The Room with the Tassels

by Carolyn Wells

  CHAPTER XV Tracy's Story

  "Now I wouldn't say," Wise observed, "that there is no such thing asoccult phenomena----"

  "What do you mean by phenomena?" interrupted the Professor. "Not oneperson in ten uses that word correctly."

  "I'm that single and unique one, old top," Wise assured him, "for myexact meaning, see Webster; but I was going to say, even granting thepossibility of the two deaths being due to supernatural causes, I'm notgoing to accept that solution of the mystery until I've exhausted allother available means of finding a flesh and blood murderer, which same Istrongly expect to find."

  "He'll do it," said Zizi, addressing the others, while her black eyeslooked at Wise as at an inanimate object. "He's an effective detective,first, last and all the time. And I'm the little cog that makes thewheels go round. So, I think, Tecky-teck, that I'll carry out a plan I'vejust thought of. I'll move from the pretty little bedroom I now occupy,and sleep in the Room with the Tassels."

  "Oh, don't!" cried Norma. "Something might happen to you!"

  "That's what I'm flattering myself. And it's nice of you, Miss Cameron,to speak out like that." Zizi's eyes flashed a quizzical glance at Eve,who was nodding satisfaction at the proposed plan.

  Eve coloured and dropped her eyes, and Zizi went on. "You see, people,Mr. Wise can't size up these ghosts of yours unless he sees them,--andfor me to see them is the same thing. So I'm going to take the hauntedroom for my own and if the Shawled Woman appears, I'll pin a tag on hershawl."

  Norma shuddered. "Don't talk like that," she begged. "You don't know whatrisk you run. Milly, don't let the child sleep there."

  But all objections were overruled, and Zizi quietly transferred her fewsimple belongings to the Room with the Tassels.

  At breakfast, the morning after her first night in the haunted room, shedeclared she had never slept better or more soundly, that there had beenno disturbance of any kind, and that she adored the room.

  "You saw and heard nothing?" queried Eve, looking at her intently.

  "Nixy," and the pert little face was all smiles. "But the game isn't outtill it's played out, you know."

  "I fail to grasp the cryptic meaning of that remark," said Eve, with aninsolent stare at Zizi.

  "Same here!" and the child's eerie laugh rang out. "But when I don't knowexactly what to say, I sing out some old saw like that."

  Zizi's laugh was infectious, and Milly giggled in sympathy, while theothers smiled too.

  "The experience was mine, last night," said Mr. Tracy, in his deep,resonant voice. "I suppose I'd better tell of it."

  "By all means," said Penny Wise, as the clergyman hesitated.

  "A phantom appeared to me," Tracy began, "just as the hall clock struckfour. I wasn't asleep, of that I'm sure, but I was suddenly aware of apresence in the room. A tall, misty shape seemed to take form as Ilooked, and it had the appearance of a woman with a shawl over her head.She drew near to me, and I could see her face, and it was that of askull. I was stunned, rather than frightened, and when I tried to callout, I could make no sound. The thing faded away as gradually as it hadappeared, and after a time I regained a normal state of nerves. I don'twant to be an alarmist, or frighten anybody, but I--well, I confess Ididn't enjoy the experience, and I take occasion to say now, that I shallleave here to-day. I'm going to Boston, and will return at any time, iffor any reason my presence is desired or my affidavit wanted as awitness. You all know what I've thought about this whole matter. Whilenot a spiritualist, I've preserved an open mind toward any revelations wemay have had, and I'm always ready to be convinced. And I may say thesight I saw last night has gone far to convince me. But I don't care tosee it again," Tracy shuddered, "and at risk of being thought cowardly,I've determined to go away. I had intended to go shortly, anyway, and Iprefer to go to-day."

  "I don't blame you, old chap," said Braye, heartily; "there's no reasonwhy you should jeopardize your nervous system by exposing it to furthershocks. Let Mr. Wise take down the details of your story, keep in touchwith us as to your whereabouts and where we can communicate with you, andgo ahead. I don't blame you one bit. In fact, if any one else wants toleave, no objections will be made. How about you, Professor?"

  "I want to stay, please. I'm terribly interested in the matter, and Ithink Mr. Wise is making progress, and will make more, rapidly. I'manxious to stay."

