Final Proof; Or, The Value of Evidence Read online

  VI

  THE AZTEC OPAL

  "Mr. Mitchel," began Mr. Barnes, after exchanging greetings, "I havecalled to see you upon a subject which I am sure will enlist yourkeenest interest, for several reasons. It relates to a magnificentjewel; it concerns your intimate friends; and it is a problem requiringthe most analytical qualities of the mind in its solution."

  "Ah, then you have solved it?" asked Mr. Mitchel.

  "I think so. You shall judge. I have to-day been called in toinvestigate one of the most singular cases that has fallen in my way. Itis one in which the usual detective methods would be utterly valueless.The facts were presented to me, and the solution of the mystery couldonly be reached by analytical deductions."

  "That is to say, by using your brains?"

  "Precisely. Now, as you have admitted that you consider yourself moreexpert in this direction than the ordinary detective, I wish to placeyou for once in the position of a detective, and then see you prove yourability."

  "Early this morning I was summoned, by a messenger, to go aboard of thesteam yacht _Idler_ which lay at anchor in the lower bay."

  "Why, the _Idler_ belongs to my friend, Mortimer Gray!" exclaimed Mr.Mitchel.

  "Yes," replied Mr. Barnes; "I told you that your friends are interested.I went immediately with the man who had come to my office, and in dueseason I was aboard of the yacht. Mr. Gray received me very politely,and took me to his private room adjoining the cabin. Here he explainedto me that he had been off on a cruise for a few weeks, and wasapproaching the harbor last night, when, in accordance with his plans, asumptuous dinner was served, as a sort of farewell feast, the partyexpecting to separate to-day."

  "What guests were on the yacht?"

  "I will tell you everything in order, as the facts were presented to me.Mr. Gray enumerated the party as follows: besides himself and his wife,there were his wife's sister, Mrs. Eugene Cortlandt, and her husband, aWall Street broker; also, Mr. Arthur Livingstone and his sister, and aMr. Dennett Moore, a young man supposed to be devoting himself to MissLivingstone."

  "That makes seven persons, three of whom are women. I ought to say, Mr.Barnes, that, though Mr. Gray is a club friend, I am not personallyacquainted with his wife, nor with the others. So I have no advantageover you."

  "I will come at once to the curious incident which made my presencedesirable. According to Mr. Gray's story, the dinner had proceeded asfar as the roast, when suddenly there was a slight shock as the yachttouched a bar, and at the same time the lamps spluttered and then wentout, leaving the room totally dark. A second later the vessel rightedherself and sped on, so that, before any panic ensued, it was evident toall that the danger had passed. The gentlemen begged the ladies toresume their seats, and remain quiet till the lamps were lighted; this,however, the attendants were unable to do, and they were ordered tobring fresh lamps. Thus there was almost total darkness for severalminutes."

  "During which, I presume, the person who planned the affair readilyconsummated his design?"

  "So you think that the whole series of events was prearranged? Be thatas it may, something did happen in that dark room. The women had startedfrom their seats when the yacht touched, and when they groped their wayback in the darkness some of them found the wrong places, as was seenwhen the fresh lamps were brought. This was considered a good joke, andthere was some laughter, which was suddenly checked by an exclamationfrom Mr. Gray, who quickly asked his wife, 'Where is your opal?'"

  "Her opal?" asked Mr. Mitchel, in tones which showed that his greatestinterest was now aroused. "Do you mean, Mr. Barnes, that she was wearingthe Aztec Opal?"

  "Oh, you know the gem?"

  "I know nearly all gems of great value; but what of this one?"

  "Mrs. Gray and her sister, Mrs. Cortlandt, had both donned _decollete_costumes for this occasion, and Mrs. Gray had worn this opal as apendant to a thin gold chain which hung around her neck. At Mr. Gray'squestion, all looked towards his wife, and it was noted that the claspwas open, and the opal missing. Of course it was supposed that it hadmerely fallen to the floor, and a search was immediately instituted. Butthe opal could not be found."

