The Vanishing of Betty Varian

by Carolyn Wells

  CHAPTER IX Poor Martha

  When Granniss stepped off the train at Headland Harbor, there were butfew other passengers who alighted at the same time. But one of these, amild young man, came nearer Rodney and said, quietly:

  "Mr Granniss, may I speak to you a moment?"

  "Certainly," Rod answered, after a quick glance at him.

  "I am a messenger from Mr Wise. I have with me the money for Mrs Varian.Shall I give it to you here, or go up to the house with you and carry it?No one seems to be observing us; take it if you like."

  Rodney stared at him. Wise, then, had sent his messenger with the moneyalong on the same train. By this means he had outwitted the man in theupper berth, who, without question, knew of Granniss' errand, and who hadthus been foiled in his attempt to rob him.

  "Good for you!" Granniss exclaimed, heartily. "I think it will be allright for me to take it now,--here is the Varian car. But would youprefer to go up to the house?"

  "No; I'd rather not. I'm sure the way is clear now. I saw thatperformance in the train last night. But don't talk any more about it.Just take the box, and I'll go right back on the next train. Mr Wise willarrive tomorrow."

  Marveling at the detective's way of managing, Granniss took theunimportant looking parcel the young man offered, and with a briefgood-by, got into the Varian car.

  The car could go only to the lodge gate, and from there Rodney trudged upthe steep path to the house, half afraid that some bandit would even yetappear to rob him of the treasure.

  But nothing untoward happened, and he reached Headland House in safety.

  It was nearly noon when he arrived, and Lawrence North, still there, wasas eager as Minna to hear the results of Granniss' errands in New York.

  But not until after luncheon, when the three were alone in the library,did he tell the whole story.

  He then gave a frank account of the detective's asking to take charge ofthe package of money, and of the lucky stroke it was that he did so.

  "But I never imagined," Rodney said, "that he would send it along by amessenger on the same train!"

  "Clever work!" said North. "Now, Mrs Varian, have you a really goodsafe?"

  "Yes, I have. My husband had it sent up here with our trunks. It lookslike a wardrobe trunk, but it is a modern and secure safe."

  The safe was in a closet in the library, and as the men examined it, theyagreed that it was a good safe and proof against even a most skilfulburglar.

  "Unless he carries it off," suggested North. "It's not very large."

  "But it's very heavy," Minna said, "and besides, it's clamped to thefloor."

  They put the parcel of money in the safe, tucked it well back behind lessimportant matters, and Minna herself closed the door.

  "I'll use the same combination Fred used," she said, "nobody on earthknows it but myself."

  "Keep it to yourself, Mrs Varian," North counseled her, "a secret sharedis no secret."

  "I'm not afraid to trust you two," Minna returned, "but I won't tell anyone else."

  "You've had no further communication from the kidnappers?" askedGranniss.

  "I have," she said, "a letter came in this morning's mail. I don't knowwhat to do about it. It's so strange,--and yet,--I feel a positiveconviction that I ought to do as they tell me."

  "Whatever they ask, I beg of you not to decide until Mr Wise gets here,"Rodney said, earnestly. "Since I have seen him, I know he will help us,and I feel sure that he would disapprove of your going ahead with thisuntil he can advise you."

  "What do they ask you to do?" North inquired; "that is, if you care totell us."

  "Oh, I'm glad to tell you, and see what you think. I know it might be abetter plan to wait for Mr Wise's arrival, but that may scare off thesepeople and lose me my one and only chance to meet theirdemands,--and--get my Betty!"

  "Where's the letter?" asked Granniss, looking very serious.

  Minna handed him a paper, and the two men read it at the same time.

  "This is your one and only chance to get back your daughter. Unless youobey these directions exactly and secretly you have no chance at all. Atmidnight, tonight, take the packet of money, if you have it, and drop itover the cliff into the sea. First you must place it in a lightpasteboard box that is too large for it. This will insure its floatinguntil we can pick it up. Now if you have told any one of this and ifthere is any boat on the sea at that time, we will not carry out ourplans, the money will be lost and your daughter will be killed. So, takeyour choice of acting in good faith or losing your child forever. We aredesperately in earnest and this is your one and only chance. If you fearto go to the cliff's edge alone, you may take a companion but only onewho is in your faith and confidence. If you breathe a word to the policewe shall know of it, and we will call off all our arrangements. It is upto you."

