The Seven ConundrumsOppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips)
General
The Seven Conundrums
Oppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips)
Detective and mystery stories, English; English fiction -- 20th century
If our customary supper party with Mr. Thomson lacked some of those
qualities which in the earlier days of our adventures had made it so
wonderful a thing, the change of venue, and our host's curious genius in
devising new dishes, still contrived to make the occasion a memorable
one. We met this time in a private room at the Hotel Albion at Brighton,
whither a telephone message had summoned us earlier in the day. Mr.
Thomson, spick and span as ever, looking in the pink of condition,
commended to us the best oysters in the world and sipped almost
reverently the contents of a dust-covered bottle of Chablis.
"I am not sure," he told us, with the air of one imparting grave
knowledge, "that in these days it is not possible to find better
vintages out of London than one comes across even in the restaurants de
luxe. This wine, for instance."
"The wine is wonderful," Rose agreed. "These oysters are wonderful, too,
and I never saw such a lobster mayonnaise as that upon the sideboard.
But, dear Mr. Thomson, if you expect us to enjoy our supper, do be
merciful. There will be no waiter in the room for at least five minutes.
Give us some idea as to the meaning of this last adventure."
Mr. Thomson smiled benevolently.
"Why not?" he said. "Here is the story in a very few words. There was in
London, ten days ago, the most dangerous anarchist and political
disturber of the peace in Europe. His name is a household word to all of
you. He passed here as Paul Kansky."
"Naida's lover," I ventured.
"As a matter of fact, her husband," Mr. Thomson explained. "His removal
was absolutely necessary for the internal peace of this country. There
were a hundred charges on which he could have been arrested, but not one
for which he could have been safely put out of the way. Being at times
open to accept a contract of this nature, I undertook to dispose of
him."
I shivered a little as I listened. Mr. Thomson continued very much as
though he were referring to some ordinary commercial undertaking.
"Kansky's one weakness was Naida Modeschka, his one passion jealousy.
With the aid of our young friend here, I succeeded in fanning that
passion into a red-hot flame. I succeeded, too, in engineering such an
attempt at wilful murder on the part of Kansky that his own demise,
owing to the apparently accidental intervention of a casual rescuer,
seemed to occur quite naturally. You behold the result of an exceedingly
well-laid scheme. This mischievous person is dead and buried under the
name he bore at the Milan Hotel, and which the great world of his
followers does not recognise."
"Then my rescuer," I exclaimed, "John P. Martin, the American Oil Trust
man----"
"Precisely," Mr. Thomson interrupted. "Mr. Martin was my agent, a man of
iron and a professional fighter, planted in room number eighty-four,
with instructions to intervene on your behalf in such a way that Kansky
could give no more trouble."
"And those other two men who gave evidence--the witnesses?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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