The Middle of Things

by J. S. Fletcher

  CHAPTER XI

  WHAT HAPPENED IN PARIS

  The man who presently walked in, a tall, grey-bearded, evidentlyprosperous person, dressed in the height of fashion, glanced keenly fromone to the other of the two men who awaited him.

  "Mr. Pawle?" he inquired as he dropped into the chair which the oldlawyer silently indicated at the side of his desk. "One of your partners,no doubt!" he added, looking again at Viner.

  "No sir," replied Mr. Pawle. "This is Mr. Viner, who gave evidence in thecase you want to see me about. You can speak freely before him. What isit you have to say, Mr. Armitstead?"

  "Not, perhaps, very much, but it may be of use," answered the visitor."The fact is that, like most folk, I read the accounts of this Ashtonmurder in the newspapers, and I gave particular attention to what wassaid by the man Hyde at the inquest the other day. It was what he said inregard to the man whom he alleges he saw leaving Lonsdale Passage thatmade me come specially to town to see you. I don't know," he went on,glancing at the card which still lay on Mr. Pawle's blotting-pad, "if youknow my name at all? I'm a pretty well-known Lancashire manufacturer, andI was a member of Parliament for some years--for the Richdale Valleydivision. I didn't put up again at the last General Election."

  Mr. Pawle bowed.

  "Just so, Mr. Armitstead," he answered. "And there's something you knowabout this case?"

  "I know this," replied Mr. Armitstead. "I met John Ashton in Paris someweeks ago. We were at the Hotel Bristol together. In fact, we met andintroduced ourselves to each other in an odd way. We arrived at the HotelBristol at the same time--he from Italy, I from London, and we registeredat the same moment. Now, I have a habit of always signing my name infull, Armitstead Ashton Armitstead. I signed first; he followed. Helooked at me and smiled. 'You've got one of my names, anyway, sir,' heremarked. 'And I see you hail from where I hailed from, many a long yearago.' 'Then you're a Lancashire man?' I said. 'I left Lancashire moreyears ago than I like to think of,' he answered, with a laugh. And thenwe got talking, and he told me that he had emigrated to Australia when hewas young, and that he was going back to England for the first time. Wehad more talk during the two or three days that we were at the Bristoltogether, and we came to the conclusion that we were distantly related--along way back. But he told me that, as far as he was aware, he had noclose relations living, and when I suggested to him that he ought to godown to Lancashire and look up old scenes and old friends, he repliedthat he'd no intention of doing so--he must, he said, have beencompletely forgotten in his native place by this time."

  "Did he tell you what his native place was, Mr. Armitstead?" asked Mr.Pawle, who had given Viner two or three expressive glances during thevisitor's story.

  "Yes," replied Mr. Armitstead. "He did--Blackburn. He left it as a veryyoung man."

  "Well," said Mr. Pawle, "there's a considerable amount of interest inwhat you tell us, for Mr. Viner and myself have been making certaininquiries during the last twenty-four hours, and we formed, or nearlyformed, a theory which your information upsets. Ashtons of Blackburn? Wemust go into that. For we particularly want to know who Mr. John Ashtonwas--there's a great deal depending on it. Did he tell you more?"

  "About himself, no," replied the visitor, "except that he'd beenexceedingly fortunate in Australia, and had made a good deal of money andwas going to settle down here in London. He took my address and said he'dwrite and ask me to dine with him as soon as he got a house to hisliking, and he did write, only last week, inviting me to call next time Iwas in town. Then I saw the accounts of his murder in the papers--a verysad thing!"

  "A very mysterious thing!" remarked Mr. Pawle. "I wish we could get somelight on it!"

  The visitor looked from one man to the other and lowered his voice alittle.

  "It's possible I can give you a little," he said. "That, indeed, is thereal reason why I set off to see you this morning. You will rememberthat Hyde, the man who is charged with the murder, said before theCoroner that as he turned into Lonsdale Passage, he saw coming out ofit a tall man in black clothes who was swathed to the very eyes in a bigwhite muffler?"

  "Yes!" said Mr. Pawle. "Well?"

  "I saw such a man with Ashton in Paris," answered Mr. Armitstead. "Hyde'sdescription exactly tallies with what I myself should have said."

  Mr. Pawle looked at his visitor with still more interest and attention.

