The Opal Serpent

by Fergus Hume

  CHAPTER XXII

  FURTHER EVIDENCE

  After all, Hurd did not send Jessop to town as he threatened to do.Evidently the captain had told him all he knew, and appeared to beinnocent of Krill's death. But, in spite of his apparent frankness thedetective had an idea that something was being kept back, and what thatsomething might be, he determined to find out. However, his thoughtswere turned in another direction by a note from Beecot addressed to himat "The Red Pig," asking him to come at once to the Jubileetown Laundry."I believe we have discovered the person who stole the opal brooch fromme," wrote Paul, "and Deborah has made a discovery connected with Normanwhich may prove to be of service."

  Wondering what the discovery might be, and wondering also who had takenthe brooch, Hurd arranged that Jessop and Hokar should remain atChristchurch under the eyes of two plain-clothes officials. Thesemanaged their duties so dexterously that Matilda Junk was far fromguessing what was going on. Moreover, she informed the detective, whoshe thought was a commercial gent, that she intended to pay a visit toher sister, Mrs. Tawsey, and demanded the address, which Hurd gavereadily enough. He thought that if Matilda knew anything--such as theabsence of Mrs. Krill from the hotel during the early part ofJuly--Deborah might induce her to talk freely.

  Hokar had proved a difficult subject. Whether he was too grateful toMrs. Krill to speak out, or whether he really did not understand whatwas asked of him, he certainly showed a talent for holding his tongue.However, Hurd saw well enough that the man was afraid of the Sahib'slaw, and when matters came to a crisis would try and prove his innocenceeven at the cost of implicating others. Therefore, with an easy mind thedetective left these two witnesses being watched at Christchurch andrepaired to town, where Aurora informed him of the interview with Hay.Billy approved of the way in which his sister had managed matters.

  "I guessed that Hay was the man who put Mrs. Krill on the track of herhusband," he said, with satisfaction; "but I wasn't quite sure how hespotted the man."

  "Oh, the one eye identified him," said Aurora, who was eating chocolateas usual, "and Norman's fainting at the sight of the brooch confirmedHay's belief as to who he was. I wonder he didn't make a bargain withNorman on his own."

  Hurd shook his head. "It wouldn't have paid so well," said he, wisely."Norman would have parted only with a small sum, whereas this murderwill bring in Hay a clear five thousand a year when he marries the girl.Hay acted cleverly enough."

  "But I tell you Hay has nothing to do with the murder."

  "That may be so, though I don't trust him. But Mrs. Krill might havestrangled her husband so as to get the money."

  "What makes you think she did?" asked Aurora, doubtfully.

  "Well, you see, from what Jessop says, Mrs. Krill is devotedly attachedto Maud, and she may have been anxious to revenge her daughter on Krill.He acted like a brute and fastened the child's lips together, so Mrs.Krill treated him in the same way."

  "Hum," said Miss Qian, reflectively, "but can you prove that Mrs. Krillwas in town on the night of the murder?"

  "That's what I'm going to find out," said Hurd. "All you have to do isto keep your eyes on Hay--"

  "Oh, he won't cut, if that's what you mean. He thinks everything issquare, now that I've got those boys to stop chattering. He'll marryMaud and annex the money."

  "He may marry Maud," said Hurd, emphatically, "but he certainly won'tget the five thousand a year. Miss Norman will."

  "Hold on," cried Aurora, shrewdly. "Maud may not be Lemuel Krill'schild, or she may have been born before Krill married the mother, but inany case, Sylvia Norman isn't the child of a legal marriage. Krillcertainly committed bigamy, so his daughter Sylvia can't inherit."

  "Well," said Hurd, "I can't say. I'll see Pash about the matter. Afterall, the will left the money to 'my daughter,' and that Sylvia is beyonddoubt, whatever Maud may be. And I say, Aurora, just you go down toStowley in Buckinghamshire. I haven't time to look into matters theremyself."

  "What do you want me to do there?"

  "Find out all about the life of Mrs. Krill before she married Krill andcame to Christchurch. She's the daughter of a farmer. You'll find thename in this." Hurd passed along a copy of the marriage certificatewhich Mrs. Krill had given to Pash. "Anne Tyler is her maiden name. Findout what you can. She was married to Krill at Beechill, Bucks."

  Miss Qian took the copy of the certificate and departed, grumbling atthe amount of work she had to do to earn her share of the reward. Hurd,on his part, took the underground train to Liverpool Street Station, andthen travelled to Jubileetown. He arrived there at twelve o'clock andwas greeted by Paul.

