Red Money by Fergus Hume (the little red hen ebook .txt) 📖

Affair As A Murder?" Inquired

Garvington.

 

"I Only Go By The Rumors I Have Heard,  My Lord. Some Say That You Winged

The Man And Broke His Right Arm. Others Tell Me That A Second Shot Was

Fired In The Garden,  And It Was That Which Killed Ishmael Hearne."

 

"It Is True,  Darby. I Only Fired The First Shot,  As Those Who Were With

Me Will Tell You. I Don't Know Who Shot In The Garden,  And Apparently No

One Else Does. It Was This Unknown Individual In The Garden That Killed

Hearne. By The Way,  How Did You Come To Hear The Name?"

 

"Half A Dozen People Have Told Me,  My Lord,  Along With The Information I

Have Just Given You. Nothing Else Is Talked Of Far And Wide."

 

"And It Is Just Twelve O'clock," Muttered The Stout Little Lord,  Wiping

His Scarlet Face Pettishly. "Ill News Travels Fast. However,  As You Are

Here,  You May As Well Take Charge Of Things Until The London Men

Arrive."

 

"The London Men Aren't Going To Usurp My Privileges,  My Lord," Said

Darby,  Firmly. "There's No Sense In Taking Matters Out Of My Hands. And

If You Will Pardon My Saying So,  I Should Have Been Sent For In The

First Instance."

 

"I Daresay," Snapped Garvington,  Coolly. "But The Matter Is Too

Important To Be Left In The Hands Of A Local Policeman."

Chapter 9 (Afterwards) Pg 77

Darby Was Nettled,  And His Hard Eyes Grew Angry. "I Am Quite Competent

To Deal With Any Murder,  Even If It Is That Of The Highest In England,

Much Less With The Death Of A Common Gypsy."

 

"That's Just Where It Is,  Darby. The Common Gypsy Who Has Been Shot

Happens To Be My Brother-In-Law."

 

"Sir Hubert Pine?" Questioned The Inspector,  Thoroughly Taken Aback.

 

"Yes! Of Course I Didn't Know Him When I Fired,  Or I Should Not Have

Done So,  Darby. I Understood,  And His Wife,  My Sister,  Understood,  That

Sir Hubert Was In Paris. It Passes My Comprehension To Guess Why He

Should Have Come In The Dead Of Night,  Dressed As A Gypsy,  To Raid My

House."

 

"Perhaps It Was A Bet," Said Darby,  Desperately Puzzled.

 

"Bet,  Be Hanged! Pine Could Come Openly To This Place Whenever He Liked.

I Never Was So Astonished In My Life As When I Saw Him Lying Dead Near

The Shrubbery. And The Worst Of It Is,  That My Sister Ran Out And Saw

Him Also. She Fainted And Has Been In Bed Ever Since,  Attended By Lady

Garvington."

 

"You Had No Idea That The Man You Shot Was Sir Hubert,  My Lord?"

 

"Hang It,  No! Would I Have Shot Him Had I Guessed Who He Was?"

 

"No,  No,  My Lord! Of Course Not," Said The Officer Hastily. "But As

I Have Come To Take Charge Of The Case,  You Will Give Me A Detailed

Account Of What Has Taken Place."

 

"I Would Rather Wait Until The Scotland Yard Fellows Come," Grumbled

Garvington,  "As I Don't Wish To Repeat My Story Twice. Still,  As You Are

On The Spot,  I May As Well Ask Your Advice. You May Be Able To Throw

Some Light On The Subject. I'm Hanged If I Can."

 

Darby Pulled Out His Notebook. "I Am All Attention,  My Lord."

 

Garvington Plunged Abruptly Into His Account,  First Having Looked To See

If The Library Door Was Firmly Closed. "As There Have Been Many

Burglaries Lately In This Part Of The World," He Said,  Speaking With

Deliberation,  "I Got An Idea Into My Head That This House Might Be

Broken Into."

 

"Natural Enough,  My Lord," Interposed Darby,  Glancing Round The Splendid

Room. "A Historic House Such As This Is,  Would Tempt Any Burglar."

 

"So I Thought," Remarked The Other,  Pleased That Darby Should Agree With

Him So Promptly. "And I Declared Several Times,  Within The Hearing Of

Many People,  That If A Raid Was Made,  I Should Shoot The First Man Who

Chapter 9 (Afterwards) Pg 78

Tried To Enter. Hang It,  An Englishman's House Is His Castle,  And No Man

Has A Right To Come In Without Permission."

 

"Quite So,  My Lord. But The Punishment Of The Burglar Should Be Left To

The Law," Said The Inspector Softly.

 

"Oh,  The Deuce Take The Law! I Prefer To Execute My Own Punishments.

However,  To Make A Long Story Short,  I Grew More Afraid Of A Raid When

These Gypsies Came To Camp At Abbot's Wood,  As They Are Just The Sort Of

Scoundrels Who Would Break In And Steal."

 

"Why Didn't You Order Them Off Your Land?" Asked The Policeman,  Alertly.

 

"I Did,  And Then My Brother-In-Law Sent A Message Through His Secretary,

Who Is Staying Here,  Asking Me To Allow Them To Remain. I Did."

 

"Why Did Sir Hubert Send That Message,  My Lord?"

 

"Hang It,  Man,  That's Just What I Am Trying To Learn,  And I Am The More

Puzzled Because He Came Last Night Dressed As A Gypsy."

