The Pawns CountOppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips)
General
The Pawns Count
Oppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips)
Detective and mystery stories
"I suppose I did in a way," he admitted, "but at Henry's--why, I've
always looked upon the place as a club more than anything else."
"I am afraid that I can't agree with you there," Lutchester observed.
"I should consider Henry's a remarkably cosmopolitan restaurant, where
a man in your position should exercise more than even ordinary
restraint."
"I suppose I was wrong," Graham muttered, "but I had been working for
about ten hours on end, and then rushed up to London in the car to try
and keep my appointment with Holderness."
"Stop anywhere on the way?"
"We had a few drinks," Graham confessed. "I was so done up. Perhaps I
had more than I meant to. However, it's no use bothering about that
now. I've been robbed, and that's all there is about it. Could we get
on to Scotland Yard from here?"
"We could, but I don't think we will," Lutchester replied.
Graham was puzzled.
"Why not?" he demanded. "That formula was the most wonderful thing that
has ever been put together, and the whole thing's so simple. I've been
afraid every second that some one else might stumble upon it."
"It is without doubt a great loss," Lutchester admitted. "All the same,
I don't fancy that it's a Scotland Yard business exactly. Have you any
idea who robbed you?"
Graham paused to think. His eyes were still troubled and uncertain.
"It's coming back to me," he muttered. "I remember that beastly barn of
a chapel. There were Jules, and that musician fellow, and the big
American. He emptied my pockets ... Why, of course, I remember how
angry he was ... My pocketbook was gone! They left me alone to write
out the formula again, and then you came.... How on earth did you
tumble on to my being there, Lutchester?"
"It was Miss Pamela Van Teyl whom you must thank," Lutchester told him,
"not me. It seems she knew more about Henry's than any of us. She'd
come up against some of the crew in Berlin, and she guessed they were
holding you for that formula. She got the key out of one of those men
and then telephoned to me for my help."
"And I never even thanked her," Graham murmured weakly.
There was a moment's silence. The recovering man's consciousness of his
position and of events was evidently as yet incomplete. He sat up
suddenly in his chair, gripping the sides of it. His eyes were large
with reminiscent trouble.
"My pocketbook had gone when they searched me," he muttered.
"Are you sure that you had it with you when you came into Henry's?"
Lutchester inquired.
"Absolutely certain."
"Do you think you can remember now what happened when you went
upstairs?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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