CHAPTER VIII
LIES AND LIARS
Sidney Prale waited in an adjoining office, a detective sitting in onecorner of it and watching him closely. It was almost a prison room, forthere were steel bars at the windows, and only the one door. Pralewalked to one of the windows and looked down at the street, his armsfolded across his breast, trying to think it out.
The finding of that fountain pen in the room beside Rufus Shepley's bodywas what puzzled and bothered him the most. How on earth could it havecome there? He tried to remember when he had used it last, when he hadlast seen it. All that he could recall was that, the afternoon before,he had used it to write a note in a memorandum book. How and where hadhe lost it, and how had it come into Shepley's suite? Had he dropped itin the hotel lobby during his short quarrel with Shepley, while he wasshaking the man? Had Shepley picked it up later and carried it home withhim? Prale did not think Shepley would have done that under thecircumstances.
Well, he'd be at liberty soon enough, he told himself. It was naturalfor the police to learn of his quarrel with Shepley and to make anarrest on the strength of that and of finding the fountain pen. Hisalibi was perfect; they soon would know that he could not have committedthe crime.
It was almost an hour later when he was taken back into the other roomagain. Prale had spent the time standing before the window, smoking andtrying to think things out. The captain of detectives was before hisdesk when Prale was ushered into the office.
"I've been investigating your story, Mr. Prale," the captain said,looking at him peculiarly. "It always has been a mystery to me why a mankeen in business and supposed to possess brains goes to pieces when hecommits a crime and tells a tale that is full of holes."
"I beg your pardon!" Prale said.
"Sit down, Mr. Prale, over there--and I'll have some of the witnessesin. I have not questioned them yet, but my men have, and have reportedto me what they said. They have discovered several other things, too."
"I'm not afraid of anything they may have discovered," Prale told thecaptain.
"Last night, you told Jim Farland that you had had trouble with a bank,and at the hotel where you first registered after you came ashore, didyou not?"
"Yes; don't those things bear out my statement about the powerfulenemies?"
"We'll see presently," the captain said.
He spoke to the sergeant in attendance, who immediately left the room,and presently returned with the president of the trust company. Helooked at Prale with interest, and took the chair the captaindesignated.
"You know this man?" the captain asked.
"I do," said the banker. "He is Sidney Prale."
"Ever have any business with him?"
"Mr. Prale transferred a fortune to our institution from Honduras," thebanker said. "Yesterday he called at the bank, satisfied me as to hisidentity, and made arrangements concerning the money."
"Mr. Prale has said that, for some reason unknown to him, you told himyou did not care to handle his business and didn't want his deposit,"the captain said.
"I scarcely think that was the way of it," the banker replied. "We wouldhave been glad to take care of the deposit, which was practically onemillion dollars. But Mr. Prale told me he had other plans and that hewould remove the deposit during the day, which he did."
Sidney Prale sat up straight in his chair. "Didn't you tell me that youdidn't want anything to do with me and my money?" he demanded.
"Certainly not," lied the banker. "You said that you wished to put yourfunds in other institutions."
Prale gasped at the man's statement. It was a bare-faced lie if one everhad been spoken.
"Why----" Prale began.
"I do not care to discuss the matter further," the banker interrupted."I am a man of standing and cannot afford to be mixed up in a case ofthis sort."
"You'll not be mixed up in it," the captain said. "I just wanted to showMr. Prale that there were some holes in his story. That is all, thankyou!"
The banker left the room quickly, and Prale sprang to his feet, his facelivid.
"That man lied!" he exclaimed. "You could read it in his face! I don'tknow why he lied, but he did!"
"Sit down, Mr. Prale, and let's have more witnesses in," the captainsaid.
Once more he spoke to the sergeant, and again the latter went out, thistime to return with the manager of the first hotel at which Praleregistered.
"Know this man?" the captain asked.
"He registered at my place as Sidney Prale, of Honduras."
"Well, what about it?"
"We furnished him with a suite on the fifth floor," the hotel managersaid. "But he gave it up."
"Gave it up!" Prale cried. "Why, you called me into your office and toldme to get out, that the suite has been reserved and that there was nonevacant in the house. The bell boy can testify that he called me into theoffice."