 

"He Must Be One," Said Darby,  Who Had Seen Pine And Now Recalled His

Dark Complexion And Jetty Eyes. "It Seems,  From What I Have Been Told,

That He Stopped At The Abbot's Wood Camp Under The Name Of Ishmael

Hearne."

 

"So Silver Informed Me."

 

"Who Is He?"

 

"Pine's Secretary,  Who Knows All His Confidential Affairs. Silver

Declared,  When The Secret Could Be Kept No Longer,  That Pine Was Really

A Gypsy,  Called Ishmael Hearne. Occasionally Longing For The Old Life,

He Stepped Down From His Millionaire Pedestal And Mixed With His Own

People. When He Was Supposed To Be In Paris,  He Was Really With The

Gypsies,  So You Can Now Understand Why He Sent The Message Asking Me To

Let These Vagrants Stay."

 

"You Told Me A Few Moments Ago,  That You Could Not Understand That

Message,  My Lord," Said Darby Quickly,  And Looking Searchingly At The

Other Man. Garvington Grew A Trifle Confused. "Did I? Well,  To Tell You

The Truth,  Darby,  I'm So Mixed Up Over The Business That I Can't Say

What I Do Know,  Or What I Don't Know. You'd Better Take All I Tell You

With A Grain Of Salt Until I Am Quite Myself Again."

 

"Natural Enough,  My Lord," Remarked The Inspector Again,  And Quite

Believed What He Said. "And The Details Of The Murder?"

 

"I Went To Bed As Usual," Said Garvington,  Wearily,  For The Events Of

The Night Had Tired Him Out,  "And Everyone Else Retired Some Time About

Midnight. I Went Round With The Footmen And The Butler To See That

Everything Was Safe,  For I Was Too Anxious To Let Them Look After Things

Chapter 9 (Afterwards) Pg 79

Without Me. Then I Heard A Noise Of Footsteps On The Gravel Outside,

Just As I Was Dropping Off To Sleep--"

 

"About What Time Was That,  My Lord?"

 

"Half-Past One O'clock; I Can't Be Certain As To A Minute. I Jumped Up

And Laid Hold Of My Revolver,  Which Was Handy. I Always Kept It Beside

Me In Case Of A Burglary. Then I Stole Downstairs In Slippers And

Pajamas To The Passage,--Oh,  Here." Garvington Rose Quickly. "Come With

Me And See The Place For Yourself!"

 

Inspector Darby Put On His Cap,  And With His Notebook Still In His Hand,

Followed The Stout Figure Of His Guide. Garvington Led Him Through The

Entrance Hall And Into A Side-Passage,  Which Terminated In A Narrow

Door. There Was No One To Spy On Them,  As The Master Of The House Had

Sent All The Servants To Their Own Quarters,  And The Guests Were

Collected In The Drawing-Room And Smoking-Room,  Although A Few Of The

Ladies Remained In Their Bedrooms,  Trying To Recover From The Night's

Experience.

 

"I Came Down Here," Said Garvington,  Opening The Door,  "And Heard The

Burglar,  As I Thought He Was,  Prowling About On The Other Side. I Threw

Open The Door In This Way And The Man Plunged Forward To Enter. I Fired,

And Got Him In The Right Arm,  For I Saw It Swinging Uselessly By His

Side As He Departed."

 

"Was He In A Hurry?" Asked Darby,  Rather Needlessly.

 

"He Went Off Like Greased Lightning. I Didn't Follow,  As I Thought That

Others Of His Gang Might Be About,  But Closing The Door Again I Shouted

Blue Murder. In A Few Minutes Everyone Came Down,  And While I Was

Waiting--It All Passed In A Flash,  Remember,  Darby--I Heard A Second

Shot. Then The Servants And My Friends Came And We Ran Out,  To Find The

Man Lying By That Shrubbery Quite Dead. I Turned Him Over And Had Just

Grasped The Fact That He Was My Brother-In-Law,  When Lady Agnes Ran Out.

When She Learned The News She Naturally Fainted. The Women Carried Her

Back To Her Room,  And We Took The Body Of Pine Into The House. A Doctor

Came Along This Morning--For I Sent For A Doctor As Soon As It Was

Dawn--And Said That Pine Had Been Shot Through The Heart."

 

"And Who Shot Him?" Asked Darby Sagely.

 

Garvington Pointed To The Shrubbery. "Someone Was Concealed There," He

Declared.

 

"How Do You Know,  That,  My Lord?"

 

"My Sister,  Attracted By My Shot,  Jumped Out Of Bed And Threw Up Her

Window. She Saw The Man--Of Course She Never Guessed That He Was

Pine--Running Down The Path And Saw Him Fall By The Shrubbery When The

Second Shot Was Fired."

 

"Her Bedroom Is Then On This Side Of The House,  My Lord?"

 

Chapter 9 (Afterwards) Pg 80

"Up There," Said Garvington,  Pointing Directly Over The Narrow Door,

Which Was Painted A Rich Blue Color,  And Looked Rather Bizarre,  Set In

The Puritanic Greyness Of The Walls. "My Own Bedroom Is Further Along

Towards The Right. That Is Why I Heard The Footsteps So Plainly On This

Gravel." And He Stamped Hard,  While With A Wave Of His Hand He Invited

The Inspector To