CHAPTER XXXII
LEE'S STORY
Despite his arm, which he had redressed himself and which was quitestiff, McKelvie was up ahead of me, and when I came down at noon attiredin my own garments (McKelvie had phoned Jenkins to bring me my things) Ifelt quite like myself again.
"Has the doctor been here?" I asked as we had our luncheon.
"Yes, but he will be back later. Lee is still asleep. We shall hear hisstory this afternoon." Then he sighed. "I wish we had been able to catchthat old chap. I am positive he is the murderer. I felt it in my boneswhen he looked at me and my bones are quite infallible, I assure you,"and he smiled whimsically.
"It is a pity," I said, "for then this business would be over."
When we rose from the table and went back to the living-room, McKelviemoved about restlessly, and then said impatiently, "I wish the doctorwould come. I want to get at the boy's story as soon as possible, for Ithink he may help us locate Cora Manning, and we shall have to work fastnow if we expect to catch the criminal. He's too clever to hang aroundmuch longer, now that he knows the game is up as far as Mrs. Darwin isconcerned."
I heartily indorsed McKelvie's words, for I was eager to hear what Leehad to say, but he did not waken until five o'clock and the doctor, whohad come in some time previous, forbade our disturbing him. When wefinally mounted to his room, Jones, McKelvie and I, we could hardly waitfor the doctor's assurance that he thought it would not harm the youngman to talk. As we gathered about the bed, Lee leaned back against hispillows, his hollow cheeks flushed and his black eyes glitteringstrangely as he looked at us. I heard Jones mutter something about "eyeslike a madman's," which Lee evidently overheard, for he turned to thedoctor with an appealing glance.
"Before I begin," he said, in a weak voice, "I want you, doctor, toanswer me a question. Am I perfectly rational and sane?"
"Yes, perfectly sane," responded the doctor, quietly.
Lee breathed a sigh of relief. "Please remember that, gentlemen," hecontinued. "I may look mad but I'm not. No, nor ever have been, thoughat times I thought I was pretty near to it."
He paused to gather strength and then he told his tale almost without abreak, for it gripped him too vitally to admit of his stopping, once hehad begun.
"To explain my actions I must go back to the morning of the seventh. Itestified at the inquest that I quarreled with my uncle about Ruth. Ilied. We quarreled about Cora Manning."
At this name Jones leaned closer, a greater interest in his face.
"I met her a year ago when she came to New York to study for the stage.Three months ago we became engaged and I gave her, as is customary, adiamond ring. Later I introduced my uncle to her. Instantly he evinced agreat interest in her, cloaking his infatuation (I know it was that now)under the guise of a desire to aid her in her career. He took her out anumber of times and when I protested she accused me of being jealous ofmy uncle, which she said was unworthy of me if I loved her, since myuncle was an old married man.
"To make a long story short, on the morning of the seventh, as I wasleaving the house, my uncle called me back into the study and thereshowed me the ring I had given Cora, swearing she had bestowed it uponhim to return it to me, as she no longer cared for me and was coming tosee him there in the study that night. He had the ring on the littlefinger of his left hand and he pulled it off with a laugh and held ittoward me. I snatched it from him and flung it in his face, and wouldhave leaped upon him to strangle him then and there, but he read mypurpose in my face, and like the craven that he was, he called to Ortonto come into the room. Then he ordered me to leave his house and I wentout by the window, vowing vengeance upon him.
"I hurried to Cora's and accused her of treachery, declaring I'd kill myuncle before he should have her. I was mad, crazy, and refusing tolisten to any explanations I rushed away and bought a pistol. Thatevening I hung around the house on Riverside Drive. I would wait herarrival and then go in and kill them both. I saw my uncle let himselfinto the house and about an hour later Mr. Davies arrived, but still noCora. I began to think I had been a fool, but determined to wait a whilelonger just to make sure. About eleven forty-five, for I looked at mywatch as I reached the gate, I saw her coming down the street with asuitcase in her hand. Mad with rage, I hid behind some bushes andfollowed her as she turned into the grounds. It was very dark and I losther as she slipped around the house.
"I decided to enter by the front door and confront them, then I recalledthat Mr. Davies had not yet gone, and determined to try the windows. Icrept to the second window and by means of my flash saw that the shadedid not come level with the bottom of the window. I knelt down andapplied my eye to this space. By looking upward from the extreme cornerof the window I discovered that I could see what my uncle was doing. Theroom was dark except for the lamp that threw its rays over the table andchair, and in the latter my uncle was reclining asleep. Then as Ilooked, suddenly Cora appeared beside the table and in her hand shecarried a small pistol. She pointed it at my uncle, and just then thelight went out. I judged that she had shot him, though I heard no sound,and so paralyzed with horror was I that I remained where I was gazinginto the darkness of the room before me.
