by Sax Rohmer
CHAPTER XXVII. CROWN EVIDENCE
The appearance of the violet-enamelled motor brougham upholstered incream, and driven by a chauffeur in a violet and cream livery, createdsome slight sensation in Spenser Road, S.E. Mollie Gretna's conspicuouscar was familiar enough to residents in the West End of London, but tolower middle-class suburbia it came as something of a shock. More thanone window curtain moved suspiciously, suggesting a hidden but watchfulpresence, when the glittering vehicle stopped before the gate of number67; and the lady at number 68 seized an evidently rare opportunity tocome out and polish her letter-box.
She was rewarded by an unobstructed view of the smartest woman in London(thus spake society paragraphers) and of the most expensive set offurs in Europe, also of a perfectly gowned slim figure. Of Mollie'sdisdainful face, with its slightly uptilted nose, she had no more than aglimpse.
A neat maid, evidently Scotch, admitted the dazzling visitor to number67; and Spenser Road waited and wondered. It was something to do withthe Bond Street murder! Small girls appeared from doorways suddenlyopened and darted off to advise less-watchful neighbors.
Kerry, who had been at work until close upon dawn in the mysteriousunderworld of Soho was sleeping, but Mrs. Kerry received Mollie in aformal little drawing-room, which, unlike the cosy, homely dining-room,possessed that frigid atmosphere which belongs to uninhabitedapartments. In a rather handsome cabinet were a number of trophiesassociated with the detective's successful cases. The cabinet itselfwas a present from a Regent Street firm for whom Kerry had recoveredvaluable property.
Mary Kerry, dressed in a plain blouse and skirt, exhibited no trace ofnervousness in the presence of her aristocratic and fashionable caller.Indeed, Mollie afterwards declared that "she was quite a ladylikeperson. But rather tin tabernacley, my dear."
"Did ye wish to see Chief Inspector Kerry parteecularly?" asked Mary,watching her visitor with calm, observant eyes.
"Oh, most particularly!" cried Mollie, in a flutter of excitement. "Ofcourse I don't know what you must think of me for calling at such apreposterous hour, but there are some things that simply can't wait."
"Aye," murmured Mrs. Kerry. "'Twill be yon Bond Street affair?"
"Oh, yes, it is, Mrs. Kerry. Doesn't the very name of Bond Street turnyour blood cold? I am simply shivering with fear!"
"As the wife of a Chief Inspector I am maybe more used to tragedies thanyoursel', madam. But it surely is a sair grim business. My husbandis resting now. He was hard at work a' the night. Nae doubt ye'll bewishin' tee see him privately?"
"Oh, if you please. I am so sorry to disturb him. I can imagine that hemust be literally exhausted after spending a whole night among dreadfulpeople."
Mary Kerry stood up.
"If ye'll excuse me for a moment I'll awaken him," she said. "Ourhousehold is sma'."
"Oh, of course! I quite understand, Mrs. Kerry! So sorry. But so good ofyou."
"Might I offer ye a glass o' sherry an' a biscuit?"
"I simply couldn't dream of troubling you! Please don't suggest such athing. I feel covered with guilt already. Many thanks nevertheless."
Mary Kerry withdrew, leaving Mollie alone. As soon as the door closedMollie stood up and began to inspect the trophies in the cabinet. Shewas far too restless and excited to remain sitting down. She lookedat the presentation clock on the mantelpiece and puzzled over thesignatures engraved upon a large silver dish which commemorated the joydisplayed by the Criminal Investigation Department upon the occasion ofKerry's promotion to the post of Chief Inspector.
The door opened and Kerry came in. He had arisen and completed histoilet in several seconds less than five minutes. But his spotlesslyneat attire would have survived inspection by the most lynx-eyedmartinet in the Brigade of Guards. As he smiled at his visitor withfierce geniality, Mollie blushed like a young girl.
Chief Inspector Kerry was a much bigger man than she had believed him tobe. The impression left upon her memory by his brief appearance at thenight club had been that of a small, dapper figure. Now, as he stood inthe little drawing-room, she saw that he was not much if anything belowthe average height of Englishmen, and that he possessed wonderfullybroad shoulders. In fact, Kerry was deceptive. His compact neatness andthe smallness of his feet and hands, together with those swift, lithemovements which commonly belong to men of light physique, curiouslycombined to deceive the beholder, but masked eleven stones (*note: 1stone = 14 pounds) of bone and muscle.
