Detective and mystery stories; Kidnapping -- Fiction; Missing persons -- Fiction; Motion picture actors and actresses -- Fiction
Early in the morning he was again at the Towers, and now, with the
assistance of daylight, he enlarged his search, without adding greatly
to his knowledge. The position was a peculiar one, as Scotland Yard had
emphasized. Sir Gregory Penne was a member of a good family, a rich man,
a justice of the peace; and, whilst his eccentricities were of a lawless
character, “you can’t hang people for being queer,” the Commissioner
informed Michael on the telephone.
It was a suspicious fact that Bhag had disappeared as completely as the
brown man and his wife.
“He hasn’t been back all night: I’ve seen nothing of him,” said Sir
Gregory. “And that’s not the first time he’s gone off on his own. He
finds hiding-places that you’d never suspect, and he’s probably gone to
earth somewhere. He’ll turn up.”
Michael was passing through Chichester when he saw a figure that made
him bring the car to a standstill with such a jerk that it was a wonder
the tyres did not burst. In a second he was out of the machine and
walking to meet Adele.
“It seems ten thousand years since I saw you,” he said with an
extravagance which at any other time would have brought a smile to her
face.
“I’m afraid I can’t stop. I’m on my way to the studio,” she said, a
little coldly, “and I promised Mr. Knebworth that I would be there
early. You see, I got off yesterday afternoon by telling Mr. Knebworth
that I had an engagement.”
“And had you?” asked the innocent Michael.
“I asked somebody to take tea with me,” and his jaw dropped.
“Moses!” he gasped. “I am the villain!”
She would have gone on, but he stopped her.
“I don’t want to shock you or hurt you, Adele,” he said gently, “but the
explanation for my forgetfulness is that we’ve had another tragedy.”
She stopped and looked at him.
“Another?”
He nodded.
“Mr. Foss has been murdered,” he said.
She went very white.
“When?” Her voice was calm, almost emotionless.
“Last night.”
“It was after nine,” she said.
His eyebrows went up in surprise.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because, Mr. Brixan”—she spoke slowly—“at nine o’clock I saw the hand
of the man who murdered him!
“Two nights ago,” she went on, “I went out to buy some wool I wanted. It
was just before the shops closed—a quarter to eight, I think. In the
town I saw Mr. Foss and spoke to him. He was very nervous and restless,
and again made a suggestion to me which he had already made when he
called on me. His manner was so strange that I asked him if he was in
any trouble. He told me no, but he had had an awful premonition that
something dreadful was going to happen, and he asked me if I’d lived in
Chichester for any length of time, and if I knew about the caves.”
“The caves?” said Michael quickly.
She nodded.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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