Speaker 1: Chapter twenty six of The Double by Edgar Wallace. This
Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Read by a Toolsharma, Winnipeg, Canada,
Speaker 1: Chapter twenty six. Dereck followed him into Tommy's dining room.
Speaker 1: I am almost beginning to feel that this is my
Speaker 1: house too, he said, jocularly. Well, what do you make
Speaker 1: of it? More like a cinema film than a piece
Speaker 1: of real life, And then, as his eyes fell upon
Speaker 1: the mask in Dick's hand, he laughed, You couldn't imagine that,
Speaker 1: could you. What do you say about changing your mind
Speaker 1: and spending the night in this ghost house of mine?
Speaker 1: Or may I make an alternative suggestion, said Dick quietly,
Speaker 1: that you let my two men stay there. They won't
Speaker 1: want to sleep. A chair in the drawing room will
Speaker 1: be all they'll require. Before he had finished, Deryck was
Speaker 1: shaking his head. I don't think so, he said. No,
Speaker 1: I'm all for reducing the risks to a minimum. I'm
Speaker 1: not staying there myself tomorrow. I'm bringing in a gang
Speaker 1: of workmen storing my furniture, and as soon as it
Speaker 1: is out of the house, I'm going to pull it down.
Speaker 1: Brick by brick and then he asked the most surprising question.
Speaker 1: I wonder if I could see the butler's pantry. Dick
Speaker 1: stared at him. In Weald's house, I don't see any objection.
Speaker 1: He rang for Mins, and that urbane man came. Mister
Speaker 1: Deryck wishes to see your pantry. To his amazement, he
Speaker 1: saw the butler's jaw drop and his face change color.
Speaker 1: My pantry, sir, certainly, if you don't mind, I'll make
Speaker 1: it just a bit tidy. You needn't bother about that,
Speaker 1: said Derrick, going to follow Mins from the room. The
Speaker 1: man turned in the doorway to face him. I'm sorry, sir,
Speaker 1: he was his old, dignified self. While I'm in his
Speaker 1: Lordship's service, I'm afraid I can take such orders only
Speaker 1: from him. I shall be most happy to show you
Speaker 1: my pantry, but it would not be creditable to his
Speaker 1: Lordship that my room should be untidy when you inspected it.
Speaker 1: He went out of the room and closed the door
Speaker 1: behind him. Mister Derrick stared after him. That was the
Speaker 1: last thing I expected, said Dick, secretly. Amused. Dereck turned
Speaker 1: on him with a face as black as thunder. The
Speaker 1: old fashioned servitor, eh I've read about them in books,
Speaker 1: but never met them before. I don't think I want
Speaker 1: to see that pantry. He turned on his heel and
Speaker 1: left the house. Dick went out to mister Min's room.
Speaker 1: He found the butler very placid and rather pleased with
Speaker 1: himself than otherwise. What's the idea about that pantry of yours? Mins?
Speaker 1: He asked? Is it part of the general mystery? There's
Speaker 1: nothing mysterious about my pantry, sir, And then, with a
Speaker 1: note of anxiety in his voice, do you mind telling
Speaker 1: me if mister Derrick made any reference to the fact
Speaker 1: that I was reluctant to show him the room. A
Speaker 1: sharp retort was on Dick's lips, but he checked the inclination.
Speaker 1: Mister Derrick merely said that he didn't think it necessary
Speaker 1: now to inspect your room. He saw the butler's face
Speaker 1: go gray. I'm sorry, he said that, sir. He offered
Speaker 1: no explanation for her sorrow, but it was evident to
Speaker 1: Dick that the man was uneasy. Mins came in at
Speaker 1: midnight to ask if there was anything further Dick required,
Speaker 1: and Dick heard him walk along the passage and the
Speaker 1: click as he turned the key in his lock. At
Speaker 1: half past twelve, the detective extinguished all the lights in
Speaker 1: the passage and went to the front door. The square
Speaker 1: was apparently deserted, but he knew that in the vicinity
Speaker 1: and out of sight, were a dozen plain clothes men
Speaker 1: who had drifted there one by one and were now
Speaker 1: cursing the rain and cursing him for this extra duty
Speaker 1: imposed upon them. He had already warned the sergeant in
Speaker 1: charge that it was possible he would have a late visitor.