  "That is certainly a very significant fact," said Mr. Mitchel. "But wasthe search thorough?"

  "I should say extremely thorough, when we consider it was not conductedby a detective, who is supposed to be an expert in such matters. Mr.Gray described to me what was done, and he seems to have taken everyprecaution. He sent the attendants out of the _salon_, and he and hisguests systematically examined every part of the room."

  "Except the place where the opal really was concealed, you mean."

  "With that exception, of course, since they did not find the jewel. Notsatisfied with this search by lamplight, Mr. Gray locked the _salon_, sothat no one could enter it during the night, and another investigationwas made in the morning."

  "The pockets of the seven persons present were not examined, I presume?"

  "No. I asked Mr. Gray why this had been omitted, and he said it was anindignity which he could not possibly show to a guest. As you haveasked this question, Mr. Mitchel, it is only fair for me to tell youthat when I spoke to Mr. Gray on the subject he seemed very muchconfused. Nevertheless, however unwilling he may have been to searchthose of his guests who are innocent, he emphatically told me that if Ihad reasonable proof that any one present had purloined the opal, hewished that individual to be treated as any other thief, without regardto sex or social position."

  "One can scarcely blame him, because that opal is worth a fabulous sum.I have myself offered Gray twenty thousand dollars for it, which wasrefused. This opal is one of the eyes of an Aztec idol, and if the othercould be found, the two would be as interesting as any jewels in theworld."

  "That is the story which I was asked to unravel," continued Mr. Barnes,"and I must now relate to you what steps I have taken towards that end.It appears that, because of the loss of the jewel, no person has leftthe yacht, although no restraint was placed upon anyone by Mr. Gray. Allknew, however, that he had sent for a detective, and it was natural thatno one should offer to go until formally dismissed by the host. My plan,then, was to have a private interview with each of the seven persons whohad been present at the dinner."

  "Then you exempted the attendants from your suspicions?"

  "I did. There was but one way by which one of the servants could havestolen the opal, and this was prevented by Mr. Gray. It was possiblethat the opal had fallen on the floor, and, though not found at night, aservant might have discovered and have appropriated it on the followingmorning, had he been able to enter the _salon_. But Mr. Gray had lockedthe doors. No servant, however bold, would have been able to take theopal from the lady's neck."

  "I think your reasoning is good, and we will confine ourselves to theoriginal seven."

  "After my interview with Mr. Gray, I asked to have Mrs. Gray sent in tome. She came in, and at once I noted that she placed herself on thedefensive. Women frequently adopt that manner with a detective. Herstory was very brief. The main point was that she was aware of the theftbefore the lamps were relighted. In fact, she felt some one's arms stealaround her neck, and knew when the opal was taken. I asked why she hadmade no outcry, and whether she suspected any special person. To thesequestions she replied that she supposed it was merely a joke perpetratedin the darkness, and therefore had made no resistance. She would notname anyone as suspected by her, but she was willing to tell me that thearms were bare, as she detected when they touched her neck. I must sayhere, that although Miss Livingstone's dress was not cut low in theneck, it was, practically, sleeveless; and Mrs. Cortlandt's dress had nosleeves at all. One other significant statement made by this lady wasthat her husband had mentioned to her your offer of twenty thousanddollars for the opal, and had urged her to permit him to sell it, butshe had refused."

  "So it was madame who would not sell? The plot thickens."

  "You will observe, of cours
e, the point about the naked arms of thethief. I therefore sent for Mrs. Cortlandt next. She had a curious storyto tell. Unlike her sister, she was quite willing to express hersuspicions. Indeed, she plainly intimated that she supposed that Mr.Gray himself had taken the jewel. I will endeavor to repeat her words.

