The Mystery of the Hidden Room

by Marion Harvey

  CHAPTER XXVII

  THE STRONG BOX

  After a luncheon, to which I did full justice, McKelvie flipped over thepages of the city directory and studied the section devoted toCunninghams.

  "That's rather peculiar," he said. "He has no office in the city. If heis a lawyer, where does he conduct his practice? Something wrong,somewhere. Come on. We'll get him at his apartments."

  We drove to 84th Street and inquired for Cunningham.

  "Mr. Cunningham? He's not at home," replied the switchboard operator inthe hallway of the fashionable apartment house.

  "Do you mean that he is out of town?" asked McKelvie anxiously.

  "Oh, no. He'll be back at five, I guess. That's the time he usuallycomes in when he's in the city," said the girl, bestowing a fetchingsmile upon my companion.

  McKelvie improved the acquaintance. He returned the smile. "Is he awayvery much?"

  "Yes, quite a bit."

  "Thank you, and you need not mention that I was asking about him. Hemight not like it," remarked McKelvie.

  "You said it. He's closer than a clam about himself," she returned witha little toss of her head.

  "Our friend Cunningham was once quite attentive in that quarter,"explained McKelvie with a laugh as we drove away. "So much I learnedwhen I first came here, and so I proceeded to make friends with Jane."

  "Where to?" I inquired, laughing. "Home?"

  "No, the Darwin Bank. I have a mind to see whether our lawyer friend,who has no office, possesses a sufficient capital to live on his income.Mr. Trenton is the best man to apply to I guess, since I have alreadylearned that Cunningham keeps an account at his bank."

  When we arrived at the bank I sent my card in, and we were admitted atonce to Mr. Trenton's private office.

  "What is it, Carlton?" he asked fearfully.

  "Good news," I replied, "which I should like you to convey to Ruth" (Ihad ceased visiting her at her own request), and I told him Gilmore'sstory.

  Mr. Trenton beamed on McKelvie when I had finished the tale. "My dearsir, this is all your doing. How can I ever thank you? You have lifted agreat load from my mind, and I can think of him with great pity nowinstead of horror in my heart."

  He bowed his head and I was glad he did not know that Dick was alive. Itwas far better that he think his son drowned than that he know that Dickwas somewhere in New York, afraid to come home.

  "Mr. Trenton," said McKelvie presently, "I came here primarily to obtainsome information. Philip Darwin had an account here, did he not?"

  "Raines can tell you," Mr. Trenton replied, ringing for the headcashier.

  I nodded to the young man as he entered, for we were acquainted and Mr.Trenton introduced him to McKelvie, adding, "And Mr. Raines, you havemy authority to tell Mr. McKelvie whatever he desires to know."

  "I'm at your service, Mr. McKelvie," responded Raines, with a cordialsmile.

  "I wish to know whether Philip Darwin has a bank balance here and if sohow much," said McKelvie, getting down to business at once.

  "He closed out his account on the sixth of October," replied Raines."I'm not likely to forget it, since it was the very next night that hewas murdered."

  "And the amount of his balance was--" repeated McKelvie.

  "One hundred and fifty thousand dollars. I gave him the money myself."

  "Did he take it in gold or notes?" asked McKelvie.

  "In bills of large denominations, so that it did not make such a verylarge package to carry. He put it into a small bag and took it awayhimself."

  McKelvie took a turn around the room and then asked abruptly, "Does aMr. Herbert Cunningham, who lives on 84th Street, bank here?"

  "Yes. He's a red-whiskered chap, is he not?"

  McKelvie nodded. "Can you give me the amount of his balance?"

  "I'll get it for you in just a moment." Raines left the room andMcKelvie continued to pace the floor.

  "What do you suppose Philip did with all that money?" asked Mr. Trenton.

  "That's what I'm going to find out," returned McKelvie. "I have an ideaI know where it is."

  "According to Cunningham, Darwin lost it on Wall Street," I said.

