The Rayner-Slade Amalgamation

by J. S. Fletcher

  CHAPTER XXII

  THICK FOG

  It was half-past eleven when Allerdyke reached Gresham Street: byhalf-past one, so curiously and rapidly did events crowd upon each other,he was in a state of complete mental confusion. He sat down to lunch thatday feeling as a man feels who has lost his way in an unknown country inthe midst of a blinding mist; as a weaver might feel who is at work on anintricate pattern and suddenly finds all his threads inextricably mixedup and tangled. Instead of things getting better and clearer, thatmorning's work made them more hopelessly muddled.

  Chettle was hanging about the door of the warehouse when Allerdyke droveup. His usually sly look was accentuated that morning, and as soon asAllerdyke stepped from his cab he drew him aside with a meaning gesture.

  "A word or two before we go in, Mr. Allerdyke," he said as they walked afew steps along the street. "Look here, sir," he went on in a whisper."I've been reflecting on things since I saw you last night. Of course,I'm supposed to be in Hull, you know. But I shall have to report myselfat the Yard this morning--can't avoid that. And I shall have to tellthem why I came up. Now, it's here, Mr. Allerdyke--how much or howlittle shall I tell 'em? What I mean sir, is this--do you want to keepany of this recently acquired knowledge to yourself? Of course, if youdo--well, I needn't tell any more there--at headquarters--than you wishme to tell. I can easy make excuse for coming up. And, of course, inthat case--"

  "Well!" demanded Allerdyke impatiently. "What then?"

  Chettle gave him another look of suggestive meaning, and taking off hissquare felt hat, wiped his forehead with a big coloured handkerchief.

  "Well, of course, Mr. Allerdyke," he said insinuatingly. "Of course, sir,I'm a poor man, and I've a rising family that I want to do my best for. Icould do with a substantial amount of that reward, you know, Mr.Allerdyke. We've all a right to do the best we can for ourselves, sir.And if you're wanting to, follow this affair out on your own, sir,independent of the police--eh?"

  Allerdyke's sense of duty arose in strong protest against this verypalpable suggestion. He shook his head.

  "No--no!" he said. "That won't do, Chettle. You must do your duty to yoursuperiors. You'll find that you'll be all right. If the police solve thisaffair, that reward'll go to the police, and you'll get your propershare. No--no underhand work. You make your report in your ordinary way.No more of that!"

  "Aye, but do you understand, Mr. Allerdyke?" said the detectiveanxiously. "Do you comprehend what it'll mean. You know very well thatthere's a lot of red tape in our work--they go a great deal by rule andprecedent, as you might say. Now, if I go to the Yard--as I shall haveto, as soon as you've done with me--and tell the chief that I've foundthis photo of your cousin in Lydenberg's watch, and that you're certainthat your cousin gave that particular photo to Mrs. Marlow, alias MissSlade, do you know what'll happen?"

  "What?" asked Allerdyke.

  "They'll arrest her within half an hour," answered Chettle."Dead certain!"

  "Well?" said Allerdyke. "And--what then!"

  "Why, it'll probably upset the whole bag of tricks!" exclaimed Chettle."The thing'll be spoiled before we've properly worked it out. See?"

  Allerdyke did see. He had sufficient knowledge of police matters to knowthat Chettle was right, and that a too hasty step would probably ruineverything. He turned towards the warehouse.

  "Just so," he said. "I take your meaning. Now then, come in, and we'llput it before my manager, Mr. Appleyard. I've great faith in hisjudgment--let's see what he's got to say."

  The two Gaffneys were waiting just within the packingroom of thewarehouse. Allerdyke bade them wait a little longer, and took thedetective straight into Appleyard's office. There, behind the closeddoor, he told Appleyard of everything that had happened since their lastmeeting, and of what Chettle had just said. The problem was, in view ofall that, of the mysterious proceedings of Mrs. Marlow the night before,and of what Allerdyke had just heard at New Scotland Yard--what was bestto be done, severally and collectively, by all of them?