  There was no signature. The paper and typing were like those of theprevious letter from the same source, and the tenor of the letter seemedto be an ultimatum.

  "Don't think of it for a minute," urged Granniss. "You are simplythrowing away a large sum of money and you cannot possibly get anyreturn. If the thing were genuine, if it were from real kidnappers whoreally had Betty, they would have given you a sign, a proof that theyhave her. They would have enclosed a scrap of her handwriting or somesuch thing. That telegram is of course a fake! This letter proves it!"

  North looked dubious.

  "You may be right, Granniss," he said, "perhaps you are. But,--I can'thelp thinking there may be some way to foil these people. Suppose MrsVarian throws a faked packet over the cliff----"

  "No," Granniss declared, "that would do no good."

  "Wait a minute," North went on; "then we could have a swift motor boathidden in the shadows, and follow the boat that picks it up,--for I haveno doubt that they will come for the money in a motor boat."

  "Of course they'll do that," Rod agreed, "but it will be a boat morepowerful than any we have around here----"

  "Anyway," broke in Minna, "I won't play them false. I shall either followtheir instructions in good faith, or not do it at all. I'm sure if I tryto fool them, they'll take it out on Betty." She began to cry, and Northsaid, hastily:

  "Don't let me influence you, Mrs Varian. You must do just as you pleasein the matter. If you feel that the mere chance of getting Betty by suchmeans is sufficient to justify your equal chance of losing all thatmoney,--you must follow your own wishes."

  Minna Varian sat for several moments in deep thought. Then she said,quietly: "I've made up my mind. I shall not do this thing tonight. I ammore influenced by Rodney's remark about the telegram than anything else.As he says, if these people really had Betty, they would send a note inher writing and not a telegram."

  "That's the way to look at it, Mrs Varian," cried Granniss, much pleasedat her logical decision. "The telegram was a mistake on their part. Tobegin with, if Betty is closely confined, which she must be, if there'sany truth at all in this matter, how could she get out to send atelegram? And if they sent it for her,--why not a note?"

  "That's all true," said North, thoughtfully; "and when Mr Wise gets here,he can doubtless discern the real truth of it all. The money will be allright in the safe over night, and tomorrow the detective can look afterit. Then you're decided, Mrs Varian?"

  "I'm decided for the present,----" she smiled a little; "but I don't sayI won't change my mind. It's a terrible temptation to do as they bid me,even if it proves a false hope."

  North went away, and poor Minna spent the rest of that day in alternatedecisions for and against the directions of the kidnappers.

  Granniss tried his best to dissuade her from what he deemed a foolishdeed.

  "To begin with," he argued, "I can't believe in kidnappers. How couldthey have abducted Betty, in broad daylight, with half a dozen peoplelooking for her to come out of the house?"

  "I don't know," said poor Minna, dejectedly, "but oh, Rodney, it doesn'tmean anything to ask such questio
ns as that! For how could any otherthing happen? I mean, how do you explain Betty's disappearance withoutbeing kidnapped, any more easily than by such means? How explain Fred'sdeath? How explain anything? Now, the only chance,--as the lettersays,--is this plan of theirs. Shall I try it?"

  "Look at it this way, Mrs Varian," Granniss said at last. "Suppose youthrow that money over the cliff. It's by no means certain that they willretrieve it safely."

  "But that's their business. It's full moon now, and at twelve o'clock thesea will be bright as day. There'll be no spying boat around at thathour, and they will watch the box fall, get it quickly, and go away. Thenthey will send Betty back!"

  Minna's face always lighted up with a happy radiance when she spoke ofthe return of Betty.

  "But think a minute. Suppose by some chance they don't get themoney,--suppose there is some stray boat out at that hour. Suppose theparcel gets caught on the way down----"

  "It can't if I drop it right down from the overhang. And I'd have you toprotect and watch over my own safety,--oh, Rodney, I _must_ do it!"

  And so, despite Granniss' dissuasion, in defiance of her own misgivingsas to the genuineness of the anonymous bargainers, the poor distractedmother made up her mind to take the slim chance of recovering her lostchild by the desperate method offered her.

  But an unforeseen difficulty prevented her.

  Shortly before midnight the sky clouded over and became entirely black. Aterrific thunderstorm followed, and when that was over the whole heavensremained darkened and a drizzling rain kept up.

