In the Onyx Lobby Part 25

"He has my permission to do so."

"Oh, stop, Auntie!" Bates cried, earnestly. "You get yourself misunderstood by such talk. You're not hard-hearted,--except regarding your foolish feud. In all other ways you're normally kind and generous minded."

"Thank you, Rick, but I don't care for compliments."

Corson was fingering some library appointments on the large table near which he sat.

"These bra.s.s sets are convenient things," he remarked, referring to an elaborate array of fittings spread out on the large green blotting pad.

"These long clipping shears are most useful, and the pen-holder, letter opener and ink eraser, all to match, are of admirable workmanship."

"Yes," said Miss Prall, carelessly, "I had the set made to order. It is, I think, unique."

"Why are you interested in them?" Miss Gurney said, abruptly.

"Oh," Corson returned, easily, "I love desk fittings. They always have a peculiar fascination for me. I have several sets myself, but none so fine or costly as these."

"Why don't you stick to your subject, Corson?" said Bates, a little impatiently. "Are you and Gibbs going to make a success of this case or not? And I wish you'd let me know all you've done. You have a frank air about your disclosures, but I can't help thinking you're sounding us."

"Sounding you?" and Corson looked mystified.

"Yes; as if you suspected us of knowing more than we've told. I a.s.sure you _I_ don't."

"No, I never dreamed that you did. You've been most outspoken, Mr Bates, and, while I can't plume myself much as yet on my findings or those of Mr Gibbs, you must remember that the matter is not many days old, and it is not what is called an 'open and shut' case."

"No; and yet, it ought to be. For a man who does not belong to this country to come over here and be killed, seems to imply not such a very large number of possible suspects."

"As to that," and Corson sighed, "I don't know of even one possible suspect. I wish I did,--it might lead to others. But we have the a.s.surance that the deed was done by women; that simplifies the search."

"Yes and no, to that," spoke up Miss Prall. "Sir Herbert, of course, wrote that in good faith, but may he not have meant by the influence of women, or at the orders or desire of women,--and not, necessarily, that women committed the actual deed?"

"Granting all that," returned Corson, "it is the women we want. If they hired gunmen,--as they may be called,--we must find out the ident.i.ty of the women all the same. And if they actually committed the deed----"

The ringing of the telephone interrupted his speech and proved to be a message for the detective to come downstairs at once.

Corson went and on reaching the ground floor he was met by Gibbs, who took him to a small reception room and closed the door.

"Here you are," Gibbs said, and handed the other a paper-wrapped parcel which when opened proved to contain a long sharp paper-cutter. The blade, apparently hastily wiped, still showed traces of what was unmistakably blood.

"Where'd it come from?" Corson said, staring at the thing.

"A boy connected with the service department found it stuck between the palings of a fence near the delivery entrance. It may have been placed there by the murderer of Sir Herbert Binney."

"Where is this entrance? Why wasn't this found sooner?"

"The place is around the corner,--a sort of obscure entrance on the side street, used only by the tradesmen, for delivery. A cleaner found this just a short time ago."

"Well," said Corson, very gravely, "this is the paper-cutter belonging to a set of writing implements on Miss Prall's library table; and I have just come from there, and I noticed that, though the sheath of this was up there, the paper-cutter was missing!"

CHAPTER X

Seek the Women

Late that night,--in fact it was about midnight, when the onyx lobby was practically deserted save for an occasional late home-comer,--the two detectives arrived for a confab with Bob Moore.

This greatly pleased the night porter for he hoped to be looked upon as a sort of a.s.sistant detective, and felt sure he could be of valuable help.

"You know, Moore," Gibbs began, "there are people who are looking askance at you, with a sort of half-formed suspicion that you know more about this thing than you have told. But I don't think that,--at least, I think you are willing to tell all you know, if you haven't already done so. How about it?"

"Why, it's this way, Mr Gibbs. I am ready to tell all I know, and I think I have done so, but you can't expect me to tell what I suspect or surmise or imagine. Can you, now? It might lose my place for me. Also, I might injure an innocent person."

"I think," spoke up Corson, "you ought to tell us anything you suspect; it need go no further and if your suspicions are mistaken ones, they can't harm the innocent."

"Well, then, I've got my eye on two of the chambermaids. They are great chums, and one is on the seventh and eighth floors, the other on the ninth and tenth. But floors don't matter; they chum around with each other. Well, these two are the most canny old hens you ever knew.

They're no chickens, and they have an eye out for the main chance all the time. I mean they toady to the people who are rich or generous and they scamp their work in places where they're not 'remembered.' Also they're specially attentive to the work of gentlemen who live alone.

Why, Sir Herbert's rooms were kept as neat as a bandbox. And Mr Goodwin and Mr Vail,--they're both up on the tenth,--their rooms are immaculate.

And yet, there's the Prall place neglected, 'cause Miss Prall don't believe much in fees, and as for the Everetts, why, _she_ says she can't get anything tended to!"

"Doesn't she 'remember' the housemaid, either?"

"Some; but in her case, it's more her sharp tongue and her fussy ways.

Miss Prall, now, she's on the outs with Mrs Everett,--I know that,--but she's decent-spoken to the maids. Only, she's stingy. Well, what I'm getting at is, those two chambermaids are regular devils, if you ask me, and though Sir Herbert Binney was generous enough when he liked the work people, he didn't like his chambermaid, and he was as ugly as Cain to her. Used to call her down for the least thing and laid her out cold if she sauced him back."

"Then you think the 'women' might have referred to these two maids?"

"That's just it. I only think it may have done so. I've no evidence except that they are more the type of women it seems possible to suspect. These little girls,--it don't seem's if they could manage the deed. But Jane and Maggie could have worked it if they'd wanted to.

They're big, husky women and they've dogged, sullen tempers. And, of course, what made me think most about it, was your finding that paper-knife of Miss Prall's. Now, if Miss Prall had killed Binney,--which is ridiculous on the face of it!--she'd been too cute to leave the knife around, but those ignorant chambermaids----"

"I don't agree," Corson interrupted. "The woman,--which one is the Prall's chambermaid?"

"Maggie."

"Well, Maggie then,--she couldn't have taken the knife from Miss Prall's table without its being missed, and Miss Let.i.tia is not the one to lose her property without a word! No, sir, that paper-knife points straight to Let.i.tia Prall. Moreover, she had motive; she wanted the old gentleman out of the way for two reasons. First, so Pet Nephew could inherit the old man's money, and, second, because the uncle was in favor of the marriage of young Bates with Miss Everett, the daughter of Miss Prall's deadly enemy!"

"Where'd you get all that dope, Corson?" Gibbs said in astonishment.

"Partly by quizzing round and partly by putting two and two together.

Anyway, it's all true, the motives, I mean. Now, confidentially, just among us three here, could she have done it? I mean, was it physically possible?"

"Anything is possible for Miss Prall," said Moore, quite seriously. "She is a Tartar, that lady is. And whatever she sets out to do, she does,--irrespective of whether it can be done or not!"

"I mean this. Could she have come downstairs from the eighth floor without being seen----"

"Of course she must have been seen," broke in Moore. "Whether she came down in the elevator or walked down the stairs she must have been seen.

She could have come down the servants' stairs, but that would have been even more conspicuous."