The Rayner-Slade Amalgamation Read online

  THE RAYNER-SLADE AMALGAMATION

  BY J.S. FLETCHER

  1922

  CONTENTS

  I THE MIDNIGHT RIDE

  II THE DEAD MAN

  III THE SHOE BUCKLE

  IV MR. FRANKLIN FULLAWAY

  V THE NASTIRSEVITCH JEWELS

  VI THE PRIMA DONNA'S PORTRAIT

  VII THE FRANTIC IMPRESARIO

  VIII THE JEWEL BOX

  IX THE LADY'S MAID'S MOTHER

  X THE SECOND MURDER

  XI THE RUSSIAN BANK-NOTES

  XII THE THIRD MURDER

  XIII AMBLER APPLEYARD

  XIV FIFTY THOUSAND POUNDS REWARD

  XV THE BAYSWATER BOARDING-HOUSE

  XVI MR. GERALD RAYNER

  XVII THE PHOTOGRAPH

  XVIII DEFINITE SUSPICION

  XIX THE LATE CALL

  XX NUMBER FIFTY-THREE

  XXI THE YOUNG MAN WHO LED PUGS

  XXII THICK FOG

  XXIII THE POSSIBLE DEATH WARRANT

  XXIV CONCERNING CARL FEDERMAN

  XXV THE CARD ON THE DOOR

  XXVI PARTICIPANTS IN THE SECRET

  XXVII THE MILLIONAIRE, THE STRANGER, AND THE PRINCESS

  XXVIII THE FIRST PURSUIT

  XXIX THE PARCEL FROM HULL

  XXX THE PACKET IN THE SAFE

  XXXI THE HYDE PARK TEA-HOUSE

  XXXII THE CHILVERTON ANTI-CLIMAX

  XXXIII THE SMART MISS SLADE

  XXXIV MERRIFIELD EXPLAINS

  XXXV THE ALLERDYKE WAY

  CHAPTER I

  THE MIDNIGHT RIDE

  About eleven o'clock on the night of Monday, May 12, 1914, MarshallAllerdyke, a bachelor of forty, a man of great mental and physicalactivity, well known in Bradford as a highly successful manufacturer ofdress goods, alighted at the Central Station in that city from anexpress which had just arrived from Manchester, where he had spent theday on business. He had scarcely set foot on the platform when he wasconfronted by his chauffeur, a young man in a neat dark-green livery,who took his master's travelling rug in one hand, while with the otherhe held out an envelope.

  "The housekeeper said I was to give you that as soon as you got in, sir,"he announced. "There's a telegram in it that came at four o'clock thisafternoon--she couldn't send it on, because she didn't know exactly whereit would find you in Manchester."

  Allerdyke took the envelope, tore it open, drew out the telegram,and stepped beneath the nearest lamp. He muttered the wording ofthe message--

  "_On board SS. Perisco_

  "63 _miles N.N.E. Spurn Point_, 2.15 _p.m., May_ 12_th_.

  "Expect to reach Hull this evening, and shall stop Station Hotel therefor night on way to London. Will you come on at once and meet me? Want tosee you on most important business--

  "JAMES."

  Allerdyke re-read this message, quietly and methodically folded it up,slipped it into his pocket, and with a swift glance at the station clockturned to his chauffeur.

  "Gaffney," he said, "how long would it take us to run across to Hull?"

  The chauffeur showed no surprise at this question; he had servedAllerdyke for three years, and was well accustomed to his ways.

  "Hull?" he replied. "Let's see, sir--that 'ud be by way of Leeds, Selby,and Howden. About sixty miles in a straight line, but there's a good bitof in-and-out work after you get past Selby, sir. I should say aboutfour hours."

  "Plenty of petrol in the car?" asked Allerdyke, turning down theplatform. "There is? What time did you have your supper?"

  "Ten o'clock, sir," answered Gaffney, with promptitude.

  "Bring the car round to the hotel door in the station yard," commandedAllerdyke. "You'll find a couple of Thermos flasks in the locker--bringthem into the hotel lounge bar."

  The chauffeur went off down the platform. Allerdyke turned up the coveredway to the Great Northern Hotel. When the chauffeur joined him there afew minutes later he was giving orders for a supply of freshly-cut beefsandwiches and hard-boiled eggs; the Thermos flasks he handed over to befilled with hot coffee.