  Ambler Appleyard grasped the situation at once and solved the problem ina few direct words. There was no need whatever, he said, for Chettle todo more than his plain duty, no need for him to exceed it. He was bound,being what he was, to make his report about his discovery of thephotograph and the writing on it. That he must do. But he was not boundto tell anything that Allerdyke had told him: he was not bound to giveinformation which Allerdyke had collected. Let Chettle go and tell theplain facts about his own knowledge of the photo and leave Allerdyke,for the moment, clean out of the question. Allerdyke himself could gowith his news in due course. And, wound up Appleyard, who had a keenknowledge of human nature and saw deep into Chettle's mind, Mr. Allerdykewould doubtless see that Chettle lost nothing by holding his tongue aboutanything that wasn't exactly ripe for discussion. At present, herepeated, let Chettle do his duty--not exceed it.

  "That's it," agreed Allerdyke. "You've hit it, Ambler. You go and tellwhat you know of your own knowledge," he went on, turning to Chettle."Leave me clean out for the time being. I'll come in at the right moment.Say naught about me or of what I've told you. And if you're sent back toHull, just contrive to see me before you go. And, as Mr. Appleyard says,I'll see you're all right, anyhow."

  When Chettle had gone, Allerdyke closed the door on him and turned to hismanager with a knowing look.

  "That chap's right, you know, Ambler," he said. "A false move, a toohasty step'll ruin everything. If that woman's startled--if she gets asuspicion--egad, it's all mixed up about as badly as can be! Now, aboutthese Gaffneys?"

  "Wait a while," said Appleyard. "I don't know that we want their servicesjust yet. I've found out a thing or two that may be useful. About thisman Rayner now, who's in evident close touch with Miss Slade (by the by,you saw her at the Waldorf at half-past eleven last night, and I saw hercome into the Pompadour at half-past twelve, with Rayner), and about whomwe accordingly want to know something--I've found out, through ordinarybusiness channels, that he does carry on a business at ClytemnestraHouse, in Arundel Street, under the name of Gavin Ramsay. And--if we wantto know more of him--I've an idea. You go and see him, Mr. Allerdyke--onbusiness."

  "I? Business?" exclaimed Allerdyke. "What sort of business?"

  "He's an inventor's agent," replied Appleyard. "It's a profession I neverheard of before, but he seems to act as a go-between. Folks that have gotan invention go to him--he helps 'em about it--helps 'em to perfect it,patent it, get it on the market. You've a good excuse--there's thatpatent railway chair of your man Gankrodgers, been lying there in thatcorner for the past year, and you promised Gankrodgers you'd help himabout it. Put it in a cab and go to this Rayner, or Ramsay--there's yourexcuse, and you can say you heard of him in the City, fromWilmingtons--it was they who told me what he was. It's a good notion, Mr.Allerdyke."

  "What object?" asked Allerdyke.

  "Simply to get a look at him," replied Appleyard. "Look here--you knowvery well that there's a strong suspicion against Miss Slade. Miss Slade,to my knowledge, is in close touch, with Rayner. Therefore, let's knowwhat we can about Rayner. You're the man to go and see him at his ownplace. Do it--and we'll consider the question of having him watched bythe two Gaffneys when you've seen and talked to him."

  Allerdyke considered this somewhat strange proposal in silence for awhile. At last he rose with a look of decision.

  "Well, I've certainly a good excuse," he said. "Here, have that thingpacked up and put in a cab--I'll go."

  Half an hour later he found himself shown into a smartly furnished officewhere Mr. Gavin Ramsay sat at a handsome desk surrounded by shelves andcabinets whereon and wherein were set out the products of the brains ofmany inventors--models of machines, mechanical toys, labour-savingnotions, things plainly useful, things obviously extravagant. Theoccupant of this museum glanced at Allerdyke and the box which he carriedwith an amused smile, and Allerdyke said to himself that Appleyard wasright in his description--if the man was crippled and deformed hecertainly
possessed a beautiful face.

  "Mr. Marshall Allerdyke," said the hope of inventors, glancing at thecard which his visitor had sent in.