  "'Mr. Barnes,' said she, 'the affair is very simple. Gray is a miserableold skinflint. A Mr. Mitchel, a crank who collects gems, offered to buythat opal, and he has been bothering my sister for it ever since. Whenthe lamps went out, he took the opportunity to steal it. I do not thinkthis--I know it. How? Well, on account of the confusion and darkness, Isat in my sister's seat when I returned to the table; this explains hismistake. He put his arms around my neck, and deliberately felt for theopal. I did not understand his purpose at the time, but now it is veryevident.'

  "'Yes, madame,' said I, 'but how do you know it was Mr. Gray?'

  "'Why, I grabbed his hand, and before he could pull it away I felt thelarge cameo ring on his little finger. Oh, there is no doubt whatever.'

  "I asked her whether Mr. Gray had his sleeves rolled up, and, though shecould not understand the purport of the question, she said 'No.' Next Ihad Miss Livingstone come in. She is a slight, tremulous young lady,who cries at the slightest provocation. During the interview, brief asit was, it was only by the greatest diplomacy that I avoided a scene ofhysterics. She tried very hard to convince me that she knew absolutelynothing. She had not left her seat during the disturbance; of that shewas sure. So how could she know anything about it? I asked her to namethe one who she thought might have taken the opal, and at this heragitation reached such a climax that I was obliged to let her go."

  "You gained very little from her, I should say."

  "In a case of this kind, Mr. Mitchel, where the criminal is surely oneof a very few persons, we cannot fail to gain something from eachperson's story. A significant feature here was that though MissLivingstone assures us that she did not leave her seat, she was sittingin a different place when the lamps were lighted again."

  "That might mean anything or nothing."

  "Exactly. But we are not deducing values yet. Mr. Dennett Moore came tome next, and he is a straightforward, honest man if I ever saw one. Hedeclared that the whole affair was a great mystery to him, and that,while ordinarily he would not care anything about it, he could not butbe somewhat interested, because he thought that one of the ladies, hewould not say which one, suspected him. Mr. Livingstone also impressedme favorably, in spite of the fact that he did not remove his cigarettefrom his mouth throughout the whole of my interview with him. Hedeclined to name the person suspected by him, though he admitted that hecould do so. He made this significant remark:

  "'You are a detective of experience, Mr. Barnes, and ought to be able todecide which man amongst us could place his arms around Mrs. Gray's neckwithout causing her to cry out. But if your imagination fails you,suppose you inquire into the financial standing of all of us, and seewhich one would be most likely to profit by thieving? Ask Mr.Cortlandt.'"

  "Evidently Mr. Livingstone knows more than he tells."

  "Yet he told enough for one to guess his suspicions, and to understandthe delicacy which prompted him to say no more. He, however, gave me agood point upon which to question Mr. Cortlandt. When I asked thatgentleman if any of the men happened to be in pecuniary difficulties, hebecame grave at once. I will give you his answer.

  "'Mr. Livingstone and Mr. Moore are both exceedingly wealthy men, and Iam a millionaire, in very satisfactory business circumstances atpresent. But I am very sorry to say that though our host, Mr. Gray, isalso a distinctly rich man, he has met with some reverses recently, andI can conceive that ready money would be useful to him. But for allthat, it is preposterous to believe what your question evidentlyindicates. None of the persons in this party is a thief, and least ofall could we suspect Mr. Gray. I am sure that if he wished his wife'sopal, she would give it to him cheerfully. No, Mr. Barnes, the opal isin some crack or crevice which we have overlooked. It is lost, notstolen.'

  "That ended the interview with the several persons present, but I madeone or two other inquiries, from which I elicited at least twosignificant facts. First, it was Mr. Gray himself who had indicated thecourse by which the yacht was steered last night, and which ran her overa sand-bar. Second, some one had nearly emptied the oil from the lamps,so that they would have burned out in a short time, even though theyacht had not touched."

  "These, then, are your facts. And from these you have solved theproblem. Well, Mr. Barnes, who stole the opal?"

  "Mr. Mitchel, I have told you all I know, but I wish you to work out asolution before I reveal my own opinion."

