The Rayner-Slade Amalgamation | Page 7

who came at the same
time. There were several ladies in the party--the passengers were all
about in the hall, and in the coffee-room, and so on. There are a lot of
other people in the house, too, of course."
"It's this way," said Allerdyke. "I'm not at all satisfied about what these
doctors say, so far. They may be right, of course--probably are. Still I
want to know all I can, and, naturally, I'd like to know who the people
were that my cousin was last in company with. You never know what
may have happened--there's often something that doesn't show at first."
"There was--nothing missing in his room, I hope?" asked the manager
with professional anxiety.

"Nothing that I know of," answered Allerdyke. "My man and I have
searched him, and taken possession of everything--all that he had on
him is in that bag, and I'm going to examine it now. No--I don't think
anything had been taken from him, judging by what I've seen."
"You wouldn't like me to send for the police?" suggested the manager.
"Not at present," replied Allerdyke. "Not, at any rate, until these
doctors say something more definite--they'll know more presently, no
doubt. Of course, you've a list of all the people who came in last
night?"
"They would all register," answered the manager. "But then, you know,
sir, many of them will be going this morning--most of them are only
breaking their journey. You can look over the register whenever you
like."
"Later on," said Allerdyke. "In the meantime, I'll examine these things.
Send me up some coffee as soon as your people are stirring."
He unlocked the hand-bag when the manager had left him. It seemed to
his practical and methodical mind that his first duty was to make
himself thoroughly acquainted with the various personal effects which
he and Gaffney had found on the dead man. Of the valuables he took
little notice; it was very evident, in his opinion, that if James
Allerdyke's death had been brought about by some sort of foul play--a
suspicion which had instantly crossed his mind as soon as he
discovered that his cousin was dead--the object of his destroyer had not
been robbery. James had always been accustomed to carrying a
considerable sum of money on him; Gaffney's search had brought a
considerable sum to light. James also wore a very valuable watch and
chain and two fine diamond rings; there they all were. Not robbery--no;
at least, not robbery of the ordinary sort. But--had there been robbery of
another, a bigger, a subtle, and deep-designed sort? James was a man of
many affairs and schemes--he might have had valuable securities,
papers relating to designs, papers containing secrets of great moment;
he was interested, for example, in several patents--he might have had
documents pertinent to some affair of such importance that ill-disposed

folk, eager to seize them, might have murdered him in order to gain
possession of them. There were many possibilities, and there was
always--to Allerdyke's mind--the improbability that James had died
through sudden illness.
Now that Marshall Allerdyke's mind was clearing, getting free of the
first effects of the sudden shock of finding his cousin dead, doubt and
uneasiness as to the whole episode were rising strongly within him. He
and James had been brought up together; they had never been apart
from each other for more than a few months at a time during thirty-five
years, and he flattered himself that he knew James as well as any man
of James's acquaintance. He could not remember that his cousin had
ever made any complaint of illness or indisposition; he had certainly
never had any serious sickness in his life. As to heart trouble, Allerdyke
knew that a few years previous to his death, James had taken out a
life-policy with a first-rate office, and had been passed as a first-class
life: he remembered, as he sat there thinking over these things, the
self-satisfied grin with which James had come and told him that the
examining doctor had declared him to be as sound as a bell. It was true,
of course, that disease might have set in after that--still, it was only six
weeks since he had seen James and James was then looking in a fit,
healthy, hearty state. He had gone off on one of his Russian journeys as
full of life and spirits as a man could be--and had not the hotel manager
just said that he seemed full of health, full of go, at ten o'clock last
night? And yet, within a couple of hours or so--according to what the
medical men thought from their hurried examination--this active
vigorous man was dead--swiftly and mysteriously dead.
Allerdyke felt--felt intensely--that there was something deeply strange
in all this, and yet