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The Diamond Coterie
By LAWRENCE M. LYNCH (E. M. Van Deventer)
Author of “A Woman's Crime,” “John Arthur’s Ward,” “The Lost Witness,” “A Slender Clue,” “Dangerous Ground,” “ Against Odds,” Etc., Etc.
PSOE BBE ROR ERE BERRI
THE DaIlLY EXAMINE, CHARLOTTErOwn,
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(Continued.)
“pet me finisn, he interpolates. ** Let me tell you just how I happened to drop gown among you to-night. Recently we have had in the city several robberies similar to this of yours, Miss Wardour, as] understand it Several times we have had a trace or clue, and have hoped to find the robbers, but so far have been haffied. We must necessarily have many
wars of gathering up information, and I |
have some methods of my own. This is one ef them. I have access to the offices of our daily papers. I have a friend or tool in each. When a special telegram, in the line of criminal intelligence, comes to one of these papers, I am in posses- sion of its contents before it has reached the compositor’s hands. This merning a ‘special’ arrived at the office of the Even- ing Bulletin. I have not with me a copy. jt ran:—
“MONSTER DIAMOND ROBBERY.
“(Special dispatch to the Evening Bulletin.)
“Intelligence has this moment been received, that Wardour Place has been burglarized; and the splendid Wardour diamonds, valued at more than one hun-
dred thousand dollars, stolen, besides money and papers of value. No particulars as yet.”
“This is what brought me here. I came to see if this burglary was the handi- work of the thieves I have been trying to catch. I came solely on my own respon- sibility, not intending to make myself known to the inmates of this house, but to ferret out things quiet and go my way, While lurking in that tree I was surprised to hear myself made the sub- ject of conversation; and then, impulse led me to respond to this lady’s expressed desire to see me, and—I presented my- self,”’
All sit silent, all are astonished, and inclined to think this odd complication out quietly.
Constarce is the first to see the ab- sumity of the situation, and she breaks into a peal of laughter, in which she is presently joined by the others. Finally, she regains her composure and says :—
“And so after all you are not our de- tective. Well, that shall not prevent us from appropriating your services. And you want to identify these robbers if pos- sible? We are all at your disposal—tell us how we can help you most.”’
“You came with scant information,’’ mys Doctorv Heath, ‘‘and you can't have been here long, but I'll wager you have picked up something.”’
“Asto that,’’ replies the detective,
miling slightly, ‘‘I left the city by the early afternoon express, before your Mr. Lamotte had arrived, you _ see.
Twelve miles from W— I left the train and boarded a freight; about three miles out I abandoned the freight, quite unce- remoniously, while she was pulling up ea heavy grade, and tramped into town. I lounged about, confining myself to the more obscure streets until I had got the story of the robbery, with full particu- lars, as far as the gossips knew it. To- werd sundown I started in this direction. Stopping on the way, I begged a drink of water and a slice of bread, of an old woman, in a litthe brown house. She thought me a very well behaved tramp, and inquired after my private history agd the condition of my soul.”’
Constance laughs.
‘That is old Mrs. Malloy,’’ she says. “She's very pious and very full of go:- stp.”’
‘Precisely!’ replies the detective. wickedly; ‘‘she told me how many lovers you had, Miss Wardour: and how many dresses; and just the color of your eyes, and hair; she told me all about the rob- ‘ery, and a great many more things that were not quite to the point.’
“Of course, assents Miss Wardour, Rot at all abashed. ‘‘Mrs. Malloy is an uracle,’’
“As soon as I could make my escape from her I came nearer Wardour Place, and made circuitous survey. Still lat-r, I “ame upon your gardener, sitting, ruminating, upon a stune fence, in the Nar of the premises. I found him in- clined to be communicative, in fact, he *emed rather desirous to air his notions, amd he has some peculiar ones, concern- ‘ng the robbery. I gave him a drink out of my black bottle, and he grew quite eloquent. ’’
“Oh, dear,’’ interrupts Constance once More. “Then, no doubt, he has pruned away half the garden shrubs. Old Jerry wn is seized with a desire to prune ene the moment he taken a
“It was getting too dark for pruning,
ardour, and he went to
has
his sup- ea Then I approached the kitchen cau- en found a comfortable lurking
, Close to an open window, and lis- to the table talk of the servants. — them I learned the bearings of the “ary, and so, while you were at din- her, I entered, without difficulty, and on that room to my entire
mazement sits on the face of all three ners, Ewer ejaculates Dr. * modest tramp! hext?’’ ’
Heath, What did
700 you do
ane I prowled ‘round and round the
” ®&Xamining all the windows, and
* eg some conclusions; and then,
a | shee you, Doctor Heath, through
ee "ing-room windows, I established
: in yonder tree to wait until you Id go home. and to waylay you.”’
