The Rayner-Slade AmalgamationFletcher, J. S. (Joseph Smith)
General
The Rayner-Slade Amalgamation
Fletcher, J. S. (Joseph Smith)
Detective and mystery stories
"Just so," agreed Chettle. "I have a scheme--and that's why I did get you
down here alone. Mr. Allerdyke, you're a sharp, shrewd man--all you
Yorkshiremen are!--at least, all that I've ever come across. You're good
hands at ferreting things out. Now, Mr. Allerdyke, let's be
plain--there's no two ways about it, no doubt whatever of it, the only
people in England that we're aware of who knew about this Nastirsevitch
jewel transaction are--Fullaway and whoever he has in his employ! We
know of nobody else--unless, indeed, it's the Chicago millionaire,
Delkin, and he's not very likely to have wanted to go in for a job of
this sort. No, sir--Fullaway is the suspected person, in my
opinion!--though I'm going to take precious good care to keep that
opinion to myself yet awhile, I can tell you. Fullaway, Mr. Allerdyke,
Fullaway!"
"Well?" demanded Allerdyke. "And so--"
"And so I want you to use your utmost ingenuity to find out if your
cousin James gave that photo to Fullaway," continued Chettle. "We know
very well that he was in touch with Fullaway before he went off to
Russia--I have it in my notes that when Fullaway came to see you here in
Hull, at the Station Hotel, the day of your cousin's death, he told you
that he and Mr. James Allerdyke had been doing business for a couple of
years, and that they'd last met in London about the end of March, just
before your cousin set off on his journey to Russia. Is that correct?"
"Quite correct--to the letter," answered Allerdyke.
"Very well," said Chettle. "Now, according to you, that 'ud be not so
very long after you took that snapshot of your cousin? So, he'd probably
have the third print of it--the one we've just been looking at--on him
when he was in London at that time?"
"Very likely," assented Allerdyke.
"Then," said Chettle with great eagerness, "try, Mr. Allerdyke, try your
best and cleverest to find out if he gave it to Fullaway. You can
think--you with a sharp brain!--of some cunning fashion of finding that
out. What?"
"I don't know," replied Allerdyke, slowly and doubtfully. He possessed
quite as much ingenuity as Chettle credited him with, but his own
resourcefulness in that direction only inclined him to credit other men
with the possession of just the same faculty. "I don't know about that.
If James did give that print to Fullaway, and if Fullaway made use of it
as you think, Fullaway'll be far too cute ever to let on that it was
given to him. See!"
"I see that--been seeing it all through," answered Chettle. "All the
same, there's ways and means. Think of something--you know Fullaway a bit
by this time. Try it!"
"Oh, I'll try it, you bet!" exclaimed Allerdyke. "I'll try it for all
it's worth, and as cleverly as I can. In fact, I've already thought of a
plan, and if you don't want me any more just now, I'll go to the
post-office and send off a telegram that's something to do with it."
"Nothing more now, sir," answered Chettle. "But look here--you're not
going back to town to-night?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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