The Middle Temple Murder Read online

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  REVELATION

  There was as much bright sunshine that morning in Middle Temple Lane asever manages to get into it, and some of it was shining in the entryinto which Spargo and Breton presently hurried. Full of haste as he wasBreton paused at the foot of the stair. He looked down at the floor andat the wall at its side.

  "Wasn't it there?" he said in a low voice, pointing at the place helooked at. "Wasn't it there, Spargo, just there, that Marbury, or,rather, Maitland, was found?"

  "It was just there," answered Spargo.

  "You saw him?"

  "I saw him."

  "Soon--afterwards?"

  "Immediately after he was found. You know all that, Breton. Why do youask now?"

  Breton, who was still staring at the place on which he had fixed hiseyes on walking into the entry, shook his head.

  "Don't know," he answered. "I--but come on--let's see if oldCardlestone can tell us anything."

  There was another charwoman, armed with pails and buckets, outsideCardlestone's door, into which she was just fitting a key. It wasevident to Spargo that she knew Breton, for she smiled at him as sheopened the door.

  "I don't think Mr. Cardlestone'll be in, sir," she said. "He'sgenerally gone out to breakfast at this time--him and Mr. Elphick goestogether."

  "Just see," said Breton. "I want to see him if he is in." The charwomanentered the chambers and immediately screamed.

  "Quite so," remarked Spargo. "That's what I expected to hear.Cardlestone, you see, Breton, is also--off!"

  Breton made no reply. He rushed after the charwoman, with Spargo inclose attendance.

  "Good God--another!" groaned Breton.

  If the confusion in Elphick's rooms had been bad, that in Cardlestone'schambers was worse. Here again all the features of the previous scenewere repeated--drawers had been torn open, papers thrown about; thehearth was choked with light ashes; everything was at sixes and sevens.An open door leading into an inner room showed that Cardlestone, likeElphick, had hastily packed a bag; like Elphick had changed hisclothes, and had thrown his discarded garments anywhere, into anycorner. Spargo began to realize what had taken place--Elphick, havingmade his own preparations for flight, had come to Cardlestone, and hadexpedited him, and they had fled together. But--why?

  The charwoman sat down in the nearest chair and began to moan and sob;Breton strode forward, across the heaps of papers and miscellaneousobjects tossed aside in that hurried search and clearing up, into theinner room. And Spargo, looking about him, suddenly caught sight ofsomething lying on the floor at which he made a sharp clutch. He hadjust secured it and hurried it into his pocket when Breton came back.

  "I don't know what all this means, Spargo," he said, almost wearily. "Isuppose you do. Look here," he went on, turning to the charwoman, "stopthat row--that'll do no good, you know. I suppose Mr. Cardlestone'sgone away in a hurry. You'd better--what had she better do, Spargo?"

  "Leave things exactly as they are, lock up the chambers, and as you'rea friend of Mr. Cardlestone's give you the key," answered Spargo, witha significant glance. "Do that, now, and let's go--I've something todo." Once outside, with the startled charwoman gone away, Spargo turnedto Breton.

  "I'll tell you all I know, presently, Breton," he said. "In themeantime, I want to find out if the lodge porter saw Mr. Elphick or Mr.Cardlestone leave. I must know where they've gone--if I can only findout. I don't suppose they went on foot."

  "All right," responded Breton, gloomily. "We'll go and ask. But this isall beyond me. You don't mean to say----"

  "Wait a while," answered Spargo. "One thing at once," he continued, asthey walked up Middle Temple Lane. "This is the first thing. You askthe porter if he's seen anything of either of them--he knows you."

  The porter, duly interrogated, responded with alacrity.

  "Anything of Mr. Elphick this morning, Mr. Breton?" he answered."Certainly, sir. I got a taxi for Mr. Elphick and Mr. Cardlestone earlythis morning--soon after seven. Mr. Elphick said they were going toParis, and they'd breakfast at Charing Cross before the train left."

  "Say when they'd be back?" asked Breton, with an assumption of entirecarelessness.

  "No, sir, Mr. Elphick didn't," answered the porter. "But I should saythey wouldn't be long because they'd only got small suit-cases withthem--such as they'd put a day or two's things in, sir."

  "All right," said Breton. He turned away towards Spargo who had alreadymoved off. "What next?" he asked. "Charing Cross, I suppose!"

  Spargo smiled and shook his head.

  "No," he answered. "I've no use for Charing Cross. They haven't gone toParis. That was all a blind. For the present let's go back to yourchambers. Then I'll talk to you."

  Once within Breton's inner room, with the door closed upon them, Spargodropped into an easy-chair and looked at the young barrister withearnest attention.

  "Breton!" he said. "I believe we're coming in sight of land. You wantto save your prospective father-in-law, don't you?"

  "Of course!" growled Breton. "That goes without saying. But----"

  "But you may have to make some sacrifices in order to do it," saidSpargo. "You see----"

  "Sacrifices!" exclaimed Breton. "What----"

  "You may have to sacrifice some ideas--you may find that you'll not beable to think as well of some people in the future as you have thoughtof them in the past. For instance--Mr. Elphick."

  Breton's face grew dark.

  "Speak plainly, Spargo!" he said. "It's best with me."