  "I've been watching for you all the morning," said Beecot, who lookedflushed and eager. "Sylvia and I have made such a discovery."

  Hurd nodded good-humoredly as he entered the house and shook hands withthe girl.

  "Miss Norman has been doing some detective business on her own account,"he said, smiling. "Hullo, who is this?"

  He made this remark, because Mrs. Purr, sitting in a corner of the roomwith red eyes, rose and dropped a curtsey.

  "I'm called to tell you what I do tell on my Bible oath," said Mrs.Purr, with fervor.

  "Mrs. Purr can give some valuable evidence," said Paul, quickly.

  "Oh, can she? Then I'll hear what she has to say later. First, I mustclear the ground by telling you and Miss Norman what I have discoveredat Christchurch."

  So Mrs. Purr, rather unwillingly, for she felt the importance of herposition, was bundled out of the room, and Hurd sat down to relate hislate adventures. This he did clearly and slowly, and was interruptedfrequently by exclamations of astonishment from his two hearers. "Sothere," said the detective, when finishing, "you have the beginning ofthe end."

  "Then you think that Mrs. Krill killed her husband?" asked Paul,dubiously.

  "I can't say for certain," was the cautious reply; "but I think so, onthe face of the evidence which you have heard. What do you say?"

  "Don't say anything," said Sylvia, before Paul could reply. "Mr. Hurdhad better read this paper. It was found by Deborah in an old boxbelonging to my father, which was brought from Gwynne Street."

  She gave the detective several sheets of blue foolscap pinned togetherand closely written in the shaky handwriting of Aaron Norman. Hurdlooked at it rather dubiously. "What is it?" he asked.

  "The paper referred to in that unfinished scrap of writing which wasdiscovered behind the safe," explained Paul. "Norman evidently wrote itout, and placed it in his pocket, where he forgot it. Deborah found itin an old coat, she discovered in a box of clothes brought from GwynneStreet. They were Norman's clothes and his box, and should have beenleft behind."

  "Debby won't hear of that," said Sylvia, laughing. "She says Mrs. Krillhas got quite enough, and she took all she could."

  "What's all this writing about?" asked Hurd, turning over theclosely-written sheets. "To save time you had better give me a precis ofthe matter. Is it important?"

  "Very I should say," responded Paul, emphatically. "It contains anaccount of Norman's life from the time he left Christchurch."

  "Hum." Hurd's eyes brightened. "I'll read it at my leisure, but at thepresent moment you might say what you can."

  "Well, you know a good deal of it," said Paul, who did the talking at asign from Sylvia. "It seems that Norman--we'd better stick to the oldname--left Christchurch because he was afraid of being accused ofmurdering Lady Rachel."

  "Was she really murdered?"

  "Norman doesn't say. He swears he knows nothing about the matter. Thefirst intimation he had was when Jessop came down with the news afterblundering into the wrong bedroom. But he hints that Mrs. Krill killedher."

  "Can he prove that?"

  "No. He can't give any proof, or, at all events, he doesn't. He declaresthat when his wife and daughter--"

  "Oh! does he call Maud his daughter?"

  "Yes! We can talk of that later," said Paul, impatiently. "Well, then,Norman says he went fairly mad. Jessop had bolted, but Nor
man knew hewould not give the alarm, since he might be accused himself of killingLady Rachel. Maud, who had seen the body, wanted to run out and call theneighbors."

  "How old does Norman say she was?"

  "About fifteen; quite old enough to make things unpleasant."

  "Then she can't inherit the money," said Hurd, decisively.

  "No," cried Beecot, quickly, "both Sylvia and I think so. But to go onwith Norman's confession. He would not let Maud go. She began to scream,and he feared lest she should alarm the neighbors. He tied ahandkerchief across her lips, but she got free, and again began toscream. Then he cruelly fastened her lips together with the opalbrooch."

  "Where did he get that, if innocent?"

  "He declared that he spied it on the floor of the sitting-room, near hiswife's feet, and then hints that she strangled Lady Rachel to get it andturn it into money as she was desperately in need of cash for Maud. Mrs.Krill idolized the child."

  "I know that," snapped Hurd. "Go on."

  "When Norman fastened the child's lips together, Mrs. Krill threwherself on him in a rage. He knocked her insensible, and then ran away.He walked through the night, until, at dawn, he came to a distantrailway station. There he took a ticket and went to London. Heconcealed himself until there was no chance of his being discovered, andbesides, saw the verdict of the jury in the newspapers. But he wasdetermined he would not go back to his wife, because she threatenedhim."

