Chimney's solid and no funny business about it; flue's only about two or three inches wide, and goes up on an angle at that... Is that all, sir? The boys have finished.'
'Fingerprints?'
'Plenty of prints, except - You raised and lowered that window yourself, didn't you, sir? With your fingers on the glass up near the top of the frame? I recognized your prints.'
'I am generally careful about things like that,' snapped Hadley. 'Well?'
'Nothing else on the glass. And all the woodwork of that window, frame and sill, is a high gloss varnish that'd take a glove - smudge as clear as a print. There's nothing, not even a smudge. If anybody went out there, he must have stood back and dived out head first without touching anything.'
'That's enough, thanks,' said Hadley. 'Wait downstairs. Get after that back garden, Betts ... No, wait, Mr Mills. Preston will fetch Mr Pettis, if he's still there. I should like to speak to you.'
'It would seem,' said Mills, rather shrilly, when the other two had gone, 'that we return to doubts about my own story. I assure you I am telling the truth. Here is where I sat. See for yourself.'
Hadley opened the door. Ahead of them the high, sombre hallway ran thirty feet to the door opposite - a door brilliantly illuminated by the glow from under the archway.
'I don't suppose there's any possibility of a mistake?' muttered the superintendent. 'That he really didn't go in, or something like that? A lot of funny business might go on in a shuffle at the doorway; I've heard of its being done. I don't suppose the woman was up to any funny business, dressing up in a mask herself, or - No, you saw them together, and anyway - Hell!'
'There was absolutely none of what you describe as funny business,' said Mills. Even in his perspiring earnestness he handled the last two words with distaste. 'I saw all three of them clearly and wide apart. Madame Dumont was in front of the door, yes; but towards the right. The tall man was towards the left, and Dr Grimaud separating them. The tall man really did go in; he closed the door behind him; and he did not come out. It is not as though the occurrence took place in half - light. There was no possibility of ever mistaking that man's gigantic stature.'
'I don't see how we can doubt it, Hadley,' said Dr Fell, after a pause. 'We've got to eliminate the door also.' He wheeled round. ' What do you know about this man Drayman?'
Mills's eyes narrowed. His singsong voice had a guarded quality.
'It is true, sir, that he offers a subject for intelligent curiosity. Hurrum! But I know very little. He has been here some years, I am informed; in any event, before I arrived. He was forced to give up his academic work because he had gone almost blind. He is still almost blind, in spite of treatment, although you would not deduce this from the - er - aspect of his eyes. He appealed to Dr Grimaud for help.'
'Had he some sort of claim on Dr Grimaud?'
The secretary frowned. 'I cannot say. I have heard it mentioned that Dr Grimaud knew him at Paris, where he studied. That is the only bit of information I have except one remark which Dr Grimaud made when he had, let us say, imbibed a convivial glass.' A superior kind of smile curved round Mills's mouth without opening it; his eyes narrowed, and gleamed in drowsy satire. 'Hum! He stated that Mr Drayman had once saved his life, and described him as the best damned good fellow in the world. Of course, under the circumstances - '
Mills had a jerky trick of putting one foot before the other, rocking, and tapping the toe of one shoe with the heel of the other. With his jerky movements, tiny figure, and big shock of hair, he was like a caricature of Swinburne. Dr Fell looked at him curiously. But Dr Fell only said: 'So? And why don't you like him?'
'I neither like nor dislike him. But he does nothing.'
'Is that why Miss Grimaud doesn't like him, either?'
'Miss Grimaud does not like him?' said Mills, opening his eyes and then narrowing them. 'Yes, I had fancied that. I watched, but I could not be certain.'
'H'mf. And why is he so interested in Guy Fawkes night?'
'Guy Fa - Ah!' Mills broke off in his surprise, and uttered a flat bleat of laughter. ' I see! I did not follow. You see, he is very fond of children. He had two children of his own, who were killed - by the falling of a roof, I believe, some years ago. It was one of those foolish, petty tragedies which we shall eliminate when we build the bigger, greater, more spacious world of the future.' At this point in the recital Dr Fell's face was murderous, but Mills went on: 'His wife did not survive long. Then he began to lose his sight... He likes to help the children in all their games, and has himself a somewhat childish mind in spite of certain mental qualities.' The fish lip lifted a little. ' His favourite occasion seems to be the Fifth of November, which was the birthday of one of his unfortunate progeny. He saves up throughout the year to buy illuminations and trappings, and bui
lds a Guy for a - procession to -'
A sharp knocking at the door was followed by the appearance of Sergeant Preston.