Speaker 1: He glanced at his watch. It was half an hour
Speaker 1: before one. He took down his raincoat and buttoning it
Speaker 1: up to his chin, closed the door behind him, and
Speaker 1: made a circuit of the block. In the mews behind
Speaker 1: the house, he found two of the watchers. Theirs was
Speaker 1: a difficult task. In the mews, there were more than
Speaker 1: a dozen garages, not counting the two that flanked the
Speaker 1: garden wall. From twelve o'clock onward, cars had been coming
Speaker 1: and backing into their garages. Even as he was talking
Speaker 1: to one of the men, another machine glided into the mews.
Speaker 1: It is almost impossible to keep track of people coming
Speaker 1: and going, said the detective. Sergeant watching the inspection of
Speaker 1: the chauffeurs and footmen. Mins was out here a few
Speaker 1: minutes ago, smoking a pipe. Mins. I thought he was
Speaker 1: in bed, said Dick, surprised. Yet there was nothing remarkable
Speaker 1: in the butler's appearance. Apparently it was his nightly practice
Speaker 1: to emerge through the little wicket gate in the garage
Speaker 1: door and smoke his quiet pipe. Whose car is that?
Speaker 1: Dick pointed to an open touring car with blazing head lamps,
Speaker 1: which stood across the doorway of Tommy's gothic motor house.
Speaker 1: The detective could give no information except that it had
Speaker 1: been standing there for an hour. Dick examined the machine
Speaker 1: and found it coated with mud. Even the number plate
Speaker 1: was obscure. But when he wiped this clean, he saw
Speaker 1: that the letters before the number indicated a Sussex origin.
Speaker 1: It was a big Wangli, one of the most powerful
Speaker 1: sporting cars on the road. He put his lamp into
Speaker 1: the interior and discovered nothing more exciting than a waterproof
Speaker 1: rug designed for the protection of the passengers, and beneath
Speaker 1: this a couple of fleecy rugs. I remember now, it
Speaker 1: came less than an hour ago, said one of the watchers.
Speaker 1: I couldn't see who was in it because the head
Speaker 1: light was rather fierce. Keep your eye on it, said Dick,
Speaker 1: and went back to the front of the house. He
Speaker 1: stared up at the white front of the mystery house.
Speaker 1: The windows on the upper balcony had been closed, probably
Speaker 1: by Derrick. There was nothing to do now but await developments.
Speaker 1: He re entered the darkened house, and at five minutes
Speaker 1: before one he moved quietly into the dark passage and
Speaker 1: stood by the door. A pedestrian passed hurriedly. He heard
Speaker 1: his footsteps die away in the distance, and then the
Speaker 1: boom of a church clock striking the hour. There was
Speaker 1: no other sound, and his hand was on the lock
Speaker 1: when he heard a faint scratch on the panel. Instantly
Speaker 1: the door was opened, and he saw two figures. They
Speaker 1: must have been standing close against the doorway, for they
Speaker 1: nearly fell into the passage. Who is it? It is Mary, Dick.
Speaker 1: Her voice was breathless. Who is with you? Ah, a friend?
Speaker 1: He saw it was a man, but could not distinguish
Speaker 1: the face. Come in, he said, and the girl's companion
Speaker 1: walked with a distinct limp. You had better stay in
Speaker 1: the dining room. No, no, her voice was terrified. Will
Speaker 1: you take us up to your room, Dick. The Dick
Speaker 1: came hesitantly, as though she were shy of calling him
Speaker 1: by name before a third party. My friend, mister Jones,
Speaker 1: mister Cornfort, I think, said Dick quietly, and he heard
Speaker 1: a soft laugh from the man. You've got a good memory,
Speaker 1: he said. It was the cultured voice of a public
Speaker 1: school man. Certainly there was nothing in it of age
Speaker 1: or decrepitude. The man he had not bargained for. He
Speaker 1: would not have been surprised if Henry had been the
Speaker 1: second of the party, but the arrival of Cornfort rather
Speaker 1: took him aback. Before we go any further, he said,
Speaker 1: I want to be taken in to your little secret.
