The Rayner-Slade AmalgamationFletcher, J. S. (Joseph Smith)
General
The Rayner-Slade Amalgamation
Fletcher, J. S. (Joseph Smith)
Detective and mystery stories
"Yes, I'll see to that," replied Allerdyke. He turned to look at the
night-porter, who was still hanging about as if fascinated. "Look here!"
he said. "We don't want any fuss. Just rouse the manager quietly, and
ask him to come here. And find that chauffeur of mine, and tell him I
want him. Now, then, what about a doctor? Do you know a real,
first-class one?"
"There's several within ten minutes, sir," answered the night-porter.
"There's Dr. Orwin, in Coltman Street--he's generally fetched here. I
can get a man to go for him at once."
"Do!" commanded Allerdyke. "But send me my driver first--I want him. Tell
him what's happened."
He waited, standing and staring at his dead cousin until Gaffney came
hurrying along the corridor. Allerdyke beckoned him into the room and
closed the door.
"Gaffney," he said. "You see how things are? Mr. James is dead--I found
him sitting there, dead. He's been dead some time--hours. There's a
doctor, a foreigner, I think, across the passage there, who says it's
been heart failure. I've sent for another doctor. Now in the meantime, I
want to see what my cousin's got on him, and I want you to help me. We'll
take everything off him in the way of valuables, papers, and so on, and
put 'em in that small hand-bag of his."
Master and man went methodically to work; and an observer of an unduly
sentimental shade of mind might have said that there was something almost
callous about their measured, business-like proceedings. But Marshall
Allerdyke was a man of eminently thorough and practical habits, and he
was doing what he did with an idea and a purpose. His cousin might have
died from sudden heart failure; again, he might not, there might have
been foul play; there might have been one of many reasons for his
unexpected death--anyway, in Allerdyke's opinion it was necessary for him
to know exactly what James was carrying about his person when death took
place. There was a small hand-bag on the dressing-table; Allerdyke opened
it and took out all its contents. They were few--a muffler, a
travelling-cap, a book or two, some foreign newspapers, a Russian
word-book, a flask, the various odds and ends, small unimportant things
which a voyager by sea and land picks up. Allerdyke took all these out,
and laying them aside on the table, directed Gaffney to take everything
from the dead man's pockets. And Gaffney, solemn of face and tight of
lip, set to his task in silence.
There was comparatively little to bring to light. A watch and chain--the
small pocket articles which every man carries--keys, a monocle eyeglass,
a purse full of gold, loose silver, a note-case containing a considerable
sum in bank-notes, some English, some foreign, letters and papers, a
pocket diary--these were all. Allerdyke took each as Gaffney produced
them, and placed each in the bag with no more than a mere glance.
"Everything there is, sir," whispered the chauffeur at last. "I've been
through every pocket."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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