  "I'm game, too," said Landon. "In fact I think we all want to see itthrough, except Mr. Tracy, and he is not so closely associated with thecase as the rest of us."

  So Tracy went, about noon of that day, and left an address that he saidwould always reach him, wherever he might be temporarily.

  Milly and Norma regretted his going, for they had come to like the grave,kindly man, but Eve seemed not to care; and the men were all sointerested in the work of Penny Wise, that they only gave a heartygood-bye and Godspeed to the departing cleric.

  "Queer, that spook should appear to him," said Wise, after Mr. Tracy hadgone.

  "He told me some time ago," said Norma, reminiscently, "that he oftenheard strange sounds at four in the morning. He said they were like faintmoans and rustlings and sometimes a soft step along the halls."

  "Did he ever see anything before?" asked Zizi.

  "I don't think so. He was not very communicative about it, anyway. Ithink he was nervous on the subject."

  "I know he was," Eve spoke scornfully. "He was afraid, I'm positive. Noone ought to have joined this party who was afraid."

  "We only asked him to fill in, you know," said Milly, rather apologizingfor the minister's timidity. "And goodness knows, _I'm_ afraid! Or Ishould be, if Wynne weren't always with me. If that thing appeared tome,--well!"

  Milly could find no words to express her horror, and Landon looked at heranxiously.

  "It won't," said Zizi, reassuringly, "it won't, Mrs. Landon."

  "How do you know?" said Eve, a bit abruptly.

  "Your mama told my mama and my mama told me," returned Zizi, who couldput such graphic impudence into the silly phrase, that it was impossiblenot to be amused at it. "Oh, do _you_ do that, too?" she added, as Evebit her lip in annoyance. "So do I! It's such a hard habit to break,ain't it? But you oughtn't to, it scars your lips. Now, Penny Wise, ifyou'll go for a walk and a talk with your little otherwise, she'll tellyou sumpum that you ought to know."

  "Look out, Ziz," Wise said to her, as they walked off by themselves, andfollowed the path by the lake, "you mustn't be too saucy to MissCarnforth, or there'll be trouble."

  "Have to, honey. I've got to get her real mad at me, to find out hersecret. She's no criminal, as I've told you, but she knows who is."

  "Do you?"

  "Not yet, but soon. Now, listen, while I expound a few. Friend Spook didappear to me last night."

  "Really?"

  "Sure as shootin'! I thought it over, and decided I'd better not admit itto the gaping crowd, or we'll never find out who does the stunt."

  "But, really, Zizi?"

  "Yes, really, Pen. It was about two o'clock,--not four. A tall shape,draped in white, breezed in and toddled around trying to attract myattention. I lay there and looked sort of glassy-eyed, as if I was awake,but kinda hypnotized, you know. Well, I kept up that attitude, and thething came nearer and leaned over me, and sure enough it had a skull fora face; but, land, Penny, it was a _papier mache_ skull,--a mask, youknow. 'Twould be fine in the movies, I must put Manager Reeves up to thatdodge!"

  "Go on, Ziz."

  "Well, the thing,--the person, I mean, for it was a real, live person allright,--sashayed around a bit, then gave a hollow groan,--I guess that'swhat they call hollow,--and slid out. That's all."

  "You're a corker, Zizi! Why didn't you yell?"

  "I wanted to see the game. Then, when the pleasant-faced visitor left, Iknew it was because I was supposed to have been sufficiently impressed. Ithought it over, and I decided that at breakfast, I'd say I hadn't seenanything, and see who looked self-
conscious. And, by jiminy! nobody did!If any one around that table was my visiting spook, he or she carried itoff something marvellous! Not one of 'em flickered an eyelash when I saidI'd had a sweet, sound sleep all night. I can't see how any one could beso self-controlled. Now, Penny, could it have been anybody who wasn't atthe breakfast table?"

  "Meaning Stebbins or the Thorpes?"

  "Oh, no! none of them! But how about some outsider, hired, you know, bysomebody in the house."

  "How'd he get in?"

  "There's a secret way into this house. You needn't tell me there isn't.Just 'cause you haven't stumbled over it yet! Also, who's doing thehiring?"

  "You said everything came around toward Landon."

  "There's motive there. You see, after Mr. Braye, Mr. Landon inherits allthe Bruce fortune, and that's millions."

  "What's the matter with Braye being the murderer? He inherits first."

