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The Master Detective

P >> Percy James Brebner >> The Master Detective




I can affirm that the vicar of St. Ethelburga's did not think so, and
since Miss Belford's letter, which came from America, did not give any
address I imagine she was not sure what attitude Mr. Harding would take
up. What became of the gems, or how they were disposed of, I do not know;
I only know that there is no jeweled chalice at St. Ethelburga's now, and
I fancy the vicar thinks that, as a detective, I was a ghastly failure.




CHAPTER XIV

THE ADVENTURE OF THE FORTY-TON YAWL


Brilliant sunshine and a sufficient breeze, a well-appointed forty-ton
yawl, nothing to do but lie basking on the warm deck, conscious of a very
pretty woman at the helm--well, you may go a long way before you find
anything to beat it for pure enjoyment.

How I came to be spending my time under such enviable circumstances
requires some explanation, especially when I state that the exceedingly
pretty woman was not Zena Quarles.

It will be remembered that to attend to the jeweled chalice case, which
proved to be an affair of a day and a night only, I had been taken off a
job concerning a series of hotel robberies, and I was particularly glad
to be put back upon this case, because Quarles was so intensely
interested in it. Although the chalice case was not actually cleared up
satisfactorily for some months, it was practically certain that the
attack made upon us had nothing to do with the theft of the chalice.

The professor was convinced that, unconsciously, we had been hot upon the
trail of the hotel robberies, that the trails of the two cases had, in
fact, crossed each other. It seemed to me that he had jumped to this
conclusion upon insufficient evidence, but I determined to make a
thorough investigation of the house at Hampstead at once.

The house was in charge of a caretaker named Mason, who lived there in
one sparsely furnished room, but on the night of our capture he had
absented himself without leave. This looked suspicious, but the man was
able to prove that he had told the truth as to his whereabouts, and
further inquiry elicited nothing against him. Quarles also declared
emphatically that Mason was not the masked man he had seen in the cellar.

I next managed to get an interview with the owner of the house, a Mr.
Wibley. He had lived in it himself for a time, but it had now been empty
for about two years. It was a good house, but old-fashioned. People did
not like basements, and as the house was in a neighborhood which was
deteriorating he had not felt inclined to spend money upon it. He knew
nothing about the caretaker who had been put there by the house agent,
but he was very keen to give me any help in his power, for he had himself
been a victim of one of the hotel robberies. Business occasionally
brought him to town from his house in Hampshire, and while staying in an
hotel a big haul had been made, and a necklace which he had bought for
his daughter only that day was amongst the property stolen.

All these robberies, which had occurred over a period of six months, had
been carried out with a success which entirely baffled the authorities.

Apparently rooms were rifled during the table d'hôte; at least, it was
always late in the evening that the robberies were discovered. In no case
had a guest or a servant left suddenly or suspiciously, and drastic
search had discovered nothing. There could be little doubt that a clever
gang was at work, but during this period not a single stolen article had
been traced. Scotland Yard had any number of men engaged upon the case;
known thieves were watched, and fences kept under observation; but as a
fact there had been no clue at all until Quarles and I had been kidnaped.

Of course, there was no certainty that our capture had anything to do
with these robberies. Quarles based his conviction on the fact that I had
spoken to another detective, Percival, who was known to have the case in
hand. He believed that I had been seen, that it was concluded that the
case was in my hands, that in hunting for the chalice I had stumbled on
the other trail, was so hot upon it, in fact, that prompt action on the
thieves' part was absolutely necessary.

It was obvious that our capture must be a clue to something; it was
natural, perhaps, to jump to the conclusion that it concerned these
robberies, but Quarles's arguments did not altogether convince me. I had
half a dozen men hunting for young Squires, who had almost certainly led
us into an ambush that night and who had disappeared completely. His old
haunts had not known him for a long time; his old companions had lost
sight of him. It was generally understood that he had cut his old ways
and had turned pious, an evident reference to the hooligan club. At one
time he had certainly been friendly with some of the members of a gang I
knew of, a gang quite likely to be responsible for these robberies, but
inquiries went to show that this gang had practically ceased to exist as
an organization.