  "Yes, and according to Orton Darwin was a cautious speculator. I'llwager the secretary was the better judge of Darwin's character. Orton'sshrewd for all that he's a wretched creature. No, that money did not gointo Wall Street, and I'm going to locate it in just a moment. Well?" asRaines came in again.

  "Cunningham's balance is ten thousand dollars," returned Raines.

  "Any increase lately?" asked McKelvie.

  "No, just a steady decrease," answered the cashier.

  "Has he a strong box?"

  "Yes, he has."

  "May I examine its contents?" inquired McKelvie.

  Raines looked at Mr. Trenton.

  "It's all right. I'll come along, too," and Mr. Trenton rose.

  "By the way, Mr. Raines," said McKelvie, "I should like thisinvestigation conducted as inconspicuously as possible. I'm a richeccentric who wants to hire a strong box, if anyone asks any questions."

  "All right, sir. Whatever Mr. Trenton says goes. I'll meet youdownstairs with the key," replied Raines.

  Mr. Trenton conducted us through the bank corridor to the rear of thebuilding and down a flight of stone steps to the entrance to the vault.The guard swung open the heavy door with a "good-afternoon, sir," to Mr.Trenton, and we entered the fireproof room where the safe deposit boxeswere kept and paused before the one marked Cunningham.

  When Raines came in he inserted the master key in the lock and openedthe deposit box. Inside was a smaller tin cash box and when he liftedthe lid, for it was unlocked, we saw that it was crammed with bills.Raines' eyes opened wide with amazement, and if McKelvie hadn't caughtthe box it would have fallen from his nerveless fingers.

  "Mr. McKelvie," he said in a strange voice, pointing to the contents ofthe box, "those are the bills I gave to Philip Darwin!"

  "I thought as much," said McKelvie seriously. "Lock up this box again.Until we can prove that Cunningham has no right to the money, we cannotconfiscate it. Thank you very much, Mr. Trenton, for your kindness inallowing me this privilege, and I'd be much obliged if you will saynothing to anyone about our discovery. You'll excuse us if we hurryalong?"

  Mr. Trenton nodded and we hastened out, leaving the president and thecashier to lock up the one hundred and fifty thousand dollars inCunningham's strong box.

  "So Cunningham has the money," I remarked as we drove toward StuyvesantSquare. "Can it be he murdered Darwin, and then helped himself to thebills. The cash box in the safe was found empty," I added.

  McKelvie smiled grimly. "Oh, no, he didn't steal the money. I don'tbelieve it was ever in the house on Riverside Drive, but we will makeour friend explain its presence in his strong box just the same. Itshould be an interesting account, to say the least," he endedsarcastically. "Call for me here at five and we'll hear what he has tosay."

  I pondered McKelvie's meaning as I returned to the office. Theexplanation should be interesting he had said. I agreed with him, yetafter all it could have no direct connection with the murder, sincePhilip Darwin had never taken the money home. But how did McKelvie knowthis latter fact? Was he merely theorizing, or did he know more than hehad told me? He had not appeared surprised when we discovered that thelawyer had the money, for he had even hinted that he knew where it was.

  I determined to ask him what other information he had upon this pointwhen I called for him at five o'clock, but at four-thirty, as I wasmaking ready to leave, he phoned me to postpone our visit. His voice wasso high-pitched with excitement that my questions vanished from my mindas if by magic, and all I could exclaim was, "What is it? What hashappened?"

  "Our friend Cunningham will have a pretty job on his hands explainingaway all the facts I have gathered against him to-day," he exulted."He's no more a lawyer than I am, Mr. Davies!"

  "Not a lawyer!" I repeated.

  "No. He's not registered, and he cannot pr
actise law in New York City!I'm going to look up one or two more details before we call upon him. Beat the house at quarter to eight, please, providing, of course, that youdesire to accompany me."

  "McKelvie, if you dare to go to 84th Street without me, there's going tobe trouble between us," I warned and he laughed gayly as he rang off.