  "I have already done so, Mr. Barnes. Here; I will write my suspicion ona bit of paper. So. Now tell me yours, and you shall know mineafterwards."

  "Why, to my mind it is very simple. Mr. Gray, failing to obtain the opalfrom his wife by fair means, resorted to a trick. He removed the oilfrom the lamps, and charted out a course for his yacht which would takeher over a sand-bar, and when the opportune moment came he stole thejewel. His actions since then have been merely to cover his crime byshrouding the affair with mystery. By insisting upon a thorough search,and even sending for a detective, he makes it impossible for those whowere present to accuse him hereafter. Undoubtedly Mr. Cortlandt'sopinion will be the one generally adopted. Now what do you think?"

  "I think I will go with you at once, and board the yacht _Idler_."

  "But you have not told me whom you suspect," said Mr. Barnes, somewhatirritated.

  "Oh, that is immaterial," said Mr. Mitchel, calmly preparing for thestreet. "I do not suspect Mr. Gray, so if you are correct you will haveshown better ability than I. Come, let us hurry."

  On their way to the dock from which they were to take the little steamlaunch which was waiting to carry the detective back to the yacht, Mr.Barnes asked Mr. Mitchel the following question:

  "Mr. Mitchel," said he, "you will note that Mrs. Cortlandt alluded toyou as a 'crank who collects gems.' I must admit that I have myselfharbored a great curiosity as to your reasons for purchasing jewelswhich are valued beyond a mere conservative commercial price. Would youmind explaining why you began your collection?"

  "I seldom explain my motives to others, especially when they relate tomy more important pursuits in life. But in view of all that has passedbetween us, I think your curiosity justifiable, and I will gratify it.To begin with, I am a very wealthy man. I inherited great riches, and Ihave made a fortune myself. Have you any conception of the difficultieswhich harass a man of means?"

  "Perhaps not in minute detail, though I can guess that the lot of therich is not as free from care as the pauper thinks it is."

  "The point is this: the difficulty with a poor man is to get rich, whilewith the rich man the greatest trouble is to prevent the increase of hiswealth. Some men, of course, make no effort in that direction, and thosemen are a menace to society. My own idea of the proper use of a fortuneis to manage it for the benefit of others, as well as one's self, andespecially to prevent its increase."

  "And is it so difficult to do this? Cannot money be spent withoutlimit?"

  "Yes; but unlimited evil follows such a course. This is sufficient toindicate to you that I am ever in search of a legitimate means ofspending my income, provided that I may do good thereby. If I can dothis, and at the same time afford myself pleasure, I claim that I ammaking the best use of my money. Now, I happen to be so constituted thatthe most interesting studies to me are social problems, and of these Iam most entertained with the causes and environments of crime. Such aproblem as the one you have brought to me to-day is of immenseattractiveness to me, because the environment is one which is commonlysupposed to preclude rather than to invite crime. Yet we have seen thatdespite the wealth of all concerned, some one has stooped to thecommonest of crimes,--theft."

  "But what has this to do with your collection of jewels?"

  "Everything. Jewels--especially those of great magnitude--see
m to be aspecial cause of crime. A hundred-carat diamond will tempt a man totheft as surely as the false beacon on a rocky shore entices the marinerto wreck and ruin. All the great jewels of the world have murder andother crimes woven in their histories. My attention was first called tothis by accidentally hearing a plot at a ball to rob the lady of thehouse of a large ruby which she wore on her breast. I went to her, andtold her enough to persuade her to sell the stone to me. I fastened itinto my scarf, where the plotters might see it if they remained at theball. By my act I prevented a crime that night."

  "Then am I to understand that you buy jewels with that end in view?"

  "After that night I conceived this idea. If all the great jewels in theworld could be collected together, and put in a place of safety,hundreds of crimes would be prevented, even before they had beenconceived. Moreover, the search for, and acquirement of, these jewelswould necessarily afford me abundant opportunity for studying the crimeswhich are perpetrated in order to gain possession of them. Thus youunderstand more thoroughly why I am anxious to pursue this problem ofthe Aztec Opal."