  "That's just it. If Mr. Braye wanted to kill his relatives to get thefortune, he wouldn't do it up here, where he's so liable to be suspected.He'd invent some subtler way, or some less suspicious scheme. But Mr.Landon could do it up here, and feel sure the suspicion would fall on Mr.Braye. Then, you see, Mr. Braye gets the money, and later on, Mr. Landonputs him out, too. In some awfully clever way, that can't be traced tohim, d'y' see? And, too, Mr. Braye has declared he'll give all the money,if necessary, to discovering the criminal, if there is one. And he said,he'd give what was left to build a hospital. No, he doesn't want themoney that came to him in such an awful way, leastwise, not if it throwssuspicion on him. He's going to be cleared, or he's not going to use themoney for himself. Miss Carnforth told me all that, I've talked a lotwith her."

  "You've talked with all of them, haven't you?"

  "Yes, indeed. I've babbled on, and most often they tell me a lot thatthey don't realize. Mrs. Landon, now, she's struggling hard not tosuspect her own husband, but Miss Carnforth has said a few things thatscare Mrs. Landon 'most to death. Oh, Penny, it's a fearful case! We mustfix it up, we must!"

  "We will, Zizi. There's so much evidence not to be denied, that we mustferret out what it really means. I'm getting a glimmer, but your help isinvaluable. That was a stroke of genius for you not to tell of yourghost! Weren't you frightened?"

  "Not a bit. All I wanted to do, was to find out who it was. But I didn'tdare grab at it, for I knew it would get away. I hope it will come again.I'll try to make it speak, and maybe I'll get a line on the voice."

  "Was it a man or a woman?"

  "I couldn't tell. The draperies were long and full, and the skull-maskcovered the face."

  "Didn't you see the hand?"

  "It was lost in the draped shawl. But I'm sure I'll have another visit,and then I'll get more information. You think I did well, oh, Wise Guy?"

  "I do indeed!" and the approving smile that was Zizi's most welcomereward lighted up the detective's face.

  Zizi pursued her plan of talking to the various people separately. Shegleaned much this way and with her powers of lightning calculation, sheput two and two together with astounding results.

  She even lured the old Professor into a tete-a-tete conversation.

  "No, I don't believe those deaths were supernatural, _now_," he said,thoughtfully; "I did, but it's too incredible. However, it's no moreunbelievable than that they could have been accomplished by human power."

  "They were," and Zizi's black head nodded affirmation.

  "How, then?"

  "By a diabolically clever genius. Tell me again, Professor, just howthose people were sitting? Were they together?"

  "Mr. Bruce and Vernie? No. There was the width of the room between them."

  "Were you near either?"

  "Yes, sitting next to Mr. Bruce. We were talking absorbedly."

  "Had he tasted his tea?"

  "I think he had taken one sip,--not more, I'm sure."

  "There was poison in that tea, Professor."

  "There must have been, but how _could_ there be?"

  "Who gave it to him?"

  "Let me see; Miss Carnforth presided, as Mrs. Landon was not at home.Miss Carnforth made the tea, and poured the cups, and Vernie and Mr.Tracy,--yes, and Mr. Landon were passing the things around. It was allmost informal, we never have the servants in at tea-time. I couldn'treally say just who did give Mr. Bruce his cup. Vernie gave me mine, Ithink."

  "Well, the poison was put in Mr. Bruce's cup, after Miss Carnforth fixedit for him."

  "Bless my soul, do you think so? That lets Braye out, then, for he wasn'tthere."

  "You don't suspect Mr. Braye, do you?"

  "No; of course not; but I don't really suspect anybody. But Mr. Braye isthe heir, you know, and so may be said to have motive."

  "That is true of Mr. Landon,--in a way."

  "I can't suspect either of those two,--it's impossible."

  "Go on, Professor, tell me about the little girl's death."

  "You've heard it before."

  "I know, but every little helps."

  "She was across the room. I was looking at Bruce, of course, when I heardan exclamation----"

  "From whom?"

  "I don't know; Miss Carnforth, I think. Any way, she and Tracy werebending over Vernie,--they had laid her on a couch,--and in a moment,they said she was dead. At the same time, Mr. Bruce breathed his last. Itwas all so fearful, so terrible, we were stunned. At least, I was, andone by one we pulled ourselves together, trying to realize what hadhappened."

