The Rayner-Slade Amalgamation Part 31

"It's not my fault, gentlemen," he whispered, bending towards the others over the little table at which they were all seated. "But the truth is--I've been baulked! At the last moment as you may term it. Just when things were getting really interesting!"

"Have you seen--anything?" asked Appleyard.

"I'll give you it in proper order, sir," replied Albert Gaffney. "I've seen both of 'em--followed 'em, until this confounded accident happened.

This is the story of it. I kept watch there, outside C. House--you know where I mean--till near on to six o'clock. Then he came out. But he didn't get into his motor, though it was waiting for him. He sent it away. Then he walked to the Temple Station, and I heard him book for Cannon Street. So did I, and followed him. He got out at Cannon Street and went up into the main line station and to the bookstall. There he met her--she was waiting. They talked a bit, walking about; then they went into the hotel. I had an idea that perhaps they were going to dine there, so as I was togged up for any eventualities, I followed 'em in. They did dine there--so did I, keeping an eye on 'em. They sat some time over and after their dinner, as if they were waiting for something or somebody. At last a man--better-cla.s.s commercial traveller-looking sort of man--came in and went up to them. He sat down and had a gla.s.s of wine, and they all three talked--very confidential talk, you could see. At last they all left and went down to the yard outside the station and got into a taxi-cab--all three. I got another, gave the driver a quiet hint as to what I was after, and told him to keep the other cab in view. So he did--for a time. They went first to a little restaurant near Liverpool Street Station--she and the commercial-looking chap got out and went in; R. stopped in the cab. The other two came back after a bit with another man--similar sort--and all three joined R. Then they went off towards Aldgate way--and we were keeping nicely behind 'em when all of a sudden a blooming 'bus came to grief right between us and them, and blocked the traffic! And though I nearly broke my neck in trying to get through and spot them, it was no use. They'd clean disappeared. But!--I've got the number of the cab they took from Cannon Street."

Appleyard nodded approval.

"Good!" he said. "That's something, Gaffney--a good deal. We can work on from that."

"Well?" he continued, turning to Allerd.y.k.e. "I think there's nothing else we can do to-night? We'd better meet, all of us, at Gresham Street, at, say, ten to-morrow morning; then I shall be able to say if they return to the Pompadour to-night. It's my impression they won't--but we shall see."

Allerd.y.k.e presently drove him to his hotel, wondering all the way what these last doings might really mean. They were surprising enough, but there was another surprise awaiting him. As he walked into the Waldorf the hall-porter stopped him.

"There's a gentleman for you, sir, in the waiting-room," he said. "Been waiting a good hour. Name of Chettle."

CHAPTER XXIX

THE PARCEL FROM HULL

Chettle sat alone in the waiting-room, a monument of patient resignation to his fate. His hands were bunched on the head of his walking-stick, his chin propped on his hands; his eyes were bent on a certain spot on the carpet with a fixed stare. And when Allerd.y.k.e entered he sprang up as if roused from a fitful slumber.

"I should ha' been asleep in another minute, Mr. Allerd.y.k.e," he said apologetically. "Been waiting over an hour, sir--and I'm dog-tired. I've been at it, hard at it! every minute since I left you. And--I had to come. I've news."

"Come up," said Allerd.y.k.e. "I've news, too--it's been naught else but news all day. You haven't seen Fullaway while you've been waiting?"

"Seen n.o.body but the hotel folks," answered the detective. He followed Allerd.y.k.e up to his private sitting-room and sighed wearily as he dropped into a chair. "I'm dog-tired," he repeated. "Fair weary!"

"Have a drink," said Allerd.y.k.e, setting out his decanter and a syphon.

"Take a stiff 'un--I'll have one myself. I'm tired, too. I wouldn't like this game to be on long, Chettle--it's too exhausting. But, by the Lord Harry!--I believe it's coming to an end at last!"

The detective, who had gladly helped himself to Allerd.y.k.e's whisky, took a long pull at his gla.s.s and sighed with relief.

"I believe so myself, Mr. Allerd.y.k.e," he said. "I do, indeed!--things are clearing, sir, though Heaven knows they're thick enough still. You say you've fresh news!"

Allerd.y.k.e lighted a cigar and pushed the box to his guest.

"Your news first," he said. "I daresay it's a bit out of the complete web--let's see if we can fit it in."

"It's this," answered Chettle, pulling his chair nearer to the table at which he and his host sat. "When I got back to Hull they told me at the police headquarters that a young man had been in two or three times, while I was away, asking if he could see the London detective who was down about the Station Hotel affair. They told him I'd gone up to town again, and tried to find out what he wanted, but he wouldn't tell them anything--said he'd either see me or go up to London himself. So then they let him know I was coming back, and told him he'd probably find me there at noon to-day. And at noon to-day he turns up at the police-station--a young fellow about twenty-five or so, who looked like what he was, a clerk. A very cute, sharp chap he was, the sort that's naturally keen about his own interests--name of Martindale--and before he'd say a word he wanted to see my credentials, and made me swear to treat what he said as private, and then he pulled out a copy of that reward bill of yours, and wanted to know a rare lot about that, all of which amounted to wanting to find out what chance he had of getting hold of some of the fifty thousand, if not all. And," continued Chettle with a laugh, "I'd a lot of talking and explaining and wheedling to do before he'd tell anything."

"Had he aught to tell?" asked Allerd.y.k.e. "So many of 'em think they have, and then they haven't."

