The Mystery of the Hidden Room

by Marion Harvey

  CHAPTER XXXVIII

  THE MOTIVE

  "You must know, then," said Philip Darwin, "that I was the child of asecond marriage contracted between my father and a young woman who hadjust begun to earn a name for herself upon the stage. She endured twoyears of walking the straight and narrow path as his wife, and then sheeloped with an actor friend. My father hushed the scandal and withdrewfrom social life, becoming morose and bitter and narrower than ever,watching over me with a zealous eye as I grew older, and endeavoring toeradicate the talents which I had inherited from her, looking withparticular disfavor on my ability to act and mimic the speech of thoseabout me.

  "Knowing my inherited love of pleasures of all kinds he strove to curbme by refusing to let me go out in the evenings with my youngcompanions. This I considered an indignity since I was then old enoughto be my own master, and so I took matters into my own hand, retiringearly and then sneaking away from my rooms to join my friends. Thispractice I continued until by an unforeseen chance I was among thosearrested in a raid upon a gambling-house. I would have given a falsename but unfortunately the Sergeant knew me, and of course the affaircame to the ears of my father.

  "He was exceedingly wroth and threatened to disinherit me if I everdisobeyed him again. I did not want to lose my chance to secure hisfortune, which would come to me intact since Robert, my older brother,was dead, and my sister, Leila, had run away from home, so I remained athome on my best behavior. It was just at this time that I came across anold book in the study that gave the history of the house from which ourshad been copied. I investigated and found the door in the masonry, tookan impression of the lock, had a key made, and so discovered the secretroom. That room gave me an idea. I knew that it was next the studyalthough it had never been cut through, but this fact did not troubleme. My father had planned to take me to Europe with him, but I told himthat I preferred to remain at home and look after the business, intowhich I had been taken as junior partner on my twenty-first birthday.Thinking that I had reformed he gave his permission for me to have asafe built in the study, since I had pointed out to him that now that Iwas a man of affairs I needed such a contrivance for my personal papers.But though he left for Europe without me he did not altogether trust me,for I discovered that his lawyer had orders to telegraph my father if atany time he learned that I had deviated from the rule of conduct laiddown for me to follow.

  "I determined to outwit him. I sent Mason away, hired some workmen, hada door cut between the study and the secret room and had a safe builtinto the wall as a blind. Then I spent the rest of the year in evolvingthe character of Cunningham. He should be a young law student,red-haired, red-bearded, fastidious. Also as Darwin, I adopted glassesto make myself and Cunningham as opposite as possible in appearance.

  "When my father returned he heard no scandal of me for Cunningham hadtaken young Darwin's place in the beaumonde. Thereafter I had nodifficulty in getting away, retiring early and then leaving the house bythe secret entrance, after changing to Cunningham in the little room.

  "After my father's death Cunningham was of no further value to me, but Iwas too clever to utterly destroy him, since I had no idea when I mightneed him again. So he told his friends that a relative had died abroad,leaving him a fortune, and that he was going on a trip around the world.Then Darwin came back and took his place in the social world.

  "I pass over the next few years, in which I played the fool andspeculated beyond my means. Eight months ago I was in desperate need ofmoney, although none knew of it, and I saw that my only course lay inmarrying some wealthy woman.

  "I looked around me and decided that Arthur Trenton's daughter wouldserve my purpose. I made friends with her brother and discovered to myannoyance that the young lady in question had just engaged herself to ayoung broker by the name of Carlton Davies and that the wedding wasscheduled to take place in a very short time. This was something of aset-back, since I knew that Miss Trenton was not likely to jilt herlover for a man she was barely acquainted with. But once I make up mymind to obtain a thing I never give up until that thing is mine. I castabout for a way to make her marry me, and having cultivated her brother,Dick, for a month, I laid my plans accordingly.