"Certainly he called you into my office, and at my request," the managersaid. "I wanted to know why you were leaving, whether any of theemployees had treated you with discourtesy. You told me that you hadbeen served poorly in the dining room the evening before, and that youwere done with the hotel!"
Prale sprang to his feet. "That's a lie, and you know it!" he cried.
"Captain," said the hotel man, "do I have to sit here and be insulted bya man charged with a heinous crime?"
"That will be all, thank you," the captain said.
The hotel manager hurried from the room, and the captain grinned atPrale.
"So he lied, too, did he?" the captain asked.
"He did!" Prale cried.
"There seems to be an epidemic of falsehood, to hear you tell it.However, let us get on with the affair."
Once more he instructed the sergeant, and this time the man brought inthe hotel detective who had witnessed the trouble between Prale andShepley.
The hotel detective told the story much as Prale himself had told it,except that he made it appear that Prale had threatened Rufus Shepley onthe walk in front of the hotel before they separated.
"Did you pick up a fountain pen of mine after I had gone?" Prale asked.
"I did not."
"See anybody else pick it up?"
"No, sir," said the hotel detective; and he went out of the room.
The sergeant next ushered in George Lerton. Prale sat up straight in hischair again. Here was where his proper alibi began, with the exceptionof Jim Farland. George Lerton's face was pale as he sat down at the endof the desk.
"Know this man?" the captain asked.
"He is my cousin, Sidney Prale."
"How long has he been away from New York?"
"About ten years," Lerton said. "He returned day before yesterday, Ibelieve. I saw his name in the passenger list."
"Mr. Prale says that he met you last night on Fifth Avenue, and that youtold him he had some powerful enemies seeking to cause him trouble, andadvised him to leave New York and remain away."
"Why--why this is not so!" Lerton cried. "I haven't seen him until thismoment. I would have looked him up, but did not know at what hotel hewas stopping, and thought that he'd try to find me."
Prale was out of his chair again, his face flaming. "You mean to sitthere and tell me that you didn't talk to me on Fifth Avenue lastnight?" he cried.
"Why, of course I never talked to you, Sid. I never saw you. What areyou trying to do, Sid? Why have you done this thing? We never were closeto each other, and yet we are cousins, and I hate to see you introuble."
"Stop your hypocritical sniveling!" Prale cried. "You are lying and youknow it! You saw me last night----"
"But I didn't!"
"You did--and tried to get me to run away, and wouldn't tell me yourreason for it."
George Lerton licked at his lips and looked appealingly at the captainof detectives.
"I--I am a man of standing," he whimpered. "I am a broker--here is mycard. This man is my cousin, but I cannot lie to shield him. I never sawhim last night, and did not speak to him."
Lerton got up and started for the door, and Sidney Prale did not make amove to stop him.
"It appears that your story is full of flaws," the captain said. "Alittle of it is true, however; you did meet Jim Farland and talk to himin Madison Square, and remained for the length of time you said. Jim hastold me that much. But he does not know where you went and what you didafter leaving him. What we are interested in is what you did in theneighborhood of eleven o'clock last night. That is when Rufus Shepleywas killed. And now we'll have in that new valet of yours."
There was a snarl on Murk's face as he came into the room and sat downin the chair at the end of the desk. Murk did not like policemen anddetectives, and did not care whether they knew of his dislike. Heflashed a glance at Sidney Prale and then faced the captain.
"Well, what is it?" he asked.
"Tell us where and how you met Mr. Prale first, what happened, and bringthe story right up to date," the captain commanded.
"Well, I went down to the river to jump in," Murk said, as if stating asimple fact. "I was tired of fightin' to live and had decided to end itall. Mr. Prale grabbed me and hauled me back, and then he made me seethat suicide was foolish. He offered me a job, and I agreed to take it.He was the first man who had treated me decent since I----"
"Never mind that; get down to cases."
"Well, we walked up the street and got a taxicab and drove downtown, andMr. Prale bought me some clothes."
"What time was it when you met him?"
"I guess it was about ten o'clock. We bought the clothes, as I said, andthen we went to a barber shop, and I got a hair cut and a shave. Afterthat we went to Mr. Prale's hotel and up to his rooms. We got to bedpretty quick."
"What time did you reach the hotel?"