"Oh, he'd something to tell!" replied Chettle. "Right enough, he'd a good deal to tell. This--he told me at last, as if every word he let out was worth a ransom, that he was a parcels office clerk in the North Eastern Railway Station at Hull, and that since the 13th of May until the day before yesterday he'd been away in the North of Scotland on his holidays--been home to his people, in fact--he is a Scotsman, which, of course, accounts for his keenness about the money. Now, then--on the night of May 12th--the night, as you know, Mr. Allerd.y.k.e, of your cousin's supposed murder, but anyway, of his arrival at Hull--this young man Martindale was on duty in the parcels office till a very late hour.

About ten to a quarter past ten, as near as he could recollect, a gentleman came into the parcels office, carrying a small, square parcel, done up in brown paper and sealed in several places with black wax. He wanted to know when the next express would be leaving for London, and if he could send the parcel by it. Martindale told him there would be an express leaving for Selby very shortly, and there would be a connection there for a Great Northern express to King's Cross. The gentleman then wanted to know what time his parcel would be likely to be delivered in London if he sent it by that train. Martindale told him that as near as he could say it would be delivered by noon on the next morning, and added that he could, by paying an extra fee, have it specially registered and delivered. The gentleman at once acceded to this, handed the parcel over, paid for it, and left. And in a few minutes after that, Martindale himself gave the parcel to the guard of the outgoing train."

Chettle paused for a moment, and took a reflective pull at his gla.s.s.

"Now, then," he went on, after an evident recollecting of his facts, "Martindale, of course, never saw the gentleman again, and dismissed such a very ordinary matter from his mind. Early next morning he went off on his holiday--where he went, right away up in Sutherland, papers were few and far between. He only heard mere bits of news about all this affair.

But when he got back he turned up the Hull newspapers, and became convinced that the man who sent that parcel was--your cousin!"

"Aye!" said Allerd.y.k.e, nodding his head. "Aye! I expected that."

"He was sure it was your cousin," continued Chettle, "from the description of him in the papers, and from one or two photos of him that had appeared, though, as you know, Mr. Allerd.y.k.e, those were poor things.

But to make sure, I showed him the photo which is inside Lydenberg's watch-case. 'That's the man!' he said at once. 'I should have known him again anywhere--I'd a particularly good look at him.' Very well--that established who the sender of the parcel was. Now then, the next thing was--to whom was it sent. Well, this Martindale had copied down the name and address from the station books, and he handed me the slip of paper.

Can you make any guess at it, Mr. Allerd.y.k.e?"

"d.a.m.n guess-work!" replied Allerd.y.k.e. "Speak out!"

Chettle leaned nearer, with an instinctive glance at the door. He lowered his voice to a whisper.

"That parcel was addressed to Franklin Fullaway, Esq., The Waldorf Hotel, Aldwych, London," he said. "There!"

Allerd.y.k.e slowly rose from his seat, stared at his visitor, half-moved across the floor, as if he had some instinctive notion of going somewhere--and then suddenly sat down again.

"Aye!" he said. "Aye!--but was it ever delivered?"

"I'm coming to that," replied Chettle. "That, of course, is the big thing--the prime consideration. I heard all this young fellow Martindale had to tell--nothing much more than that, except small details as to what would be the likely progress of the parcel, and then I gave him strict instructions to keep his own counsel until I saw him again--after which I caught the afternoon train to town. Martindale had told me where the parcel would be delivered from, so as soon as I arrived at King's Cross I went to the proper place. I had to tell 'em, of course, who I was, and what I was after, and to produce my credentials before they turned up their books and papers to trace the delivery of the parcel. That, of course, wasn't a long or difficult matter, as I had the exact date--May 13th. They soon put the delivery sheet of that particular morning before me. And there it all was--"

"And--it was delivered to and received by--who?" broke in Allerd.y.k.e eagerly. "Who, man?"

"Signed for by Mary Marlow for Franklin Fullaway," answered Chettle in the same low tones. "Delivered--here--about half-past twelve. So--there you are! That is--if you know where we are!"

Allerd.y.k.e, whose cigar had gone out, relighted it with a trembling hand.

"My G.o.d!" he said in a fierce, concentrated voice as he flung the match away. "This is getting--you're sure there was no mistaking the signature?" he went on, interrupting himself. "No mistake about it?"

"It was a woman's writing, and an educated woman's writing, anyway," said Chettle. "And plain enough. But there was one thing that rather struck me and that they couldn't explain, though they said I could have it explained by inquiry of the clerk who had the books in charge on May 13th and the boy who actually delivered the parcel--neither of 'em was about this evening."

"What?" demanded Allerd.y.k.e.

"Why, this," answered Chettle. "The parcel had evidently been signed for twice. The line on which the signatures were placed had two initials in pencil on it--scribbled hurriedly. The initials were 'F.F.' Over that was the other in ink--what I tell you: Mary Marlow for Frank Fullaway."

Allerd.y.k.e let his mind go back to the events of May 13th.

"You say the parcel was delivered here at twelve-thirty noon on May 13th?" he said presently. "Of course, Fullaway wasn't here then. He'd set off to me at Hull two or three hours before that. He joined me at Hull soon after two that day. And what I'm wondering is--does he know of that parcel's arrival here in his absence. Did he ever get it? If he did, why has he never mentioned it to me? Coming, as it did, from--James!"

"There's a much more important question than that, Mr. Allerd.y.k.e," said Chettle. "This--what was in that parcel?"

Allerd.y.k.e started. So far he had been concentrating on the facts given him by the detective--further he had not yet gone.

"Why!" he asked, a sudden suspicion beginning to dawn on him. "Good G.o.d!--you don't suggest--"

"My belief, Mr. Allerd.y.k.e," said Chettle, quietly and emphatically, "is that the parcel contained the Russian lady's jewels! I do believe it--and I'll lay anything I'm right, too."