For nearly a week I was busy morning, noon, and night collecting evidence
and facts which were retailed to Quarles, and then I broke down. Nervous
energy had kept me going, I suppose, but the blow I had received was not
to be ignored. The doctor ordered rest, and I went to Folkestone. I
suppose I looked ill, and, perchance, a little interesting; at any rate,
I was the recipient of quite a lot of sympathy, and it was on the third
afternoon of my stay in the hotel that Mrs. Selborne spoke to me. She
had heard me telling some one that I was recovering from an accident.

She had a yacht in the harbor. She had great faith in the recuperating
power of yachting. She would have her skipper up that evening, if I would
make use of the yacht next day. I hesitated to accept her kind offer. She
evidently meant me to go alone; said she had not intended to use the
yacht on the following day; but it was finally arranged that she should
take me for a sail. It was the first of several. On the first occasion
she also took a lady staying in the hotel, and on the second a lad who
was there with his parents, but as they were both bad sailors we went by
ourselves the third time.

"It spoils the pleasure to see other people ill," said Mrs. Selborne. "I
think we might really go alone without unduly shocking people."

So it happened that I was enjoying the breeze and the sunshine under
ideal circumstances and with as charming a companion as a man could
wish to have.

I told Zena so in one of my letters; so convincingly, I regret to say,
that the dear girl did not like it. There was really no cause for
jealousy, but bring a man in close contact with a pretty and charming
woman, especially on a yacht, and he is almost certain to flirt with
her a little.

It was very mild and harmless in my case, and indeed Mrs. Selborne, jolly
and somewhat unconventional as she was, would have resented any liberty.
We frankly enjoyed each other's society, and at the end of a few days
might have known each other for years.

Certainly I owed her a debt of gratitude, for the yacht did me worlds of
good. I told her so that afternoon.

"You certainly look better," she said.

"You will send me back to work sooner than I expected."

"When?"

"At the end of the week."

"And I expect my husband to-morrow."

I don't suppose she meant it, but she said it as if she regretted
his coming.

"Is he fond of yachting?" I asked.

"It bores him to tears," she laughed. "Most of the things which I like
do. Still, he is very good to me. I am an old man's darling, you know."

It was the first time she had mentioned her husband, and she had not
shown the slightest curiosity in my affairs. She was just a good pal for
the time being. That was how she had impressed me, but this afternoon she
was--how shall I put it?--she was rather more of a woman than usual. I
might easily imagine she had given me an opening for a serious
flirtation. Her manner might suggest that I had become more to her than
she had intended. I put the idea away from me, mentally kicking myself
for allowing it to get into my head at all.

"We shall sail as usual to-morrow," she told her skipper when we landed.

"Very good, ma'am."

"Mr. Selborne arrives to-morrow night. Let some one go up for his
luggage. Half past ten."

"Yes, ma'am."

Mrs. Selborne and I walked back to the hotel and stood on the lawn
talking for a little while before going to dress for dinner.

"To-morrow will be our last cruise, I am afraid," she said, looking
across the Leas. "I hope it will be fine."

"I hope so."

"It would really be a terrible disappointment to me if it were not. I
would go--Ah, now I am being tempted to talk foolishly."

She turned from me a little defiantly. She was certainly very attractive,
and naturally fell into poses which showed her off to the best advantage.
A man, sitting on the lawn, paused in the act of taking a cigarette from
his case to look at her. His interest pleased me. I was human, and it
flattered my vanity to know that I counted with this woman.

"What desperate thing were you going to say?" I asked.

"You will laugh at me."

"I am more likely to match you in desperation."

"I was going to say I would go to-morrow, wet or fine, wind or sunshine,
rather than miss our last day."

Could I do less than make a compact that it should be so? If I admit
there was no sign of a coming change in the weather it must not be
supposed that I am trying to make out that her beauty and personality did
not affect me. They did.

"I could almost pray for bad weather just to see that you are a man of
your word," she laughed. "Is it a promise?"

"It is."

She went in to dress, and I smoked a cigarette before doing likewise.

As I entered my room and closed the door, a man stepped from behind
the wardrobe. It was the man who had been interested in Mrs. Selborne
on the lawn.

"Pardon. I wished to speak to you alone, and this seemed the only
method."

"I'll hear what you have to say before I hand you over to the
management," I answered.

