by Sax Rohmer
V
DOCTORS DIFFER
Dr. Cumberly walked slowly upstairs to his own flat, a picture etchedindelibly upon his mind, of Henry Leroux, with a face of despair,sitting below in his dining-room and listening to the ominous soundsproceeding from the study, where the police were now busily engaged. Inthe lobby he met his daughter Helen, who was waiting for him in a stateof nervous suspense.
"Father!" she began, whilst rebuke died upon the doctor's lips--"tell mequickly what has happened."
Perceiving that an explanation was unavoidable, Dr. Cumberly outlinedthe story of the night's gruesome happenings, whilst Big Ben began tochime the hour of one.
Helen, eager-eyed, and with her charming face rather pale, hung uponevery word of the narrative.
"And now," concluded her father, "you must go to bed. I insist."
"But father!" cried the girl--"there is some thing"...
She hesitated, uneasily.
"Well, Helen, go on," said the doctor.
"I am afraid you will refuse."
"At least give me the opportunity."
"Well--in the glimpse, the half-glimpse, which I had of her, Iseemed"...
Dr. Cumberly rested his hands upon his daughter's shoulderscharacteristically, looking into the troubled gray eyes.
"You don't mean," he began...
"I thought I recognized her!" whispered the girl.
"Good God! can it be possible?"
"I have been trying, ever since, to recall where we had met, but withoutresult. It might mean so much"...
Dr. Cumberly regarded her, fixedly.
"It might mean so much to--Mr. Leroux. But I suppose you will say it isimpossible?"
"It IS impossible," said Dr. Cumberly firmly; "dismiss the idea, Helen."
"But father," pleaded the girl, placing her hands over his own,"consider what is at stake"...
"I am anxious that you should not become involved in this morbidbusiness."
"But you surely know me better than to expect me to faint or becomehysterical, or anything silly like that! I was certainly shocked whenI came down to-night, because--well, it was all so frightfullyunexpected"...
Dr. Cumberly shook his head. Helen put her arms about his neck andraised her eyes to his.
"You have no right to refuse," she said, softly: "don't you see that?"
Dr. Cumberly frowned. Then:--
"You are right, Helen," he agreed. "I should know your pluck wellenough. But if Inspector Dunbar is gone, the police may refuse to admitus"...
"Then let us hurry!" cried Helen. "I am afraid they will take away"...
Side by side they descended to Henry Leroux's flat, ringing the bell,which, an hour earlier, the lady of the civet furs had rung.
A sergeant in uniform opened the door.
"Is Detective-Inspector Dunbar here?" inquired the physician.
"Yes, sir."
"Say that Dr. Cumberly wishes to speak to him. And"--as the man wasabout to depart--"request him not to arouse Mr. Leroux."
Almost immediately the inspector appeared, a look of surprise upon hisface, which increased on perceiving the girl beside her father.
"This is my daughter, Inspector," explained Cumberly; "she is acontributor to the Planet, and to various magazines, and in thisjournalistic capacity, meets many people in many walks of life. Shethinks she may be of use to you in preparing your case."
Dunbar bowed rather awkwardly.
"Glad to meet you, Miss Cumberly," came the inevitable formula."Entirely at your service."
"I had an idea, Inspector," said the girl, laying her handconfidentially upon Dunbar's arm, "that I recognized, when I entered Mr.Leroux's study, tonight"--Dunbar nodded--"that I recognized--the--thevictim!"
"Good!" said the inspector, rubbing his palms briskly together. Histawny eyes sparkled. "And you would wish to see her again before wetake her away. Very plucky of you, Miss Cumberly! But then, you are adoctor's daughter."
They entered, and the inspector closed the door behind them.
"Don't arouse poor Leroux," whispered Cumberly to the detective. "I lefthim on a couch in the dining-room."...
"He is still there," replied Dunbar; "poor chap! It is"...
He met Helen's glance, and broke off shortly.
In the study two uniformed constables, and an officer in plain clothes,were apparently engaged in making an inventory--or such was theimpression conveyed. The clock ticked merrily on; its ticking adesecration, where all else was hushed in deference to the grim visitor.The body of the murdered woman had been laid upon the chesterfield, anda little, dark, bearded man was conducting an elaborate examination;when, seeing the trio enter, he hastily threw the coat of civet fur overthe body, and stood up, facing the intruders.
