The Red Mouse Part 13

"Of course not, we shall stay," said Miriam, freeing herself from the girl.

The men pa.s.sed in unceremoniously and proceeded to search the room--places that even Miriam had forgotten about; they overlooked nothing, but silently, quietly in their business-like way turned everything topsy-turvy, replacing things, in the end, as they found them. Presently they turned to their chief, and said:--

"It's all right, Prosecutor."

"Cover the rest of the house," again ordered Murgatroyd.

They grinned sheepishly.

"That's all done," they answered.

"What?"

McGrath nodded.

"Yes, while you were talking in here," he said, "we showed our shields and they showed us through." He drew near and whispered: "We thought it best to take 'em by surprise; they hadn't no time to fix things, don't you see?"

"Nothing found?" asked Murgatroyd.

Simultaneously they shook their heads, and answered:--

"Nothing."

Murgatroyd waved his hand and commanded them to wait for him at the door, ending with:--

"I won't be a minute." And turning to Mrs. Challoner, he said a trifle apologetically: "My men tell me that your husband is not in the house.

One thing more, however; if you know where Mr. Challoner is--"

"She doesn't!" snapped Shirley.

"If you know where he is," Murgatroyd repeated, ignoring the interruption, "if you have any means of communicating with him----"

"She hasn't!" once more interposed the girl sharply.

"I want you to use your influence with him to make him come back. His flight amounts to a moral confession of crime. He has nothing to gain, you see," he went on to explain, "by staying away. He is bound to be caught; he cannot escape!"

"I want him to come back," stammered Mrs. Challoner. "Yes, yes, he must come back and face this charge. You--you don't think him guilty, Mr.

Murgatroyd?"

Murgatroyd walked toward the door. If he had spoken his mind he would have answered in the affirmative; but instead, he compromised with:--

"I don't know;" and abruptly left the house.

VI

"Brutes every one of them--and Billy Murgatroyd the worst of all!" The exclamation fell from Shirley Bloodgood's lips.

Miriam Challoner had been resting her head forlornly on her arms as she sat at a table, but on hearing the young woman's bitter remark she raised her head and smiled a wan smile.

"Mr. Murgatroyd?" The tone was one of surprise. "Why, I thought you liked him, Shirley?"

The girl hunched her shoulders expressively.

"You have things badly twisted, Miriam--_he_ likes _me_." And suddenly rising to her feet, she clapped her hands impulsively. "Oh, Miriam, I almost forgot--I've good news--good news for you!" Then she ran swiftly toward Mrs. Challoner and swiftly back again to the window. "No, they're out of sight--almost...."

"Good news? What good news?" Miriam asked incredulously.

Shirley placed a hand upon her lips.

"Prosecutor Murgatroyd," she began, "told me in confidence----"

"In confidence!" Miriam repeated; "then you had better not----"

Shirley shook her head belligerently.

"Oh, no!" she laughed. "It's all right! Billy Murgatroyd likes to tell things to me. He told me once that he believed that to be one of the controlling motives that led to matrimony.... That a man should have somebody to tell things to."

Mrs. Challoner's curiosity got the better of her.

"And he told you--" she inquired eagerly.

"He told me the facts--gave away his evidence to me." Shirley tossed her head.

"But--" again protested Miriam.

Once more Shirley silenced her.

"No--I shall tell you--this may be a matter of life and death; besides, you are ent.i.tled to know the truth."

"Yes, yes," a.s.sented Miriam, "tell me--I must know--but first, wait a moment." She pushed a b.u.t.ton and Stevens entered.

"Stevens," she said in a low, strained voice, "don't let any one in the house. Do you understand? I simply cannot stand it--to see another person."

When Stevens had left the room the girl resumed:--

"Murgatroyd told me, Miriam, the greatest c.o.c.k-and-bull story you ever heard." Miriam looked as if her brain would snap. "It seems that the papers have distorted, exaggerated everything. The fact is, Miriam, dear, the case is the flimsiest...."

Miriam drew a deep breath.

"How? Explain yourself!"

Then Shirley went on to tell that n.o.body had seen Hargraves killed, n.o.body had seen the shot fired; that they had only got some disreputable gambler or other who claimed to have witnessed a quarrel between them.

"And, oh, yes," she added a moment later, "the man that killed Hargraves robbed him of ten thousand dollars--and of course Lawrence Challoner wouldn't rob a man, much less kill one--so don't you see, there's nothing in the story at all."