  "In what way?"

  "Ah," said Paul, while Sylvia shuddered, "in a strange way. When hefastened the child's lips together, Mrs. Krill said that she would dothe same to him one day and with the same brooch."

  Hurd uttered an exclamation. "So that was why she wanted the brooch somuch?" he exclaimed eagerly.

  "Yes. And she told Hay she wanted it though she did not reveal herreason. She said if she got the brooch he would be allowed to marryMaud, with whom Hay was deeply in love. Hay stumbled across me byaccident, and I happened to have the brooch. The rest you know."

  "No," said Hurd, "I don't know how the brooch came into the possessionof Mrs. Krill again, to use in the cruel way she threatened."

  "Well," said Sylvia, quickly, "we aren't sure if Mrs. Krill _did_ getthe brooch."

  "The evidence is against her," said Hurd; "remember the threat--"

  "Yes, but wait till you hear Mrs. Purr," said Paul, "but just a moment,Hurd. You must learn how Norman laid the foundations of his fortune."

  "Ah, I forget! Well?" and the detective settled himself to listenfurther.

  "He was hard up and almost starving for a long time after he came toLondon," explained Paul, "then he got a post in a second-hand bookshopkept by a man called Garner in the Minories. He had a daughter,Lillian--"

  "My mother," put in Sylvia, softly.

  "Yes," went on Beecot, quickly, "and this girl being lonely fell inlove with Norman, as he now called himself. He wasn't an attractive manwith his one eye, so it is hard to say how Miss Garner came to love him.But she married him in the end. You'll find everything explained atlength in the paper we gave you. Then old Garner died, and Lillianinherited a considerable sum of money, together with the stock. Herhusband removed the books to Gwynne Street and started business. Butwith the money he began to trade in jewels, and you know how he got on."

  "That's all plain enough," said Hurd, putting the confession of Normaninto his pocket. "I suppose the man dreaded lest his first wife shouldturn up."

  "Yes! And that's why he fainted when he saw the brooch. Not knowing thatJessop had removed it from Maud's mouth and pawned it--"

  "I'm not so sure of that," said Hurd, quickly. "Bart overheard himtalking of Stowley and the pawnbroker there."

  "Well," said Paul, with a shrug, "he says nothing about it in theconfession. Perhaps he did trace the brooch to the Stowley shop, but ifso, I wonder he did not get it, seeing he wanted it. But when he saw itin my possession, he thought I might know of Mrs. Krill and might puther on the track. Hence his fainting. Later, he learned how I becamepossessed of it, and tried to buy it. Then came the accident, and Ireally believed for a time that Hay had stolen it."

  "Aurora says he swore he did not."

  "And he didn't," said Paul, going to the door. "Mrs. Purr!"

  "You don't mean to say that old woman prigged it?" asked Hurd.

  "No. But she warned me against that boy Tray on the day Deborah wasmarried. Later, I asked her what she meant, and she then told me thatshe had learned from Tray's grandmother, a drunken old thief, how theboy brought home the opal brooch, and--"

  Here Mrs. Purr, who had entered and was dropping curtseys to the majestyof the law, as represented by Hurd, thought an undue advantage was beingtaken of her position. She wished to talk herself, and interrupted Paul,in a shrill voice.

  "Granny Clump, she is," said Mrs. Purr, folding her hands under herapron. "Tray's gran'mother, as 'is name is Tray Clump, I swear on myBible oath. A wicked old woman as is famous for drink--"

  "I've heard of her," said the detective, remembering; "she's been upheaps of times."

  "And grows no better," wailed Mrs. Purr, bibulously, for she had beenstrengthening herself for the interview with frequent libations of gin."Oh, what a thing strong drink is, sir! But Granny Clump, bein' ill withthe lungses, and me bein' 'elpful in sich cases, 'aving bin a nuss, whenyoung, as I won't deceive you by denying, called on me to be a goodSmart 'un. And I wos, though she swore awful, saying she wanted gin an'jellies, an' could 'ave 'ad them, if that limb--so did she name Tray,gentlemen both--'ad only 'anded to 'er the rich brooch he brought 'ome,just afore he went to earn a decent livin' at the lawr orfice, which 'isname is Pash--"

  "Ha," said Hurd, thoughtfully, "I'll see the boy."