"How long I stayed there I don't know. Presently I thought I heard thesound of a step on the walk. I wrenched myself free from the entanglingivy and hastened to the gate. There was no one in sight. For a long timeI stood there, debating whether to go back or not, and then I came tothe conclusion that if she had really shot my uncle she needed everyminute to get away. I fled the place and paced the streets in an agonyof suspense. In the morning I returned to the Club, where I slept untilnoon. When the steward woke me my first thought was for Cora. I dashedaround to Gramercy Park. She was gone, had been gone since the nightbefore. Then I rushed up to my uncle's house, thinking she might havebeen caught. I found the coroner in possession. Persuaded that Cora hadkilled my uncle and not seeing her present, I determined to shield herby denying all knowledge of her. After my testimony I went upstairs tomy rooms, gathered together a few necessary articles and went back toGramercy Park. She was still missing. I thought of advertising for herand had gone as far as the _Herald_ office when it occurred to me thatby locating her I would only be putting her life in danger.
"Dejectedly I returned to the Club once more and there found a writtenmessage awaiting me. I read and destroyed it, but the words are burnedinto my brain:
'Lee, my darling: I killed him to save my honor. If you love me, help me to get away. I could not bear the notoriety of a trial. Meet me at the corner of Twenty-third Street and Third Avenue and I'll be waiting for you in a brown taxi. CORA.'
"I told the steward to hold my rooms as I was going South on business,and took a taxi to Twenty-fifth and Third Avenue, where I dismissed theman and walked rapidly to Twenty-third Street."
Lee paused and drew a gasping breath, whereupon the doctor hastened toadminister a stimulant.
"The car was waiting?" prompted McKelvie.
"Yes, and when I appeared the door opened and a hand beckoned. I enteredthe car unsuspectingly, but I was no sooner seated and the door had beenclosed (it was dark as pitch inside, since all the shades were drawn)than I felt a hand on my face and smelled something that made me gasp.Some instinct warned me not to breathe and I thrust out my hand and myfingers closed on a man's rough coat. Then I realized I'd been trappedand flung myself toward my assailant. He grasped my throat and thrust ahandkerchief over my face. The deadly fumes got into my lungs, for Ifelt myself suffocating, and drawing a deep involuntary breath I fellunconscious.
"When I came to I was lying in the room where you found me, and a coupleof ruffians were guarding me. I do not recall much of this part of theaffair, for I was kept in a semi-conscious state most of the time andleft absolutely alone all day, with little or no food. I have animpression that once every night I was shaken into consciousness bysomeone who spoke in a harsh whisper and asked me a lot of questionsabout the murder. Fearing for Cora, I refused to
answer. Every day Igrew weaker and every day the harsh voice grew more insistent, until theman, whoever he was, started to torture me as well. The day before yourescued me I lost all consciousness of what was going on, for my mindhad been partly drugged, I believe. I guess that's all except that Iwant to thank you fellows for getting me out of there."
Lee closed his eyes wearily, and Jones scratched his head in perplexity.
"If what he says is true," whispered Jones to me, "where does Mrs.Darwin come in? He must have dreamed all this. Darwin was shot atmidnight."
"He didn't dream that he had been held a prisoner, at least," Ireturned. "As for the rest, I presume it's all true enough," and Iturned toward McKelvie to get his opinion in the matter.
"Mr. Darwin," McKelvie said, as Lee opened his eyes again, "are youstrong enough to answer some questions?"
"Yes," Lee answered.
"Describe the man who questioned you?"
"I never saw him. The room was always dark. I heard his voice, that isall. It was always a harsh whisper. But wait, once I put out my handand felt a beard, long and silky."
McKelvie nodded quickly. "What questions did he ask you?"
"He asked me where I was the night of the murder, and he kept sayingover and over, 'someone you love is in danger and when you tell me whatyou know about your uncle's murder, she will be freed.'
"I had a feeling this was another trap," Lee went on, "since if I toldhim that she had committed the murder they would send her to prison. Ihad no idea what his connection with the affair might be, but Idetermined not to be caught napping again."
"There is no connection between him and the murder," responded Jonesauthoritatively. "We've got the criminal locked up this minute."
"Oh, have you," returned McKelvie, sarcastically. "Just listen to what Ihave since discovered, Jones," and he sketched rapidly the main facts inthe case.
They listened spellbound, as he told of the secret entrance and thesecond shot, declaring that Darwin was murdered at eleven-forty by theman we had seen in the curio shop, that this man was keeping CoraManning a prisoner, and had deliberately set about implicating Ruth inthe murder. Jones' eyes grew wide with astonishment as he listened, forit upset all his preconceived ideas.
"Then she didn't kill him, thank God, thank God," sobbed Lee, quiteovercome by all he had been through.
"No, she didn't kill him," returned McKelvie kindly. "And now we aregoing to do our best to find her for you."
The Mystery of the Hidden Room Page 32
