In the Onyx Lobby Part 31

"Yes, that's the source of the hints I had given me. But Mrs Everett does not accuse your aunt----"

"She'd better not!"

"Oh, she doesn't. But the matter must be looked into, for there is a motive, and your aunt----Really, I can't discuss this thing with you, Mr Bates!"

"But you must. I'm in charge,--I'm going to find out who killed my uncle. I admit I hadn't a great desire to know his murderer, when I supposed it was some girls or women with whom he was mixed up in a frivolous way. But if my aunt's name is so much as breathed, of course, I must discover the real murderer to save her reputation. She no more did it than I did,--but I daresay the people who suspect her would also implicate me!"

"Don't speak like that. I've only a hint to go upon, and though I must follow it up, it's an easy matter, no doubt, for all your aunt's household to state an alibi and that settles it."

"Real alibis are not always easy to prove. It's your faked alibi that's glibly detailed and sworn to. There's no one in my aunt's household but herself, myself, and Miss Gurney, her companion. We three were in our beds and asleep at the time of the murder, but we can't prove it by eye witnesses! Naturally, there's no one to swear to it, except ourselves.

Now, where does that lead you?"

"To further investigation. You know your aunt's paper-cutter was found----"

"That proves nothing. You must connect that knife undeniably with the crime before you can use it against her."

"I grant that. But first, let's look into the motive. Your aunt did want Sir Herbert out of the way. She did say she wished he was dead. She did say she would kill him herself if she were sure she'd never be found out."

"I know she said those things, for I heard her,--not once, but repeatedly. But my aunt is a quick-tempered and thoughtless-speaking woman. She has time and again wished various people dead. She has often expressed her willingness to kill certain people. But it meant no more,--as she said it,--than for another to wish bad luck to them, or say they hate them. She is most unguarded in her expressions and exaggerates always. These things must be understood by you before you accuse her. She has frequently wished herself dead, but she didn't mean it any more than she meant it regarding Sir Herbert."

"All that will be considered and remembered, but we must question her."

"You'd better question me. I can tell you anything she can, and in a more satisfactory manner."

"Tell us all you like,--all you will, but we must also question Miss Prall and Miss Gurney."

"All right, but there are other directions in which to look. Don't be too sure that women committed the deed."

"No use your trying to throw over that dying statement. No use looking for a man in the case, with that note before our eyes. You know yourself if a man or men had killed Sir Herbert nothing could have influenced him to write a denunciation of women. Why would he? What possible circ.u.mstance could explain it? Have you any theory that would fit the facts?"

"No, unless a man killed him at the instigation of or in behalf of some women and Sir Herbert wanted the deed traced to its true source."

"Even that doesn't seem to make plausible a positive a.s.sertion that 'women did this.' No, there's no getting away from that avowal. And, you must see that the use of the plural,--women,--signifies collusion. Two or more must be implicated. Not necessarily two or more present at the moment of the crime, but two or more to be found and punished."

"Yes, I see all that,--and I want to find the criminals as much as you do. Especially now, since Miss Prall's name has been dragged in. But I do want you to understand how little her hints at 'killing' anybody really mean. You know what an extravagant talker she is."

"I do know that, and I a.s.sure you I'll make all allowances. But I can't leave any stone unturned."

The man Peters had been in and out of the room and, as he reappeared, Richard said, "You know Miss Prall, Peters. You know how carelessly she speaks of serious things?"

"Yes, sir, I do. But you needn't tell me them little chickens ever had any hand in the murderin'! Why, they just couldn't have had."

"Anything is possible, Peters," said Bates, sternly. "And I don't want you to make those definite statements. They mean nothing, save that such is your opinion."

"But my opinions is pretty sound ones, Mr Bates, an' founded on a lot of personal knowledge of Sir Herbert,--rest his soul. And I tell you, gentlemen, that that deed could never ha' been done by young girls,--neither the little ladies that Sir Herbert was fond of kitin'

round with nor yet the girls employed in this house. No, sir, that fearful crime was planned and carried out by older heads than theirs.

Men or women might 'a' done it,--but never little half-baked flappers like them you're suspectin'."

"There's sense in that," mused Gibbs, and Bates flared out: "I suppose that leads you more certainly to suspicion of my aunt. But you're wrong, Gibbs, all wrong! Now, look here, suppose, just for a moment, there had been no written message,--which way would you look then?"

