Detective and mystery stories, English; English fiction -- 20th century; Short stories, English
"Witness was next questioned as to the events that occurred at Mr.
Jessup's home in Fitzjohn's Avenue, while the terrible tragedy was
enacted in Fulton Gardens. It seems that Mr. Jessup had an old
mother who lived in St. Albans, and that he went sometimes to see her
after business hours and stayed the night. As a general rule, when
he intended going he would telephone home in the course of the
afternoon. On the sixteenth he rang up at about five o'clock and
said that he was staying late at the office--later than usual--and
they were not to wait dinner for him. Mrs. Jessup took this message
herself, and had recognised her husband's voice. Then, later on in
the evening--it might have been half-past eight or nine--there was
another telephone message from the office. Witness went to the
telephone that time. A voice, which at first he did not think that
he recognised, said: 'Mr. Jessup has gone to St. Albans. He caught
the 7.50, and won't be home to-night.' In giving evidence witness at
first insisted on the fact that he did not recognise the voice on the
telephone. It was a man's voice, and sounded like that of a person
who was rather the worse for drink. He asked who was speaking, and
the reply came quite clearly that time: 'Why, it's Leighton, you ass!
Don't you know me?' Witness then asked: 'Where are you speaking
from?' and the reply was: 'From the office, of course. I've had my
wigging and am getting consoled by our Annie-bird.' Annie-bird was
the name the pretty housemaid went by among the young clerks at the
office. Witness then hung up the receiver and gave his mother the
message. Neither Mrs. Jessup nor any one else in the house thought
anything more about it, as there was nothing whatever unusual about
the occurrence. Witness only made some remarks about Arthur Leighton
having been drinking again, and there the matter unfortunately
remained until the following morning, when witness and his brother
arrived at the office and were met with the awful news.
"Both Mrs. Jessup and Mr. Aubrey, the eldest son, corroborated the
statements made by the previous witness with regard to the telephone
messages on the evening of the sixteenth. Mr. Aubrey Jessup also
stated that he knew that his father was worried about some
irregularities in Arthur Leighton's accounts, and that he meant to
have it out with the young clerk in the course of the evening.
Witness had begged his father to let the matter rest until the next
day, as Leighton, he thought, had got the afternoon off to see a sick
sister, but the deceased had rejected the suggestion with obvious
irritation.
"'Stuff and nonsense!' he said. 'I don't believe in that sick sister
a bit. I'll see that young blackguard to-night.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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