"About midnight."
"What happened after you went to bed?"
"Went to sleep," said Murk.
"Never mind the jokes," the captain rebuked sternly.
"Well, I stayed awake about an hour or so thinking how lucky I was, andthen I went to sleep. I woke up early in the mornin' and got up anddressed. Mr. Prale got up later, and we ate breakfast in the suite. Thenthe cops came. One of them took Mr. Prale away, and he told me to stayin the rooms until sent for. The other cop rummaged around the rooms andthen left."
Prale bent forward. "There is one man who can speak the truth," he toldthe captain. "His story corresponds with the one I told you, doesn't it?And doesn't it show that I could not have murdered Rufus Shepley ateleven o'clock last night?"
"The story is all right, and it certainly corresponds with yours,"replied the captain. "Just a minute!" He faced Murk again. "Who are youand where did you come from?" he demanded.
"I ain't anybody in particular. I've been hangin' around town a coupleof months doin' odd jobs. Before that I was bummin' around the countryworkin' whenever I got a chance."
"You felt grateful to Mr. Prale for giving you a job and a home, didn'tyou?"
"Sure!" said Murk. "He talked to me decent, like I was a man instead ofa dog."
"Well, you don't seem to have much standing in the world," the captainsaid. "Your word, against that of several prominent citizens, does notcarry much weight. You must see that. And there happens to be somethingelse, too. I had the clothing merchant and the barber you mentioned lookyou over while you were in the other room. The clothing merchant says hesold some clothes a couple of days ago, the ones you are wearing now,but that he certainly did not sell them last night, and the barberswears that he never saw you before!"
"Why, the dirty liars!" Murk cried.
"Did they say that?" Prale demanded.
"They did," the captain replied. "And they said it in such a way that Ibelieve them. Prale, your alibi is shot full of holes. You told thetruth about meeting Jim Farland, and that much is in your favor. Asidefrom that, we have only the testimony of a tramp you said you picked upand gave a job. You had plenty of time to kill Rufus Shepley. You hadample time to concoct the story and get this man to learn it, so hecould tell it and match yours. You are worth a million dollars, and thisman probably was ready to lie a little for a wad of money."
"He tells the truth----"
"It's too thin, Prale! And don't forget the fountain pen that was foundbeside Shepley's body, either! As for you Murk, or whatever your rightname is, you are under suspicion yourself."
"What's that?" Murk snarled.
"You are under suspicion, I said. You might have assisted at the murder,for all I know. I don't know when you met Mr. Prale, or where, but I doknow that you got back to the hotel with Mr. Prale about midnight--anhour after the crime was committed."
"You can't hang anything like that on me!" Murk snarled. "All the copsin the world can't do it! I met Mr. Prale just like I said, and hebought me the clothes and took me to the barber shop, no matter what thestore man and the barber say! It's a black lie they're tellin'! Mr.Prale is a gentleman----"
"That'll be enough!" the captain exclaimed. "I'm going to allow you togo, Murk, but you are to remain in Mr. Prale's rooms and take care ofhis things. And you can bet that you'll be watched, too."
"I don't care who watches me!"
"As for you, Mr. Prale, you'll have to go to a cell, I think. Theevidence against you is such that I cannot turn you loose. You mustrealize that yourself."
Prale realized it. His face was white and his hands were shaking. Helooked across the room at Murk.
"You go back to the hotel, Murk, and do as the captain says," heordered. "I'll come out of this all right in time. There are a lot ofthings I cannot understand, but we'll solve the puzzle before we'redone."
"Ain't there anything I can do, sir?" Murk asked.
"Perhaps, later. I'll engage a detective and a lawyer, and they mayvisit you at the hotel. I'll send you money by the lawyer. That's allnow, Murk."
Murk started to speak, then thought better of it and went from the roomslowly, anger flushing his face. Sidney Prale faced the captain ofdetectives again.
"No matter what you think, I am innocent, and know that my innocence canbe proved," Prale said. "You are only doing your duty, of course. I wantJim Farland to attend to things for me. He is an old friend of mine andhe is an honest man. Will you send for him?"
"He's waiting in the other room now," the captain said. "I'll let youhave a conference with him before I order you into a cell!"
The Brand of Silence Page 8