The Car of Destiny Part 50

"The minute I heard the chap was a kind of herb doctor, and sometimes treated grand people, I nearly jumped off my seat; for you know why Carmona was supposed to come to Granada?"

I nodded.

"Well, Castello was in with this doctor in a way, for he was engaged by him to fetch herbs and flowers from the mountains-like the Manzanilla, for instance, which only begins to grow at an elevation of twelve thousand feet. Castello believed that the old fellow could make poisons too, as well as antidotes; and said I to myself, 'Maybe that little dagger in the cathedral was specially prepared, eh?' Which would account for Carmona hurrying off to Granada after it had found the wrong billet.

"Anyhow, I said I'd like to see the dog, so I was taken behind the red curtain into Mr. Castello's bedroom, and on a shelf lay a revolver which might have been twin to the one you bought in Madrid."

"It was still more nearly related," said I.

"Well, I thought so, but wasn't sure enough to call on the police. I went away when I'd said nice things about the sick dog; but I didn't go far. I hung around till Castello's visitor had been and gone, and then followed him to the door of this house. Such a mild, intelligent looking, well-dressed old gentleman, the herb doctor was; but I guess I needn't describe him to you!

"Next day I bought some things at a baker's not far from here, and b.u.t.tered up the shopkeeper, saying his store was too good for the neighbourhood. Of course he told me he had rich customers, and it was jolly lucky I'd been f.a.gging up Spanish for Pilar's sake, or I should have missed a lot, right there. I soon got him on the subject of the herb doctor, his best client, who, though supposed to be well-off, and living in a good house, did all his shopping himself and kept no servants. n.o.body knew much about him, except what he said of himself; that he could set bones, and was able to make as much money as he liked, selling his herb medicines to great personages. Who were the great personages? The baker couldn't tell; but the doctor had lived in his present house for years, after taking it when in a bad state of repair, and having it done up inside by workmen he brought from Madrid. From that day on, no one the baker knew had ever been invited in, though he'd heard stories of veiled ladies, and sounds of music at night.

"At that, the thought jumped into my mind that maybe the house was Carmona's, a little secret plaything of his. And I remembered reading about a famous old palace in the Albaicin with an underground way to the Alhambra. Why shouldn't there be such a way from Carmona's palace to the doctor's house? And what a convenient place it would be to keep a troublesome person."

"Or to kill one," I amended.

"I thought of that; but I hoped. People don't commit murder when their blood is cool if they can get what they want cheaper. I went again to the police, said I believed that my friend was detained against his will in the house of Doctor Molina. But when they wanted my reasons I couldn't give any to convince them. They thought I was mad, and refused to search.

I was afraid they'd warn the old chap to look out for a crazy American, so I hurried up and took matters into my own hands.

"I wasn't sure enough of anything to jump on the man outside his own door and do the burglar act openly, lest the police should jump on _me_, and I should be laid by before I'd found you. But about that time I began to have water on the brain; or rather, I got possessed with the idea of sneaking into houses by means of conduits; and no wonder, when the whole Albaicin is honeycombed with watercourses, gluddering and gurgling from morning till night.

"In the next street to this, there's a Moorish house of much the same sort, being torn down. They were selling old tiles to curiosity dealers one day, so I strolled into the _patio_. The pavement was up, and I saw how the conduit ran underneath and supplied the fountain. That was instructive. Opposite this place of Molina's is a mill. I found out how the miller got his water, and that after it turned his wheel, it poured in this direction, being turned off every night about nine. At the miller's the conduit is open, only guarded by a rail; and I developed a taste for making sketches and taking photographs-tourist in search of the picturesque; miller got used to seeing me about, while I made myself familiar with the landscape. Then I bought a crowbar and a little electric lamp. The bar I hid under my coat; and when I was ready to shed the garment, Ropes put it on. I guess it was a looser fit for him than that conduit was for me, and there were twelve feet of conduit; good long strait-jacket, but I've been in it a lot of times now, and feel quite at home. You see, the job couldn't be done in one go, for I had to make the hole under the fountain bigger, and I've been tinkering away for nearly a week, o' nights when the water was stopped. And if I'd come up at last, like a demon in a pantomime, to find I'd had my trouble for my pains, I can't say what I should have turned my wits to next."

"Does Pilar know?" I asked.

"She and the Colonel went off in a hurry to Madrid just before I took the job on. They thought they could influence the police at headquarters, which was their princ.i.p.al reason for going; though they had one or two others besides. But see here, you've got the story pat now, and you're looking a thousand per cent. more healthy than when you sat down at this table ten minutes ago. Poor old Ropes, who always hangs about keeping guard, will be mighty glad to see you; but before we open the door and walk out as if we owned the house, let's have a look round. There may be something which will give me a chance to say 'I told you so!' to the police."