  "Now, that really is of importance!" he exclaimed. "If Hyde saw such aman--as I believe he did--and you saw such a man, then that man mustexist, and the facts that you saw him with Ashton, and that Hyde saw himin close proximity to the place where Ashton was murdered, are of thehighest consequence. But--you can tell us more, Mr. Armitstead?"

  "Unfortunately, very little," replied the visitor. "What I saw was on thenight before I left Paris--after it I never saw Ashton again to speak to.It was late at night. Do you know the Rue Royale? There is at the end ofit a well-known restaurant, close to the Place de la Concorde--I wassitting outside this about a quarter to eleven when I saw Ashton and theman I am speaking of pass along the pavement in the direction of theMadeleine. What made me particularly notice the man was the fact thatalthough it was an unusually warm night, he was closely muffled in a bigwhite silk handkerchief. It was swathed about his throat, his chin, hismouth; it reached, in fact, right up to his eyes. An odd thing, on such awarm night--Ashton, who was in evening dress, had his light overcoatthrown well back. He was talking very volubly as they passed me--theother man was listening with evident attention."

  "Would you know the man if you saw him again?" asked Viner.

  "I should most certainly know him if I saw him dressed and muffled in thesame way," asserted Mr. Armitstead. "And I believe I could recognize himfrom his eyes--which, indeed, were all that I could really see of him. Hewas so muffled, I tell you, that it was impossible to see if he was aclean-shaven man or a bearded man. But I did see his eyes, for he turnedthem for an instant full on the light of the restaurant. They wereunusually dark, full and brilliant--his glance would best be described asflashing. And I should say, from my impression at the time, and from whatI remember of his dress, that he was a foreigner--probably an Italian."

  "You didn't see this man at your hotel?" asked Mr. Pawle.

  "No--I never saw him except on this one occasion," replied Mr.Armitstead. "And I did not see Ashton after that. I left Paris very earlythe next morning, for Rouen, where I had some business. You think thismatter of the man in the muffler important?"

  "Now that you've told us what you have, Mr. Armitstead, I think it's ofthe utmost importance and consequence--to Hyde," answered Mr. Pawle. "Youmust see his solicitor--he's Mr. Viner's solicitor too--and offer to giveevidence when Hyde's brought up again; it will be of the greatest help.There's no doubt, to me, at any rate, that the man Hyde saw leaving thescene of the murder is the man you saw with Ashton in Paris. But now, whois he? Ashton, as we happen to know, left his ship at Naples, andtravelled to England through Italy and France. Is this man some fellowthat he picked up on the way? His general appearance, now--how did thatstrike you?"

  "He was certainly a man of great distinction of manner," declared Mr.Armitstead. "He had the air and bearing of--well, of a personage. Ishould say he was somebody--you know what I mean--a man of superiorposition, and so on."

  "Viner," exclaimed Mr. Pawle, "that man must be found! There must bepeople in London who saw him that night. People can't disappear likethat. We'll set to work on that track--find him we must! Now, all theevidence goes to show that he and Ashton were in company thatnight--probably they'd been dining together, and he was accompanyingAshton to his house. How is it that no one at all has come forward to saythat Ashton was seen with this man? It's really extraordinary!"

  Mr. Armitstead shook his head.

  "There's one thing you're forgetting, aren't you?" he said. "Ashton andthis man mayn't have been in each other's company many minutes when themurder took place. Ashton may have been trapped. I don't know muchabout criminal affairs, but in rea
ding the accounts of the proceedingsbefore the magistrate and the coroner, an idea struck me which, so faras I could gather from the newspapers, doesn't seem to have struck anyone else."

  "What's that?" demanded Mr. Pawle. "All ideas are welcome."

  "Well, this," replied Mr. Armitstead: "In one of the London newspapersthere was a plan, a rough sketchmap of the passage in which the murdertook place. I gathered from it that on each side of that passage thereare yards or gardens, at the backs of houses--the houses on one sidebelong to some terrace; on the other to the square--Markendale Square--inwhich Ashton lived. Now, may it not be that the murder itself wasactually committed in one of those houses, and that the body was carriedout through a yard or garden to where it was found?"

  "Ashton was a big and heavy man," observed Viner. "No one man could havecarried him."

