The Riddle of the Spinning Wheel Read online

  CHAPTER II

  CLEEK TO THE RESCUE

  She stopped speaking suddenly and choked back a sob, covering her facewith her gloved hands, and for a moment Deland sat looking at her, eyesnarrowed, and the curious little one-sided smile so characteristic ofthe man travelling up his face. Here was very evident distress indeed.And real, too, if he knew anything of women. And yet--where was theevidence, the intention to murder, as she had suggested? There wasabsolutely nothing to go upon but a woman's intuition--and that,strangely enough, very rarely went wrong. He'd bank a good deal upon awoman's intuition every time, and feel he'd get good credit.

  "Listen, Miss Duggan," he said, leaning forward in his seat andsurveying her with keen, critical eyes. "You are very grieved, I know,but, as Mr. Narkom has just told me, you have nothing to go uponbut--_actually_--your own intuition. My friend here does not always bankon that. I do. A woman's intuition is often a great deal safer than awhole chain of circumstantial evidence. That is where Mr. Narkom and Idiffer--eh, old friend? At any rate, as there is another case besidesyours up in Argyllshire awaiting my investigation, I'll tell you whatI'll do. I'll come up to Scotland to-morrow--to-night, in fact, by themidnight train--and look into both cases at once. And if I can findanything requiring my assistance I'll gladly give it. How will that do?"

  Mr. Narkom stifled an exclamation of surprise. Here was an interestwhich he had never dreamed of awakening. Cleek (for such was theadmirable gentleman in his admirably cut clothes) rarely, if ever,showed such immediate interest unless there was more in the thing thanmet the eye in the first place. And although this Miss Duggan wasobviously in earnest, he himself would be inclined to put the thing downto a woman's natural jealousy for her rightful possessions, and anatural love for the man who was beloved to her by all the ties of fleshand blood and for whom she would fight, if necessary, to the bitter end.He had seen this sort of thing before--and paid very little attention toit. The poison story was weak--undeniably weak--though no doubt MissDuggan firmly believed in it. A thousand things might have beencontained in the phial other than the poison to which her jealous mindhad instantly leapt. Powdered aspirin, perhaps, or whatnot. And forCleek to take such an immediate interest--_Cleek_!

  He sucked in his breath noiselessly.

  "Gad!" thought he, "there _is_ more in this than meets the eye; of thatI'm sure, or he'd never take such an interest in it. Of course, there'sthose illicit stills in the same county, but ... well, anyhow, I wasright in sending for him, by James! It was worth taking a chance over."

  Then he turned his eyes to where Miss Duggan had leaned forwardsuddenly, her wet eyes alight with gratitude and face instantlytransfigured.

  "Oh, will you?--will you? How good of you, how very, very good!" sheejaculated with a little half-sigh of utter relief. "That is all I ask,Mr. Deland. Someone will come and _see_--see for themselves how thingsstand at Aygon Castle. I tell you my intuition is very rarely wrong, andif harm does not come to my poor father before this week is out, then Ihave made the first mistake in all my life. But I'm not mistaken. Ofthat I am positively, absolutely _sure_!"

  "Well, let's hope you are, my dear young lady," said Mr. Narkom, in hispractical fashion, getting to his feet at a sign from Cleek, to showthat the interview was over at last. "You are lucky to have the help ofMr. Deland, I must say. Personally I never thought for an instant thatyour case would interest him, but as it _has_, you'll no doubt meet onthe midnight express--eh, Deland?--and travel up together? And now, as Ihave a lot of business on hand, I'll wish you a very good morning andgood luck."

  "Thank you." She got to her feet and put her gloved hand into his. "Youhave been very, very kind. And I hope, too, that you are rightconcerning my intuition. But I am afraid not. Thank you so muchfor--everything. And you, too, Mr. Deland. Shall I expect you to-night,then, by the midnight express, or would you prefer to travel alone?"

  Cleek bowed.

  "Certainly not. I shall be glad of your company, if you will permit meto travel with you, Miss Duggan," he responded gallantly--feeling,however that he would have preferred to travel alone, if politenesspermitted him to say so. "There will be a good deal of reading that Ishall have to do, but if you'll pardon that.... To-night, then, by themidnight express. I shall look for you outside the Third booking-office,at 11:40. And I shall already have secured two corner seats. Back to theengine, or not?"