“Much opilgea, tin sure," says tne Doctor, gratefully. ‘‘What demoniac de- sign had you on my defenseless self?’’
‘*Several; to appeal to your hospital- tty; to renew an acquaintance, which in the beginning did me honor; and to quiz you unmercifully.’
‘*Then I forgive you,’’ grandiloquent- ly. ‘‘And my doors are open to you, and my hand is extended, and the secrets of my bosom are laid bare. But Miss War-
dour has something to say; I see it | trembling on her lips.”’ ‘*Right,’’ smiles Constance. ‘“‘I was
——-
_—
about to ask if Mr. Bathurst, having effected his object thus far independent- ly, will be satisfied to inspect my dress- ing room, the real scene of action, in the
ordinary manner and without any obstacles in the way." ‘**Perfectly,’’ says the detective, drop-
ping his tone of badinage and becoming alert and businesslike at once. ‘‘ And the sooner the better. I am anxious to com- plete my deductions, for my time is limited, and I must wait for daylight to overlook the grounds more closely than I could venture to do to-day.”’
“We are all anxious for your opinion, and so, will you take one of those lamps and my keys, or will you have an es- cort?’’
. ‘I Wish you to point out to me the ex- act position of everything this morning, Miss Wardour. I think we may all go up.”’
So they all ascended to the disordered dressing room, and the detective seats himself, deliberately, upon the first un- occupied chair, and begins to look slowly about him. It is net a long survey, and then the safe is examined. Here he looks at Constance.
“This has not been done without noise; not loud enough to be heard across the hall, perhaps, but enough to be heard by a light sleeper, or, indeed, any one who did not sleep. too soundly and with muffled ears, say, in that room,’’ pointing through the curtained arch which divided the dressing from the sleeping room.
“*Did you sleep there, Miss Wardour?’’
Constance nods, then goes through the arch and returns with a little phial af chloroform, and a fragment of cambric in her hand.
She places them before him, telling him quietly how they were found before her that morning.
The detective takes them, turns them over in his hand, and examines them closely. ;
‘“*Ah!’’ he exclaims, drawing out the fancifully carved stopper, ‘‘this phial is one of a set.”’
Doctor Heath nods. ‘‘So I thought,’’ he suys, glancing at Constance.
Cnee mere, and in silenca, the detective exaanines the safe, then he goes quietly about the roc, not eyerturning or han- Glin, simply observing closely; then he Si.YE: **‘Now, I think I am done here. We Will go down, if you please, and I will give you the benefit of my conjectures.”’
BM x pis .'3 aaah the piece of linen in h*: poco’. t, nnd turns from the room. Instinctively he takes the lead, imstine- tively th » fellow, natarally .ccording
Rita th: «adership. Wher they ue cnce turns to C e. Tier gre you a very light dose Miss Wardour.”’ she replies;
more seated, he
sst.2 ; of chiorefcrm.
* Very. licht,”’ “cond that
Wes mest fortunate for me.”
“How fortunate?”’
‘“Aliew me to explan,’’ interrupts Doctur Lleath. ‘Miss Wirdour possesses on: «f those peculiar ccnstitutions upon waich «ll opiates act with disastrous e:tvet. itis forunare that a cantious
h .nd—L was about to say a skilled hand —idnin' st red the drug. I could swear that not ike half of an ordinary dose was given | er, for a full dose would have prostrated Ler for days; and the quantity it would recuire to make you or me sleep svundly for nalf the nigat, would kill her outright. ’’
“Ah!’’ says the hims lf. ‘‘Ah-h-h!”’
**Now, I wonde-;"’ it Mrs. Aliston who speaks. ‘‘I wonder how in the world you knew tt they had given iny niece only a small dese.”’
‘*Very easily, madame. very small, and it now thirds full.”’
“That, indeed!’ murmurs Mrs. Alis- ton, feeling somehow extinguised, while the others smile at his simple explana- tion.
