The Riddle of the Spinning Wheel Read online

  CHAPTER IX

  A DOUBLE TRAGEDY

  Cleek sat forward in his seat suddenly, every nerve alert at thissomewhat startling piece of news. Oho! So Ross Duggan was the onlyperson possessing an air-pistol--and the laird had been killed by meansof one, shot through the head in a dastardly fashion. Gad! it certainlywanted looking into! And the moment had been chosen with such precisionthat the alteration in that self-same will had never been made, and RossDuggan still stood as chief heir to his father's estates!

  That was a queer thing--a very queer thing! He flung up his eyebrows andtwitched the corner of his mobile mouth.

  "Your _brother_, Miss Duggan? I see. And how long ago was it that hebought that pistol, may I ask? And for what purpose?"

  She gave an uneasy laugh which ended in a little sob that brought a lookof pity to his eyes.

  "Oh--ages and ages! Quite a couple of years ago, I think. Ross and afellow-officer who was here for the fishing got it together. Ross hadthought of a new idea for killing the big salmon after they had beenplayed so long, and though exhausted were brought to shore alive.Everyone laughed at him, of course, and the thing never turned out to beanything; but Ross's idea was to shoot them as soon after swallowing thehook as was possible, and the soundless pistol wouldn't frighten theother fish. It was a ridiculous idea--but Ross imagined it would be morehumane, though not nearly so much sport from the fisherman's point ofview, as you know, Mr. Deland--and he tried it only once. He was teasedout of it after that."

  "And the pistol?"

  "I really don't know ... what became of it. I never saw it again, and,in fact, forgot all about it. But of course, Mr. Deland, Rosscouldn't--_couldn't!_--oh, I beg of you, don't think of such a terriblething for one instant! Ross adored his father _always_, in spite of thebad blood between them of later years."

  "Quite so. Only, naturally, in the pursuit of duty one must ask allmanner of irrelevant questions. You understand that, Miss Duggan, Ihope? Of course your brother Ross would not think of such a thing. Butif he is the only possessor of an air-pistol, well, naturally,circumstantial evidence will be rather unpleasant for him--unlesssomething else turns up. I'd like to see your brother, if you please,and have a little chat with him. And then he will show me the--yourfather, and let me make a little perfunctory examination.... By the way,how far away is the nearest police-station?"

  "A matter of three miles. But the men have motorcycles, and should behere at any moment. Hark! that's Rhea's bell, isn't it? No doubt theyhave already come. Oh, Mr. Deland, _what_ shall I say to them? I don'tfeel as though I could face a stranger _now_!"

  Cleek laid his hand upon her shoulder as he rose to his feet.

  "And you're not going to--have no fear of that," he replied kindly."Remember, I represent Scotland Yard, Miss Duggan. This thing lies in myhands, and I am in command of it. I shall see the police-sergeant andmake all necessary arrangements. The formalities will have to beobserved, of course, for to-night, at any rate. No one must leave thishouse under any pretext whatever--neither servant nor guest. All doorsand windows must be locked, and I shall set a guard about the place. Butthat will be my duty to attend to--not yours. So go and rest a little,if you can--and emulate your worthy stepmother (who, by the way, I wantto see as soon as possible), after you have taken me to your brother,and we have had a little talk together.... Would you mind conducting meto him now?"

  She bowed her head dumbly, and passed out in front of him, down thelong narrow passage with its armoured figures standing out in niches cutinto the wall and its air of brooding mystery which so well fitted thistragic affair and lent still further colour to it. At last they reachedthe library. At the door of it she paused, hesitated, put her hand uponthe handle of it, and then drew back with an involuntary shiver.

  "I can't--I can't!" she said brokenly. "It's asking too much to go inand see him now--not until he has been placed as he ought to be, poordear old Daddy! But Ross is in there with him, Mr. Deland. So if youjust knock, and then enter, and tell him who you are, that will be allright.... Those men are coming in, I know. I can hear them at the doornow. Oh, please, please don't let me see them-- I don't feel as if Icould!"

  "And you shan't--have no fear of that," he replied. "So be off with youas quick as you can, and lie down for half an hour, at any rate. And ifI have need of you I'll send someone along with a message.... Ah!they're coming.... Good evening, Sergeant. You've been exceedinglyprompt in coming along, I must say. And brought four men with you, too?That's good. We shall want 'em in this place. There's been a murderhere--old Sir Andrew Duggan has been done to death in a mysteriousmanner--shot and stabbed at the same time. I've not yet looked at thebody, but shall do so presently. Mr. Narkom will be down in themorning."

  "Mr. Narkom? The Chief Superintendent, eh? Then--then may I ask who_you_ are, sir?" responded Sergeant Campbell, in a deep, ringing voicewhich exactly fitted the huge figure of him.