  "Very well," replied Spargo. "Mr. Elphick, then, is in some wayconnected with this affair."

  "You mean the--murder?"

  "I mean the murder. So is Cardlestone. Of that I'm now dead certain.And that's why they're off. I startled Elphick last night. It's evidentthat he immediately communicated with Cardlestone, and that they made arapid exit. Why?"

  "Why? That's what I'm asking you! Why? Why? Why?"

  "Because they're afraid of something coming out. And being afraid,their first instinct is to--run. They've run at the first alarm.Foolish--but instinctive."

  Breton, who had flung himself into the elbow-chair at his desk, jumpedto his feet and thumped his blotting-pad.

  "Spargo!" he exclaimed. "Are you telling me that you accuse my guardianand his friend, Mr. Cardlestone. of being--murderers?"

  "Nothing of the sort. I am accusing Mr. Elphick and Mr. Cardlestone ofknowing more about the murder than they care to tell or want to tell. Iam also accusing them, and especially your guardian, of knowing allabout Maitland, alias Marbury. I made him confess last night that heknew this dead man to be John Maitland."

  "You did!"

  "I did. And now, Breton, since it's got to come out, well have thetruth. Pull yourself together--get your nerves ready, for you'll haveto stand a shock or two. But I know what I'm talking about--I can proveevery word I'm going to say to you. And first let me ask you a fewquestions. Do you know anything about your parentage?"

  "Nothing--beyond what Mr. Elphick has told me."

  "And what was that?"

  "That my parents were old friends of his, who died young, leaving meunprovided for, and that he took me up and looked after me."

  "And he's never given you any documentary evidence of any sort to provethe truth of that story?"

  "Never! I never questioned his statement. Why should I?"

  "You never remember anything of your childhood--I mean of any personwho was particularly near you in your childhood?"

  "I remember the people who brought me up from the time I was threeyears old. And I have just a faint, shadowy recollection of some woman,a tall, dark woman, I think, before that."

  "Miss Baylis," said Spargo to himself. "All right, Breton," he went onaloud. "I'm going to tell you the truth. I'll tell it to you straightout and give you all the explanations afterwards. Your real name is notBreton at all. Your real name is Maitland, and you're the only child ofthe man who was found murdered at the foot of Cardlestone's staircase!" />
  Spargo had been wondering how Breton would take this, and he gazed athim with some anxiety as he got out the last words. What would hedo?--what would he say?--what----

  Breton sat down quietly at his desk and looked Spargo hard between theeyes.

  "Prove that to me, Spargo," he said, in hard, matter-of-fact tones."Prove it to me, every word. Every word, Spargo!"

  Spargo nodded.

  "I will--every word," he answered. "It's the right thing. Listen,then."

  It was a quarter to twelve, Spargo noticed, throwing a glance at theclock outside, as he began his story; it was past one when he broughtit to an end. And all that time Breton listened with the keenestattention, only asking a question now and then; now and then making abrief note on a sheet of paper which he had drawn to him.

  "That's all," said Spargo at last.

  "It's plenty," observed Breton laconically.

  He sat staring at his notes for a moment; then he looked up at Spargo."What do you really think?" he asked.

  "About--what?" said Spargo.

  "This flight of Elphick's and Cardlestone's."

  "I think, as I said, that they knew something which they think may beforced upon them. I never saw a man in a greater fright than that I sawElphick in last night. And it's evident that Cardlestone shares in thatfright, or they wouldn't have gone off in this way together."

  "Do you think they know anything of the actual murder?"

  Spargo shook his head.

  "I don't know. Probably. They know something. And--look here!"

  Spargo put his hand in his breast pocket and drew something out whichhe handed to Breton, who gazed at it curiously.

  "What's this?" he demanded. "Stamps?"

  "That, from the description of Criedir, the stamp-dealer, is a sheet ofthose rare Australian stamps which Maitland had on him--carried on him.I picked it up just now in Cardlestone's room, when you were lookinginto his bedroom."

  "But that, after all, proves nothing. Those mayn't be the identicalstamps. And whether they are or not----"

  "What are the probabilities?" interrupted Spargo sharply. "I believethat those are the stamps which Maitland--your father!--had on him,and I want to know how they came to be in Cardlestone's rooms.And I will know."

  Breton handed the stamps back.

  "But the general thing, Spargo?" he said. "If they didn't murder--Ican't realize the thing yet!--my father----"

  "If they didn't murder your father, they know who did!" exclaimedSpargo. "Now, then, it's time for more action. Let Elphick andCardlestone alone for the moment--they'll be tracked easily enough. Iwant to tackle something else for the moment. How do you get anauthority from the Government to open a grave?"

  "Order from the Home Secretary, which will have to be obtained byshowing the very strongest reasons why it should be made."

  "Good! We'll give the reasons. I want to have a grave opened."

  "A grave opened! Whose grave?"

  "The grave of the man Chamberlayne at Market Milcaster," repliedSpargo.

  Breton started.

  "His? In Heaven's name, why?" he demanded.

  Spargo laughed as he got up.

  "Because I believe it's empty," he answered. "Because I believe thatChamberlayne is alive, and that his other name is--Cardlestone!"