  "You can see him now," said Beecot, unexpectedly. "When I learned thisfrom Mrs. Purr and knew you were coming, I sent a message to Pash'soffice for the boy. He came up quite unsuspectingly, but he refused tospeak. I shut him up in a back room, and Deborah has been watchinghim--"

  "An' the languige of that blessed limb!" exclaimed Mrs. Purr, raisingher hands.

  "Bring him in," said Hurd. "Miss Norman, if the boy uses bad language,you needn't stay."

  Sylvia, having heard what Tray could do in this way, needed no furtherhint. She left the room gladly, and told Deborah to bring along herprisoner. Shortly, the noise of kicking and strong language was heardcoming nearer, and Deborah, with a red face and a firm mouth, appearedat the door, holding aloft a small boy who was black in the face withrage. "There," said Deborah, flinging Tray in a heap at the detective'sfeet, "if me an' Bart 'ave sich a brat, I 'ope he dies in his cradle,instead of growing to a galler's thief in th' use of words which make meshudder, let alone my pretty. Ugh!" she shook her fist at Tray. "You OldBailey viper, though young at that."

  "Here," said Tray, rising, much dishevelled, but with a white face, "letme go. I'll 'ave the lawr of you."

  "I'll attend to that, my lad," said Hurd, dryly. "Now, then, where didyou get that brooch?"

  "Sha'n't tell," snapped the boy, and put his tongue out.

  Hurd gave him a smack with an open hand on the side of his face, andMaster Clump began to blubber.

  "Assalting me--oh, won't you ketch it," he raged in his puny wrath. "Mymaster's a law-cove, and he'll 'ave y' up before the beak."

  "You answer my questions," said Hurd, sternly, "or you'll get anotherclout. You know who I am well enough. Make a clean breast of it, youimp, or I'll lock you up."

  "If I make a clean breast will you let me cut?" asked Tray, beginning towhimper, but with a cunning gleam in his eyes.

  "I'll see, when I know what you have to say."

  Tray looked round the room to see if there was any way of escape. ButPaul guarded the closed window and Deborah, itching to box his ears,stood before the door. Before him was the stern-faced detective withwhom Tray knew well enough he dare not trifle. Under these circumstanceshe made the best of a bad job, and told what he knew although heinterpolated threats all the time. "Wot d'y want with me?" he demandedsu
lkily.

  "Where did you find that brooch?"

  "I prigged it from Mr. Beecot's pocket when he wos smashed."

  "Did Mr. Hay tell you to steal it?"

  "No, he didn't."

  "Then how did you know the brooch was in my pocket?" asked Paul.

  "I was a-dodgin' round the shorp," snapped Tray, "and I 'eard Mr. Normanan' Mr. Beecot a-talkin' of the brooch; Mr. Beecot said as he 'ad thebrooch in 'is pocket--"

  "Yes, I certainly did," said Paul, remembering the conversation.

  "Well, when the smash come, I dodged in and prigged it. T'wos easy'nough," grinned Tray, "for I felt it in 'is bres' poket and collaredit. I wanted to guv it t' th' ole man, thinkin' he'd pay fur it, as hesaid he would. But arter the smash I went 'ome t' m' grann' and hid thebrooch. W'en I wos a-lookin' at it at night, I sawr 'er a-lookin' at it,and she grabbed it. I cut away with m'own property, not wishin' to berobbed by the ole gal."

  "What did you do then?"

  Tray wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. "I 'eard that Mr.Norman wos dead--"

  "Yes, and you told Jessop so in the office. How did you know?"

  "'Cause I went to the shorp in th' mornin' to sell the brooch to th' oleman. He was a goner, so I cut to Mr. Pash, as wos his lawyer, and saidI'd sell 'im the brooch."

  "What?" cried Hurd, rising. "You gave the brooch to Mr. Pash?"

  "Yuss. He said he'd 'ave me up for stealin', and wouldn't guv me even abob fur it. But he said I'd be his noo orfice boy. I thought I'd berespectable, so I went. And now," ended Master Clump in a sullen manner,"you knows all, and I ain't done nothin', so I'm orf."

  Deborah caught him by the tail of his jacket as he made a dart at thedoor and swung him into the middle of the room. Hurd laid hands on him."You come along with me," he said. "I'll confront you with Pash."

  Tray gave a howl of terror. "He'll kill me," he shouted, "as he killedthe old cove. Yuss. _He_ did it. Pash did it," and he howled again.