The Wiles of the Wicked Part 4

"Well, you know," observed the man, "your story, you'll admit, is a very extraordinary one. You say that a terrible affair has happened in a house somewhere about here, yet you can't direct us to it. The whole story is so curious that I'm afraid you'll have a difficulty in persuading anybody to believe you."

"If you don't, somebody else will," I snapped. "Come, take me to the police-station."

Thus ordered, the man rather reluctantly took my arm, and crossing the wide main road, we traversed a number of short crooked thoroughfares.

"You don't seem a very good walker, mister," the constable observed presently. "I see a cab in the distance. Would you like to take it?"

"Yes. Call it," I said, for I felt very weak and ill after my terrible night's adventure.

A few minutes later we were sitting together in the hansom, driving towards the address he had given, namely, College Place Police-Station.

On the way I explained to him the whole of the facts as far as I could recollect them. He listened attentively to my curious narrative until I had concluded, then said--

"Well, sir, it's certainly a most mysterious affair, and the only fear I have is that everybody will look upon it with disbelief. I know what I should do if I were a gentleman in your place."

"What would you do?"

"Well, I should keep my knowledge to myself, say nothing about it, and leave the revelation of the crime to chance."

"I am compelled to make a report of it, because I was present at the tragedy," I said. "It is my duty, in the interests of justice."

"Of course, that's all very well, I quite agree that your duty as a citizen is to make a statement to my inspector, but if I may be permitted to say so, my private opinion is, that to preserve a discreet silence is better than making a fool of one's self."

"You're certainly plain-spoken," I said smiling.

"Oh, well, you'll excuse me, sir," the man said, half-apologetically.

"I mean no offence, you know. I only tell you how I myself would act.

Now, if you could give any real information of value to the detectives, there would be some reason for making the statement, but as you can't, well you'll only give yourself no end of bother for nothing."

"But surely, man, you don't think that with the knowledge of this terrible affair in my mind I'm going to preserve silence and allow the a.s.sa.s.sin to escape, do you?"

"Well, it seems that the a.s.sa.s.sin has escaped already, in any case," the man laughed. "You take it from me that they were a cute lot in that house, whoever they were. The wonder is that they didn't kill you."

An exactly similar thought had crossed my mind. The drive seemed a long one, but at length the cab stopped, and we alighted.

I heard the conveyance turn and go off, as together we ascended the steps of the station. One thing struck me as curious, namely, that the air was filled with a strong odour like turpentine.

"The station is a long way from your beat," I remarked.

"Yes. A fairish way, but we're used to it, and don't notice the distance."

"And this is College Place--is it?"

"Yes," he responded, conducting me down a long pa.s.sage. The length of the corridor surprised me, and I humorously remarked--

"You're not going to put me in the cells, I hope?"

"Scarcely," he laughed. "But if we did the darkness wouldn't trouble you very much, I fear. Blindness must be an awful affliction."

He had scarcely uttered these words ere we ascended a couple of steps and entered what seemed to be a s.p.a.cious place, the charge-room of the police-station.

There was the sound of heavy tramping over bare boards, and suddenly a rather gruff voice inquired--

"Well, four-six-eight? What is it?"

"Gentleman, sir--wants to report a tragedy. He's blind, sir."

"Bring him a chair," said the inspector's voice authoritatively.

My guide drew forward a chair, and I seated myself, saying--

"I believe you are the inspector on duty here?"

"Yes, I am. Will you kindly tell me your name and address?"

I did so, and the scratching of a quill told me that he was about to take down my statement.

"Well?" he inquired at length. "Please go on, for my time is limited.

What's the nature of the affair?"

"I've been present to-night in a house where a double murder has been committed," I said.

"Where?"

"Ah! That's unfortunately just the mystery which I cannot solve. Being blind, I could obtain no idea of the exterior of the place, and in my excitement I left it without properly marking the house."

"Tell me the whole of the facts," observed the officer. "Who are the victims?"

"A woman and a man."

"Young or old?"

"Both young, as far as I can judge. At any rate, I examined the body of the man and found him to be about twenty-eight."

"The gentleman has no idea of the street where the tragedy has occurred," chimed in the constable. "He met me outside the Museum, and the blood on his clothes was still wet."

"He's got an injury to the head," remarked the inspector.

"I was knocked down and rendered insensible by a cab," I explained.

"When I again became conscious I found myself in a strange house."

"They didn't rob you?"

I felt in my pockets, but I could not discover that I had lost anything.

I remembered that I had only a couple of half-sovereigns and some loose silver upon me, and this remained still in my pocket. My fingers touched the stud and pencil-case, and I hesitated whether to give these up to the police. But next second the thought flashed through my mind that if I did, suspicion might be aroused against me, and further that while I kept them in my possession I should possess a secret clue to the victims of the terrible tragedy.

After I had fully explained the whole circ.u.mstances, and the inspector had written down with infinite care each word of my remarkable statement, he said--

"It seems as though both the man and woman fell victims to some plot or other. You say that there were no high words, and that all you heard was a woman's shriek, and a man's voice say, `Why, you've killed her!'