  "Back, please," she made answer, giving his hand a grateful squeeze onparting. "How kind you are! I feel hopeful already! Somehow, you inspireme with confidence, Mr. Deland. In your hands I know things will not goamiss. If we can only get there in time----"

  She shrugged her shoulders, and let the rest of the sentence go bydefault, and then, bowing slightly to each in turn, took her departure,a graceful, elegant figure, bearing in every line and look the mark ofthe noble ancestors of one of Scotland's noblest families.

  As the door closed behind her, Cleek wheeled round, and striding over toMr. Narkom set a hand upon each of his podgy shoulders, and stood amoment looking down into his face. Then he gave a short, sharp laugh,and let his hands drop.

  "A dollar to a ducat but there's more in that than meets the eye," hesaid, with a lift of the shoulders and a twitch of the lip. "There's awoman who has sincerity written upon her soul, but hasn't a jot ortittle of actual evidence to offer us. Your method would be to send herhome again, until she brought you the poison bottle or the cork of it,or the bread-and-milk into which the stuff had been poured--eh, oldchap?... And mine--what?" He spread out his hands, and shrugged hisshoulders, and swung upon his heel with a laugh for the ruefulexpression upon Mr. Narkom's face.

  "Oh, I say, old fellow----" began the Superintendent excitedly; butCleek's uplifted hand silenced him.

  "Familiarity breeds--the best of comradeship!--my friend. And a littledig in the ribs now and then should never be read amiss. I owe all Ihave to you, Mr. Narkom. You know the deeps of my gratitude. And if Iam not permitted sometimes to tease.... Oh, you silly old booby! You'llnever be a policeman to the end of your days. There are too manysensitive nerves running round underneath that plump and portly exteriorof yours. And your heart's too soft! But don't let us stray from ourbusiness in this ridiculous fashion, for time slips by and the hourisn't half long enough for what must be done in it. Tell me briefly whatshe told _you_, and in as near her own words as you can remember, andthen I'll be off and away to make arrangements for to-night's journey.If there's nothing in this thing, I'll send you a wire: 'Empty.'

  "You'll understand. If there _is_, then the word 'Full' will answerquite satisfactorily, without giving away our plans to any interestedpersons. As for the whisky-still business, what more perfect harbour forit than those craggy, heather-covered hills of Scotland? I'll have newsfor you, my friend, never fear; and immediately I hit upon anything,Dollops shall send it travelling over the wire in our own special codeto you."

  "What a man you are, Cleek! What a fund of restlessness, untiringinterest and intelligence!" said Mr. Narkom, as he laid a fond hand uponCleek's sleeve and looked up into his smiling face. "Gad! The Yard wouldgo to pieces without you nowadays. You saved us from collapse in the olddays of that Maurevanian business, when the whole country seemed tohave run amuck--and blamed the police for it! And you're saving us everytime now. What we'd do without your brains and your pluck and yourwonderful birthright, which disguises you so successfully that even I,your best friend, don't know you, when you choose--well, I can't say.But my blessing with you, Cleek, and the best of luck! You'll find whatyou're looking for, I haven't a doubt."

  "Yes, I'll find what I'm looking for, Mr. Narkom; I'm certain of that,"said Cleek quietly, the queer little one-sided smile travelling up hischeek once more. "I don't wish to sound egotistical, but there are fewthings can beat your humble when his mind's made up. Else how would Ihave travelled back from the underworld into such a position of trustand uniqueness as this? Only that a woman's eyes lit the way for me, anda man's great heart opened the door--and the crook determined
to becomethe gentleman, and pitched into it forthwith all he was worth.Cussed--that's me!"

  "And _clean_! And with those two attributes Hercules was enabled toclean out the Augean Stables and prove himself ready for anything thatcame," supplemented Mr. Narkom, with a noisy sigh. "Cussed and clean!That's your motto. I'll back it every time.... Now, then, to business.We've thrown enough bouquets at each other to last for a lifetime!There's a dickens of a cipher case which is tying me into knots atpresent, so I need all my faculties to untie myself again! Here are thefacts, Cleek. Nothing much, but you will make more than I can of them;so here goes."

  And so it came about that when Cleek left the offices in Scotland Yardthat afternoon, and strolled leisurely down toward his diggings inClarges Street, he was in possession of the full story, just as MaudDuggan had told it to Mr. Narkom, and had gleaned therewith one or twoincidental conclusions upon his own account.

  The journey to Scotland was likely to prove a fruitful one. And he wasto see the gaunt crags of that most majestic and rugged country undermore interesting conditions than he had at first bargained for.

  But _how_ interesting and how tragically enthralling, even Cleek himselfwas not able to foresee.