Speaker 1: I realized that something unpleasant is going to happen, but
Speaker 1: I want to know just how and why. I should
Speaker 1: be surprised if you didn't, said Cornfort's voice. I'll tell
Speaker 1: you candidly the position. Mary had no intention that I
Speaker 1: should be here to night, but I'm tired of her
Speaker 1: taking risks on my behalf, and I wanted to be
Speaker 1: near her. And I can tell you, Dick smiled grimly
Speaker 1: in the darkness, that Mary is taking no risks, either
Speaker 1: tonight or any other night. Then he turned to the girl.
Speaker 1: Is this the idea that you want me to help
Speaker 1: you to get into the house next door? Are you
Speaker 1: the flanking party? If so, you can count me out.
Speaker 1: I'm a police officer and I have a duty to perform.
Speaker 1: As to what my duty is exactly, I'm not perfectly sure,
Speaker 1: but it certainly isn't my job to help you people
Speaker 1: toward a premature end. No, her voice was almost a whisper.
Speaker 1: It was Henry's idea. He wanted me safe. He was
Speaker 1: scared that Levinsky would hit back through me. I wanted
Speaker 1: to stay in Eastbourne, but after what happened the other night,
Speaker 1: that was impossible. That is the truth, mister Dick. They
Speaker 1: didn't know what to do with me at all. Henry
Speaker 1: said I ought to be locked up in a police
Speaker 1: station and that I would be safe then, and he
Speaker 1: wanted mister Cornfort to go to France. Then there came
Speaker 1: this desperate idea that we should come to you. There's
Speaker 1: no trick in it, Dick. Her hand gripped his arm appealingly.
Speaker 1: Really there isn't, you see, mister Cornfort had to be
Speaker 1: somewhere handy. You'll understand that some day. So At the
Speaker 1: last moment, they decided he should come with me. Dick groaned,
Speaker 1: my dear girl, I can't understand anything. He thought a moment, Oh, yes,
Speaker 1: I can, though, Come up to my room. He slipped
Speaker 1: his arm about her waist, but she drew clearer with
Speaker 1: a frightened exclamation. For Dick, it was not unexpected. Don't don't,
Speaker 1: she whispered, and then she stammered, I'm terribly sorry, but
Speaker 1: I'm nervous. And then, as though she remembered something, You're
Speaker 1: not to leave us in any circumstances, dear. It was
Speaker 1: a shy dear, and the man she addressed understood why
Speaker 1: and smiled to himself. Come up to my room, darling,
Speaker 1: he said, And there was malice in that dark, darling.
Speaker 1: He led the way, and they followed in silence. At
Speaker 1: the door, she caught his arm again. Don't put on
Speaker 1: the lights, please, He ushered them into the room. The
Speaker 1: curtains were not drawn, and even in the half light
Speaker 1: from the street lamp, he could see how pale she was.
Speaker 1: Mister Cornfort, who had not spoken more than a sentence
Speaker 1: since he had come into the house, walked to the
Speaker 1: window and was stepping on to the balcony when the
Speaker 1: girl pulled him back. No, no, you mustn't you remember,
Speaker 1: can't we draw the blinds? Dick put his arm in hers.
