The Middle of Things | Page 8

school and got Mrs. Killenhall to look after me. Here we've all been ever since--and beyond that I know scarcely anything."
Drillford looked at the elder lady.
"I know, practically, no more than Miss Wickham has told you," said Mrs. Killenhall. "Mr. Ashton and I got in touch with each other through his advertisement in the Morning Post. We exchanged references, and I came here."
"Ah!" said Drillford. "And--what might his references be, now?"
"To his bankers, the London and Orient, in Threadneedle Street," answered Mrs. Killenhall promptly. "And to his solicitors, Crawle, Pawle and Rattenbury, of Bedford Bow."
"Very satisfactory they were, no doubt, ma'am?" suggested Drillford.
Mrs. Killenhall let her eye run round the appointments of the room.
"Eminently so," she said dryly. "Mr. Ashton was a very wealthy man."
Drillford pulled out a pocketbook and entered the names which Mrs. Killenhall had just mentioned.
"The solicitors will be able to tell something," he murmured as he put the book back. "We'll communicate with them first thing in the morning. But just two questions before I go. Can you tell me anything about Mr. Ashton's usual habits? Had he any business? What did he do with his time?"
"He was out a great deal," said Mrs. Killenhall. "He used to go down to the City. He was often out of an evening. Once, since I came here, he was away for a week in the country--he didn't say where. He was an active man--always in and out. But he never said much as to where he went."
"The other question," said Drillford, "is this: Did he carry much on him in the way of valuables or money? I mean--as a rule?"
"He wore a very fine gold watch and chain," answered Mrs. Killenhall; "and as for money--well, he always seemed to have a lot in his purse. And he wore two diamond rings--very fine stones."
"Just so!" murmured Drillford. "Set upon for the sake of those things, no doubt. Well, ladies, I shall telephone to Crawle's first thing in the morning, and they'll send somebody along at once, of course. I'm sorry to have brought you such bad news, but--"
He turned toward the door; Miss Wickham stopped him.
"Will Mr. Ashton's body be brought here--tonight?" she asked.
"No," replied Drillford. "It will be taken to the mortuary. If you'll leave everything to me, I'll see that you are spared as much as possible. Of course, there'll have to be an inquest--but you'll hear all about that tomorrow. Leave things to us and to Mr. Ashton's solicitors."
He moved towards the door, and Viner, until then a silent spectator, looked at Miss Wickham, something impelling him to address her instead of Mrs. Killenhall.
"I live close by you," he said. "If there is anything that I can do, or that my aunt Miss Penkridge, who lives with me, can do? Perhaps you will let me call in the morning."
The girl looked at him steadily and frankly.
"Thank you, Mr. Viner," she said. "It would be very kind if you would. We've no men folk--yes, please do."
"After breakfast, then," answered Viner, and went away to join the Inspector, who had walked into the hall.
"What do you think of this matter?" he asked, when they had got outside the house.
"Oh, a very clear and ordinary case enough, Mr. Viner," replied Drillford. "No mystery about it at all. Here's this Mr. Ashton been living here some weeks--some fellow, the man, of course, whom you saw running away, has noticed that he was a very rich man and wore expensive jewellery, has watched him, probably knew that he used that passage as a short cut, and has laid in wait for him and murdered him for what he'd got on him. It wouldn't take two minutes to do the whole thing. Rings, now! They spoke of diamond rings, in there. Well, I didn't see any diamond rings on his hands when I looked at his body, and I particularly noticed his hands, to see if there were signs of any struggle. No sir--it's just a plain case of what used to be called highway robbery and murder. But come round with me to the police-station, Mr. Viner--they'll have taken him to the mortuary by now, and I should like to hear what our divisional surgeon has to say, and what our people actually found on the body."
As Viner and the Inspector walked into the police-station, Dr. Cortelyon came out. Drillford stopped him.
"Found out anything more, Doctor?" he asked.
"Nothing beyond what I said at first," replied Cortelyon. "The man has been stabbed through the heart, from behind, in one particularly well-delivered blow. I should say the murderer had waited for him in that passage, probably knowing his habits. That passage, now--you know it really will have to be seen to! That wretched old lamp in the middle gives no light at all.