CHAPTER IV
UNWILLING WITNESSES
Not waiting for the elevator, we walked up the intervening flight andrang a bell on our right. The door was opened by a neat-looking maid,who showed some surprise at our early call.
"Is Mr. Atkins at home?" inquired the detective.
"Yes, sir; but he is having his breakfast."
"Ah, indeed; I am sorry to disturb him," replied Mr. Merritt. "However,it can't be helped. Will you please tell your master that two gentlemenmust see him for a few moments on important business."
"Yes, sir," and showing us into a gaudily furnished room on our left,the girl vanished. I saw at once that this was not the scene of lastnight's drama, but a smaller room adjoining the other. My observationswere almost immediately interrupted by the entrance of a young man,whose handsome face was at that moment disfigured by a scowl.
"Mr. Atkins, I believe," said Mr. Merritt, advancing towards him withhis most conciliatory smile. Mr. Atkins nodded curtly. "It is my painfulduty," continued the detective, "to inform you that a very seriousaccident has occurred in the building."
The frown slowly faded from the young man's forehead, giving place to alook of concern. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, in the most naturalmanner; "what has happened? Can I do anything?"
"Well, Mr. Atkins," replied Mr. Merritt, slowly, "to tell you the truth,a man has been killed, and as we haven't been able to find any one sofar who can identify him we are going through the formality of askingevery one in the building to take a look at the corpse, hoping todiscover somebody who knew the dead man, or at any rate can give us someclue to his identity. Will you and Mrs. Atkins and your two servants,therefore, kindly step down-stairs? The body is lying in the unoccupiedapartment on the next floor."
"Killed!" exclaimed young Atkins. "How dreadful! how did it happen?"But without waiting for an answer he pulled out his watch, which heconsulted anxiously. "Pardon me, gentlemen, but I have a most importantengagement down town which it is impossible for me to postpone. My wifeis not up yet, and I really can't wait for her to get ready; but I cango with you now, and take a look at the poor fellow on my way out. Inthe meantime, Mrs. Atkins will dress as quickly as possible, and followwith the two girls as soon as she is ready."
"All right," said Mr. Merritt; "that will do nicely. Dr. Fortescue,"with a wave of his hand in my direction, "will stay here, and escortMrs. Atkins down-stairs. Ladies sometimes are overcome by the sight ofdeath."
"Yes, yes; and my wife is very excitable," rejoined the young man. "I amglad Dr. Fortescue will wait and go down with her--if it isn't troublingyou too much," he added, turning towards me.
"Not at all," I replied, politely but firmly, with my eyes on Mr.Merritt. "I shall be delighted to _return_ for Mrs. Atkins in a quarterof an hour and escort her down-stairs."
I watched the detective keenly to see how he would take thisdisregarding of his orders, but he only smiled amiably, almosttriumphantly, I thought. Mr. Atkins now left us, and I could hear himdashing up-stairs several steps at a time. How I longed to pierce theceiling, and hear how he broke the news to his wife, and above all toobserve how she took it. He returned in a few minutes, and, snatchinghis hat from the hall-table, prepared to follow us. On the way down heinquired with great interest about the accident, but Merritt put him offwith evasive replies. When confronted with the dead body, he gazed atit calmly, but with a good deal of curiosity.
"Did you know the deceased?" the Coroner asked him.
The young man shook his head. "Never saw him before." Then, looking atthe corpse more closely he exclaimed: "Why, he is a gentleman; can't youfind out who he is?"
"We haven't been able to, so far," replied the Coroner.
"How did the accident occur?"
"He was murdered."
The young man started back in horror.--"Murdered, and in thishouse--How, when?"
"Presumably the night before last."
Was it my imagination, or did Mr. Atkins turn slightly pale? "Tuesdaynight," he muttered. After a brief silence he turned to us, andwithdrawing his eyes from the corpse with obvious difficulty, said, in ahearty, matter-of-fact voice: "Gentlemen, I regret that I have to leaveyou. I should like to hear some more of this affair, but I suppose ifyou do discover anything you will keep it pretty close?"
"You bet we'll try to," the Coroner assured him. After shaking us allmost cordially by the hand, Mr. Atkins departed, and was escorteddown-stairs by the detective, whose excessive politeness seemed tome very suspicious. "Was he going to put a sleuth on the young man'stracks?" I wondered.
The air in the room was heavy with the odour of death, so I stepped outon the landing. The workmen were all talking in low tones. "I know thatFrenchman did it; I know it," I overheard one of them say. Much excitedby these words, I was just going to ask who the Frenchman was, and whyhe should be suspected, when Mr. Merritt stepped out of the elevator andrang the bell of the opposite apartment. Miss Derwent had evidently notbeen far off, for the door was opened almost immediately, and a tall,slight young figure stood on the threshold. She was dressed in a quiettravelling suit, and a thick brown veil pulled down over her facerendered her features, in the dim light of the landing, completelyinvisible.
