The Red Triangle: Being Some Further Chronicles of Martin Hewitt, InvestigatorMorrison, Arthur
General
The Red Triangle: Being Some Further Chronicles of Martin Hewitt, Investigator
Morrison, Arthur
Detective and mystery stories, English; Private investigators -- Fiction
"I think not," Mr. Bell answered. "But there's one on the floor below,
just opposite the lift--I see the bill on the door every day as I come
up."
"We'll try that, then. I'll rake out every ventilator in this palatial
edifice before I'll call myself beaten. Come, call the housekeeper. Is
there a speaking tube? Tell him to bring a light."
The housekeeper came, wonderingly, with a watch-man's oil-lantern, and
we all went to the floor below. Opposite the lift was a glass door from
which a bill had recently been torn.
"Why, it's let!" said Mr. Bell.
"Yes, sir," assented the housekeeper. "Let a day or two ago to a Mr.
Catherton Hunt. Or, at least, a deposit was paid."
"But see--the door's not locked," Hewitt observed, pushing it open. "I
think we'll trespass on Mr. Catherton Hunt's new offices, since they
seem quite empty, and he hasn't taken possession. Come--ventilators!"
It was a small office--an outer room of moderate size, and one smaller
inner room. Hewitt at once attacked the ventilators in the larger
apartment--there were two of them--but retired disappointed from each.
There was one ventilator only in the small room. Hewitt tilted the lid,
which was at about the level of his eyes, thrust in his hand, and drew
forth a bundle of folded papers; thrust in his hand again and drew forth
another bundle; did it again, and drew forth more!
Mr. Bell fell upon the first bundle almost as a dog falls upon a bone;
and now he snatched eagerly at each successive paper or bundle, till
Hewitt raked the grating with his stick, and declared that there were no
more. "Is that all?" he asked.
Mr. Bell went tremblingly from paper to paper, and, at last, said that
he believed it really was. "I can verify it by the list upstairs," he
added, "if you are sure there are no more."
"No more," repeated Hewitt, rattling his stick in the ventilator again.
"Let us go and verify, by all means."
We sent the puzzled housekeeper away, and returned to the office above,
and presently Mr. Bell, now beginning so far to recover from his
amazement as to express incoherent gratitude, reported that the bonds
were correct and complete to the last and least.
"Very well," said Hewitt, "then my part of the business is done, though
I must say I've had luck, or rather, Brett has had it for me. But the
police must come on now. I think, Mr. Bell, we'll go along to Scotland
Yard when we leave here. They'll be wanting to see Mr. Catherton Hunt, I
expect, whoever he is--and somebody in your office, too, if I'm not
sadly mistaken."
"Who?" gasped Mr. Bell.
"That, perhaps, you can help to point out. See here--do you know whose
figures they are?" and Hewitt produced the small slip of paper
containing the cypher.
"They're very small," remarked Mr. Bell, putting on his glasses; "very
small indeed; but I think--why they're Henning's, I do believe!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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