FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73  
74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   >>   >|  
s the man had given evidence he went out, and was seen hurrying towards Gunnersbury Station. They believe he's absconded." I exchanged significant glances with my companion, but neither of us uttered a word. Ambler gave vent to his habitual grunt of dissatisfaction, and then led the way upstairs. The body had been removed from the room in which it had been found, and the bed was dismantled. When inside the apartment, he turned to me calmly, saying: "There seems something in Thorpe's theory regarding that fellow Short, after all." "If he has really absconded, it is an admission of guilt," I remarked. "Most certainly," he replied. "It's a suspicious circumstance, in any case, that he did not remain until the conclusion of the inquiry." We pulled the chest of drawers, a beautiful piece of old Sheraton, away from the door of the safe, and before placing the key in the lock my companion examined the exterior minutely. The key was partly rusted, and appeared as though it had not been used for many months. Could it be that the assassin was in search of that key and had been unsuccessful? He showed me the artful manner in which it had been concealed. The small hardy fern had been rooted up and stuck back again heedlessly into its pot. Certainly no one would ever have thought to search for a safe-key there. The dampness of the mould had caused the rust, hence before we could open the iron door we were compelled to oil the key with some brilliantine which was discovered on the dead man's dressing table. The interior, we found, was a kind of small strong-room--built of fire-brick, and lined with steel. It was filled with papers of all kinds neatly arranged. We drew up a table, and the first packet my friend handed out was a substantial one of five pound notes, secured by an elastic band, beneath which was a slip on which the amount was pencilled. Securities of various sorts followed, and then large packets of parchment deeds which, on examination, we found related to his Devonshire property and his farms in Canada. "Here's something!" cried Ambler at length, tossing across to me a small packet methodically tied with pink tape. "The old boy's love-letters--by the look of them." I undid the loop eagerly, and opened the first letter. It was in a feminine hand, and proved a curious, almost unintelligible communication. I glanced at the signature. My heart ceased its beating, and a sudden cry involuntari
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73  
74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

search

 

absconded

 

packet

 

companion

 
Ambler
 

papers

 

filled

 

friend

 

arranged

 

neatly


handed

 

substantial

 

caused

 
thought
 
dampness
 
compelled
 

strong

 

interior

 

dressing

 

brilliantine


discovered

 

parchment

 

eagerly

 
opened
 

letter

 

feminine

 
letters
 
proved
 

curious

 
beating

ceased
 

sudden

 
involuntari
 

unintelligible

 
communication
 

glanced

 

signature

 
Securities
 

packets

 

pencilled


amount

 
elastic
 

secured

 

beneath

 
length
 

tossing

 

methodically

 

Canada

 
related
 

examination