"Miss Derwent?" inquired Mr. Merritt. She bowed. "You have no doubt beentold," he continued, "that a very serious accident has occurred in thebuilding." She inclined her head slowly. "As we have been unable toidentify the corpse"--here the detective paused, but she gave no signand he went on--"we are asking every one in the house to take a look atit."
Instead of answering, the girl went back into the apartment, butreturned in a minute, carrying a handbag. Stepping out on to the landingshe shut and locked the door behind her with apparent composure. As sheturned to follow the detective she asked, in a low but distinct voice:"How did this accident occur?"
"That, we have not yet been able to ascertain," he replied, leading herto the room where the dead lay. I hastily stepped back and resumed myformer position at the foot of the corpse. As the girl crossed thethreshold she hesitated a moment, then walked steadily in.
"Miss May Derwent, I believe?" the Coroner inquired, in his suavesttones. Again she bowed assent.
"Please look at this man and tell me if you have ever seen him before."Before replying, the girl slowly lifted her veil and revealed to myastonished eyes, not only a face of very unusual beauty, but--and thisis what I found inexplicable--coils of golden hair! Where were the ravenlocks I had seen only a few hours before? Had I dreamed them? But no, mymemory was too clear on this point. My surprise was so great that I amafraid I showed it, for I caught Mr. Merritt looking at me with one ofhis enigmatical smiles. Miss Derwent was excessively pale, with heavyblack rings under her eyes, but otherwise she seemed perfectly composed.She looked at the corpse a moment, then turning towards the Coroner,said, in a clear, steady voice: "I do not know the man."
"Have you ever seen him before?"
"No," she answered, quietly.
"Miss Derwent, pardon my questioning you still further, but I have beentold that a gentleman closely resembling the deceased called on you onTuesday evening. Now, do you see any resemblance between the two?"
A burning blush overspread the girl's face, and then she grew so ghastlypale that I moved to her side, fearing she would fall.
"Mr. Coroner, can't the rest of the questions you have to ask MissDerwent be put to her somewhere else?" I suggested. "The atmosphere hereis intolerable."
"Certainly," he replied, with unexpected mildness.
I drew the young lady's unresisting hand through my arm and supportedher into the next room. She was trembling so violently that she wouldhave fallen if I had not done so, and I could see that it was only bythe greatest self-control that she kept any semblance of composure.
"Now," resumed the Coroner, "if you feel well enough, will you kindlyanswer my last question?"
"The gentleman who called on me on Tuesday does not resemble the deadman, except in so far that they both have
black, pointed beards."
"At what time did your friend leave you on Tuesday evening?" was thenext question asked.
"I cannot see why the private affairs of my visitors or myself shouldbe pried into," she replied, haughtily. "I decline to answer."
"My dear young lady," here interposed Mr. Merritt, "you have, ofcourse, every right not to answer any question that you think likely toincriminate you, but," he continued with a smile, "it is hardly possiblethat anything could do that. On the other hand, it is our duty to tryand sift this matter to the bottom. You certainly will agree with thenecessity of it when I tell you that this man has been murdered!"
"Murdered!" the girl repeated, as if dazed. "Oh, no!"
"I regret to say that there is absolutely no doubt of it. Now, one ofthe elevator boys has identified the corpse as that of the gentlemanwho called on you the day before yesterday. I do not doubt that he wasmistaken,--in fact, I am sure of it; but as no one saw your friend leavethe building, it becomes incumbent on us to make sure that he did so. Itwill save a great deal of trouble to us, and perhaps to yourself, if youwill tell us the gentleman's name and at what hour he left here."
She had covered her face with her hands, but now dropped them, andlifting her head, faced us with an air of sudden resolution.
"Gentlemen," she began, then hesitated and looked at us each in turn,"you can readily imagine that it will be a terrible thing for me ifmy name should in any way, however indirectly, be connected withthis tragedy. But I see that it is useless to refuse to answer yourquestions. It will only make you believe that I have something toconceal. I can but ask you, you on whom I have no claim, to shield frompublicity a girl who has put herself in a terribly false position."
"Miss Derwent, I think I can assure you that we will do everything inour power to help you. Nothing you say here shall be heard beyond thesewalls unless the cause of justice demands it." The Coroner spoke withconsiderable warmth. Evidently, Miss May's charms had not been withouttheir effect on him.
"Very well, then," said the girl, "I will answer your questions. What doyou want to know?"
"In the first place, please tell us how you came to spend two nights inan unoccupied apartment?"