  Cleek bowed. He looked keenly into the gray eyes under the beetlingbrows, came to the rapid conclusion that here was a man who could keephis tongue in leash if required, and then with a glance over the fourpolice-constables standing behind him, handed him a card upon which hehad scribbled one word, and then watched the effect of it with dawningamusement as the knowledge soaked into the Inspector's consciousness.

  "Name's Deland," he said with a knowing wink, speaking in the nick oftime, before the Sergeant in his astonishment and admiration for thisman who stood before him, and whose name was a household word upon thetongue of every policeman the world over, had quite given the show awayto the rest of his followers. "Arthur Deland. You've probably heard ofme, Sergeant, if you follow the doings of Scotland Yard at all. Came uphere under Mr. Narkom's orders to handle another case, and thendropped--_plop!_--upon this one. Better come along now. I want you toset a couple of men before the library door, where the thing tookplace--nothing to be moved, of course, or touched in any way, until Mr.Narkom arrives--and then send another of your men back to fetch ten morereserves, and stand guard all round the house from the outside. Tell 'emto report to you every half hour, and if there's anything doing bring italong to me at once. You understand?"

  "Yessir. Certainly, sir."

  "Then come along."

  He led the way through the long hall, past the gaping butler to whomthis stranger, whom his master had entertained at lunch, and who was nowso mysteriously in charge of affairs, seemed suddenly to have assumed aprincipal part in the affair, and to be showing his "nerve" in a goodmany ways; and with a quick order to him to see that all doors andwindows were securely bolted and locked, so that no one could get in orout of the house save at the instigation of the Law and the Law'sminions, Cleek passed on to that chamber of death where the old lairdlay, and turning the handle softly, led the way in.

  There was a light shining in the centre of the room from anold-fashioned lamp which stood upon the desk-top and sent a softeffulgence round and about it that lay like a halo upon the peace ofthat silent place. At the desk sat Ross Duggan, head in hands, shuttingout the sight of the Thing that faced him in all the majesty of death,that Thing which so short a time back had been his own father, and nowsat huddled forward in a fallen attitude in the swing-back office chairopposite Ross, transparent hands lying aimlessly upon the desk-top, headdownthrown, jaw dropped, and with a little sinister blackened puncturein the temple telling the tale of the air-pistol's accurate aim only toowell.

  Cleek went up to the desk and laid his hand upon Ross's shoulder. In aninstant the young man sprang to his feet, eyes ablaze, face chalk-white,startled and not a little displeased at this intrusion upon him and hisdead by a man whom he had met only casually a few hours back, and whohad witnessed that never-to-be-forgotten quarrel between him and hisfather which would sear his memory now forever.

  "I-- I---- This is hardly the hour and the time, Mr. Deland," he beganin a hushed voice; but Cleek silenced him, the queer little one-sidedsmile travelling up his cheek, and his eyes serious and not a little sadas they rested upo
n the haggard face of this heir to an unhappyinheritance.

  "That's all right, my dear chap--really," he said in his clear,low-pitched voice. "You see, my profession happens to be that of adetective, and I stand at present as official representative of ScotlandYard. The Sergeant here has come to do his unpleasant duty, and place aguard over the body. It would be better for you, really, to go and liedown. After such a terrible shock...."

  "I'll go, and gladly!" returned Ross with a grim nod of the head and asudden warming of colour in the pale cheeks of him. "It's not been thepleasantest task sitting here with--him--like that, Mr. Deland. And asyou happen to have jumped up from nowhere and taken matters so entirelyin hand, I'll relinquish my trust. But I didn't somehow like toleave--him--alone. After what's happened--the strange method of hisdeath--and all the rest of this ghastly affair, I meant to keep the restof the world away from him, if possible, and if the murderer shouldchance to come back!"--a sudden light flashed into his eyes andinvoluntarily his body stiffened--"then I should be ready for him."

  "Spoken like a soldier and a gentleman," said Cleek softly, with a nodof understanding. "Now I want to have a look at your father, Mr. Duggan.And I'd like it if you could just find it in your heart to stay herewith me for a moment or two, and acquaint me with the facts. Your sisterhas told me the rough outline, and----"

  "My sister?" His voice showed the surprise which this news elicited."How did you see her, then?"

