The Master Detective: Being Some Further Investigations of Christopher QuarlesBrebner, Percy James
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The Master Detective: Being Some Further Investigations of Christopher Quarles
Brebner, Percy James
Detective and mystery stories
"It was the name Selborne," Quarles explained. "I told you, Wigan, that
Wibley's daughter--or supposed daughter--was not with him in Hampshire.
Her whereabouts worried me. I could not forget that a woman had taken
part in our capture during the chalice case. While I was in Hampshire I
spent half a day in Gilbert White's village. His 'Natural History of
Selborne' has always delighted me. Selborne. If you were going to take a
false name, Wigan, and your godfathers had not called you Murray, only
James, what would you do? As likely as not you would take the name of
some place with which you were familiar. In itself the idea was not
convincing, but it brought me to your hotel at Folkestone, and then I was
certain. Do you remember the woman Squires spoke to on the night he led
us into that trap?"
"It was too dark to see her face," I said.
"I mean the way she stood," said Quarles, "with her arms akimbo; so did
the masked woman in the cellar, and when I saw Mrs. Selborne on the lawn
she did the same. The pose is peculiar. When a woman falls into this
attitude you will find she either rests her knuckles on her hips, or
grasps her waist with open hands, the thumbs behind the four finger in
front. This woman doesn't. She grasps her waist with the thumbs in front,
a man's way rather than a woman's. Her presence there suggested, another
hotel robbery; the yacht suggested a means of escape for the gang,
apparently gathering at the empty house. Since Mrs. Selborne had paid you
so much attention, I guessed she knew who you were, and thought you were
on duty, posing as an invalid. I thought it likely your presence would
prevent the robbery, but she took every precaution that you should go
with her to-day, storm or shine, eh, Wigan? We have had the glasses on
the yacht all day, and when the crew landed to-night we caught them.
Then we went to the house, Wigan. Got them all, and I believe the whole
of the six months' spoil."
"Why didn't you put me on my guard?" I asked.
"Well, Wigan, I think you would have scouted the idea. You were
fascinated, you know. In any case, you could not have helped watching her
for confirmation or to prove me wrong; she would have noted the change in
you, grown suspicious, and might have ruined everything at the eleventh
hour. Unless I am much mistaken we shall discover that the woman was the
brains of the gang."
So it proved when the trial came on, and in another direction Quarles
was correct.
Squires was Mason's son. The lad had cut himself loose from his old
companions, and had only meant to warn his father. He knew where he was
likely to find him, but meeting the man and woman unexpectedly, he was
frightened into trapping us.
There can be little doubt that it was intended to cast away the yacht
as Mrs. Selborne had explained to me, and to drown those who were not
meant to share in the spoil, but who knew too much to be allowed to go
free. I should certainly have been amongst the missing, and young
Squires, too, probably.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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