The Hound of Death and Other Stories
Page 21
The prosecution endeavored to rally, but without great success. The judge's summing up was not wholly favorable to the prisoner, but a reaction had set in and the jury needed little time to consider their verdict.
"We find the prisoner not guilty."
Leonard Vole was free!
Little Mr Mayherne hurried from his seat. He must congratulate his client.
He found himself polishing his pince-nez vigorously, and checked himself. His wife had told him only the night before that he was getting a habit of it. Curious things, habits. People themselves never knew they had them.
An interesting case - a very interesting case. That woman, now, Romaine Heilger.
The case was dominated for him still by the exotic figure of Romaine Heilger. She had seemed a pale, quiet woman in the house at Paddington, but in court she had flamed out against the sober background, flaunting herself like a tropical flower.
If he closed his eyes he could see her now, tall and vehement, her exquisite body bent forward a little, her right hand clenching and unclenching itself unconsciously all the time.
Curious things, habits. That gesture of hers with the hand was her habit, he supposed. Yet he had seen someone else do it quite lately. Who was it now? Quite lately -
He drew in his breath with a gasp as it came back to him. The woman in Shaw's Rents...
He stood still, his head whirling. It was impossible - impossible - Yet, Romaine Heilger was an actress.
The K.C. came up behind him and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Congratulated our man yet? He's had a narrow shave, you know. Come along and see him."
But the little lawyer shook off the other's hand.
He wanted one thing only - to see Romaine Heilger face to face.
He did not see her until some time later, and the place of their meeting is not relevant.
"So you guessed," she said, when he had told her all that was in his mind. "The face? Oh! that was easy enough, and the light of that gas jet was too bad for you to see the makeup."
"But why - why -"
"Why did I play a lone hand?" She smiled a little, remembering the last time she had used the words.
"Such an elaborate comedy!"
"My friend - I had to save him. The evidence of a woman devoted to him would not have been enough - you hinted as much yourself. But I know something of the psychology of crowds. Let my evidence be wrung from me, as an admission, damning me in the eyes of the law, and a reaction in favor of the prisoner would immediately set in."
"And the bundle of letters?"
"One alone, the vital one, might have seemed like a - what do you call it? - put-up job."
"Then the man called Max?"
"Never existed, my friend."
"I still think," said little Mr Mayherne, in an aggrieved manner, "that we could have got him off by the - er - normal procedure."
"I dared not risk it. You see you thought he was innocent -"
"And you knew it? I see," said little Mr Mayherne.
"My dear Mr Mayherne," said Romaine, "you do not see at all. I knew - he was guilty!"