Famous Detectives On Christmas Duty - Ultimate Murder Mysteries for Holidays. Эдгар Аллан По

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ very frightened of ‘Mr. Brown.’ “

      “What? Real plumb scared of him?”

      “Yes. She looked round and said even walls had ears.”

      “Maybe she meant a dictaphone,” said Julius with interest.

      “Miss Tuppence is right,” said Sir James quietly. “We must not leave the flat—if only for Mrs. Vandemeyer’s sake.”

      Julius stared at him.

      “You think he’d get after her? Between now and to-morrow morning. How could he know, even?”

      “You forget your own suggestion of a dictaphone,” said Sir James dryly. “We have a very formidable adversary. I believe, if we exercise all due care, that there is a very good chance of his being delivered into our hands. But we must neglect no precaution. We have an important witness, but she must be safeguarded. I would suggest that Miss Tuppence should go to bed, and that you and I, Mr. Hersheimmer, should share the vigil.”

      Tuppence was about to protest, but happening to glance at the bed she saw Mrs. Vandemeyer, her eyes half-open, with such an expression of mingled fear and malevolence on her face that it quite froze the words on her lips.

      For a moment she wondered whether the faint and the heart attack had been a gigantic sham, but remembering the deadly pallor she could hardly credit the supposition. As she looked the expression disappeared as by magic, and Mrs. Vandemeyer lay inert and motionless as before. For a moment the girl fancied she must have dreamt it. But she determined nevertheless to be on the alert.

      “Well,” said Julius, “I guess we’d better make a move out of here any way.”

      The others fell in with his suggestion. Sir James again felt Mrs. Vandemeyer’s pulse.

      “Perfectly satisfactory,” he said in a low voice to Tuppence. “She’ll be absolutely all right after a night’s rest.”

      The girl hesitated a moment by the bed. The intensity of the expression she had surprised had impressed her powerfully. Mrs. Vandemeyer lifted her lids. She seemed to be struggling to speak. Tuppence bent over her.

      “Don’t—leave——” she seemed unable to proceed, murmuring something that sounded like “sleepy.” Then she tried again.

      Tuppence bent lower still. It was only a breath.

      “Mr.—Brown——” The voice stopped.

      But the half-closed eyes seemed still to send an agonized message.

      Moved by a sudden impulse, the girl said quickly:

      “I shan’t leave the flat. I shall sit up all night.”

      A flash of relief showed before the lids descended once more. Apparently Mrs. Vandemeyer slept. But her words had awakened a new uneasiness in Tuppence. What had she meant by that low murmur: “Mr. Brown?” Tuppence caught herself nervously looking over her shoulder. The big wardrobe loomed up in a sinister fashion before her eyes. Plenty of room for a man to hide in that… . Half-ashamed of herself, Tuppence pulled it open and looked inside. No one—of course! She stooped down and looked under the bed. There was no other possible hiding-place.

      Tuppence gave her familiar shake of the shoulders. It was absurd, this giving way to nerves! Slowly she went out of the room. Julius and Sir James were talking in a low voice. Sir James turned to her.

      “Lock the door on the outside, please, Miss Tuppence, and take out the key. There must be no chance of anyone entering that room.”

      The gravity of his manner impressed them, and Tuppence felt less ashamed of her attack of “nerves.”

      “Say,” remarked Julius suddenly, “there’s Tuppence’s bright boy. I guess I’d better go down and ease his young mind. That’s some lad, Tuppence.”

      “How did you get in, by the way?” asked Tuppence suddenly. “I forgot to ask.”

      “Well, Albert got me on the phone all right. I ran round for Sir James here, and we came right on. The boy was on the look out for us, and was just a mite worried about what might have happened to you. He’d been listening outside the door of the flat, but couldn’t hear anything. Anyhow he suggested sending us up in the coal lift instead of ringing the bell. And sure enough we landed in the scullery and came right along to find you. Albert’s still below, and must be just hopping mad by this time.” With which Julius departed abruptly.

      “Now then, Miss Tuppence,” said Sir James, “you know this place better than I do. Where do you suggest we should take up our quarters?”

      Tuppence considered for a moment or two.

      “I think Mrs. Vandemeyer’s boudoir would be the most comfortable,” she said at last, and led the way there.

      Sir James looked round approvingly.

      “This will do very well, and now, my dear young lady, do go to bed and get some sleep.”

      Tuppence shook her head resolutely.

      “I couldn’t, thank you, Sir James. I should dream of Mr. Brown all night!”

      “But you’ll be so tired, child.”

      “No, I shan’t. I’d rather stay up—really.”

      The lawyer gave in.

      Julius reappeared some minutes later, having reassured Albert and rewarded him lavishly for his services. Having in his turn failed to persuade Tuppence to go to bed, he said decisively: “At any rate, you’ve got to have something to eat right away. Where’s the larder?”

      Tuppence directed him, and he returned in a few minutes with a cold pie and three plates.

      After a hearty meal, the girl felt inclined to pooh-pooh her fancies of half an hour before. The power of the money bribe could not fail.

      “And now, Miss Tuppence,” said Sir James, “we want to hear your adventures.”

      “That’s so,” agreed Julius.

      Tuppence narrated her adventures with some complacence. Julius occasionally interjected an admiring “Bully.” Sir James said nothing until she had finished, when his quiet “well done, Miss Tuppence,” made her flush with pleasure.

      “There’s one thing I don’t get clearly,” said Julius. “What put her up to clearing out?”

      “I don’t know,” confessed Tuppence.

      Sir James stroked his chin thoughtfully.

      “The room was in great disorder. That looks as though her flight was unpremeditated. Almost as though she got a sudden warning to go from some one.”

      “Mr. Brown, I suppose,” said Julius scoffingly.

      The lawyer looked at him deliberately for a minute or two.

      “Why not?” he said. “Remember, you yourself have once been worsted by him.”

СКАЧАТЬ