'There's nobody downstairs, sir,' he reported. 'That gentleman you wanted to see must have left... A chap from the nursing - home just brought this over for you.'
He handed over an envelope and a square cardboard box like a jeweller's box. Hadley ripped open the letter, glanced down it, and swore.
'He's gone,' snapped Hadley, 'and not a word ... Here, read this!'
Rampole looked over Dr Fell's shoulder as the latter read.
'For Superintendent Hadley:
'Poor Grimaud died at 11.30. I am sending you the bullet. It's a thirty - eight, as I thought. I tried to get in touch with your police surgeon, but he was out on another case, and so I am sending it to you.
'He was conscious just before the end. He said certain things which can be attested by two of my nurses and myself; but he might have been wandering and I should be careful of them. I knew him pretty well, but I certainly never knew he had a brother.
'First he said he wished to tell me about it; then he spoke exactly as follows:
'"It was my brother who did it. I never thought he would shoot. God knows how he got out of that room. One second he was there, and the next he wasn't. Get a pencil and paper, quick! want to tell you who my brother is, so that you won't think I'm raving."
'His shouting brought in the final haemorrhage, and he died without saying anything else. I am holding the body subject to your orders. If there is any help I can give, let me know.
E. H. PETERSON, M.D.'
They all looked at each other. The puzzle stood rounded and complete; the facts stood confirmed and the witnesses vindicated; but the terror of the hollow man remained. After a pause the superintendent spoke in a heavy voice.
"'God knows," repeated Hadley, '"how he got out of that room."
SECOND COFFIN
The Problem of Cagliostro Street
CHAPTER 9
THE BREAKING GRAVE
DR FELL walked over aimlessly, sighed, and settled himself down in the largest chair. 'Brother Henri - ' he rumbled. ' H'mf, yes. I was afraid we should get back to Brother Henri.'
'Damn Brother Henri,' said Hadley in a flat voice. 'We're going after Brother Pierre first. He knows! Why haven't I had any message from that constable? Where's the man who was to pick him up at that theatre? Have the whole blasted lot of them gone to sleep and -'
'We mustn't get the wind up about this thing,' interposed the other, as Hadley began to stamp and declaim rather wildly. 'That's exactly what Brother Henri would want us to do. Now that we've got Grimaud's last statement, we've at least got one clue ...'
'To what?'
'To the words he spoke to us, the ones we couldn't make any sense of. The unfortunate point is that they may not help us now that we can hazard a theory as to what they mean. With this new evidence, I'm afraid we were listening to Grimaud running up a blind alley. He wasn't telling us anything; he was only trying to ask us a question.'
'What's all this?'
'Don't you see that's exactly what he must have been doing? Last statement: "God knows how he got out of that room. One second he was there and the next he wasn't." Now let's try to sort out the words from that invaluable note - book of yours. You and friend Ted have slightly different versions; but we'll begin with the words on which you both agree and which we must assume to be correct. Put aside the first puzzlers - I think we can now feel safe in saying that the words were "Horvath" and "salt - mine". Put aside also the terms on which you do not agree. What words are found in both lists?'
Hadley snapped his fingers. ' I begin to - Yes! The words are, "He couldn't use rope. Roof. Snow. Fox. Too much light." Well, then! If we try to make a composite statement, fit together the words and the sense of both statements; we have his meaning as something like this: "God knows how he got out. He couldn't use a rope, either up to the roof or down in the snow. One second he was there, and the next he wasn't. There was too much light for me to miss any move he made -" Stop a bit, though! What about -'
'And now,' said Dr Fell, with a disgusted grunt, 'you can begin to fit in the differences. Ted heard, "not suicide". That goes into the picture as an assurance to accord with the other expressions. "This isn't suicide; I didn't kill myself." You heard, "Got gun"; which isn't difficult to tie up with the sentence out of the other statement, "I never thought he would shoot." BAH! All the clues whirl straight round in a circle and become questions. It's the first case I ever heard of in which the murdered man was just as inquisitive as everybody else.'
