The Middle of Things Page 6

  CHAPTER VI

  SPECULATIONS

  Mr. Pawle, an alert-looking, sharp-eyed little man, whom Viner at oncerecognized as having been present in the magistrate's court when Hyde wasbrought up, smiled as he shook hands with the new visitor.

  "You don't know me, Mr. Viner," he said. "But I knew your father verywell--he and I did a lot of business together in our time. You haven'tfollowed his profession, I gather?"

  "I'm afraid I haven't any profession, Mr. Pawle," answered Viner. "I'm astudent--and a bit, a very little bit, of a writer."

  "Aye, well, your father was a bit in that way too," remarked Mr. Pawle."I remember that he was a great collector of books--you have his library,no doubt?"

  "Yes, and I'm always adding to it," said Viner. "I shall be glad to showyou my additions, any time."

  Mr. Pawle turned to the two ladies, waving his hand at Viner.

  "Knew his father most intimately," he said, as if he were guaranteeingthe younger man's status. "Fine fellow, was Stephen Viner. Well," hecontinued, dropping into a chair, and pointing Viner to another, "this isa sad business that we've got concerned in, young man! Now, what do youthink of the proceedings we've just heard? Your opinion, Mr. Viner, isprobably better worth having than anybody's, for you saw this fellowrunning away from the scene, and you found my unfortunate client lyingdead. What, frankly, _is_ your opinion?"

  "I had better tell you something that's just happened," replied Viner. Hewent on to repeat the statements which Hyde had just made to Drillfordand himself. "My opinion," he concluded, "is that Hyde is speaking theplain truth--that all he really did was, as he affirms, to pick up thatring and run away. I don't believe he murdered Mr. Ashton, and I'm goingto do my best to clear him."

  He looked round from one listener to another, seeking opinion from each.Mr. Pawle maintained a professional imperturbability; Mrs. Killenhalllooked mildly excited on hearing this new theory. But from Miss Wickham,Viner got a flash of intelligent comprehension.

  "The real thing is this," she said, "none of us know anything about Mr.Ashton, really. He may have had enemies."

  Pawle rubbed his chin; the action suggested perplexity.

  "Miss Wickham is quite right," he said. "Mr. Ashton is more or less a manof mystery. He had been here in England two months. His ward knows nextto nothing about him, except that she was left in his guardianship many ayear ago, that he sent her to England, to school, and that he recentlyjoined her here. Mrs. Killenhall knows no more than that he engaged heras chaperon to his ward, and that they exchanged references. Hisreferences were to his bankers and to me. But neither his bankers nor Iknow anything of him, except that he was a very well-to-do man. I cantell precisely what his bankers know. It is merely this: he transferredhis banking-account from an Australian bank to them on coming to London.I saw them this morning on first getting the news. They have about twohundred thousand pounds lying to his credit. That's absolutely all theyknow about him--all!"

  "The Australian bankers would know more," suggested Viner.

  "Precisely!" agreed Mr. Pawle. "We can get news from them, in time. Butnow, what do I know? No more than this--Mr. Ashton called on me about sixor seven weeks ago, told me that he was an Australian who had come tosettle in London, that he was pretty well off, and that he wanted to makea will. We drafted a will on his instructions, and he duly executed it.Here it is! Miss Wickham has just seen it. Mr. Ashton has left everypenny he had to Miss Wickham. He told me she was the only child of an oldfriend of his, who had given her into his care on his death out inAustralia, some years ago, and that as he, Ashton, had no near relations,he had always intended to leave her all he had. And so he has, withoutcondition, or reservation, or anything--all is yours, Miss Wickham, andI'm your executor. But now," continued Mr. Pawle, "how far does this takeus toward solving the mystery of my client's death? So far as I can see,next to nowhere! And I am certain of this, Mr. Viner: if we are going tosolve it, and if this old school friend of yours is being unjustlyaccused, and is to be cleared, we must find out more about Ashton'sdoings since he came to London. The secret lies--there!"

  "I quite agree," answered Viner. "But--who knows anything?"

  Mr. Pawle looked at the two ladies.