  "I enticed the boy, who was inclined to be wild, to a gambling-den,after I had taken the trouble to get him fairly intoxicated. I had hireda jail-bird to quarrel with Dick and when the man pretended to go forthe boy, I shot and killed him, telling Dick that he had done it. Hebecame frightened and I took him to his home, where his father was toldmy version of the tale, and Dick was dispatched to Chicago. Then Iforced Ruth to marry me to save her brother from going to the chair forsomething he had never done!"

  Darwin paused in his narrative to puff his cigar and to let ussufficiently admire the cleverness that had conceived such a plan.Admire! I could only shudder at the thought that there could be inexistence a man who could carry out such diabolical schemes incold-blood, and actually pride himself on his accomplishment.

  "After the marriage I made Ruth sign away her dower rights as well asher dowry, all to save her brother. Then I took up my old way of livingagain. But now there was a fly in my ointment. People began to talk, andI had enough of my father in me to make gossip distasteful to me. Yetmarriage was a bore, I discovered, and so I resurrected the lawyer,Cunningham. If as Darwin I must endure life with Ruth, as Cunningham Iwould be as gay as I chose. I hired an apartment and began my doublelife.

  "When Darwin was bored to distraction by prosaic affairs, he would takea business trip and Cunningham would have his fling. When pleasurescloyed, Cunningham would be off to see his out-of-town clients andDarwin would return to the city. The excitement and the danger ofdetection that this sort of existence afforded fascinated me and Ishould have kept it up indefinitely if fate in the person of a formerteller of the Darwin Bank had not intervened.

  "This man, James Gilmore, who had been my dupe ten years before, and hadsince been in jail, was at the gambling-den the night I shot Coombs, andhe realized the trick I had played upon Dick. I thought at the time whenGilmore fell that I had killed him also (I did not know him at the time.I merely shot at him on the principle that dead men tell no awkwardtales), but by some freak of chance he escaped unhurt and becameacquainted with Richard Trenton.

  "The first intimation I had that my plans had gone awry was in a letterfrom Dick explaining the circumstances. I thought the matter over andfinally made up my mind to go to Chicago as Cunningham, to kill Dick,and then return as Darwin, abolishing forever the character of thelawyer.

  "When I reached Chicago, however, and saw Dick, a new plan, more daring,more subtle, more pleasing in every way leapt fully matured into mymind, since by means of it Darwin would disappear and Cunningham wouldremain, free to live his life unhampered by the marriage tie.

  "Dick had grown a beard. Trim it as mine was trimmed, give him a pair ofgold eyeglasses, and he could pass superficially for myself. I marveledat the likeness then. Now I know it was only natural, since it seems hewas my nephew as well as my brother-in-law.

  "I pretended as the lawyer to be on his side, returned to New York, andwrote him a letter in which I declared that as Ruth refused to divorceme, which was one of the terms of reparation Dick insisted upon, he hadbetter call upon me and talk things over. He walked into the trap I hadlaid for him, and telegraphed that he would come to see me."

  Again Darwin paused and eyed us in that strange exultant manner.

  "You will think, perhaps, that it was a daring thing to do, this that Ihad in mind, but its very audacity would serve to carry it through, Iknew. Have you ever studied psychology? I commend it to you, for myknowledge of that subject was the foundation stone upon which I built.

  "When a man is found shot in his own study, remaking his own will,looking like himself to all outward appearance, the conclusion isnaturally that the dead man is the one whom the world believes him tobe, that is, the master of the house. Also I had no fear that thedeception would be remarked. Orton was near-sighted, Mr. Davies (f
or asI shall show you presently, I intended to bring him into this affairalso), knew me only slightly, had not seen Dick for six months, andnever with a beard, besides being under the belief that the boy was inChicago, and Ruth would be too overwrought to notice anything amiss. Theonly one I really feared was Lee, as he knew me thoroughly. I determinedto get rid of him. The question was, how? and the answer was supplied bythe girl, Cora Manning.