  "Better get something to eat now, Gaffney," he said. "Get somesandwiches, or some bread and cheese, or something--it's a longish spin."

  He himself, waiting while the chauffeur ate and drank, and the provisionswere made ready, took a whisky and soda to a chair by the fire, and oncemore pulled out and read the telegram. And as he read he wondered whyhis cousin, its sender, wished so particularly to see him at once. JamesAllerdyke, a man somewhat younger than himself, like himself a bachelorof ample means and of a similar temperament, had of late years concernedhimself greatly with various business speculations in Northern Europe,and especially in Russia. He had just been over to St. Petersburg inorder to look after certain of his affairs in and near that city, and hewas returning home by way of Stockholm and Christiania, in each of whichtowns he had other ventures to inspect. But Marshall Allerdyke was quitesure that his cousin did not wish to see him about any of thesematters--anything connected with them would have kept until they met inthe ordinary way, which would have happened within a day or two. No, ifJames had taken the trouble to send him a message by wireless from theNorth Sea, it meant that James was really anxious to see him at the firstavailable moment, and would already have landed in Hull, expecting tofind him there. However, with a good car, smooth roads, and a fine,moonlit night--

  It was not yet twelve o'clock when Allerdyke wrapped himself up in acorner of his luxurious Rolls-Royce, saw that the box of eatables and thetwo Thermos flasks were safe in the locker, and told Gaffney to go ahead.He himself had the faculty of going to sleep whenever he pleased, and hewent to sleep now. He was asleep as Gaffney went through Leeds and itssuburbs; he slept all along the country roads which led to Selby andthence to Howden. But in the silent streets of Howden he woke with astart, to find that Gaffney had pulled up in answer to a question flungto him by the driver of another car, which had come alongside their ownfrom the opposite direction. That car had also been pulled up; within itAllerdyke saw a woman, closely wrapped in furs.

  "What is it, Gaffney?" he asked, letting down his own window andleaning out.

  "Wants to know which is the best way to get across the Ouse, sir,"answered Gaffney. "I tell him there's two ferries close by--one at Booh,the other at Langrick--but there'll be nobody to work them at this hour.Where do you want to get to?" he went on, turning to the driver of theother car.

  "Want to strike the Great Northern main line somewhere," answered thedriver. "This lady wants to catch a Scotch express. I thought ofDoncaster, but--"

  The window of the other car was let down, and its occupant looked out.The light of the full moon shone full on her, and Allerdyke lifted hiscap to a pretty, alert-looking young woman of apparently twenty-five, whopolitely returned his salutation.

  "Can I give you any advice?" asked Allerdyke. "I understand you want--"

  "An express train to Scotland--Edinburgh," replied the lady. "I made out,on arrival at Hull, that if I motored across country I would get a trainat some station on the Great Northern line--a morning express. Doncaster,Selby, York--which is nearest from wherever we are!"

  "This is Howden," said Allerdyke, looking up at the great tower of theold church. "And your best plan is to follow this road to Selby, and thento York. All the London expresses stop there, but they don't all stop atSelby or at Doncaster. And there's no road bridge over the Ouse nearerthan Selby in any case."

  "Many thanks," responded the lady. "Then," she went on, looking at herdriver, "you will go on to York--that is--how far?" she added, favouringAllerdyke with a gracious smile. "Very far?"

  "Less than an hour's run," answe
red Gaffney for his master. "And agood road."

  The lady bowed; Allerdyke once more raised his cap; the two cars partedcompany. And Allerdyke stopped Gaffney as he was driving off again, andproduced the provisions.

  "Half-past two," he remarked, pulling out his watch. "You've come alongin good style, Gaffney. We'll have something to eat and drink. Queerthing, eh, for anybody to motor across from Hull to catch a GreatNorthern express on the main line!"

  "Mayn't be any trains out of Hull during the night, sir," answeredGaffney, taking a handful of sandwiches. "They'll get one at York,anyway. Want to reach Hull at any particular time, sir?"

  "No," answered Allerdyke. "Go along as you've come. You'll have a bit ofuphill work over the edge of the Wolds, now. When we strike Hull, go tothe Station Hotel."

  He went to sleep again as soon as they moved out of Howden, and he onlyawoke when the car stopped at the hotel door in Hull. A night-porter,hearing the buzz of the engine, came out.