"It is a delicate matter," he returned, with a simper, which made me
desire to kick him. "It concerns a lady. You are Mr. James Murray; at
least, that is the name you entered in the hotel books."

"It is my name," I answered.

"Part of it, I think, part of it. You are usually called Murray Wigan, I
believe, and you are engaged to Miss Quarles--Miss Zena Quarles, the
granddaughter of a rather stupid professor."

"What has this to do with you?"

"I said it was a delicate matter," he went on. "My client has reason to
believe that you are--shall I say enamored of a lady staying in this
hotel? You may have noticed me on the lawn just now when you were talking
to the lady--I judge it was the lady. Your taste, sir, appeals to me, but
I am bound to say--"

"Are you a private detective?"

"Just an inquiry agent; helpful in saving people trouble sometimes."

"Do you mean to tell me that Miss Quarles--"

"No, not exactly, but, my dear Wigan--"

It was Quarles. He changed his voice, seemed to alter his figure, but of
course the make-up remained. He was a perfect genius in altering his
appearance.

"Was that the lady?" he asked. "Zena mentioned you were yachting with a
Mrs. Selborne down here. I don't think she quite liked it. She was woman
enough to read between the lines of your letter."

"Oh, nonsense!" I exclaimed.

"Quite so; still the lady is decidedly attractive, and Murray Wigan is a
man. The man who holds himself barred from admiring one woman just
because he happens to be engaged to another is not a very conspicuous
biped. I am not reproaching you, I should probably do the same myself,
but Zena will take you to task no doubt, and you will explain and
promise not to do it any more, and--"

"I haven't done anything which requires explanation," I said irritably.

"Of course not, but that may not be Zena's view, and I daresay Mrs.
Selborne believes you are more than half in love with her. I happened to
overhear part of your conversation. She was putting your admiration to
the test, rather a severe test, by the way, since you are an invalid.
Probably she is smiling to herself in the glass as she dresses for
dinner, which reminds me you have none too much time to dress, and you
must not be late to-night."

"Why not? I am feeling quite fit again. If there is anything to be done I
am quite capable of doing it."

"Dress, Wigan, while I talk. Since you broke down at a crucial point I
have been helping Percival. I daresay he will get the kudos in this case,
but you mustn't grudge him that."

"I don't."

"We have progressed," Quarles went on. "I will give you my line of
argument and the result so far. We start with Squires. He led us into a
trap, but the gang with which he was formerly connected has practically
ceased to exist. His old companions have seen nothing of him; he is
supposed to have turned good, and I find he has been a member of that
hooligan club for over a year with an irreproachable record during that
time. Two conclusions seem to arise; either Squires is connected with
another gang, or some compulsion was put upon him to betray us. I incline
to the second idea, and if I am correct there must have been a strong
incentive to persuade Squires to do what he did. Perhaps he wished to
protect some one."

"What did Percival say to that?" I asked as I put the links into my
shirt.

"He jeered at it, of course, as you are inclined to do; indeed, it was
quite a long time before Percival awoke to the fact that I was not quite
a fool. Now the machinery of Scotland Yard seems to have proved that
these robberies are not the work of a known gang; we may therefore assume
that persons unknown to the police are at work. The methods adopted are
clever. The property is stolen, yet no one has disappeared from the
hotel, neither guest nor servant, and in no case has any of the property
been found in the possession of any one in the hotel. Shall we suppose
that it has been carefully lowered from a bedroom window to an accomplice
without? None of this property has been traced, which leads us to two
hypotheses; either it has been got out of the country and disposed of
abroad, or the thieves can afford to bide their time. When you consider
the worth of the jewels stolen, it seems remarkable that nothing should
have been traced in the known markets abroad, and I am inclined to think
the thieves can afford to wait. Having arrived at this point--"

"Without a scrap of evidence," I put in.

"Without any evidence," said Quarles imperturbably. "I began to suspect
that my arch villain, for of course there is a leading spirit, must be in
command of wealth; and, remembering the short period during which the
robberies have happened, I ventured a guess that, once a sufficient
fortune were acquired, he would disappear, that his great coup being
accomplished he would retire from business, and become a respectable
citizen of this or some other country--a gentleman who had acquired
wealth by speculation."

"Once a man has known the excitement of crime he does not give it up," I
said. "That's the result of experience, Professor, not guesswork."

