At One-Thirty by Isabel Ostrander (best book series to read .txt) đ
- Author: Isabel Ostrander
- Performer: -
Book online «At One-Thirty by Isabel Ostrander (best book series to read .txt) đ». Author Isabel Ostrander
âYoung woman to see you, sir.â Gaunt had been so lost in thought that he had not heard the approach of Jenkins. âSays she comes from the Appleton house. She seems kind of âupsetlike.â
âAsk her to come up, please.â The detective rose hastily, and pushed Scrapper gently into an inner room, closing the door upon him. A young girll The method of Jenkinâs announcement suggested one of the domestics. Could it be that, in interviewing only the principals in the affair, and the only two of the servants whose information he had thought would be of most immediate use to him, he had overlooked an important link in the chain?
Jenkins returned, ushering in a pretty, redcheeked maid, whose blue eyes, although sullen and frightened, glowed with determination. Jenkins eyed her in bold admiration; but with a toss of her head she dismissed him from her interest, her gaze fixed upon the tall figure before her, the thin, ascetic face softened by a kindly smile, as if he could see her standing there, trembling, but resolute, in the doorway.
âWho is it, please?â he asked quiedy, as she remained tongue-tied.
âTis me, sor, Katie Gerahty. Iâm housemaid at the Appletonâsââ
âAye, yes. Come in, KatieâŠ. Jenkins, that will do. Now, Katie, what is it you wished to see me about?â
âTwas me that found theâthe corpse, sor. Tve been expectinâ all day long that youâd ask for me; but you didnât, anâ, when I found youâd gone, I thought Iâd better come after you.â
âI understand. I hadnât time to interview all of you today, and I thought Inspector Hanrahan had talked to you.â
âSure, he had, sor, anâ a fine bully he is, too. Heâd get nothinâ out of me, if I died for it, talkinâ to me as if Iâd killed the poor master meself! I found his body, sorâbut I found something else beside, anâ though I wouldnât give the Inspector the satisfaction of gettinâ it from me, Iâm an honest girl, anâ I donât keep nothinâ that donât belong to me.â
âAnd what was it that you found, Katie? You did right to bring it to me.â Gaunt with difficulty restrained his eagerness.
âThis, sor.â She approached, and placed in his outstretched hand a small, golden object. His fingers closed quickly over it, and he felt it all over with minute care.
It was a manâs gold cufflink, of the sort that are sometimes given to ushers at weddings, save that the initials on one side, and the date on the other, instead of being cut in, were raised, and of a plain block design. Thp detectiveâs delicate, sure fingertips spelled out for him the figures, 1911, and on the other side the letters, Y. A.
âAnd where did you find this, Katie?â
âIn the den, sor, right by the door, when I first went in. Like enough it had rolled or been dropped there.â
âHow did you happen to notice it, with Mr. Appleton sitting there dead before you?â
âWell, you see, sor, it was kinder dark in the den when I opened the doorâonly the one window open and the shade up and the side curtains halfhiding that. I wasnât what you might call waked up for the day, either, and, when I seen Mr. Appleton sittinâ there in his chair, I thought he was sleeping. Twouldnât be the first time that Fd come down, savinâ your presence, and found him stupid drunk there from the night before. Then I seen something shininâ at my feet, anâ I picked it up, and afterward went clost to Mr. Appleton to wake him if I couldâand there was that bloody splash on his shirtfront, and the awful dead face of him starinâ up at me. I screeched then, sor. In thâ excitement after, I forgot all about the cufF-button that I dropped in me apron-pocket, until that Inspector began asking me ugly questions in the way of him, and sure I just wouldnât let on about it. I was afraid after to give it to one of the family; so I thought Iâd better bring it to you.â
âVery well, Katie. I will see that it reaches the owner.â Then, as the girl seemed to hesitate, he asked: âIs there anything more you wanted to tell me?â
âYes, son âTis about that French thingâthat maid, Marie. Before you come this morninâ, she slipped away from the crowd of us around the door of the den, and Iâwell, I followed her. She had a funny look on her face, andâwell, to tell you the truth, sor, sheâs no friend of mine. We had a diflFerence about a young manâbut thatâs neither here nor there. When I come up with her, she was usinâ the telephone in the back hall. I heard her say, âIt is true, ma^m^selley he is deadâmurdered 1 I thought that you would wish to know privately, so as to be prepared for the shock when the news reaches your house.â Then she hanged up the receiver with a bang.â
âTo whom do you think she was speaking, Katie? Have you any idea?â The detective paused and then, as the girl made no answer, he added: âTo Miss Doris Carhart, by any chance?â
âHow did you know, sor?â The girlâs surprised exclamation was involuntary; but she went on hastily: âOf course, I have no proof, butâwell, you know how servants sometimes sees more than theyâre supposed to. I have been thinkinâ for a long time that there was some carryings-on between
Mr. Appleton and the Judgeâs daughter, and that this Marie was kinder helping them out. âTwas just a suspicion of mine, anâ Iâm not paid to carry no tales.â
âI understand, Katie. I wonât quote you. You are a very bright girl, and you have helped me a lot. If you see anything going on that you think I ought to know, come to me, here. Iâll make it worth your whileâŠ. By the way, Katie, why donât you wear glasses? Youâre very near-sighted, and you should have it corrected. You donât want to become like me, you know,â he added, with a smile.