  "It's out of the question," Granniss said, as the clock struck twelve."It's still raining, it's pitch dark, nobody could see a parcel droppedover the cliffs, and you might lose your own life in the process. But,let this comfort you, if these people are really the kidnappers, theywill give you another chance. They won't lose their chance of a fortunefor a rainstorm, and they'll communicate with you again."

  "That's probably true, Rod," and Minna gave a sigh of relief as she gazedout of the window at the rain. "And so, let's go to rest and try to hopefor a future opportunity."

  Mrs Fletcher was waiting to put her patient to bed, and was muchdispleased at her late hour of retiring.

  So, little was said by either of the women, and at last with a curt goodnight, the nurse went away to her own room, and Minna closed the doorbetween.

  But she could not sleep, she was restless and nervous.

  At last she began to worry over the safety of the money in the safe. Sheimagined the thwarted kidnappers, disappointed at the collapse of theirplans, coming up to the house to rob her of the money they had reason tosuppose she had in her possession.

  To her anxious and worried mind, it seemed the money would be safer up inher own room than down in the library safe.

  On a sudden impulse she determined to go down stairs and get it. Shedonned dressing gown and slippers and stealthily, not to awake Fletcher,she crept down the stairs.

  Into the library she went and, opening the closet door, began to work thecombination that unlocked the safe.

  Absorbed in her occupation, she did not hear a slight noise behind her.But suddenly a voice said; softly, "Oh, it's you, ma'am! I thought it wasa robber!"

  Minna turned quickly to see Martha, the waitress, staring at her.

  As she already had the safe door open and was about to take out theparcel she was after, she was annoyed at any interruption.

  "Martha!" she exclaimed, though in a low whisper, "what are you doinghere? Go back to bed!"

  "Yes, ma'am. I thought I heard robbers, ma'am."

  "No; it's only I. I have to see about some important papers, and I can'tsleep, so I'm attending to it now. Go back to your room at once, Martha."

  "Yes, ma'am," and the girl obeyed.

  Drawing a sigh of relief, Minna took her precious parcel, shut the safe,and went softly back to her own room. She put the package beneath hermattress, locked her bedroom door, and soon fell asleep, worn out withweariness and exhaustion.

  "Great doin's," grumbled the cook, as Martha, who shared her room,returned to it, "where you been?"

  "Hush up," said Martha. "I heard a noise and I thought it was burglars."

  "And you went downstairs!" exclaimed Hannah. "Why, what foolishness! Theymight 'a' shot you!"

  "There wasn't any," Martha explained. "It was Mrs Varian, poking about inher safe."

  "The pore leddy," said Hannah, sympathetically; "she can't sleep at all,at all. The nurse tells me she lies awake nearly all night and only getsforty winks in the morning after sun-up."

  "Well, she was a bit upset at my coming in," said Martha. "I wouldn't 'a'gone, only I thought it was my duty."

  "Oh, you and your duty!" growled the cook. "I'm thinkin' your duty is tokeep quiet and let me get a bit of sleep myself. I can't do without it asyou and the missus can!"

  Hannah grunted as she turned over and promptly went to sleep again, whileMartha, who was both imaginative and curious of mind, lay awake,wondering what fearful things had happened or would happen to thisstrange house.

  The girl was of a fearless nature, but deeply interested in themysterious, and had more than once made investigations herself in aneffort to find some secret passage such as the family were continuallydiscussing.

  But she had found nothing, and now, still unable to sleep, she occupiedher mind in trying to form some new theory of the tragedies of HeadlandHouse.

  Hannah awakened in the morning by reason of the alarm sounding from herbedroom clock.

  "My goodness," she growled, to herself, "seems like I'd only just droppedto sleep. Well,--I've got to get up. Hey, Martha, come along, my girl."

  But no response came from the other bed, and Hannah stepped across theroom to give the girl an arousing shake.

  "Why, heaven bless us, she ain't here!" exclaimed the startled cook."Now, don't that beat all! Not content with rampoosin' round the house inthe night, she must be up and off early in the mornin'! She thinks she'sable to help them as has the detective work in charge! That Martha!"

  Hannah proceeded to make her toilet and then descended the back stairs tothe kitchen.