"Quite so, but I had visualized an extraordinary personality. Where was I
to find such a man and the efficient confederates who were helping him in
his schemes? One or more of them must have been present at each robbery,
and would no doubt be amongst those who had lost property. Theory, of
course, but we now come to something practical--the house at Hampstead.
If my theory of crossed trails were correct, if you were thought to be
engaged on this investigation, then that house was in some way linked
with the robberies. I may mention incidentally the value of having such a
place of retreat; the spoil could be deposited there until it could
safely be removed to a better hiding place.

"This, of course, would inculpate the caretaker Mason. He has been
carefully watched; he has done nothing to give himself away, the result
of careful training, I fancy. Through this house we get another link--the
owner, Mr. Wibley. He has been a sufferer in these robberies, losing a
necklace he had just purchased for his daughter. Certainly a man to know
under the circumstances. As you are aware, he lives in Hampshire, and I
had a sudden desire to see that part of the country. I didn't call upon
Mr. Wibley, although he was at home.

"His daughter was away--it was quite true he has a daughter. I took
rather elaborate precautions not to encounter Mr. Wibley; he might be
curious about a stranger in the country, but he would have been
astonished to know how much I saw of him. No, there was nothing
suspicious about him, except that on two occasions a man met him on a
lonely road, evidently with important business to transact. On the day
after the second meeting Mr. Wibley departed and came to Hythe. No later
than this morning he was playing golf there with this same man he met in
Hampshire. The golf was poor, but they talked a lot."

"Still, I do not see--"

"One moment, Wigan. The other man is staying in your hotel."

"You think--"

"I think it was intended to rob this hotel, but I believe the idea
has been abandoned," said Quarles. "However, I have put the manager
on his guard."

"And pointed out the man you suspect!"

"Yes."

"That was foolish. If the thief is as clever as you imagine, he will
probably notice the manager's interest in him. I should say you have
warned him most effectually."

"I don't think so. You see, it was you I pointed out to the manager."

I paused with one arm in my waistcoat to stare at him.

"I have arranged that he shall not interfere with you," said Quarles.
"You will be able to go yachting to-morrow. I was obliged to fix matters
so that I could come and go as I chose, and it was safer to draw the
manager's attention to one man rather than allow him to suspect others,
amongst them the very man we want to hoodwink, perhaps. The fact is,
Wigan, I believe the gang know you are here, and think you are here on
business. Plans will have been made accordingly, and it is therefore
absolutely necessary that you should go on just as you have been doing. I
don't think the hotel will be robbed now, but I am not sure. Sunshine or
storm, go with Mrs. Selborne to-morrow. Exactly what is going to happen
I do not know, but at the end of your cruise to-morrow you may want all
your wits about you."

"Are you staying in the hotel?" I asked.

"No, at Hythe, and I spend some of my time on Romney Marsh. I am
interested in a lonely house there. You must go; there is the gong. I
must tell you about the house another time."

"When shall I see you again?"

"To-morrow night. Leave me here. I will sneak out after you have gone."

It was natural my eyes should wander round the dining-room that night,
trying to discover by intuition which was the man who might engineer a
robbery at the hotel.

Once the manager entered the room, and, knowing what I did, I could not
doubt he wanted to satisfy himself that I was there. It did not worry me
that Quarles had made use of me in this way; I was quite prepared to be
arrested if the robbery did take place, but I was annoyed that the
professor had told me so little.

It was his way; I had had experience of it before, but it was treatment I
had never been able to get used to.

After dinner Mrs. Selborne joined me in the lounge for a little while,
and talked about our sail next day, and then I was asked to make up a
bridge table.

Remembering Zena's attitude, according to Quarles, I was rather glad to
get away from Mrs. Selborne. She played bridge, too, but not at my table.

There was no burglary that night, and the following morning was as good
for yachting as one could desire. However, we could not start at our
usual time. The crew consisted of the skipper and two hands, and one of
the hands came up to say that it was necessary to replace some gear,
which would take until midday. Mrs. Selborne was very angry.

"We shall have to kill time until twelve o 'clock," she said, turning to
me. "It is a pity, but we'll get our sail somehow if all the gear goes
wrong. It is very likely only an excuse to get a short day's work, but I
am not expert enough to challenge my skipper."