  "All right, I know the rest. You've helped me a little----"

  "Do you suspect anybody? Does Mr. Wise? Tell me, child. I can doubtlessbe of help, if I know what to do."

  "No, Professor, you can't help. It's very awful, but it will soon beclear to all. Heaven help that poor Miss Carnforth."

  "Nonsense! Eve didn't do it! Of that I'm certain."

  "So am I. Of course, Miss Carnforth didn't do it. The tea was all rightwhen she fixed Mr. Bruce's cup."

  "Then who tampered with it? Not Vernie!"

  But Zizi had run away. She had a way of making sudden exits andentrances, and one never knew where she was or when she would appear.

  That night Zizi declared that she hoped the ghost would visit her. Shesaid this openly, as the whole crowd were preparing to go to their roomsfor the night.

  "Perhaps it will," said Wise, looking at her, thoughtfully. "If it calledon Mr. Tracy last night, it may be here again to-night, and you may befavoured. Are you not afraid?"

  "Not of the ghost," said Zizi, "but I am afraid that some of you peoplemay play a trick just to scare me. Will you double up, so I can feel surethere's nothing of that sort?"

  "I'll take Mr. Tracy's room," said Mr. Wise, "then I can keep my eye onMr. Braye and Professor Hardwick. Though I've no mental image of eitherof them trailing round in sheets!"

  "I should say not!" and Braye shuddered. "No, Miss Zizi, you've nothingto fear from us."

  "Nor us," Norma assured her. "I was going to sleep in the room with MissCarnforth, anyway, and that will preclude either of us impersonating aphantom."

  "What an awful idea," and Eve glowered at Zizi. "You don't really thinkany of us would stoop to such a despicable thing, do you?"

  "You never can tell," said Zizi, nonchalantly. "Mrs. Landon, you won'tlet your husband leave your room, will you?"

  "No," said Milly, not at all resenting the question which Zizi put to herin a gentle, pleading tone, very different from that she had used to theothers.

  And so, the inmates of the house being accounted for, and the doors andwindows looked after with extra care and precaution, the householdsettled itself to quietness, and the dark hours passed, ticked off andstruck by the great deep-toned clock in the hall.

  It was between two and three, when Zizi, watching, perceived her doorslowly and silently swing open.

  Determined to learn all possible as to who the intruder could be, thegirl lay motionless, but breathing deeply as if asleep.

  Her eyes, almost closed, yet took in every movement of he
r silentvisitor.

  It was no white-robed ghost, but a tall figure, clad in a long blackcloak, and wearing a black mask.

  With a swift stride, that betokened a man, the figure approached the bed,having first softly closed the door that led to the hall.

  Watching covertly for the next development, Zizi was all unprepared forwhat really happened.

  The man, with a sudden, swift gesture, took the girl's chin in one stronghand, and opened her mouth, while with the other he thrust in a thicksoft cloth, saturated with chloroform.

  Not enough to make her lose her senses entirely, it partially stupefiedher, and the choking cloth prevented all speech.

  Whipping off the long dark cloak he wore, the man flung it round Zizi, ashe lifted the slender form from the bed.

  Vainly trying to emit a shriek, or utter a groan, Zizi fell,half-conscious, back in the arms that supported her.

  After an unknown interval, a draught of cool air on her face brought herback to a dim consciousness, and she realized she was out of doors. Astruggle of her arms and legs resulted in a firmer grasp of the strongarms that carried her, and she quit moving, to think. She had beenkidnapped, taken from her bed, and had been carried out of doors, but shehad no knowledge of who her captor was nor by what means they had leftthe house. Her brain was furiously wide awake, but she made no move, lestmore chloroform be administered, and she lose her regained consciousness.

  On the shore of the black lake the man stopped, and set her on her feet.Her mouth, still filled with the soft cloth, was strained and painful,but the first attempt to raise her hand resulted in its being clutched bythe strong hand of the man who swayed her destiny.

  So slender and light was she, that he handled her as one might a child,and in his strong grasp she was as powerless as an infant.

  Working quickly and deftly, he tied a strong rope round her ankles and toit attached what was only too evidently a bag of stones or bricks.

  Then, without a word, he flung her into the deep, dark waters of thelake, and with one backward glance, he walked away.