'But what about the word "fox"? That doesn't fit anywhere.'
Dr Fell regarded him with a sour twinkle in his eye.
'Oh, yes, it does. It's the easiest part of all - though it may be the trickiest, and we mustn't jump to conclusions about applying it. It's a matter of how words strike the ear when they're not spelled out. If I'm using the word - association test (that damned thing) on various people and I suddenly whisper, "Fox!" to a horseman, he will probably answer, "Hounds!" But if I use the same word on a historian, he is likely to yell - quick! What?'
'Guy,' said Hadley, and swore. After a lurid interval he demanded: 'Do you mean that we come back to some babbling about a Guy Fawkes mask, or the resemblance to a Guy Fawkes mask?'
'Well, everybody else has been doing a tall amount of babbling about it,' the doctor pointed out, scratching his forehead. 'And I'm not surprised it struck the eye of somebody who saw it at somewhat closer quarters. Does that tell you anything?'
'It tells me to have a little talk with Mr Drayman,' said the superintendent, grimly. He strode towards the door, and was startled to find the bony face of Mills poked out in eager listening against the thick glasses.
'Steady, Hadley,' Dr Fell interposed as the superintendent gave indications of an explosion. ' It's a queer thing about you: you can be as steady as the Guards when riddles - are flying, but you never seem able to keep your shirt on when we get within sight of the truth. Let our young friend stop. He should hear all this, if only to hear the end of it.' He chuckled. 'Does that make you suspicious of Drayman? Pfaa! On the contrary, it should be just the opposite, Remember, we haven't quite finished putting the pieces in our jig - saw. There's one last bit we haven't accounted for, and it was a bit you heard yourself. That pink mask suggested Drayman to Grimaud, just as he seems to have been suggested to several others. But Grimaud knew whose face was behind the mask. Therefore we have a fairly sensible explanation of those final words you noted down, "Don't blame poor -" He seems to have had a great liking for Drayman, you know.' After a silence, Dr Fell turned to Mills, 'Now go and fetch him up here, son.'
When the door had closed, Hadley sat down wearily and took from his breast - pocket the frayed cigar he had not yet lighted. Then he ran a finger round under his collar with that malevolent, broken - necked expression which people have when worry makes them think the collar is too tight.
'More trick marksmanship, eh?' he suggested. 'More deductive tight - rope work, and the daring young man on the - um!' He stared at the floor, and then grunted with annoyance. ' I must be losing my grip! It's no good getting fantastic notions like the one I just had. Have you got any concrete suggestions?'
'Yes. Later, if you'll permit it, I am going to apply Gross's test.'
'Apply what?'
'Gross's test. Don't you remember? We were arguing about it tonight. I'm going to collect very carefully all the mass of burnt and half - burnt paper in that fire - place, to see whether Gross's test will bring out the writing. Be quiet, will you?' he roared, as Hadley made scornful noises. 'I don't say all of it, or even half of it, will come out. But I should get a line here and there to give me a hint about what was more important to Grimaud than saving his own life. Purph! Hah! Yes.'
'And how do you work this trick?'
'You'll see. Mind, I don't say that thoroughly burnt paper will come out satisfactorily. But there'll be something,
especially in the charred parts sandwiched in and only scorched black, that will come out ... Aside from that, I haven't a suggestion, unless we ask - yes, what is it?'
Sergeant Betts, not quite so plastered with snow this time, made his report woodenly. He looked out of the door behind him before he closed it.
'I've been all over that back - garden, sir. And the two adjoining ones, and the tops of all the walls. There's no footprint or any kind of mark ... But I believe we've caught a fish, Preston and I. As I was coming back through the house, down the stairs comes running a tallish old bloke, plunging away with his hand on the banister rail. He ran over to a clothes closet, and banged about as though he wasn't familiar with the place, until he got his overcoat and hat, and then made for the door. He says his name's Drayman and that he lives here, but we thought -'
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