"Sure it is. Schuyler, the millionaire. Lives on Fifth Avenue, not far
down from here. Who killed him?"
"But look here. Are you sure this is Randolph Schuyler?"
"Sure? Of course I'm sure. His house is on my beat. I see him often,
goin' in or comin' out."
"Well, then we _have_ got a big case on our hands! Mason!"
The inspector could scarcely believe Ferrall's statement, but realized
that the policeman must know.
"Whew!" he said, trying to think of a dozen things at once. "Then
Steele knew him, and introduced him as Somers on purpose. No wonder
the clubs didn't know of R. Somers! R. S. on his handkerchiefs and all
that. He used a false name 'cause he didn't want it known that
Randolph Schuyler came to see Miss Van Allen! Oh, here's a mess!
Where's that girl? Why did she kill him?"
"She didn't!" Mrs. Reeves began to cry. "She didn't know it _was_ Mr.
Schuyler. She doesn't _know_ Mr. Schuyler. I'm sure she doesn't,
because we were making lists for bazar patrons and she said she would
ask only people she knew, and we tried to find somebody who knew
Randolph Schuyler, to ask him, but we didn't know anybody who was
acquainted with him at all. Oh, it can't be the rich Schuyler! Why
would he come here?"
"We must get hold of Mr. Steele as soon as possible," said Fenn,
excitedly. "Breen, call up his home address again, and if he isn't
there, go there and stick till he comes. Now, for some one to identify
this body. Call up the Schuyler house--no, better go around there.
Where is it, Ferrall?"
"Go straight out to the Avenue, and turn down. It's No.--only part of
a block down. Who's going?"
"You go, Lowney," said Fenn. "Mason, will you go?"
"Yes, of course. Come on, Lowney."
The coroner gave Mrs. Reeves and myself permission to go home, and I
was glad to go. But Mrs. Reeves declared her intention of staying the
night, what was left of it, in Miss Van Allen's house.
"It's too late for me to go down alone," she said, in her sensible
way. "And, too, I'd rather be here, in case--in case Miss Van Allen
comes home. I'm her friend, and I know she'd like me to stay."
CHAPTER V
THE SCHUYLER HOUSEHOLD
As for me, I began to collect my senses after the shock of learning
the true identity of the dead man. Though I had never met him,
Randolph Schuyler was a client and friend of my partner, Charles
Bradbury, and I suddenly felt a sort of personal responsibility of
action.
For one thing, I disliked the idea of Mr. Schuyler's wife and family
receiving the first tidings of the tragedy from the police. It seemed
to me a friend ought to break the news, if possible.
I said as much to Coroner Fenn, and he agreed.
"That's so," he said. "It'll be an awful errand. In the middle of the
night, too. If you're acquainted, suppose you go there with the boys,
Mr. Calhoun."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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