  "That's a stiff question!" he said. "The bankers tell me that Ashton onlycalled on them two or three times; he called on me not oftener; neitherthey nor I ever had much conversation with him. These two ladies shouldknow more about him than anybody--but they seem to know little."

  Viner, who was sitting opposite to her, looked at Miss Wickham.

  "You must know something about his daily life?" he said. "What did he dowith himself?"

  "We told you and the police-inspector pretty nearly all we know, lastnight," replied Miss Wickham. "As a rule, he used to go out of amorning--I think, from his conversation, he used to go down to the City.I don't think it was on business: I think, he liked to look about him.Sometimes he came home to lunch; sometimes he didn't. Very often in theafternoon he took us for motor-rides into the country--sometimes he tookus to the theatres. He used to go out a good deal, alone at night--wedon't know where."

  "Did he ever mention any club?" asked Mr. Pawle.

  "No, never!" replied Miss Wickham. "He was reticent about himself--alwaysvery kind and thoughtful and considerate for Mrs. Killenhall and myself,but he was a reserved man."

  "Did he ever have any one to see him?" inquired the solicitor. "Any mento dine, or anything of that sort?"

  "No--not once. No one has ever even called on him," said Miss Wickham."We have had two or three dinner-parties, but the people who came werefriends of mine--two or three girls whom I knew at school, who are nowmarried and live in London."

  "A lonely sort of man!" commented Mr. Pawle. "Yet--he must have knownpeople. Where did he go when he went into the City? Where did he go atnight? There must be somebody somewhere who can tell more about him. Ithink it will be well if I ask for information through the newspapers."

  "There is one matter we haven't mentioned," said Mrs. Killenhall. "Justafter we got settled down here, Mr. Ashton went away for some days--threeor four days. That, of course, may be quite insignificant."

  "Do you know where he went?" asked Mr. Pawle.

  "No, we don't know," answered Mrs. Killenhall. "He went away one Mondaymorning, saying that now everything was in order we could spare him for afew days. He returned on the following Thursday or Friday,--I forgetwhich,--but he didn't tell us where he had been."

  "You don't think any of the servants would know?" asked Mr. Pawle.

  "Oh, dear me, no!" replied Mrs. Killenhall. "He was the sort of man whorarely speaks to his servants--except when he wanted something."

  Mr. Pawle looked at his watch and rose.

  "Well!" he said. "We shall have to find out more about my late client'shabits and whom he knew in London. There may have been a motive for thismurder of which we know nothing. Are you coming, Mr. Viner? I should likea word with you!"

  Viner, too, had risen; he looked at Miss Wickham.

  "I hope my aunt called on you this morning?" he asked. "I was coming withher, but I had to go round to the police-station."

  "She did call, and she was very kind indeed, thank you," said MissWickham. "I hope she'll come again."

  "We shall both be glad to do anything," said Viner. "Please don'thesitate about sending round for me if there's anything at all I cando." He followed Mr. Pawle into the square, and turned him towards hisown house. "Come and lunch with me," he said. "We can talk over this atour leisure."

  "Thank you--I will," answered Mr. Pawle. "Very pleased. Between you andme, Mr. Viner, this is a very queer business. I'm quite prepared tobelieve the story that young fellow Hyde tells. I wish he'd told itstraight out in court. But you must see that he's in a very dangerousposition--very dangerous indeed! The police, of course, won't credit aword of his tale--not they! They've got a strong _prima facie_ caseagainst him, and they'll follow it up for all they're worth. The realthing to do, if you're to save him, is t
o find the real murderer. And todo that, you'll need all your wits! If one only had some theory!"

  Viner introduced Mr. Pawle to Miss Penkridge with the remark that she wassomething of an authority in mysteries, and as soon as they had sat downto lunch, told her of Langton Hyde and his statement.

  "Just so!" said Miss Penkridge dryly. "That's much more likely to bethe real truth than that this lad killed Ashton. There's a great dealmore in this murder than is on the surface, and I dare say Mr. Pawleagrees with me."

  "I dare say I do," assented Mr. Pawle. "The difficulty is--how topenetrate into the thick cloak of mystery."