  But on reaching the kitchen she gave voice to such a scream as could beheard by all the servants in the house, and even penetrated to the roomsoccupied by Minna and her nurse.

  "Whatever is the matter?" cried Fletcher, running out to the hall in hernight clothes.

  "Matter enough," Hannah called back. "Will you get Mr Granniss, and tellhim to come quick!"

  Stunned by the cook's voice and manner, the nurse hurriedly knocked atRodney's door, and he responded at once.

  He was partly dressed, and finishing a hasty toilet, he ran down stairs.

  He found Hannah, and Kelly, the butler, gazing at a huddled heap on thekitchen floor, which he saw at once, was the dead body of Martha, thewaitress.

  "What does it mean?" he asked, in an awed voice. "Who did it?"

  "Who, indeed, sir?" Hannah said, whimpering like a child. "Oh, MrGranniss, sir, do get Mrs Varian to go away from this accursed house!Nobody is safe here! I'm leaving as soon's I can pack up. Kelly, here, isgoing, too,--and I hope the missus will go this very day. It's curstindeed, is this place! Oh, Martha, me little girl,--who could 'a' donethis to ye?"

  Going nearer, Rodney looked at the body, touched it and felt for thegirl's heart.

  There was no heartbeat and the cold flesh proved her death took placesome hours since.

  "What do you know about it?" he asked the cook.

  "Not a thing, sir. Martha was down stairs late last night, and she cameup again, saying Mrs Varian was down in the library."

  "Mrs Varian down stairs! At what time was this?"

  "'Long about one o'clock, sir. Then me and Martha both went tosleep,--leastways, I did, and that's all I knew till morning. Then I wentto call the girl to get up, and her bed was empty. I came down--and hereI saw--this!"

  Throwing her apron over her face, Hannah rocked back and forth in herchair.

  Rod
ney forced himself to think,--to give orders.

  "Hannah," he said, "I'm sorry, but we mustn't touch Martha,--and you'llhave to get breakfast,--just the same."

  "I can't, sir--I can't get the breakfast, with that poor dead girl,--why,I loved that young one like she was my own."

  "But, Hannah, remember your duty to Mrs Varian. Now, we'll lay a coverletover Martha, and you and Kelly between you must prepare the coffee, andsuch things as Mrs Varian wants. Be brave now, for there's enough sorrowfor Mrs Varian to bear. You and Kelly must do whatever you can to help."

  Then Rodney looked hastily at all the doors and windows, finding them allsecurely fastened, as they always were at night.

  "Thank goodness, Wise is coming today," he thought, as he went totelephone for Sheriff Potter again.

  Potter summoned, he turned his mind to the question of how best to tellthe news to Minna, and concluded to tell Nurse Fletcher first.

  She came down then, greatly excited, to learn what had happened.

  Granniss told her, and then said, "Now Mrs Fletcher, I beg of you, don'tthreaten to leave. Mrs Varian needs you now more than ever, and as MrWise, the great detective, is coming today, I'm sure you need not beafraid to stay on."

  "Very well," Fletcher returned, primly, "I know my duty, and I propose todo it. I will stay with Mrs Varian until she can get some one else,--oruntil I can get some one else for her,--but not an hour longer. How didthe maid die?"

  "I don't know, exactly," Rodney looked puzzled. "I didn't think it bestto touch the body, except to convince myself that she is really dead.Now, will you tell Mrs Varian, or shall I?"

  "I'll tell her,--but I'd like you to stand by."

  So, taking Minna's breakfast tray, quite as usual, the nurse went back toher patient.

  "You needn't tell me," was the greeting she received. "I overheard enoughto know what has happened. It's awful,--but I suppose it's only thebeginning of a further string of tragedies."

  The utter hopelessness of the white face alarmed Granniss more than ahysterical outburst would have done.

  "Now, Mrs Varian," he said, consolingly, "it is an awful occurrence, butin comparison with your nearer sorrows, it means little to you. Try notto think about it; leave it to us and trust me to do all that isnecessary or possible."

  Potter arrived then, and Granniss went down to receive him.

  "Another!" the sheriff exclaimed. "What devil's work is going on here,any way?"

  He went to the kitchen and knelt beside the dead girl.

  "Strangled," he said, briefly, after an examination. "Choked to death bya strong pair of man's hands. Mr Granniss, I accuse you of the murder ofthis girl!"