Refreshed with wine, and such scanty rations as d.i.c.k had allowed, I walked steadily enough into the adjoining room, while d.i.c.k carried a lamp. There were no such gorgeous decorations here, as in the suite I had reluctantly occupied. A modern bed stood in one corner. There were shelves on the wall, fitted with gla.s.s doors which protected jars and bottles. On a large table lay an outfit for chemical experiments, and on another some yellow flowers half buried in green leaves. In the window was a modern desk, and d.i.c.k at once began to rummage among the few papers in the pigeon-holes.

There was nothing, however, which seemed to bear upon our affairs, with the exception of a telegraph form, which I seized upon. It was dated June first, and had been sent from a Madrid office. There was no signature, but there was a hint of something secret in the three words it contained. "Day after to-morrow."

d.i.c.k and I stared at the paper, as if we expected the meaning of the message to spring up to our eyes.

"My name's not Richard D. Waring if Carmona's signature oughtn't to be tacked on to that," he said. "Now, we've something to go upon, for a beginning. This telegram will be traced to the sender before I'm many hours older; we can trust our dear old Cherub for that."

"Day after to-morrow," I repeated. "What's going to happen day after to-morrow, that Carmona should have wired to this man?"

"I should say it was his way of letting Molina know that the cage door could open."

"But why day after to-morrow? He-" I broke off suddenly, and it seemed that my heart would stop beating. "d.i.c.k," I began again, in a queer voice that did not sound like my own, "is Monica-" I could not finish the sentence. But d.i.c.k understood.

"Forgive me," he said. "I saw you weren't strong enough to bear it at first. I wanted you to eat, and then-I'd have kept it back a bit longer if I could, just till I got you to the hotel. She's going to marry him-on the third of June, Heaven knows why, though Pilar vows the girl can't be to blame, and that they've made her believe somehow she's sacrificing herself for your sake."

"What day is this?" I asked.

"The first. The Royal Wedding was yesterday, and a terrible bomb explosion, in which the King and Queen had a narrow escape, and-but come, Ramon, I want to get you to the hotel."

"I'm not going to the hotel," I said. "I'm going to Madrid, to stop Carmona's marriage."

XL

THROUGH THE NIGHT

d.i.c.k looked at me with indulgent sympathy, as if I were a child.

"It's after eleven o'clock at night," he said. "The train for Madrid went two hours ago, and-"

"Did you say Ropes was waiting for you outside?" I asked.

"Yes."

"And my car's still in the garage where I put it?"

"Yes; but you're not in a fit state for a journey. If you could see yourself-"

"Oh, I know I'm a nightmare apparition," I cut in; "but when I'm shaved and-"

"The trip would kill you."

"It would kill me not to take it."

We looked at each other for a moment, then d.i.c.k said-

"All right. Come on. I know what you feel. But what about that old reprobate upstairs?"

"I'll wait for you here while you take up some food and leave it in the room. We can't waste time in Granada on his account. I'll tell my story, and you can tell yours to the police in Madrid, after I-after I've done what I'm going there to do."

"How long a drive is it?" d.i.c.k asked resignedly.

"It's about two hundred and seventy miles. If we can start by one or two, bar accidents we ought to be in Madrid by noon."

"The royal bull-fight's to-morrow," answered d.i.c.k. "Although the wedding's next day, and the invitations have been out a fortnight, Carmona and Lady Monica are bound to be there, as it's a royal invitation show; that means a command."

"Very well," said I. "Since it may be as difficult to reach her in Madrid as in Seville and Granada, I shall wait outside the entrance to the bull-ring, and as she's about to go in, she shall see me and hear the whole truth. Don't look as if you thought it would do no good, d.i.c.k; if she's promised to marry Carmona in spite of all, it's because he has made her think he can ruin me if she refuses. Pilar's instinct is right, I know; and now for the first time I understand why Carmona didn't denounce me to the police as Casa Triana, when Monica refused to keep her engagement with him, as I'm sure she did. No doubt he told her lies-that I could be imprisoned-for years, perhaps. And his wounded hand-what an opportunity for him! Ah! he wouldn't waste it. He'd make her believe I stabbed him in the cathedral that night. How plausible! And as he's been very ill, can't you imagine what her fears for me must have been? d.i.c.k, I regard her coming marriage as a proof of love, not of indifference."

"I'm ready to agree with you," said d.i.c.k. "But you're risking your life to prove it."

"Nonsense," I answered. "The thought that I'm free, that I'm going to her, and that at last I have Carmona in my hand, will give me strength enough to get through."

d.i.c.k raised his eyebrows, but did not answer. He was collecting bread and meat on a plate, to leave for the man upstairs.

Five minutes later we were out of the house and in the street. In front of the miller's premises Ropes was walking up and down. He did not say much when he saw that d.i.c.k had a companion; but as he wrung the hand I held out to him, I heard him breathing hard, and he swore under his breath when he saw my face by the light of a street lamp.