Speaker 1: She was trembling from head to foot, and she held
Speaker 1: her arm stiffly, like an automaton. Then Cornfort spoke, if
Speaker 1: we could be absolutely sure that Mary's theory was right,
Speaker 1: the thing would be so simple. We could even ask
Speaker 1: the police to help us, and the matter could be
Speaker 1: settled in daylight. But we aren't sure, and Henry will
Speaker 1: not allow us to take a single risk. What is
Speaker 1: the risk, asked Dick. There was a silence, and then
Speaker 1: Cornfort spoke, slowly and with great deliberation. Life imprisonment for
Speaker 1: me and imprisonment for Mary. They heard the whine of
Speaker 1: a car draw up on the ground below. Dick stepped
Speaker 1: on to the balcony, and, shaking off the agonized grasp
Speaker 1: of the girl, saw it stop before the house. Somebody
Speaker 1: was getting out, he did not see who, and that
Speaker 1: somebody was moving to the front door. He stepped back
Speaker 1: into the room and went to the head of the
Speaker 1: stairs and listened. There was no sound, and then he
Speaker 1: heard the door slam, and Tommy's voice hailed him from below, hullo,
Speaker 1: where are all the lights? Come up quickly and don't
Speaker 1: make a row any trouble. The voice was eager, I say,
Speaker 1: old boy, I forgot to tell you where I was staying.
Speaker 1: Only occurred to me as I was coming out of
Speaker 1: the Owls club. Don't make a noise, warned Dick. Again.
Speaker 1: Tommy came up the last flight at a run, umbled
Speaker 1: on the last step and raised a din, which must
Speaker 1: have been heard on the other side of the square. Sorry,
Speaker 1: old boy, the ghost walking by. Jove, I'm just in time. Hush,
Speaker 1: warned Dick in a low voice. There's somebody you know
Speaker 1: in my room, eh Mary. Tommy did not see the
Speaker 1: grin which accompanied the words Mary. He squeaked in your room,
Speaker 1: good God, in your room? What in the name she
Speaker 1: is well chaperoned? Mister Cornfort? Is there an invalid in
Speaker 1: a gentleman? Said Dick flippantly. And then the girl spoke, Tommy.
Speaker 1: It was not like the timid Dick she had addressed
Speaker 1: to him. Tommy, darling, why did you come? Why did
Speaker 1: I come? By? Gad? I think it's about time I
Speaker 1: did come, spluttered Tommy. What the deuce does all this mean? Mary?
Speaker 1: In old Dickie's room. I mean to say, mister Cornfort
Speaker 1: is here. What does all this darkness mean? Where the
Speaker 1: devil are the lights? He groped along for the switch,
Speaker 1: but two hands held his wrist and drew his arm away. Tommy, darling,
Speaker 1: you mustn't. She led the bewildered young man into the room.
Speaker 1: From somewhere outside came a faint whistle. Dick dashed out
Speaker 1: onto the balcony. He could see nothing parallel with him,
Speaker 1: and then he leaned over. Two people were on the
Speaker 1: balcony of Deryck's house outside the drawing room window. They
Speaker 1: were feeling along the wall their sexes. It was impossible
Speaker 1: to determine, so dark, shadowy, and shapeless they were. He
Speaker 1: saw one reach up and touch the glazed wall, and
Speaker 1: then a miracle happened. A section of the wall about
Speaker 1: two feet square swung open like a door. As he
Speaker 1: looked fascinated, he saw a third figure appear and instantly
Speaker 1: recognized the bulk of it. It was the man who
Speaker 1: had shot at him earlier in the evening. There was
Speaker 1: no way of reaching him except one. It involved a
Speaker 1: swinging leap from the upper balcony to that below. He
Speaker 1: did not hesitate. For the fraction of a second, he
Speaker 1: was over the parapet, and for a second was hanging
Speaker 1: by his hands from the stone flooring. Twice he swung
Speaker 1: his body and felt his finger slipping on the beveled edge.
Speaker 1: Suddenly he kicked himself forward and leaped. He missed the
Speaker 1: stone parapet of the lower balcony by inches. His knees
Speaker 1: and elbow struck the mass man as the latter fired,
Speaker 1: and in an instant the two were rolling over in
Speaker 1: that narrow space. The man fought furiously. Dick had gripped
Speaker 1: at the black mask and was tearing it when he
Speaker 1: felt two cruel fingers groping for his eyes, and released
Speaker 1: his hold. As quick as lightning. The man flung himself clear.