  "The same, sir," replied Allerdyke, setting down his box. "Mr. Ramsay, Ipresume? I heard of you, Mr. Ramsay, through Wilmingtons, in the City;heard you can be of great use to inventors. I have here," he continued,opening the box, "a railway chair, invented by one of my workmen, aclever fellow. You see, it 'ud do away with the present system of puttingwooden blocks in the chairs now used--this would fasten the sleepers andrails together automatically. It is patented--provisionally protected,anyhow--but my man's never got a railway company to try it, so far. Thinkyou can do anything, Mr. Ramsay?"

  The hunchback got up from his desk, took the invention out of its box,and carefully inspected it, asking Allerdyke a few shrewd questions aboutthe thing's possibilities which showed the caller that he knew what hewas talking about. Then he sat down again and went into business detailsin a way which impressed Allerdyke--clearly this man, whoever he was, andwhatever mystery might attach to him, was a smart individual. Also he hada frank, direct way of talking which gave his visitor a very good firstopinion of him.

  "Very well, Mr. Allerdyke," he said, in conclusion. "Leave the thingwith me, and I will see what I can do. As I say, the proper course willbe to get it tried on one of the smaller railway lines--if it answersthere, we can, perhaps, induce one of the bigger companies to take it up.I'll do my best."

  Allerdyke thanked him and rose. He had certainly done something for hisman Gankrodgers, and he had seen Ramsay, or Rayner, at close quarters,but--Ramsay was speaking again. He had picked up Allerdyke's card, andglanced from it to its presenter, half shyly.

  "You're the cousin of the Mr. Allerdyke whose name's been in the papersso much in connection with this murder and robbery affair, I suppose?" hesaid. "I've seen your own name, of course, in the various accounts."

  "I am," replied Allerdyke. He had moved towards the door, but he turnedand looked at his questioner. "You followed it, then?" he asked.

  "Yes," assented Ramsay. "Closely. A curiously intricate case."

  "Any solution of it present itself to your mind?" asked Allerdyke in hisbrusque, downright fashion. "Got any theory?"

  Ramsay smiled and shook his finely shaped head. He, too, rose, walkingtowards the door.

  "It's a little early for that, isn't it?" he said. "I've studied theseaffairs--criminology, you know--for many years. In my opinion, it's amistake to be too hasty in trying to arrive at solutions. But," he added,with a shrug of his misshapen shoulders, "it's always the way of thepolice, and of most folk who try to get at the truth. Things that aredeep down need some deep digging for!"

  "There's the question of the present whereabouts of nearly threehundred thousand pounds' worth of jewels," remarked Allerdyke grimly."Remember that!"

  "Quite so," agreed Ramsay. "But--your own particular and personal desire,as I gather from the newspapers, is to find the murderer of your cousin?"

  "Ah!" said Allerdyke. "And it is! Got any ideas on that point?"

  Ramsay smiled as he opened the door.

  "I think," he said, with a quiet significance. "I think that you'll behaving all this mystery explained and cleared up all of a sudden, Mr.Allerdyke, in a way that'll surprise you. These things are likewarfare--there's a sudden turn of events, a sudden big event just whenyou're not expecting it. Well, good-bye--thank you for giving me a chancewith your man's invention."

  Allerdyke found himself walking up Arundel Street before he had quiterealized that this curious interview was over. At the top he paused,staring vacantly at the folk who passed and repassed along the Strand.

  "I'd lay a pound to a penny that chap's all right," he muttered tohimself. "He's not a wrong 'un--unless he's damned deceitful! All thesame, he knows something! What? My conscience!--was there ever such aconfounded muddle in this world as this is!"

  But the muddle was a deeper one within the next few minutes. He crossedover to his hotel, and as he was entering he met Mrs. Marlow coming out,fresh, dainty, charming, as usual. She stopped at sight of him and heldup the little hand-bag which hung from her wrist.

  "Oh, Mr. Allerdyke!" she said, opening the bag and taking an envelopefrom it. "I've something for you. See--here's the photograph your cousingave me. You were wrong, you see--there's no spot in it--it's aparticularly clear print. Look!"

  In Allerdyke's big palm she laid the very photograph which, according toall his reckoning, was that which Chettle had found within the cover ofLydenberg's watch.