âMy eyes do De troublinâ me a lot, sir. I donât see how you know about thatlâ Her round eyes grew wider as she spoke.
âYour ankles are weak, too. You should wear stouter shoes,â he commented. âYou stumble a little, and you are a little uncertain in your walk, also, although you are not heavy-footed. You take very short steps, and plant your heel down first. That shows you are near-sighted, and afraid to strike out, because of turning your ankle and falling.â
âWell, sor, It beats all how you knew; but itâs true!â âKatie backed away toward the door as she spoke, and felt desperately behind her for the knob. She desired above all things to get away from this uncanny presence. âIâIâll come again, sor, if I hear anything more!â And she departed.
After the girl had gone, Gaunt sat for some moments turning the cufF-button over and over in his hands. Out of the seemingly hopeless array of conflicting evidence, some facts began to dovetail magically, and to suggest an almost impossible hypothesis, from which the detective, accustomed as he was to studies of the darker side of human nature, shrank.
The reappearance of Miss Barnes put an end to his reflections for the time being.
âI have found several references, Mr. Gaunt,â she said, âin the society news of five and six years ago to the Appleton family; but they are merely announcements of receptions, dinners, dances, and so forth, although you may wish me to read you the lists of the guests. But four years agoâ four years last April, to be exactâthere is the announcement of the engagement between Mr. Garret Appleton and Miss Doris Carhart, daughter of Judge Anthony Carhart, of the Supreme Court. Three months later, in July of the same year, there is an announcement of the breaking of that enâ gagement.â
âThat was something I had not looked for,â Gaunt murmured to himself. Then aloud: âGo on, please. Miss Barnes.â
âI thought you might like me to look up, also, while I was among these old files, any articles I might find referring to the Carharts.â
The dfetective smiled in grateful appreciation.
âI find that in October of the previous yearâ five years agoâMiss Carhart made her dibut, and in December of that year she was bridesmaid at the Lancaster-Dubois wedding. All other references are practically the same as those relating to the Appleton familyâinvitations to social affairs at their house, or appearances at the opera. In November, four months after the breaking of the engagement with Miss Carhart, comes the announcement of Mr. Appletonâs engagement to Miss Natalie Ellerslie, of Louisville, Kentucky, and. in the following March, that of their marriage, All the later references to them which I have been able to discover are merely those of social affairs, and among the guests listed Miss Carhartâs name and Judge Carhart^s appear almost invariably.â
âThank you very much, Miss Barnes, and now âwhat time is it please?â
As if in answer, six silvery notes sounded from the bronze clock on the mantel, and Gaunt, taking up the telephone receiver, called up the Bryant Chambers, and asked for Mr. Maurice Livingston.
âThis is Mr. Livingston. Who is it, please?â came in a hearty, good-natured voice over the wire.
âMr. Gaunt is speakingâMr. Damon Gaunt. You have, no doubt, Mr. Livingston, heard of the sudden death of Mr. Garret Appleton. I have been retained by the family to investigate matters for them. In the course of my work, I have interviewed Mr. Yates Appleton, and, as a mere matter of form, I should like to see you, if you can spare me a few moments, to corroborate some of his statements.â
âIf you can come at once, Mr. Gaunt, I shall be glad to give you any assistance in my power. I have a dinner engagement at seven oâclock.â
âI can be with you in ten minutes, Mr. Livingston.â
âVery good.â
The receiver clicked, and Gaunt summoned Jenkins for his hat and coat, and to call a taxicab. Jenkins, too, accompanied him to Bryant Chambers, and, under the guidance of the hallboy, conducted him to the door of Mr. Livingstonâs apartment, after which he returned to the cab, to wait.
The
Comments (0)