  "Put the car in the garage, Gaffney, and then get yourself a bed and lieas long as you like," said Allerdyke. "I'll let you know when I wantyou." He turned to the night-porter. "You've a Mr. James Allerdykestopping here I think?" he went on. "He'd come in last night from theChristiania steamer."

  The night-porter led the way into the hotel, and towards the office.

  "Mr. Marshall Allerdyke?" he asked of the new arrival. "The gentlemanleft a card for you; I was asked to give it to you as soon as you came."

  Allerdyke took the visiting-card which the man produced from a letterrack, and read the lines hastily scribbled on the back--

  If you land here during the night, come straight up to my room--263--androuse me out. Want to see you at once.--J.A.

  Allerdyke slipped the card into his pocket and turned to thenight-porter.

  "My cousin wants me to go up to his room at once," he said. "Just show methe way. Do you happen to know what time he got in last night?" hecontinued, as they went upstairs. "Was it late?"

  "Passengers from the _Perisco_, sir?" answered the night-porter."There were several of 'em came in last night--she got into the riverabout eight-thirty. It 'ud be a bit after nine o'clock when yourfriend came in."

  Allerdyke's mind went back to the meeting at Howden.

  "Did you have a lady set off from here in the middle of the night?" heasked, out of sheer curiosity. "A lady in a motor-car?"

  "Oh! that lady," exclaimed the night-porter, with a grim laugh. "Ah!nice lot of bother she gave me, too. She was one of those _Perisco_passengers--she got in here with the rest, and booked a room, and wentto it all right, and then at half-past twelve down she came and said shewanted to get on, and as there weren't no trains she'd have a motor-carand drive to catch an express at Selby, or Doncaster, or somewhere.Nice job I had to get her a car at that time o' night!--and mesingle-handed--there wasn't a soul in the office then. Meet heranywhere, sir?"

  "Met her on the road," replied Allerdyke laconically. "Was she aforeigner, do you know?"

  "I shouldn't wonder if she was something of that sort," answered thenight-porter. "Sort that would have her own way at all events. Here's theroom, sir."

  He paused before the door of a room which stood halfway down a longcorridor in the centre of the hotel, and on its panels he knocked gently.

  "Every room's filled on this floor, sir," he remarked. "I hope yourfriend's a light sleeper, for there's some of 'em'll have words to say ifthey're roused at four o'clock in the morning."

  "He's a very light sleeper as a rule," replied Allerdyke. He stoodlistening for the sound of some movement in the room: "Knock again," hesaid, when a minute had passed without response on the part of theoccupant. "Make it a bit louder."

  The night-porter, with evident unwillingness, repeated his summons, thistime loud enough to wake any ordinary sound sleeper. But no sound camefrom within the room, and after a third and much louder thumping at thedoor, Allerdyke grew impatient and suspicious.

  "This is queer!" he growled. "My cousin's one of the lightest sleepers Iever knew. If he's in there, there's something wrong. Look here! you'llhave to open that door. Haven't you got a key?"

  "Key'll be inside, sir," replied the night-porter. "But there's amaster-key to all these doors in the office. Shall I fetch it, then?"

  "Do!" said Allerdyke, curtly. He began to walk up and down the corridorwhen the man had hurried away, wondering what this soundness of sleepin his cousin meant. James Allerdyke was not a man who took either drinkor drugs, and Marshall's experience of him was that the least soundawoke him.

  "Queer!" he repeated as he marched up and down. "Perhaps he's not--"

  The quiet opening of a door close by made him lift his eyes from thecarpet. In the dim light he saw a man looking out upon him--a man of anunusually thick crop of hair and with a huge beard. He stared atAllerdyke half angrily, half sulkily; then he closed his door as quietlyas he had opened it. And Allerdyke, turning back to his cousin's room,mechanically laid his hand on the knob and screwed it round.

  The door was open.

  Allerdyke drew a sharp breath as he crossed the threshold. He had stayedin that hotel often, and he knew where the switch of the electric lightshould be. He lifted a hand, found the switch, and turned the light on.And as it flooded the room, he pulled himself up to a tense rigidity.There, sitting fully dressed in an easy chair, against which his head wasthrown back, was his cousin--unmistakably dead.