The Mystery Queen | Page 9

him! Kill her, Dan--oh, make her suffer! My good, kind father, who--who--oh"--she flung herself on Dan's neck--"take me away! take me away!" and her lover promptly carried her to the door.
Mrs. Bolstreath, who had been talking hurriedly to Inspector Tenson, came after the pair and took the girl from Dan. "She must lie down and have a sleeping-draught," she said softly. "If the doctor will come--"
The doctor was only too glad to come. He was a young man beginning to practise medicine in the neighbourhood, and had been hurriedly summoned in default of an older physician. The chance of gaining a new and wealthy patient was too good to lose, so he quickly followed Mrs. Bolstreath as she led the half-unconscious girl up the stairs. Dan closed the door and returned to the Inspector and the official from Scotland Yard. The former was speaking.
"Mrs. Bolstreath did not smell any perfume on Mrs. Brown," he was saying, "and ladies are very quick to notice such things. Miss Moon also shook her head."
"I don't think Miss Moon was in a state of mind to understand what you were saying, Mr. Inspector," said Halliday, drily. "However, I am quite sure from my own observation that Mrs. Brown did not use the perfume. I would have noticed it at once, for I spotted it the moment I examined the body."
"So did I," said Durwin once more; "but I thought Sir Charles might have used it. You say he did not, therefore the scent is a clue."
"It does not lead to the indictment of Mrs. Brown, however, Sir," said Tenson thoughtfully, "since she had no perfume of that sort about her. But she must have killed Sir Charles, for she was the last person who saw him alive."
"She may come forward and exonerate herself," suggested Dan after a pause, "or she may have left her address with Sir Charles."
"I have glanced through the papers on the desk and can find no address," was the Inspector's reply; "yet, if she gave it to him, it would be there."
Durwin meditated, then looked up. "As she was the mother of the man in Sir Charles's employment who was drowned," he said in his harsh voice, and now very official in his manner, "in the offices of the company who own the steamers--Sir Charles was a director and chief shareholder, I understand from his secretary Mr. Penn--will be found the drowned man's address, which will be that of his mother."
"But I can't see what motive Mrs. Brown had to murder Sir Charles," remarked Dan in a puzzled tone.
"We'll learn the motive when we find Mrs. Brown," said Tenson, who had made a note of Durwin's suggestion. "Many people think they have grievances against the rich, and we know that the late Sir Charles was a millionaire. He doubtless had enemies--dangerous enemies."
"Dangerous!" The word recalled to Dan what Moon had said at the dinner-table when Lillian had playfully offered him a penny for his thoughts. "Sir Charles at dinner said something about dangerous people."
"What did he say?" asked the Inspector and again opened his note-book.
Dan reported the conversation, which was not very satisfactory, as Moon had only spoken generally. Tenson noted down the few remarks, but did not appear to think them important. Durwin, however, was struck by what had been said.
"Sir Charles asked me here to explain about a certain gang he believed was in existence," he remarked.
"What's that, Sir?" asked the Inspector alertly. "Did he tell you anything?"
"Of course he didn't. How could he when he was dead when I arrived?" retorted Durwin with a frown. "He simply said that he wished to see me in my official capacity about some gang, but gave me no details. Those were to be left until I called here. He preferred to see me here instead of at my office for reasons which he declared he would state when we met in this room."
"Then you think that a gang--"
"Mr. Inspector," interrupted Durwin, stiffly, "I have told you all that was said by the deceased. Whether the gang is dangerous, or what the members do, or where they are, I cannot say. Have you examined these windows?" he asked suddenly, pointing to three French-windows at the side of the room.
"Yes," said Tenson promptly, "as soon as I entered the apartment I did so. They are all locked."
"And if they were not, no one could enter there," put in Dan quickly. "Outside is a walled garden and the wall is very high with broken bottles on top. I suppose, Mr. Durwin, you are thinking that someone may have come in to kill Sir Charles between the time of Mrs. Brown's departure and your coming?"
"Yes," assented the other sharply, "if the perfume is a clue, Mrs. Brown must be innocent. Penn, as we know