"Toward some business complications," said Gibbs, promptly. "You see, Sir Herbert Binney was putting over an awful big deal in that matter of his Bun business. He had d.i.c.kered with several big bakery companies and he was a shrewd man at a bargain."

"And he was in bad with some of the men he was bargaining with,"

vouchsafed Peters, who was a privileged partic.i.p.ant in the conversation, because Gibbs hoped by this means to learn something from the valet.

"Who, for instance?" demanded Bates.

"Graham, of the Popular Patisserie concern; Vail, here in the house, and Crippen of Crippen's Cakes."

"Nothing doing," returned Gibbs, shortly. "I've dug into all those issues. He was off with the Patisserie people weeks ago. He finished discussion with the Vail company some days since, and the only one pending was the Crippen bunch."

"Yes, and my aunt says he expected to see Crippen the night he was killed."

"Well, he didn't," returned Gibbs. "I've looked up Crippen's alibi and it's gilt-edged. Vail was in the elevator with Bob Moore at the time of the murder,--that lets him out and the Patisseries are back numbers. I mean they got through with Binney's Buns as a working proposition, long ago."

"They might have come back to it," suggested Bates.

"Sure they might,--so might Crippen or Vail. But they didn't,--or if they did, we've no tiniest speck of evidence of it. If you can get any, go ahead. You don't know of anything against the Bakery men, do you, Peters?"

"No, sir. But Mr Crippen and Mr Vail have both been here----"

"Here! In Sir Herbert's rooms?" cried Bates. "What for?"

"Mr Vail, he just dropped in, as he was pa.s.sing by, and he looked round the room, like in idle curiosity. He said, 'Poor old chap, he was a good sport,' and went away. That wasn't so strange, for he often used to drop in for a chat with my master. But Mr Crippen, now, he never came here, that I know of, while Sir Herbert was alive. But the day after he died, Mr Crippen comes with a sort of determined air, and he wants to look round,--and more, he wants to look over Sir Herbert's papers. Of course, I didn't let him do that, but it seemed sorta queer,--didn't it, now?"

"Maybe and maybe not," said Gibbs. "I suspect there might have been a letter from himself that he wanted to get possession of, or something like that. I say, as I have said from the first, if it were not for the written paper, I might have suspected these business men, but I'm sure that's the very reason Sir Herbert did write the paper, so we would not go off on a wrong tack. It proves to me the determination of his strong mind to lead us in the right direction and not let us pursue the most obvious but mistaken course of looking into the Bun matters."

"I agree with you on the face of things," said young Bates, with a sigh, "and if you hadn't mentioned Miss Prall, I'd let you go your own gait, but now you have mentioned her, I shall get into the game myself and spare no effort or expense to dig up the truth! And, first of all, I'm going back to Bob Moore. I don't think he knows anything more than he's told, but I do think I can learn more from him now I've got my mad up!"

"Come on, I'll go with you," and Gibbs accompanied the young man to the elevator.

Moore was not in the house, and Bates, determined to learn something, went to Julie Baxter, who was at her switchboard.

He took her, Gibbs following, to a small reception room, where they could be by themselves.

"Now, Julie," Bates said, "you've got to come across with the true story of your doings the night of the murder. You are not suspected, but you will be if you don't 'fess up. It's a fool thing to do, to refuse to tell, when continued silence may get you in very bad. So, out with it."

"You did the same thing yourself, Mr Bates," and Julie glared at him.

"You refused to tell----"

"But I'm not a woman; they can't suspect me. Also, I'll tell, if I have to. My story won't incriminate me. Go ahead, now,--let's hear."

"I'll tell where I was, if you'll promise not to tell anybody else."

Julie looked obstinate, though evidently a good deal frightened.

"I'll promise, if the secret can be kept without hindering our investigation. Agree to that, Gibbs?"

The detective agreed, and Julie went on. "Specially, I don't want Bob Moore to know. We're engaged and he's awful particular about where I go, when he isn't along. And I've never gone any place or done anything he wouldn't want me to, except that very night. I went with a crowd on a trip to Chinatown. It wasn't any harm, but we were out late, and if he knew it, he'd give me the d.i.c.kens. You won't tell, will you? And, too, if the manager knew it, he'd think I was a different sort of a girl from what I am. So, please don't tell."