  Several hours later Mr. Mitchel and Mr. Barnes were sitting at a quiettable in the corner of the dining-room at Mr. Mitchel's club. On boardthe yacht Mr. Mitchel had acted rather mysteriously. He had beencloseted a while with Mr. Gray, after which he had had an interview withtwo or three of the others. Then, when Mr. Barnes had begun to feelneglected, and tired of waiting alone on the deck, Mr. Mitchel had cometowards him, arm in arm with Mr. Gray, and the latter had said:

  "I am very much obliged to you, Mr. Barnes, for your services in thisaffair, and I trust the enclosed check will remunerate you for yourtrouble."

  Mr. Barnes, not quite comprehending it all, had attempted to protest,but Mr. Mitchel had taken him by the arm, and hurried him off. In thecab which bore them to the club the detective asked for an explanation,but Mr. Mitchel only replied:

  "I am too hungry to talk now. We will have dinner first."

  The dinner was over at last, and nuts and coffee were before them, whenMr. Mitchel took a small parcel from his pocket, and handed it to Mr.Barnes, saying:

  "It is a beauty, is it not?"

  Mr. Barnes removed the tissue paper, and a large opal fell on thetable-cloth, where it sparkled with a thousand colors under the electriclamps.

  "Do you mean that this is----" cried the detective.

  "The Aztec Opal, and the finest harlequin I ever saw," interrupted Mr.Mitchel. "But you wish to know how it came into my possession?Principally so that it may join the collection and cease to be atemptation in this world of wickedness."

  "Then Mr. Gray did not steal it?" asked Mr. Barnes, with a touch ofchagrin in his voice.

  "No, Mr. Barnes. Mr. Gray did not steal it. But you are not to consideryourself very much at fault. Mr. Gray tried to steal it, only he failed.That was not your fault, of course. You read his actions aright, but youdid not give enough weight to the stories of the others."

  "What important point did I omit from my calculations?"

  "I might mention the bare arms which Mrs. Gray said she felt around herneck. It was evidently Mr. Gray who looked for the opal on the neck ofhis sister-in-law, but as he did not bare his arms before approachingher, he would not have done so later."

  "Do you mean that Miss Livingstone was the thief?"

  "No. Being hysterical, Miss Livingstone changed her seat withoutrealizing it, but that does not make her a thief. Her excitement whenwith you was due to her suspicions, which, by the way, were correct. Butlet us return for a moment to the bare arms. That was the clue fromwhich I worked. It was evident to me that the thief was a man, and itwas equally plain that, in the hurry of the few moments of darkness, noman would have rolled up his sleeves, risking the return of theattendants with lamps, and the consequent discovery of himself in such asingular disarrangement of costume."

  "How do you account for the bare arms?"

  "The lady did not tell the truth, that is all. The arms which encircledher neck were not bare. Neither were they unknown to her. She told youthat lie to shield the thief. She also told you that her husband wishedto sell the Aztec Opal to me, but that she had refused. Thus she deftlyled you to suspect him. Now, if she wished to shield the thief, yet waswilling to accuse her husband, it followed that the husband was not thethief."

  "Very well reasoned, Mr. Mitchel. I see now where you are tending, but Ishall not get ahead of your story."

  "So much I had deduced before we went on board the yacht. When I foundmyself alone with Gray I candidly told him of your suspicions, and yourreasons for harboring them. He was very much disturbed, and pleadinglyasked me what I thought. As frankly, I told him that I believed that hehad tried to take the opal from his wife,--we can scarcely call itstealing since the law does not,--but that I believed he had failed. Hethen confessed; admitted emptying the lamps, though he denied runningthe boat on the sand-bar. But he assured me that he had not reached hiswife's chair when the lamps were brought in. He was, therefore, muchastonished at missing the gem. I promised him to find the jewel uponcondition that he would sell it to me. To this he most willinglyacceded."