  "I had been intrigued by her beauty, but had no thought, despite mynephew's assertions, beyond being allowed to gaze upon her occasionally,but the night of the sixth as she told me of her broken ring I knew Iloved her and wanted her for my own. I saw a way ahead of me and seizedthe opportunity presented to me.

  "I inveigled her into giving me the ring and the next morning I gave Leeto understand that the girl had been false to him. He believed me and Iknew him well enough to guess that he would break off the engagement,leaving the way free for me later. I also ordered him to leave my housefor his insolence to me, thus getting him out of the way for that night.

  "It was at this point in the game that a new element was introduced. Ihad meant merely to leave Ruth a supposed widow, but when Orton showedme the letter she had written to her former lover, I determined to makeher pay for my crime. I told him to piece the letter together and bringit to me, and then I left for the office.

  "And now I was guilty of my first error. I permitted my infatuation forCora to get the better of my discretion, and told her to come to thehouse at ten-forty-five, knowing I would have time to see her in thesecret entrance and get rid of her before Dick was scheduled to arrive.I should have known better, for it was too dangerous a game to play.

  "At ten-thirty that night I called Ruth to the study and upbraided her,threatening Mr. Davies in such terms that she took fright and declaredshe would send for him to warn him. I only laughed and thoroughly rousedshe left me to call her lover to her, as I hoped she would.

  "Then I locked the study door, opened the secret entrance as I hadpromised, and waited for Cora. She did not come, and when eleven struckI gave her up and was on the point of leaving the study to relock theentrance when Dick suddenly stepped in through the window, one half-hourbefore he was due. We talked for twenty-five minutes, while I waited forMr. Davies' arrival. Dick insisted upon seeing Ruth at once. I told himshe had gone out with friends and would not return until eleven-thirty.

  "At eleven-twenty-five I heard a motor drive up, and guessing it must beMr. Davies who had come, I set to work to carry out my plan. I told DickRuth had come, and he sprang up and went to the door. I followed him andas I did so I soaked a handkerchief with chloroform from a bottle I hadin my pocket, and as he fumbled with the key I came up behind him andpressed the handkerchief over his face. As he sagged into my arms Iswitched off the light and carried him to the secret room, depositinghim on the couch.

  "Then I returned to the study, unlocked the door, and called in Ortonthat he might take away with him a mental image of myself seated in mychair, as I later intended that Dick should sit. When Orton was gone Irelocked the door, and returned to Dick. I exchanged clothing with him,and it was no easy task, for he lay an inert mass. Then I trimmed hisbeard and placed my eyeglasses on his nose. Finally, I took out myrevolver and shot him through the heart as I supposed, but he had comeout from under the influence of the anesthetic and as I fired he movedso that the bullet only penetrated his lung. I knew that he was done forin any case and as I bent down to pick him up I noticed the ring on hisfinger. I never wore rings, and that one was too familiar to Ruth torisk leaving it. I was removing it with care when I heard a step on thestairs of the entrance. I remembered Cora and dared not let her guessthe truth. Hastily I snatched off the ring, slipped it in my pocket andcarried Dick into the study, setting him down in my chair. Then I hidbehind the curtains of the window, which was nearest the safe. I saw herenter, and as she advanced toward the table where only the lamp waslighted, I slipped into the safe and switched it off.

  "I took off my coat and as she fell against me in the dark I flung itover her head, and carried her to the divan in the secret room. Then Iwent about my other business, for I had much to do. I cleaned my gun,and recharged it, removing the bullet from the cartridge I intended tofire later. I returned to the study, pushed back the chair so that itwould look as though Darwin had been shot when he rose to meet someone,arranged the matter of the wills, and left a word half finished upon thetestament I was supposed to have been making, burning the old one whichI had torn up when I recalled it was in Lee's favor and not Ruth's.