Speaker 1: There was a crash of glass as his foot smashed
Speaker 1: through one of the panes of the swinging door, and
Speaker 1: before the detective could scramble to his knees, the masked
Speaker 1: man was in the room. Dick came up to his
Speaker 1: feet and was making a dive at the door when
Speaker 1: somebody gripped him by the collar and threw him back.
Speaker 1: You fool, hissed a voice in his ear. Don't you
Speaker 1: know ping the bullet struck the window frame. Dick saw
Speaker 1: the flash of flame from the dark room, and his
Speaker 1: face smarted with the splinters of smashed window pane. Breathless,
Speaker 1: he allowed himself to be drawn to the cover of
Speaker 1: the balcony. Police whistles were blowing now, and he saw
Speaker 1: officers running from all directions toward the house. Shaking off
Speaker 1: the man who held him, and oblivious of the danger,
Speaker 1: he ran into the drawing room, pulling as automatic as
Speaker 1: he flew. The door was closed but not locked. He
Speaker 1: thought he heard a sound below PLoP. This time the
Speaker 1: explosion was louder. His assailant had abandoned the silencer. Dick
Speaker 1: shot down into the dark once twice, and then heard
Speaker 1: a howl of pain. A door banged below. The man
Speaker 1: had flown into the basement, but Dick was on his heels.
Speaker 1: There was no light now, but he could hear the
Speaker 1: sobbing breath of his quarry. He was making for the
Speaker 1: wine cellar. Almost as he realized the destination of his enemy,
Speaker 1: the iron door clanged and he heard the sound of
Speaker 1: a bolt being shot. There was no way in and
Speaker 1: no way out except through the garden, and there he
Speaker 1: knew a policeman was on duty, but an unarmed policeman.
Speaker 1: He ran upstairs, opened the door to admit the crowd
Speaker 1: of detectives and playing closed policemen and gave them instructions.
Speaker 1: Now he came back to the drawing room, somebody had
Speaker 1: turned on the lights. Mary, in a long black raincoat,
Speaker 1: was waiting for him at the head of the stairs.
Speaker 1: Are you hurt? Her voice was thin with anxiety. Oh, Dick,
Speaker 1: I told you, I'm all right. He was breathless, his
Speaker 1: head was reeling, his lacerated face was red with blood.
Speaker 1: As he walked from the drawing room, he saw Henry
Speaker 1: come in from the balcony, and in his hand was
Speaker 1: a little red book. I think there's pots of money there, darling,
Speaker 1: he began, and then he saw Dick and smile gently.
Speaker 1: Good morning, missus Stains. Now I suppose we're all going
Speaker 1: to be arrested. Dick shook his head. I don't think so.
Speaker 1: He said. He had seen on the table where either
Speaker 1: Henry or the girl had laid it, a replica of
Speaker 1: that peculiar instrument, the vacuum pump. Evidently it had done
Speaker 1: its work well. Henry saw him looking and smiled broadly. Yes,
Speaker 1: the safe was on the outside of the house, he said,
Speaker 1: and a most ingenious idea, because it couldn't very well
Speaker 1: be burgled. Do you realize that I thought it might
Speaker 1: be when I searched the records of the borough Council
Speaker 1: and found that the late mister Deryck had petitioned for
Speaker 1: a powerful street lamp to be placed opposite his house,
Speaker 1: and had even offered to defray the cost, which, in
Speaker 1: a gentleman of his peculiar temperament, was a remarkable offer.
Speaker 1: He still fondled the little red book. Have you any
Speaker 1: idea where mister Walter Derrick is to be found, he
Speaker 1: asked politely. Dick gave the name of the hotel. It
Speaker 1: is only right, said Henry, that we should give an
Speaker 1: explanation for the liberties we have taken from time to time.
Speaker 1: By the way, I wonder if the officers would object
Speaker 1: to our mister Cornfort joining us. There is a young
Speaker 1: lady with him whom I should naturally like to see.