‘‘And now,’’ says the detective, ‘*for my deductions. First, then, the robbers did not enter these grounds last night for the first time. They did not enter the li- brary at random, or because that win- dow could be easily forced. They, who- ever they were, knew their grounds, not only from without, but from within. The disturbance in the library is only a ruse—the robbers wanted nothing, knew they should find nothing, there. They were not amateurs; yet, somehow, in this case, they bungled somewhat in their work. Before they approached this house, everything was planned, and all was done as plannej. They were systematic, there- fore successful; and yet—they bungled. They came by the river—came in a boat, with oars muffled; they came by the foot- path over the river slope, and entered your garden by leaping the fence just be- low the gate, which was locked. Then they followed the footpaths through the shrul bery, and straight to that library window. Lev came there because they
dete tive, softly, t»
is
The phial is near two-
is
Knew it to be the fibrary Wiaaow, ana they wished to cross the library because they Knew that from the door of that room they stepped at once upon the stairs, thus having the nearest, easiest and saf- est route to Miss Wardour’s rooms. Either they found her door unlocked, or
' were prepared with skeleton keys.
the door locked, Miss Wardour?’
“It was locked.’’
“It was locked. They then used a skeleton key, entered, and knowing just the proportion of chloroform Miss War- dour could bear, they administered it carefully, secured the booty without fur- ther trouble, and made their escape with- out detection.’’
No remarks from sit amazed, speechless,
‘‘Now, I see I had better prove my statemenis,’’ goes on Mr. Bathurst, loak- ing from one to another with a smile of eisy superiority. ‘‘Miss Wardour is be- ginning to think that I do belong to the godmother species, and yet, it’s all very simple.’
‘“‘No doubt,’’ retorts Doctor Heath, drily; ‘‘yet we are willing to endure your simple explanation.’”’
‘I say the robbers came by the river,”’ continues the detective. ‘‘ Before sundown I sauntered along the river bank: to- morrow I can show you traces, indistinct but sufficient, to prove that a boat has been drawn out of the water, and over- turned upon the grass; keel, prow and oar-locks have left their traces. There is also the print of a clubbed and muffled oar, above the water mar k, where an im patient hand has pushed off the boat. Here is blunder number one. <All these traces might have been avoided or oblit- erated.’’
He pauses a moment, but his listeners sit, a very respectful audience, and are inclined neither to question or argue. So he continues :—
“IT said that the robbers entered pur- posely at that particular window, and because they were familiar with the in- terior of the house. Now I have examined all of the windows of this floor, and I find that a person unfamiliar with the inside of the building, and not aware which of the upper rooms were occupied, would have chosen differently.
The dining-room windows, from with- out, would seem much more inviting; still more, the drawing-room windows. Naturally, our burglars would select a window which was tolerably casy of access, and where they knew there was the least chance of being overheard and observed from above. Now, the dining- room windows are close to the ground, and the awnings cut off all chance for observation from above; but—they knew that Miss Wardour’s coachman sleeps in a small room just in the rear of the din- ing-room.’’
This was too much for Mrs. Aliston.
‘‘Now, how did you find that out?’’ she asks, with staring eyes.
‘‘From my friend, the gardener,’’ he replies. ‘Oh, I am quite familiar with things about here. The very best place for a burglar to operate would be these windows,’’ motioning toward the front of the drawing room; ‘‘he could stand in comfort on the lower balcony, screened by the upper, and cut away at shutters’ and panes; but, our burglars knew that Miss Wardour’s rooms were directly above, and that Miss Wardour is a light sleeper. Now, the very place that would be shunned by an unfamiliar rob- ber, is this very library window; it-is higher than the others, has a little thicket of shrubs just beneath it, and is overlooked from above, being near an angle, by six windows. But our burglars knew that not one of these rooms to which the six windows belong, are oc- cupied; and that the servants all sleep on the opposite side of the house. Now, then, I say that the robbers knew Miss War- dour’s sensitiveness to the effects of chlor- oform; how else can we account for the fact of their giving just enough to cause her to sleep, and not cnough to cause any unpleasant after effects. We can call it a coincidence, but it is one not likely to happen; Doctor Heath knows that.’’
‘‘True,’’ responds Doctor Heath; ‘‘in a matter of this sort one would hardly be
likely to make so fortunate a |undcr, or ess.”’
The detective pauses a moment, and then concludes: ‘‘My reasons for saying that the robbers entered the garden by leaping the low fence just below the gate, are, first, that gate creaks loudly when opened or shut, and they knew this, and therefore avoided it; and, second, one of them, the heavier of the two, came over with sufficient force to leave the imprint of his right boot heel in the ground. It was the right heel, be- cause the deepest side of the indentation is to the right, and he would naturally strike the ground with the weight rest- ing on the outside of the foot; and here, my friends, as the lawyers have it, I rest my case.’’