"Very good of you to offer information, miss," he said. "I'm willing toadmit that I can do with it."
He opened a bureau and took out a writing-block and a fountain pen. Thenhe turned and stared hard at Mollie. She quickly lowered her eyes.
"Excuse me," said Kerry, "but didn't I see you somewhere last night?"
"Yes," she said. "I was sitting just inside the door at--"
"Right! I remember," interrupted Kerry. He continued to stare. "Beforeyou say any more, miss, I have to remind you that I am a police officer,and that you may be called upon to swear to the truth of any informationyou may give me."
"Oh, of course! I know."
"You know? Very well, then; we can get on. Who gave you my address?"
At the question, so abruptly asked, Mollie felt herself blushing again.It was delightful to know that she could still blush. "Oh--I... that is,I asked Scotland Yard "
She bestowed a swift, half-veiled glance at her interrogator, but heoffered her no help, and:
"They wouldn't tell me," she continued. "So--I had to find out. You see,I heard you were trying to get information which I thought perhaps Icould give."
"So you went to the trouble to find my private address rather than tothe nearest police station," said Kerry. "Might I ask you from whom youheard that I wanted this information?"
"Well--it's in the papers, isn't it?"
"It is certainly. But it occurred to me that someone... connected mighthave told you as well."
"Actually, someone did: Miss Margaret Halley."
"Good!" rapped Kerry. "Now we're coming to it. She told you to come tome?"
"Oh, no!" cried Mollie--"she didn't. She told me to tell her so that shecould tell the Home office."
"Eh?" said Kerry, "eh?" He bent forward, staring fiercely. "Please tellme exactly what Miss Halley wanted to know."
The intensity of his gaze Mollie found very perturbing, but:
"She wanted me to tell her where Mrs. Sin lived," she replied.
Kerry experienced a quickening of the pulse. In the failure of theC.I.D. to trace the abode of the notorious Mrs. Sin he had suspecteddouble-dealing. He counted it unbelievable that a figure so conspicuousin certain circles could evade official quest even for forty-eighthours. K Division's explanation, too, that there were no less thaneighty Chinamen resident in and about Limehouse whose names either beganor ended with Sin, he looked upon as a paltry evasion. That very morninghe had awakened from a species of nightmare wherein 719 had affectedthe arrest of Kazmah and Mrs. Sin and had rescued Mrs. Irvin from theclutches of the former. Now--here was hope. 719 would seem to be ashopelessly in the dark as everybody else.
"You refused?" he rapped.
"Of course I did, Inspector," said Mollie, with a timid, tender glance."I thought you were the proper person to tell."
"Then you know?" asked Kerry, unable to conceal his eagerness.
"Yes," sighed Mollie. "Unfortunately--I know. Oh Inspector, how can Iexplain it to you?"
"Don't trouble, miss. Just give me the address and I'll ask noquestions!"
His keenness was thrilling, infectious. As a result of the night's"beating" he had a list of some twenty names whose owners might havebeen patrons of Kazmah and some of whom might know Mrs. Sin. But hehad learned from bitter experience how difficult it was to inducesuch people to give useful evidence. There was practically no means offorcing them to speak if they chose, from selfish motives, to be silent.They could be forced to appear in court, but anything elicited in publicwas worse than useless. Further
more, Kerry could not afford to wait.Mollie replied excitedly:
"Oh, Inspector, I know you will think me simply an appalling person whenI tell you; but I have been to Mrs. Sin's house--'The House of a HundredRaptures' she calls it--"
"Yes, yes! But--the address?"
"However can I tell you the address, Inspector? I could drive you there,but I haven't the very haziest idea of the name of the horrible street!One drives along dreadful roads where there are stalls and Jews forquite an interminable time, and then over a sort of canal, and thenround to the right all among ships and horrid Chinamen. Then, there isa doorway in a little court, and Mrs. Sin's husband sits inside asmelly room with a positively ferocious raven who shrieks about legs andpolicemen! Oh! Can I ever forget it!"
