The Rayner-Slade AmalgamationFletcher, J. S. (Joseph Smith)
General
The Rayner-Slade Amalgamation
Fletcher, J. S. (Joseph Smith)
Detective and mystery stories
"Signed for by Mary Marlow for Franklin Fullaway," answered Chettle in
the same low tones. "Delivered--here--about half-past twelve. So--there
you are! That is--if you know where we are!"
Allerdyke, whose cigar had gone out, relighted it with a trembling hand.
"My God!" he said in a fierce, concentrated voice as he flung the match
away. "This is getting--you're sure there was no mistaking the
signature?" he went on, interrupting himself. "No mistake about it?"
"It was a woman's writing, and an educated woman's writing, anyway," said
Chettle. "And plain enough. But there was one thing that rather struck me
and that they couldn't explain, though they said I could have it
explained by inquiry of the clerk who had the books in charge on May 13th
and the boy who actually delivered the parcel--neither of 'em was about
this evening."
"What?" demanded Allerdyke.
"Why, this," answered Chettle. "The parcel had evidently been signed for
twice. The line on which the signatures were placed had two initials in
pencil on it--scribbled hurriedly. The initials were 'F.F.' Over that was
the other in ink--what I tell you: Mary Marlow for Frank Fullaway."
Allerdyke let his mind go back to the events of May 13th.
"You say the parcel was delivered here at twelve-thirty noon on May
13th?" he said presently. "Of course, Fullaway wasn't here then. He'd set
off to me at Hull two or three hours before that. He joined me at Hull
soon after two that day. And what I'm wondering is--does he know of that
parcel's arrival here in his absence. Did he ever get it? If he did, why
has he never mentioned it to me? Coming, as it did, from--James!"
"There's a much more important question than that, Mr. Allerdyke," said
Chettle. "This--what was in that parcel?"
Allerdyke started. So far he had been concentrating on the facts given
him by the detective--further he had not yet gone.
"Why!" he asked, a sudden suspicion beginning to dawn on him. "Good
God!--you don't suggest--"
"My belief, Mr. Allerdyke," said Chettle, quietly and emphatically, "is
that the parcel contained the Russian lady's jewels! I do believe it--and
I'll lay anything I'm right, too."
Allerdyke shook his head.
"Nay, nay!" he said incredulously. "I can't think that James would send a
quarter of a million pounds' worth of jewels in a brown paper parcel by
train! Come, now!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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