‘‘And a very clear case it looks,’ Doctor Heath.
‘*How easily and naturally you come at these things,’’ exclaims Constance, in admiration. ‘‘It is a, b, ¢, to you, but it’s awful Greek to the rest of us. I begin to think detectives are born, not made.”’
“You think right, Miss. Wardour,’’ re- plies Bathurst. ‘‘It is the made detectives who spoil and disgrace our profession.’’
‘*But,”’ says Constance, with a look of anxiety upon her face; ‘‘I am_ sorry to have it proved that this thing was done by some of our people. I am reluctant to institute a search that may implicate some poor man whose wife and children may live in our very town.”’
The detective laughs softly.
‘There it is,’ he exclaims. ‘‘An ama- teur must always judge by what appears uppermost. We detectives, as a rule, al- ways distrust the most plausible theory. Now look, a skilled burglar is a man of many resources; a burglar studies his business as I study mine. You have no idea how much misapplied talent goes roaming about of nights with a jimmy and a dark lantern. Now let us suppose this case. A professional burglar in the course of his wanderings, hears, as would be quite natural, of the immense value of the Wardour diamonds, and he desires to possess them. Now it’s a great prize, and he goes to work with his utmost care. He has confederates; they come, one or
they \ras
his incredulous,
listeners. © They admiring, yet
> says
all, and manage to gain the necessary
informatian: they may come as tramoDs.
peddlars, what not: a talkative servant, r & gossiping neighbor, like Mrs. Malloy, or fragments of information picked up here and there may help them to get the ‘lay of the land; they may even have entered the house, probably have, and it may have been last month, or last year; our burglar nourishes his job and studies it carefully. Finally he is ready; he strikes; he succeeds. I do not say this is the case, understand; I simply put it as a thing possible; and quite as probable as that the thieves are here in W—.’’
Constace muses; she is thinking of various other depredations committed in ind about W—; end, aa ance before she recounted them to Doctor Heath, she enumerates them now, and closes by say- ing :—
‘Your burglars keep a sharp cye om us, at all events, Mr. Bathurst.’’
‘‘Naturally,’’ assents the detective; ‘‘W— is a capital field for that sort of chap. It’s a mine of itself, and I will
always receive due attention from the law breakers. By the by, Miss Wardour, these facts you mention are ing; after considering, I think I will remain in W— during to-morrow. I want to explore about the river, and about this place, a little more. If I may see you to-morrow I would like your version of these other older robberies. I keep a record of every crime reported, and, no coubt, have each of these upon my regis- ter, but not as I would receive them from you. I do not wish to be seen or known, as acting in this matter; your friend will be here to-morrow, or Mon- day, and the officer he has chosen should be on the ground before to-morrow morning. No doubt he will be all that you wish for, and my duties will call me elsewhere very soon.”’
Then they all rise, and standing ina group begin talking. They so much re- gret that they can not retain his services, and they are very grateful to him for so much light as he has thrown upon the subject of the robbery.
‘*But wait,’’ he says, ‘‘you are to bear in mind that you have no light; you are in total darkness and ignorance; to- morrow you will have a new officer, he may evolve a. totally different theory. Then discard mine, or not, as you think fit; in any case, let it be kept exclusively to your three selves, for Iam very likely to make a second appearance here. I think that these burglars of yours are the chaps I am wanting. And, Miss War- dour, this reminds me,’’ drawing from his pocket the chloroform vial wrapped in its accompanying linen bit, ‘‘may I keep this until morning? I will return it to you by Doctor Heath, and, if your officer is not too much in the way, will try and see you in person, if you will kindly give me what facts you can recall concerning those robberies.’’
Constance expresses a hope that the officer will not be in the way, and after they have talked a little more, the de- tective repeating his cautions, Constance repeating her regret that he is not to take the case, as her case; and Mrs. Aliston repeating everything that comes into her head, they separate, and the two men, looking so oddly unlike, go out into the night.
Mrs. Aliston is ready to talk, but Con-
I stance is in no mood to listen. She cuts
her aunt’s elocution, and goes with listless weariness to her own apartments. Since the appearance of the detective, a shade of perplexity rested on her face, and over and over again her thoughts have repeated the question which now falls from her lips. ‘‘What does it mean? I am _ not mis- taken; he said, ‘here, I am Doctor Heath from nowhere.’ I begin to think that life isa mystery.’’ For Miss Wardour, hesitating a moment as she passed in from the balcony, had caught the words uttered for the ears of the detective only.
(To be Continued.)
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