Through the Wall Part 73

The baron thought a moment. "I think I'd better make a clean job of it."

"You mean _both?_"

"Yes."

They seemed to understand by half words, by words not spoken, by little signs, as brokers in a great stock-exchange battle dispose of fortunes with a nod or a lift of the eyebrows.

"But--she doesn't know anything about you or against you," added M. Paul, and he seemed to be almost pleading.

"She has caused me a lot of trouble and, she _might_ know."

"You mean, her memory?"

"Yes, it might come back."

"Of course," agreed the other with judicial fairness. "I asked Duprat about it and he said _it might_."

"Ah, you see!"

"And--when do you--begin?"

"There's no hurry. When we get through talking. Is there anything else you want to ask?"

The detective reflected a moment. "Was it you personally who killed my dog?"

"Yes."

"And my mother?" His face was very white and his voice trembled. "Did you--did you intend to kill her?"

The baron shrugged his shoulders. "I left that to chance."

"That's all," said Coquenil. "I--I am ready now."

With a look of mingled compa.s.sion and admiration De Heidelmann-Bruck met M.

Paul's unflinching gaze.

"We take our medicine, eh? I took mine when you had me hitched to that heart machine, and--now you'll take yours. Good-by, Coquenil," he held out his hand, "I'm sorry."

"Good-by," answered the detective with quiet dignity. "If it's all the same to you, I--I won't shake hands."

"No? Ah, well! I'll send in the girl." He moved toward the heavy door.

"Wait!" said M. Paul. "You have left your diary." He pointed to the table.

The baron smiled mockingly. "I intended to leave it; the book has served its purpose, I'm tired of it. Don't be alarmed, _it will not be found_." He glanced with grim confidence at the stacked wood. "You'll have fifteen or twenty minutes after she comes in, that is, if you make no disturbance.

Good-by."

The door swung open and a moment later Coquenil saw a dim, white-clad figure among the shadows, and Alice, with beautiful, frightened eyes, staggered toward him. Then the door clanged shut and the sound of grating bolts was heard on the other side.

Alice and Coquenil were alone.

CHAPTER XXIX

THE LOST DOLLY

As Alice saw M. Paul she ran forward with a glad cry and clung to his arm.

"I've been _so_ frightened," she trembled. "The man said you wanted me and I came at once, but, in the automobile, I felt something was wrong and--you know _he_ is outside?" Her eyes widened anxiously.

"I know. Sit down here." He pointed to the table. "Does Pougeot know about this?"

She shook her head. "The man came for M. Pougeot first. I wasn't down at breakfast yet, so I don't know what he said, but they went off together.

I'm afraid it was a trick. Then about twenty minutes later the same man came back and said M. Pougeot was with you and that he had been sent to bring me to you. He showed me your ring and----"

"Yes, yes, I understand," interrupted Coquenil. "You are not to blame, only--G.o.d, what can I do?" He searched the shadows with a savage sense of helplessness.

"But it's all right, now, M. Paul," she said confidently, "I am with _you_."

Her look of perfect trust came to him with a stab of pain.

"My poor child," he muttered, peering about him, "I'm afraid we are--in trouble--but--wait a minute."

Taking the candle, Coquenil went through the arched opening into the larger chamber and made a hurried inspection. The room was about fifteen feet square and ten feet high, with everything of stone--walls, floor, and arched ceiling. Save for the pa.s.sage into the smaller room, there was no sign of an opening anywhere except two small square holes near the ceiling, probably ventilating shafts.

[Ill.u.s.tration:

A. Bag of shavings where Coquenil recovered consciousness in large underground chamber.

B. Table and two chairs in smaller chamber where de Heidelmann-Bruck was writing.

C C C C C C. Logs of wood piled around walls of two chambers.

D. Heavy iron door through which Alice was brought in.

E. Stone shelf above wood pile.

F. F. Opening through thick wall separating chambers, where Coquenil built a barricade of logs. Dotted lines 1-2, indicate curve of archway.

S. S. Section of wood pile torn down by Alice to make barricade.

X. The second barricade of logs.]

Around the four walls were logs piled evenly to the height of nearly six feet, and at the archway the pile ran straight through into the smaller room. The logs were in two-foot lengths, and as the archway was about four feet wide, the pa.s.sage between the two rooms was half blocked with wood.