  "But how could you be sure that you would recover the opal?"

  "Partly by my knowledge of human nature, and partly because of myinherent faith in my own abilities. I sent for Mrs. Gray, and noted herattitude of defense, which, however, only satisfied me the more that Iwas right in my suspicions. I began by asking her if she knew the originof the superstition that an opal brings bad luck to its owner. She didnot, of course, comprehend my tactics, but she added that she 'had heardthe stupid superstition, but took no interest in such nonsense.' I thengravely explained to her that the opal is the engagement stone of theOrient. The lover gives it to his sweetheart, and the belief is, thatshould she deceive him even in the most trifling manner, the opal willlose its brilliancy and become cloudy. I then suddenly asked her if shehad ever noted a change in her opal. 'What do you mean to insinuate?'she cried out angrily. 'I mean,' said I, sternly, 'that if any opal hasever changed color in accordance with the superstition, this one shouldhave done so. I mean that though your husband greatly needs the moneywhich I have offered him, you have refused to allow him to sell it, andyet you permitted another to take it from you last night. By this actyou might have seriously injured if not ruined Mr. Gray. Why have youdone it?'"

  "How did she receive it?" asked Mr. Barnes, admiring the ingenuity ofMr. Mitchel.

  "She began to sob, and between her tears she admitted that the opal hadbeen taken by the man whom I suspected, but she earnestly declared thatshe had harbored no idea of injuring her husband. Indeed, she was soagitated in speaking upon this point, that I believe that Gray neverthoroughly explained to her why he wished to sell the gem. She urged meto recover the opal if possible, and purchase it, so that her husbandmight be relieved from his pecuniary embarrassment. I then sent for thethief, Mrs. Gray having told me his name; but would you not like to hearhow I had picked him out before he went aboard? I still have that bit ofpaper upon which I wrote his name, in confirmation of what I say."

  "Of course I know that you mean Mr. Livingstone, but I would like tohear your reasons for suspecting him."

  "From your account Miss Livingstone suspected some one, and this causedher to be so agitated that she was unaware of the fact that she hadchanged her seat. Women are shrewd in these affairs, and I was confidentthat the girl had good reasons for her conduct. It was evident that theperson in her mind was either her brother or her sweetheart. I decidedbetween these two men from your account of your interviews with them.Moore impressed you as being honest, and he told you that one of theladies suspected him. In this he was mistaken, but his speaking to youof it was not the act of a thief. Mr. Livingstone, on the other hand,tried to throw suspicion upon Mr. Gray."

  "Of course that was sound reasoning after you had concluded that Mrs.Gray was lying. Now tell me how you recovered the jewel."

  "That was easier than I expected. When I got him alone, I simply to
ldMr. Livingstone what I knew, and asked him to hand me the opal. With aperfectly imperturbable manner, understanding that I promised secrecy,he quietly took it from his pocket and gave it to me, saying:

  "Women are very poor conspirators. They are too weak."

  "What story did you tell Mr. Gray?"

  "Oh, he would not be likely to inquire too closely into what I shouldtell him. My check was what he most cared for. I told him nothingdefinitely, but I hinted that his wife had secreted the gem during thedarkness, that he might not ask her for it again; and that she hadintended to find it again at a future time, just as he had meant to pawnit and then pretend to recover it from the thief by offering a reward."

  "One more question. Why did Mr. Livingstone steal it?"

  "Ah; the truth about that is another mystery worth probing, and onewhich I shall make it my business to unravel. I will venture a prophecy.Mr. Livingstone did not steal it at all. Mrs. Gray simply handed it tohim in the darkness. There must have been some powerful motive to leadher to such an act; something which she was weighing, and decidedimpulsively. This brings me to a second point. Livingstone used the wordconspirators; that is a clue. You will recall that I told you that thisgem is one of a pair of opals, and that with the other, the two wouldbe as interesting as any jewels in the world. If anyone ever owns bothit shall be your humble servant, Leroy Mitchel, Jewel Collector."