"I suppose you already know," she answered, a trifle bitterly, "thatI arrived here unexpectedly on Tuesday afternoon?" The Coroner made amotion of assent.
"I had reached the city earlier in the day, and had meant to catch thefive o'clock train to Bar Harbor. As I had several errands to do, Isent my maid ahead to the Grand Central Depot with orders to engage astateroom and check my luggage. I forgot to notice how the time waspassing till I caught sight of a clock in Madison Square pointing toeight minutes to five. I jumped into a hansom, but got to the stationjust in time to see the train steam away, with my maid hangingdistractedly out of a window." She paused a moment. "A gentlemanhappened to be with me," she continued with downcast eyes, "so weconsulted together as to what I had better do. On looking up the trainsI found that I could not get back to my mother's country place till nineo'clock that evening, and then should have to leave home again at afrightfully early hour so as to catch the morning train to Bar Harbor.Otherwise I should be obliged to wait over till the following afternoonand take a long night journey by myself, which I knew my mother wouldnot wish me to do. Altogether, it seemed so much simpler to remain intown if I could only find a place to go to. Suddenly, our apartmentoccurred to me. Of course, I knew that the world would not approve of mystaying here alone; nevertheless, I decided to do so."
"You went out again very soon after your arrival, did you not?" askedthe Coroner.
"Yes," she answered, "as there was no way of getting any food here,my friend" (she hesitated slightly over the last word) "had littledifficulty in persuading me to dine with him at a quiet restaurant inthe neighbourhood."
"Did the gentleman return to the Rosemere after dinner?"
"Yes."
"And did he leave you then?"
Miss Derwent hesitated a moment, then, throwing her head back sheanswered proudly: "No!" But a deep crimson again suffused her cheek, andshe added almost apologetically: "It was all so unconventional that Idid not see why I should draw the line at his spending the evening withme. He was a very intimate friend."
"Why do you use the past tense?" asked Mr. Merritt. She cast a littlefrightened glance in his direction, evidently startled at being caughtup so quickly: "We--we had a very serious disagreement," she murmured.
"Was the disagreement so serious as to put an end to your friendship?"inquired the detective.
"Yes," she replied curtly, while an angry light came into her eyes.
"At what time did the gentleman leave you?" resumed the Coroner.
"It was very late;--after eleven, I think."
"And you have not seen him again since then?"
"Certainly not," she replied.
"Why did you not carry out your first intention of leaving the city onthe following morning?"
The girl appeared slightly embarrassed as she answered: "I did not feellike paying visits just at the moment, and besides I had not enoughmoney to carry me as far as Bar Harbor. My maid had most of my money,and I was no longer willing to borrow from my visitor, as I had intendeddoing."
"Excuse my questioning you still further," said the Coroner, with aglance of admiration at the beautiful girl, who was fretting under theexamination, "but, why, then, didn't you return to your home?"
"I did not wish to do so." Then, catching Mr. Merritt's eye, she added:"I had been a good deal upset by--by what had occurred the night beforeand felt the need of a day to myself. Besides, I had some shopping todo, and thought this a good opportunity to do it. I am going home thismorning."
"Thank you, Miss Derwent," exclaimed the Coroner, heartily; "yourexplanations are perfectly satisfactory. Only you have forgotten to tellus the gentleman's name."
"Why need you know his name?" she demanded, passionately, "you will soonfind out who this unknown man is. There must be hundreds of people inthis city who knew him. Why should I tell you the name of my visitor? Irefuse to do so."
"Miss Derwent is quite right," interposed the detective, with unexpecteddecision; "once convinced that the dead man and her friend are notidentical, and the latter's name ceases to be of any importance to us."
"Quite so, quite so," the Coroner rather grudgingly assented.
"Can I go now?" she inquired.
"Certainly," said the Coroner, cordially. "Good-day, Miss."
I was just going to offer myself as an escort when Mr. Merritt steppedquietly forward, and possessed himself of the young lady's bag. With adistant bow, that included impartially the Coroner and myself, MissDerwent left the room.
"Remember Mrs. Atkins," the detective murmured as he prepared to followher. I nodded a curt assent. My brain was in a whirl. What was I tobelieve? This beautiful, queenlike creature seemed incapable of deceit,and yet--who were the two people I had so lately seen in her apartment?Why had no mention been made of them? No matter; I felt my belief in theyoung girl's innocence and goodness rise superior to mere facts, andthen and there vowed to become her champion should she ever need one,which I very much feared she might. I was vaguely annoyed that thedetective should have insisted on escorting her. Had he a motive forthis, I wondered, or had he simply succumbed to her fascination, likethe rest of us? At any rate, I didn't like it, and I rang Mrs. Atkins'sbell in considerable ill humour.
The House Opposite: A Mystery Page 4