  "That is a long story, which you shall hear some other time. At presentshe simply sent for me in a very quick and excellent manner, and I cameat once. The worthy Sergeant and his men followed.... Now, Sergeant,place your men as I told you, and I'll get on to the business ofexamination. I only want to get a rough idea of the true method ofdeath, and glean what clues I can for Mr. Narkom, who will arrive in themorning.... And, gad!" He glanced up at the huge clock which was tickingaway the minutes and hours with sonorous voice. "It's getting on thatway now. Now, Sergeant, if you can get one of your men to give me a handwith the body----"

  Speaking, he moved it gently, until it lay half upon the pedestaldesk-top, so that the light shone full upon the ghastly face, and rolledit tenderly over. There was a thin trickle of blood still oozing thicklyfrom the left side of the breast, where the fine puncture of some almostneedle-like instrument showed how successfully it had done its horribleduty. Cleek tore away the coat and waistcoat, stripped back the shirtfrom the frail body, and examined the wound through his little glass. Insize it was no more than what might have been caused by a heavy bodkin,and in depth--so deep that it had no doubt punctured the inner walls ofthe heart, and, if successful in this method, caused immediate death toits victim.

  He looked up quickly into Ross's downbent face, his own rather grim.

  "A stiletto wound," he gave out in the sharp staccato of excitement."See that fine, clean-cut edge? I've seen similar ones in Italy and inthe southern parts of America. The blade's squarish, not flat as in thecases of most daggers. And it is amazingly sharp. That blow would causea death-wound, undoubtedly. But I understand there was a shot fired aswell--from an air-pistol, I imagine, as there was no sound. Now, thequestion is, where is that bullet, and from what direction was the shotfired? That'll tell us a lot."

  Ross Duggan's face changed suddenly, as though a shadow had passed overit.

  "That's the question, Mr. Deland," he replied in a tense voice. "If wecould find out that, we could find out a good deal. But why this doublecrime should have been committed, Heaven alone can tell. My father hadmany enemies--but none who would have stooped to kill him--of that I ampositive. And it is obvious that two have tried to do so. Look, here isthe wound in the temple, just above the left eye. And it has gone cleanthrough the head. Poor old Dad! Poor, misguided old Dad! How I hate thatwoman Paula and all her wiles and ways! If any one's at fault in thisdastardly business, Mr. Deland, you can count upon _her_! Her fatherswung for a similar crime (she doesn't know I know that) and if she hasdone this terrible thing she, too, shall swing, as he did! Whoever hasdone this cruel, wicked thing, Mr. Deland, shall be brought to justice,if I have to scour the world over for the murderer."

  "Ah--who? That is the question, my friend," returned Cleek quietly,stooping over the bowed white head with its thatch of snowy hair, andtracing the path of the bullet through it in his mind's eye. "H'm! Wentthrough here and came out-- Gad! here's the puncture! Right here! Sothat somewhere in this room that bullet has lodged itself, and when thatis found we shall have our finger upon the pulse of this dreadfultragedy more surely than we know.... Heigho! It's two-thirty, and inthis semi-darkness little to be done until the morning sends us itskindly rays. So we must leave things as they are for the present, andlater go over the whole thing with clear heads and rested minds....Sergeant, I put you in charge. A man outside of the window there,please, and another one in this room, and still another outside thedoor, and if any one tries to get in or out, blow your whistle and I'llbe with you in a jiffy.... Come, Mr. Duggan. You're looking terriblywhite and fagged. Let's have a whisky-and-soda--if you'd be so good asto extend your hospitality so far--and then I'll make myself ashake-down in the next room, if you've no objection. I've given ordersfor no one to be allowed to leave the house until morning and untilparole is given to do so, so you need have no fear of one of themurderers escaping."

  "I-- I---- What's that you say?" stammered out Ross, swinging round andlooking at Cleek with drawn brows and flashing eyes. "You've givenorders in _my_ house! I say, you know, this is a bit thick; and--and whothe dickens do you think would have done the thing in this place, may Iask? You're rather overstepping the bounds of common hospitality, Mr.Deland, in your role of private detective. And I must ask you to leavethe ordering of things to _me_."

  "And that, I am afraid, is exactly what I can't do, my friend," repliedCleek serenely, with a crooked smile. "Simply because, according to yoursomewhat one-eyed and one-sided English law, every one is a suspectuntil he is proved innocent. You, your sister, your stepmother, evenyour fiancee--who, I suppose, is spending the night here with her cousinMiss Dowd, under the present circumstances as my orders were issued alittle earlier in the evening--every member of this household comesunder the unwilling stigma of a possible perpetrator of this crime."

  "Damn it!-- I say--how dare you----"

  "We policemen dare everything, Mr. Duggan, because that is our duty, youknow," he responded smoothly. "And, besides, there's one thing more.Someone here has an air-pistol, and the owner of that has got to befound. I've an inkling, supplemented by a few words dropped by yoursister, but we'll let that pass. Only, the owner of the air-gun is notgoing to escape this house to-night. That's all, I fancy. Sergeant,good-night. Or, rather, good morning. You'll call me if necessary, won'tyou? I shall be in the very next room. And-- Mr. Duggan, if you don'thappen to have that whisky handy, you needn't bother. I've a flask in mypocket."