  "When I saw that I had bruised Dick's finger I flung Cora's ring, fromwhich the stone had dropped that morning, on the top shelf of the safein order to explain the abrasion with some degree of plausibility, sinceI knew that Lee had seen the ring on my finger in the morning. Then wheneverything was as perfect as human ingenuity could make it, I went tothe door and unlocked it, that Ruth might find no obstacle to herentrance. I switched on the lights for a moment for a last survey andsaw a handkerchief lying near the door. When I picked it up I saw thatit was Ruth's, but caution prevailed and I smelled it to make sure,knowing well that Cora used Rose Jacqueminot, since I had adopted itmyself after becoming acquainted with her. The handkerchief wasunscented and I decided to add it to the evidence against Ruth. I putout the light, stained the handkerchief with blood, arranged it inDick's hand, turned out the lamp, and waited for Ruth.

  "How did I know she would come to the study? Because I had decoyed Mr.Davies to the house to bring about that very result. He was a man and heloved her and he feared what I might do to her if I remained inpossession of that letter. I had purposely told her I was going out andhad let her see me throw the letter in the table-drawer. Mr. Davies, Iknew, would urge her to get the letter.

  "When she came in and I heard her fumbling with the contents of thedrawer I fired my revolver. I knew it would startle her, and that shewould move away from the table, so I slung the gun along the carpet,trusting that it would carry as far as her feet. Then I hastened to thesafe and turned on the lamp, closing the door to behind me, butremaining where I could hear what occurred in the study.

  "I heard Mr. Davies' order to Orton, and locking the safe I hastenedthrough the entrance to the front door, letting myself in just as theydisappeared into Ruth's apartments. I went into the dining-room andopened a bottle of wine, into which I mixed a sleeping potion. While Iwas there I heard the doctor arrive and go upstairs, then I returned theway I had come, poured out a glass of the wine and gave it to Cora. ThenI locked the entrance doors and left her there to sleep while I returnedto the Corinth as Dick, so that there would be no undue search made forhim. The next morning I went back to my apartments as Cunningham, andfrom there to the inquest.

  "When Ruth had been adjudged guilty, I determined to get rid of Lee,since his actions told me plainly he knew something of Cora's visit. Idecoyed him from the club with a fake message and had him kidnapped, butcould get nothing from him. I decided to keep him a prisoner until afterRuth had paid the penalty for the crime.

  "My thought now reverted to Cora, but I dared not return to the housethat night, as the police were still in charge. I waited until they hadleft about nine o'clock the next morning, and went to the secret room,where I found Cora awake. It was too risky a matter to take her to myother apartments, besides she knew too much to suit me, so Iimpersonated Lee to kill her love for him. Then as Cunningham I wouldrescue her and through her gratitude I could earn her love. I did notguess she had a revolver or things might have taken a different turn.

  "The afternoon of the ninth I carried out the plans for the suicide ofRichard Trenton. It was necessary to account for his disappearance,since two men were gone and there was only one body which could beproduced. It was I who jumped in the river. It was an unpleasant duty,but I had to make some sacrifice to attain my ends. I swam down theshore and made my way to Chinatown to my refuge at Hi Ling's.

  "From then on I faced the world as Cunningham, and in the end I shouldhave triumphed but
for one thing. Mr. Davies' refusal to believe Ruthguilty brought a new element into the case, a man with brains as keen asmy own, who was not to be duped as I had fooled the police. He wassuspicious of Cunningham from the first, but I did not think that evenhe could uncover the truth, so in the end I lost."

  Darwin ceased speaking and there was silence in the room for a moment,then unexpectedly he rose and turned to McKelvie. "You are clever, butyou haven't got me yet. You think to try me. The man doesn't live whocan put me in a cell."

  Even as he spoke, before we could grasp the meaning of his rapidlyuttered words, he sprang down the room toward the door, wrenching itopen as Jones fired. We saw Darwin make for the stairs and we were afterhim in a second. On the floor above he rushed into his dressing-room,and as we entered we saw him disappear into the secret closet. There wasa whirring sound and a cry of dismay, then silence, horror-filled.