Speaker 1: I have already sent for your daughter and for mister Cornfort,
Speaker 1: said Dick, I should like that book. Henry handed over
Speaker 1: the red covered autograph book without protest. Once the outer
Speaker 1: wall was moved, the safe presented no difficulty. It was
Speaker 1: in fact unlocked, the lock being He took the vacuum
Speaker 1: pump from the table and showed the steel lever in
Speaker 1: the center. This that had to be pressed into a
Speaker 1: microscopic hole. It was terribly difficult to find it in
Speaker 1: the dark as far as the screw would allow. The
Speaker 1: vacuum pump then became a door handle. How did you
Speaker 1: find the needle hole in the wall, asked Dick. Henry
Speaker 1: was almost apologetic, as he explained, by telescopic photography and
Speaker 1: skillful enlargement, it was very simple. The safe in the
Speaker 1: outer wall was, as I said, a most ingenious idea.
Speaker 1: By the way, mister stains, there is a very large
Speaker 1: quantity of paper money in that eer a receptacle, and
Speaker 1: I think it would be advisable if your officer removed
Speaker 1: it to a more secure place. He was still speaking
Speaker 1: when Cornfort limped into the room, followed by Tommy and
Speaker 1: the girl. It was the first time Dick had seen
Speaker 1: Mary and her sister together. For his own part, he
Speaker 1: could never have fallen into the air. That was Tommy's
Speaker 1: You're the night nurse, aren't you? The girl nodded. Jane
Speaker 1: de Villiers. Jane de Villiers smiled and looked timidly at
Speaker 1: the gaping young man by her side. Tommy was staring
Speaker 1: from one girl to the other. The same eyes, the
Speaker 1: same turn of eyebrow, almost the same color of hair.
Speaker 1: Mary de Villiers was, if anything, a little fairer. By gosh,
Speaker 1: he spluttered, I mean to say, you mean to say,
Speaker 1: you're rather astonished, Tommy. There was a smile in Mary's eyes.
Speaker 1: For my own part, I'm fearfully disappointed that Detective Inspector
Speaker 1: Richard Staines has encollapsed on the floor, she addressed Dick pleadingly.
Speaker 1: Don't tell me you knew. Yes, I knew, But how
Speaker 1: in spite of the tenseness of that moment, in a
Speaker 1: situation that might be fraught with so much danger to herself?
Speaker 1: And though she loved feminine curiosity was paramount to all
Speaker 1: other issues. You never saw us together. Poor Jane has
Speaker 1: lived a life of terror for months. She never went
Speaker 1: out except when I was away. How did you know?
Speaker 1: She challenged. Dick was looking at her steadily. Do you
Speaker 1: ask that question seriously? She half nodded, as though she
Speaker 1: were afraid to be told. Then I'll tell you some
Speaker 1: other time. The only information I can give you now
Speaker 1: is that when a woman says things to me on
Speaker 1: a railway platform, and immediately afterward I hear she is
Speaker 1: engaged to somebody else, I believe. I think we'll discuss
Speaker 1: that some other time, She said hastily, her pale face
Speaker 1: had gone pink. You know my father, she nodded to Henry.
Speaker 1: He looked at Henry and laughed, Yes, I know him
Speaker 1: pretty well. His name is Henry de Villiers. He is
Speaker 1: the head of the de Villiers Detective Agency in Cape
Speaker 1: Town and Johannesburg. Murmured, Henry, we also have branches at Durban,
Speaker 1: Pretoria and Kimberly. Are you going to look at that book?
Speaker 1: There is somebody here rather interested at the sight of
Speaker 1: the red covered book. Mister Cornfort had sunk limply into
Speaker 1: a chair, But now when his name was mentioned, he
Speaker 1: stood up and extended a shaking hand to take the
Speaker 1: book from Dick. He turned the leaves rapidly and presently
Speaker 1: stopped on this page. There were four rows of finger prints,
Speaker 1: one under the other, and he pointed to the third.
Speaker 1: In the crabbed angular handwriting of old Deryck was written
Speaker 1: my son Walter born on the third of January eighteen
Speaker 1: ninety seven. Whose finger prints are those asked? Dick mine,
Speaker 1: said Cornfort, in a voice that was scarcely above a whisper.
Speaker 1: End of Chapter twenty six.