"One moment, miss, one moment," said Kerry, keeping an iron control uponhimself. "What is the name of Mrs. Sin's husband?"
"Oh, let me think! I can always remember it by recalling the croak ofthe raven." She raised one hand to her brow, posing reflectively, andbegan to murmur:
"Sin Sin Ah... Sin Sin Jar... Sin Sin--Oh! I have it! Sin Sin Wa!"
"Good!" rapped Kerry, and made a note on the block. "Sin Sin Wa, and hehas a pet raven, you say, who talks?"
"Who positively talks like some horrid old woman!" cried Mollie. "He hasonly one eye."
"The raven?"
"The raven, yes--and also the Chinaman."
"What!"
"Oh! it's a nightmare to behold them together!" declared Mollie,clasping her hands and bending forward.
She was gaining courage, and now looked almost boldly into the fierceeyes of the Chief Inspector.
"Describe the house," he said succinctly. "Take your time and use yourown words."
Thereupon Mollie launched into a description of Sin Sin Wa'sopium-house. Kerry, his eyes fixed upon her face, listened silently.Then:
"These little rooms are really next door?" he asked.
"I suppose so, Inspector. We always went through the back of acupboard!"
"Can you give me names of others who used this place?"
"Well"--Mollie hesitated--"poor Rita, of course and Sir Lucien. Then,Cyrus Kilfane used to go."
"Kilfane? The American actor?"
"Yes."
"H'm. He's back in America, Sir Lucien is dead, and Mrs. Irvin ismissing. Nobody else?"
Mollie shook her head.
"Who first took you there?"
"Cyrus Kilfane."
"Not Sir Lucien?"
"Oh, no. But both of them had been before."
"What was Kazmah's connection with Mrs. Sin and her husband?"
"I have no idea, Inspector. Kazmah used to supply cocaine and veronaland trional and heroin, but those who wanted to smoke opium he sent toMrs. Sin."
"What! he gave them her address?"
"No, no! He gave her their address."
"I see. She called?"
"Yes. Oh, Inspector"--Mollie bent farther forward--"I can see in youreyes that you think I am fabulously wicked! Shall I be arrested?"
Kerry coughed drily and stood up.
"Probably not, miss. But you may be required to give evidence."
"Oh, actually?" cried Mollie, also standing up and approaching nearer.
"Yes. Shall you object?"
Mollie looked into his eyes.
"Not if I can be of the slightest assistance to you, Inspector."
A theory to explain why this social butterfly had sought him out as arecipient of her compromising confidences presented itself to Kerry'smind. He was a modest man, having neither time nor inclination forgallantries, and this was the first occasion throughout his professionalcareer upon which he had obtained valuable evidence on the strength ofhis personal attractions. He doubted the accuracy of his deduction. But,Mollie at that moment lowering her lashes and then rapidly raising themagain, Kerry was compelled to accept his own astonishing theory.
"And she is the daughter of a peer!" he reflected. "No wonder it hasbeen hard to get evidence."
He glanced rapidly in the direction of the door. There were severaldetails which were by no means clear, but he decided to act upon theinformation already given and to get rid of his visitor without delay.Where some of the most dangerous criminals in Europe and America hadfailed, Mollie Gretna had succeeded in making Red Kerry nervous.
"I am much indebted to you, miss," he said, and opened the door.
"Oh, it has been delightful to confess to you, Inspector!" declaredMollie. "I will give you my card, and I shall expect you to come to mefor any further information you may want. If I have to be brought tocourt, you will tell me, won't you?"
"Rely upon me, miss," replied Kerry shortly.
He escorted Mollie to her brougham, observed by no less than sixdiscreetly hidden neighbors. And as the brougham was driven off shewaved her hand to him! Kerry felt a hot flush spreading over his redcountenance, for the veiled onlookers had not escaped his attention. Ashe re-entered the house:
"Yon's a bad woman," said his wife, emerging from the dining-room.
"I believe you may be right, Mary," replied Kerry confusedly.
"I kenned it when fairst I set een upon her painted face. I kenned itthe now when she lookit sideways at ye. If yon's a grand lady, she's awoman o' puir repute. The Lord gi'e us grace."