When we got aboard soon after noon, however, she had a great deal to say
to the skipper; would have him point out exactly what had gone wrong, and
showed him quite plainly she did not believe there need have been so long
a delay; but she soon recovered her temper when she took the helm, and
her good spirits became infectious.

I was on holiday, and was not inclined to bother my head with problems.
If for a moment I wondered what Quarles was doing, I quickly forgot all
about him.

I repeat, when you have got a pretty woman on a yacht, and she is
inclined to be exceedingly gracious, nothing else matters much for the
time being.

We had lunch, and Mrs. Selborne smoked a cigarette before we returned to
the deck. The skipper was at the tiller, but she did not relieve him. She
was in a lazy mood, and I arranged some cushions to make her comfortable.
We were standing well out from Dungeness.

Mrs. Selborne seemed a little surprised at our position.

"We must get back to dinner," she said to the skipper.

"That'll be all right, ma'am," he answered.

"We must pay some attention to the conventions," she laughed, speaking to
me in an undertone. "We couldn't plead foul weather as an excuse for
being late, could we?"

"We started late, and it is our last sail," I said.

The skipper did not alter his course, and Mrs. Selborne lapsed
into silence.

The comfort and laziness made her drowsy, I expect. I know they did me. I
caught myself nodding more and more.

Suddenly there was a jerk, effectually rousing me from my nodding
condition. I thought we had struck something. The next instant I rolled
on my back. A rope was round my arms and legs. The skipper was still at
the helm, and he smiled as one of the hands tied me up. The other hand
was doing the same to Mrs. Selborne.

There was fear in her face; she tried to speak, but could not.

"What the devil is--"

"A shut mouth, mister, is your best plan," said the skipper. "Get her
down below, Jim. Chuck her on one of the bunks; she'll be out of the
way there."

"Help me! Save me!" she said as they lifted her up and carried her down.

"Now see here," said the skipper, slipping a hand into his pocket and
showing me a revolver, "if you feel inclined to do any shouting, you
suppress it, or this is going to drill a hole in your head. It's a detail
that you might shout yourself hoarse and no one would pay any attention."

"What's the game?" I said. "For the sake of the lady I might come
to terms."

"That's not the game, anyway, and I don't want any conversation."

Quarles! I thought of him now. The hotel gang was at work, and this was
one of the moves. How it was going to serve their ends I did not see,
unless--unless I was presently dropped overboard.

It was an unpleasant contemplation, and I am afraid I cursed Quarles. If
he had only told me a little more I might at least have been prepared and
made a fight for it. What about Mrs. Selborne? Would they drown her, too?
They might put her ashore somewhere.

The coast about Dungeness is desolate enough. It would be easy to slip in
after dark and leave her. Not a sound came from the cabin, and the two
hands returned to the deck. By the skipper's orders they lashed me in a
sitting position to a skylight.

We were still standing out to sea, and one of the hands took the tiller;
the other received instructions to kick the wind out of me if I shouted
or began asking questions. Then the skipper went below.

I listened, but I could not hear him speak to Mrs. Selborne.

It was fine sunset that evening. When we presently came round and stood
in towards shore I got a feast of color over Romney Marsh. Watching the
ever-changing colors as the night crept out of the sea, I remembered that
Quarles was interested in Romney Marsh, in a lonely house there about
which he had had no time to tell me last night; had this lonely house an
interest for me? I tried to work out the plot in a dozen ways,
endeavoring to understand how the thieves could secure themselves if I
were allowed to live.

That gorgeous sunset was depressing. The coming night might be so full of
ominous meaning for me.

It was dark by the time we drew in towards the shore. A light or two
marked Dymchurch to our left, to our right were the lights of Hythe.

By what landmark the skipper chose his position I do not know, but
presently the anchor was let go and we swung round. The tide must have
been nearly at the full. A few minutes later the dinghy was got into the
water, and the steps let down.

Everything was accomplished as neatly and deliberately as I had seen it
done each time I had gone sailing in the yacht.

Then the skipper came over to me and tried my bonds to make sure I had
not worked them loose under cover of the darkness.

"All right," he said. "You can get her up."

Evidently they were going to take Mrs. Selborne ashore.

She came up on deck, she was not brought up. She was not bound in any
way.

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