  "Just so!" agreed Mr. Armitstead. "But don't you think there's aprobability that more than one man was engaged in this affair! The man inthe muffler, hurrying away, may have only been one of several."

  "Aye!" said Mr. Pawle, with a deep sigh. "There's something in all that.It may be as you say--a conspiracy. If we only knew the real object ofthe crime! But it appears to be becoming increasingly difficult to findit.... What is it?" he asked, as his clerk came into the room with acard. "I'm engaged."

  The clerk came on, however, laid the card before his employer, andwhispered a few words to him.

  "A moment, then--I'll ring," said Mr. Pawle. He turned to his twocompanions as the clerk retired and closed the door, and smiled as heheld up the card. "Here's another man who wants to tell me somethingabout the Ashton case!" he exclaimed.

  "It's been quite a stroke of luck having that paragraph in thenewspapers, asking for information from anybody who could give it!"

  "What's this?" asked Viner.

  "Mr. Jan Van Hoeren, Diamond Merchant," read Mr. Pawle from the card,"583 Hatton Garden--"

  "Ah!" Mr. Armitstead exclaimed. "Diamonds!"

  "I shouldn't wonder if you're right," remarked Mr. Pawle. "Diamonds, Ibelieve, are to Hatton Garden what cabbages and carrots are to Covent."He touched his bell, and the clerk appeared. "Bring Mr. Van Hoeren thisway," he said.

  There entered, hat in hand, bowing all round, a little fat, beady-eyedman, whose beard was blue-black and glossy, whose lips were red, whosenose was his most decided feature. His hat was new and shining, his blackovercoat of superfine cloth was ornamented with a collar of undoubtedsable; he carried a gold-mounted umbrella. But there was one thing on himthat put all the rest of his finery in the shade. In the folds of hisartistically-arranged black satin stock lay a pearl--such a pearl as fewfolk ever have the privilege of seeing. It was as big as a moderatelysized hazel nut, and the three men who looked at it knew that it wassomething wonderful.

  "Take a chair, Mr. Van Hoeren," said Mr. Pawle genially. "You want totell me something about this Ashton case? Very much obliged to you, I'msure. These gentlemen are both interested--considerably--in that case,and if you can give me any information that will throw any light on it--"

  Mr. Van Hoeren deposited his plump figure in a convenient chair andlooked round the circle of faces.

  "One thing there is I don't see in them newspapers, Mr. Pawle," he saidin strongly nasal accents. "Maybe nobody don't know nothings about it,what? So I come to tell you what I know, see? Something!"

  "Very good of you, I'm sure," replied Mr. Pawle. "What may it be?"

  Mr. Van Hoeren made a significant grimace; it seemed to imply that therewas a great deal to be told.

  "Some of us, my way, we know Mr. Ashton," he said. "In Hatton Garden, youunderstand. Dealers in diamonds, see? Me, and Haas, and Aarons, and oneor two more. Business!"

  "You've done business with Mr. Ashton?" asked the old lawyer. "Just so!"

  "No--done nothing," replied Mr. Van Hoeren. "Not a shilling's worth. Butwe know him. He came down there. And we don't see nothing in them papersthat we expected to see, and today two or three of us, we lunch together,and Haas, he says: 'Them lawyer men,' he says, 'they want information.You go and give it to 'em. So!"

  "Well--what is it?" demanded Mr. Pawle.

  Mr. Van Hoeren leaned forward and looked from one face to another.

  "Ashton," he said, "was carrying a big diamond about--in his pocketbook!"

  Mr. Armitstead let a slight exclamation escape his lips. Viner glanced atMr. Pawle. And Mr. Pawle fastened his eyes on his latest caller.

  "Mr. Ashton was carrying a big diamond about in his pocketbook?" he said."Ah--have you seen it?"

  "Several times I see it," replied Mr. Van Hoeren. "My trade, don't it?Others of us--we see it too."

  "He wanted to sell it?" suggested Mr. Pawle.

  "There ain't so many people could afford to buy it," said Mr. Van Hoeren.

  "Why!" exclaimed Mr. Pawle. "Was it so valuable, then?"

  The diamond merchant shrugged his shoulders and waved the gold-mountedumbrella which he was carefully nursing in his tightly-gloved hands.

  "Oh, well!" he answered. "Fifty or sixty thousand pounds it wasworth--yes!"