"Just so," agreed Baxter. "Now, my friend and I first heard of the murder
while we were at York. In the newspapers that we read, there was an
account of a conversation which took place in, I believe, Mr. Raven's
coach-house, or some out-building, whither the dead man's body had been
carried, between this old Mr. Cazalette and a police-inspector, regarding
a certain metal tobacco-box found on Salter Quick's body. Now I give you
my word that that news was the first intimation we had ever had that the
Quicks were in England! Until then we hadn't the slightest idea that they
were in England--but we knew what those mysterious scratches in the
tobacco-box signified--Salter had made a rude plan of the place I had told
him of, and was in Northumberland to search for it. Then, later, we read
your evidence at the opening of the inquest, and heard what you had to
tell about his quest of the Netherfield graves, and--just to satisfy
ourselves--we determined to get hold of that tobacco-box, for, don't you
see, as long as it was about, a possible clue, there was a danger of
somebody discovering our buried chests of silver and valuables. So my
friend came down again, in his tourist capacity; put up at the same
quarters, strolled about, fished a bit, botanized a bit, attended the
adjourned inquest as a casual spectator, and--abstracted the tobacco-box
under the very noses of the police! It's in that locker now," continued
Baxter, with a laugh, pointing to a corner of the cabin, "and with it are
the handkerchief, your old friend Mr. Cazalette's pocket-book----"
"Oh! your friend got that, too, did he?" I exclaimed. "I see!"
"He abstracted that, too, easily enough, one morning when the old
fellow was bathing," assented Baxter. "Naturally, we weren't going to
take any chances about our hidden goods being brought to light. We're
highly indebted to Mr. Cazalette for making so much fuss about the
tobacco-box, and we're glad there was so much local gossip about it.
Eh?"
I remained silent awhile, reflecting.
"It's a very fortunate thing for both of you that you could, if
necessary, prove your presence at York on the night of the murder," I
remarked at last. "Your doings about the tobacco-box and the other
things might otherwise wear a very suspicious look. As it is, I'm
afraid the police would probably say--granted that they knew what
you've just told us so frankly--that even if you and your French
friend didn't murder Salter Quick and his brother, you were probably
accessory to both murders. That's how it strikes me, anyway."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account