The Mad Hatter Mystery dgf-2
Page 21
Dalrye got up out of his chair and faced them. He was flushed and his eyes burned brightly.
`I'm drunk" he said, wonderingly. 'I'm drunk. I hadn't noticed it, not till this; minute. Lester Bitton got rid of what I owed, and never said a word. And when you accused him to-right — and he shot himself — you see why I had to tell you….'
He stood straight, a little wrinkle between his brows.
`I told you I was a swine, he went on in an even voice, `but I'm not so bad as that. I know what it means. It means the rope. They, won't believe me, of course, after what I did to cover myself; and I can't blame them. They shoot you out of a door, and it's all over in a few seconds…. I can't think how I came to be so drunk. I don't drink much, as a rule…. What was I saying? Oh yes. If you hadn't blamed it on Major Bitton, if you gave out that you hadn't been able to find out who the murderer was, I'd have kept quiet. Why not? I love Sheila. Some day I might have… Never mind. I'm not going to let you think I'm pitying myself. It's only that I appreciate people who are kind to me. I never had much kindness. People all thought I was too much of a joke. But, by God old joke parson-face had the police guessing, didn't he?' Momentarily there was a blaze in his face. `Old — joke — parson-face!' said Robert Dalrye…. The fire was sinking now. Dalrye, his hand clenched, stared across the dusky room. He had spoken for a long time. There was a faint hint of dawn in the windows towards the garden.
Hadley rose quietly from his chair.
`Young man,' he said, 'I have an order for you. Go out into one of the other rooms and sit down. I'll call you back in a moment. I want to speak to my friends. There is one other thing. On no account speak a word to anybody until you are called back.'
`Oh, well,' said Dalrye. `Oh, well. Go ahead and phone for your Black Maria, or whatever you use. I'll wait.:.. By the way, there was something I didn't tell you. I'm afraid I nearly scared that poor devil Arbor into a fit. I didn't mean to. I was in the Warders' Hall on the other side of the Byward Tower, where the visitors were detained when he was coming out from your conference. And I was talking to your sergeant, only about ten feet away from Arbor. He hadn't recognized my voice before, but I was afraid he did then. It nearly killed him…. I say! I feel as though I had no legs. I hope I'm not staggering. That would be the devil of a way to go to gaol. Excuse me….'
With his shoulders back, he moved with careful steps towards the door.
`Well?' asked Dr Fell, when he had gone.
Hadley stood before the dying fire, a stiff military figure against the white-marble mantelpiece, and in his hand were the notes he had taken of Dalrye's recital. Hadley hesitated. There were lines drawn slantwise under his eyes; he shut his eyes now.
'I told you,' he said, quietly, 'I was getting old. I am sworn to uphold the law. But I don't know. I don't know. The older I get, the more I don't know. Ten-years, ago I should have said, "Too bad, and… You know what I'm thinking, Fell. No jury would ever believe that boy's testimony: But I do.'
`And without speaking of Lester Bitton,' said the doctor, `the case can remain unsolved. Good man, Hadley! You know what I think. If this is a tribunal, will you put it up to a vote?'
`Lord help me,' said Hadley, `I will. Well, Fell?' He assumed a stern air, but a curious, wise, ancient smile crept about his mouth. `Dr Fell, your vote?'"Unsolved," he said.`Mr Rampole?'
"Unsolved,"' said Rampole instantly.
The dying firelight lit Hadley's face as he half turned.; He upturned his hand; the white note-sheets fluttered from it and drifted down into the blaze. They caught fire and leaped in a puff. Hadley's hand remained motionless, the ancient, wise smile still on his face.
"Unsolved," ' he said.
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