  "When I was round there, at Number Seven, this morning," observed MissPenkridge, "those two talked very freely to me about Mr. Ashton. Now,there's one thing struck me at once--there must be men in London who knewhim. He couldn't go out and about, as he evidently did, without meetingmen. Even if it wasn't in business, he'd meet men somewhere. And if Iwere you, I should invite men who knew him to come forward and tell whatthey know."

  "It shall be done--very good advice, ma'am," said Mr. Pawle.

  "And there's another thing," said Miss Penkridge. "I should find out whatcan be told about Mr. Ashton where he came from. I believe you can gettelegraphic information from Australia within a few hours. Why not go tothe expense--when there's so much at stake? Depend upon it, the realsecret of this murder lies back in the past--perhaps the far past."

  "That too shall be done," agreed Mr. Pawle. "I shouldn't be surprised ifyou're right."

  "In my opinion," remarked Miss Penkridge, dryly, "the robbing of thisdead man was all a blind. Robbery wasn't the motive. Murder was the thingin view! And why? It may have been revenge. It may be that Ashton had tobe got out of the way. And I shouldn't wonder a bit if that isn't at thebottom of it, which is at the top and bottom of pretty nearlyeverything!"

  "And that, ma'am?" asked Mr. Pawle, who evidently admired MissPenkridge's shrewd observations, "that is what, now?"

  "Money!" said Miss Penkridge. "Money!"

  The old solicitor went away, promising to get to work on the linessuggested by Miss Penkridge, and next day he telephoned to Viner askinghim to go down to his offices in Bedford Row. Viner hurried off, and onarriving found Mr. Pawle with a cablegram before him.

  "I sent a pretty long message to Melbourne, to Ashton's old bankers, assoon as I left you yesterday," he said. "I gave them the news of hismurder, and asked for certain information. Here's their answer. I rangyou up as soon as I got it."

  Viner read the cablegram carefully:

  Deeply regret news. Ashton well known here thirty years dealer in realestate. Respected, wealthy. Quiet man, bachelor. Have made inquiries inquarters likely to know. Cannot trace anything about friend namedWickham. Ashton was away from Melbourne, up country, four years, someyears ago. May have known Wickham then. Ashton left here end July, by_Maraquibo_, for London. Was accompanied by two friends Fosdick andStephens. Please inform if can do more.

  "What do you think of that?" asked Mr. Pawle. "Not much in it, is there?"

  "There's the mention of two men who might know something of Ashton'shabits," said Viner. "If Fosdick and Stephens are still in England andwere Ashton's friends, one would naturally conclude that he'd seen themsometimes. Yet we haven't heard of their ever going to his house."

  "We can be quite certain that they never did--from what the two ladiessay," remarked Mr. Pawle. "Perhaps they don't live in London. I'lladvertise for both. But now, here's another matter. I asked these peopleif they could tell me anything about Wickham, the father of this girl towhom Ashton's left his very considerable fortune. Well, you see, theycan't. Now, it's a very curious thing, but Miss Wickham has no papers,has, in fact, nothing whatever to prove her identity. Nor have I. Ashtonleft nothing of that sort. I know no more, and she knows no more, thanwhat he told both of us--that her father died when she was a mere child,her mother already being dead, that the father left her in Ashton'sguardianship, and that Ashton, after sending her here to school,eventually came and took her to live with him. There isn't a singledocument really to show who she is, who her father was, or anything abouther family."

  "Is that very important?" asked Viner.

  "It's decidedly odd!" said Mr. Pawle. "This affair seems to be gettingmore mysterious than ever."

  "What's to be done next?" inquired Viner.

  "Well, the newspapers are always very good about that," answered thesolicitor. "I'm getting them to insert paragraphs asking the two men,Fosdick and Stephens, to come forward and tell us if they've seenanything of Ashton since he came to England; I'm also asking if anybodycan tell us where Ashton was when he went away from home on that visitthat Mrs. Killenhall spoke of. If--"

  Just then a clerk came into Mr. Pawle's room, and bending down to him,whispered a few words which evidently occasioned him great surprise.

  "At once!" he said. "Bring them straight in, Parkinson. God bless me!" heexclaimed, turning to Viner. "Here are the two men in question--Fosdickand Stephens! Saw our name in the paper as Ashton's solicitors and wantto see me urgently."