Detective and mystery stories; Fantômas (Fictitious character) -- Fiction
"I thought as much!" he exclaimed excitedly. "It was the villain all
right. I recognised him from the description, in spite of his beard. I
informed the police! As a matter of fact they have been watching for the
last two days. Just fancy, your ladyship, a detective was shadowing
Gurn--and when he was going out of the house I gave him the signal!"
Lady Beltham stared at the major-domo in mute horror.
"Yes?" she muttered, on the point of swooning.
"I pointed him out to the police, and it's thanks to me, your ladyship,
that Gurn, the murderer, has been arrested at last!"
For just another moment Lady Beltham stared at the man who gave her
these appalling tidings, seemed to strive to utter something, then fell
prone to the floor, unconscious.
The major-domo and the girls sprang to her side to lavish attentions
upon her.
At that moment the door was pushed a little way open, and the figure of
Juve appeared.
"May I come in?" said he.
XXII. THE SCRAP OF PAPER
It was three o'clock when Juve arrived at the rue Lévert, and he found
the concierge of number 147 just finishing her coffee.
Amazed at the results achieved by the detective, the details of which
she had learned from the sensational articles in the daily paper she
most affected, Mme. Doulenques had conceived a most respectful
admiration for the Inspector of the Criminal Investigation Department.
"That man," she constantly declared to Madame Aurore, "it isn't eyes he
has in his head, it's telescopes, magnifying glasses! He sees everything
in a minute--even when it isn't there!"
She gave him an admiring "good afternoon, Inspector," as he came into
her lodge, and going to a board on which numbers of keys were hanging,
took one down and handed it to him.
"So there's something fresh to-day?" she said. "I've just seen in the
paper that M. Gurn has been arrested. So it was my lodger who did it?
What a dreadful man! Whoever would have thought it? It turns my blood
cold to think of him!"
Juve was never a man for general conversation, and he was still less
interested in the garrulity of this loquacious creature. He took the key
and cut short her remarks by walking to the door.
"Yes, Gurn has been arrested," he said shortly; "but he has made no
confession, so nothing is known for certain yet. Please go on with your
work exactly as though I were not in the house, Mme. Doulenques."
It was his usual phrase, and a constant disappointment to the
concierge, who would have asked nothing better than to go upstairs with
the detective and watch him at his wonderful work.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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