"It's all right, doctor," said the inspector; "and we shan't detain youa moment." He glanced over his shoulder. "Mr. Hilton, M. R. C. S." hesaid, indicating the dark man--"Dr. Cumberly and Miss Cumberly."
The divisional surgeon bowed to Helen and eagerly grasped the hand ofthe celebrated physician.
"I am fortunate in being able to ask your opinion," he began....
Dr. Cumberly nodded shortly, and with upraised hand, cut him short.
"I shall willingly give you any assistance in my power," he said;"but my daughter has voluntarily committed herself to a rather painfulordeal, and I am anxious to get it over."
He stooped and raised the fur from the ghastly face.
Helen, her hand resting upon her father's shoulder, ventured one rapidglance and then looked away, shuddering slightly. Dr. Cumberly replacedthe coat and gazed anxiously at his daughter. But Helen, with admirablecourage, having closed her eyes for a moment, reopened them, and smiledat her father's anxiety. She was pale, but perfectly composed.
"Well, Miss Cumberly?" inquired the inspector, eagerly; whilst all inthe room watched this slim girl in her charming deshabille, this daintyfigure so utterly out of place in that scene of morbid crime.
She raised her gray eyes to the detective.
"I still believe that I have seen the face, somewhere, before. But Ishall have to reflect a while--I meet so many folks, you know, in acasual way--before I can commit myself to any statement."
In the leonine eyes looking into hers gleamed the light of admirationand approval. The canny Scotsman admired this girl for her beauty, asa matter of course, for her courage, because courage was a qualitystanding high in his estimation, but, above all, for her admirablediscretion.
"Very proper, Miss Cumberly," he said; "very proper and wise on yourpart. I don't wish to hurry you in any way, but"--he hesitated, glancingat the man in plain clothes, who had now resumed a careful perusal of anewspaper--"but her name doesn't happen to be Vernon--"
"Vernon!" cried the girl, her eyes lighting up at sound of the name."Mrs. Vernon! it is! it is! She was pointed out to me at the last ArtsBall--where she appeared in a most monstrous Chinese costume--"
"Chinese?" inquired Dunbar, producing the bulky notebook.
"Yes. Oh! poor, poor soul!"
"You know nothing further about her, Miss Cumberly?"
"Nothing, Inspector. She was merely pointed out to me as one of thestrangest figures in the hall. Her husband, I understand, is an artexpert--"
"He WAS!" said Dunbar, closing the book sharply. "He died thisafternoon; and a paragraph announcing his death appears in the newspaperwhich we found in the victim's fur coat!"
"But how--"
"It was the only paragraph on the half-page folded outwards which was inany sense PERSONAL. I am greatly indebted to you, Miss Cumberly; everyhour wasted on a case like this means a fresh plait in the rope aroundthe neck of the wrong man!"
Helen Cumberly grew slowly quite pallid.
"Good night," she said; and bowing to the detective and to the surgeon,she prepared to depart.
Mr. Hilton touched Dr. Cumberly's arm, as he, too, was about to retire.
"May I hope," he whispered, "that you will return and give me thebenefit of your opin
ion in making out my report?"
Dr. Cumberly glanced at his daughter; and seeing her to be perfectlycomposed:--"For the moment, I have formed no opinion, Mr. Hilton,"he said, quietly, "not having had an opportunity to conduct a properexamination."
Hilton bent and whispered, confidentially, in the other's ear:--
"She was drugged!"
The innuendo underlying the words struck Dr. Cumberly forcibly, and hestarted back with his brows drawn together in a frown.
"Do you mean that she was addicted to the use of drugs?" he asked,sharply; "or that the drugging took place to-night."
"The drugging DID take place to-night!" whispered the other. "Aninjection was made in the left shoulder with a hypodermic syringe; themark is quite fresh."
Dr. Cumberly glared at his fellow practitioner, angrily.
"Are there no other marks of injection?" he asked.
"On the left forearm, yes. Obviously self-administered. Oh, I don't denythe habit! But my point is this: the injection in the shoulder was NOTself-administered."
"Come, Helen," said Cumberly, taking his daughter's arm; for she haddrawn near, during the colloquy--"you must get to bed."
His face was very stern when he turned again to Mr. Hilton.
"I shall return in a few minutes," he said, and escorted his daughterfrom the room.