THE BLUE DAFFODIL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 172, 4 May 1936, Page 7

THE BLUE DAFFODIL.

Serial Story

(By Fred M. White.)

I Copyright ♦♦

CHAPTER XXIII All the same Medway zled as his face showed, and Bientto rather enjoyed his , id << T us eo a step furthei, he saia. “Oblige me by placing those bamboo pS on the IJ about fifteen ™g« nnirt keeping them quite paiallei. Ye“y’gS Turn them over so that the notched sides are uppermost. “And the nest move, please, Meu W From corner of the room Brent, ford produced a handful of shoi P ie of rope some fifteen inches in length and tightly knotted at both-ends. “Now then,” he said. Let us h these short ropes into the slots on either of the two poles.” This Brentford proceeded to do. Once the work was ended he turned to Medwav with a smile. “What have we there?” he asked. “Well, I suppose we might call it a sort of a ladder,” Medway replied. “But where does that get us. “Quite a long way as you will see later on. What do you think that contraption weighs altogether?” . ' Medway balanced the improvised ladder in his hand. ~ , , “Not more than six pounds, he declared. . .. “Very well, then; something quite easy to carry' about and not likely to attract much attention. A man might walk along the street carrying one of these poles under his arm without being suspected of anything sinister. It he carried the poles one at a time the most inquisitive policeman would never dream that mischief was afoot. that is just what our man did, knowing that in the rains of the fire and behind the hoarding he could hide his stock-in-trade with perfect safety. The mistake he made was in leaving those useful implements more or less hidden in the ruins of that building. You have told me more than once that every criminal however clever, always commits some act that leads eventually to his conviction. And that is precisely what the man we are after did.” “Quite logical,” Medway murmured. “Go on.” “Cela! When our man had finished with his implement, he just took it to pieces and thrust the poles into that mass of ruins never dreaming that a mere amateur like me would have the right inspiration. The odds were a million to one against it, but for once the odds came off. I venture to prophesy' r >> Brentford broke off as Gunter appeared with the information that Miss Goff had arrived, and was in the flat. “Ah, now we can get on!” Brentford exclaimed. Vera raised her eyebrows as the two men entered the flat. “Why what on earth have you got there, Ronnie,” she asked as she noted the ladder. “Has anything happened?” “A great deal, darling, Ronnie said gravely. “We are hot on the trail of the criminal who murdered Mr Garnstone. But let me make you wise as to recent events.” Briefly Brentford told Vera exactly what he had just disclosed to Medway. Then he took the bamboo ladder and propped it against the sitting-room window that looked down into the dark way some 30 feet below. “Now, Medway,” he directed, “open that window. Then lean out and attach the hooks of the ladder on to the iron guttering that forms the rain spouting. By the way, I had to buy the missing hook, though you can see where the original one was screwed into the top of the first pole we found. But that is a mere detail. Now, please.” Medway was only too eager to obey. The ladder was hooked to the spouting where it held firmly. “Give it a hearty pull,” Brentford directed. “Then tell me if it will support a man.” Medway was quite sure it would. Also he was quite sure now what Brentford was driving at. “Well, there you are,” the latter said. “Now you know how the murderer entered the fiat. By means of the hooks on the ladder lie contrived to reach the roof on the ruin using those practically-intact fire-places as resting places. Then he climbed oyer the roof next door, and lowered himself by means of that light ladder until he was exactly in front of this side window. Nobody could possibly see him owing to the darkness of the alley and the fact that he was perched 30 feet above the ground. A thin-bladed knife opened the window which was rer latched later on by a fine, pliable wire worked round the catch.” “And then what happened?” Vera EiSkcd • “Who can tell exactly?” Brentford declared.. “Goodness only knows what the criminal came for, but I strongly suspect that the gold cup was the lure. I am the more convinced of this because there was nothing else in the safe when it came to be opened. Anyhow, the murderer came and went by the way of that ladder taking it with him and smothering the two poles in masses of charred ruins. That was his great mistake.” “The inevitable mistake,” Medway agreed. “Who would ever dream that an outsider would solve the problem which had so puzzled the brains of Scotland Yard?” “But how did you arrive at such a conclusion, Ronnie?” Vera asked. “And how clever of you!” “Not very clever,” Brentford said modestly. “It was a pure fluke. To begin with I began to wonder if it were just possible for anyone to reach the flat by means of the roof. So I decided to study my theory from the potential field of action. By that I mean those ruins. I could potter about there as much as I liked without interference or arousing curiosity. The first thing to encourage me lay in those fire-places. I could visualise a man of muscle using them to reach the roof next door provided he had a sort of ladder with hooks at the upper end like those used by the fire

brigade. It would have to he a very light ladder so that the criminalL could play about with it, reach the .top storey, and thence on to our neig - bour’s roof. The rest, of couise, would Too child s pluy. . , j “My first bit of luck lay m the finding of the initial pole. Now what was this doing in a mass of charted timbers where, bad it been theie the fire broke out, it wouid have been burnt like tinder amidst the flames. But it wasn’t. The pole was as fresh and glossy as if it had just come from a carpenter’s shop. When I saw those notches it was patent to me that I had one side of the necessary ladder in my possession. But, seek as wou , could not find the counterpart. Our friend Medway did that for me, after which the rest was easy. “What it to happen now? veia asked She turned to Medway as she

SP “We have ai long way to go yet,” he said. “We have a most clever criminal to deal with, though, like most of Ins class, he is inclined to he careless. When he left the flat in the same manner by which he came, it seemed to him that he had nothing more to trouble about in that direction. So lie merely dismantled his ladder and shoved the poles into the pile of ruin ■ Nobody would ever be likely to find them there, and even it workmentU so afterwards, the poles wouM only b carted away with other rubbish. But we know now exactly liow the murder er managed to enter the flat when n body was there but the owner, and that without disturbing Gunter down m t basement.” . » “Then there is very little gained, Vera sighed. , ~ “Oh, I wouldn’t go as far as that, Medway declared. “It is all to xhe good that we know how the crime was committed A few days and perIt was not until Medway and Brentford were away together that the former began to speak more freely. “I hope I didn’t seem to belittle your work unduly,” he said. On the contrary, you have done the state some service, and the state is not likely to forget it. Sir Giles Fairchild will know how to appreciate your woi k. But I didn’t like to discuss the crime before that young lady. As a matter of fact I have more than a. suspicion. Strangely enough, so have I, Brentford said drily. _ .> 11 . “So I more than suspected. But there is no occasion to mention names. Best keep those to ourselves.” “Then you don’t propose to take action yet?” , “Not for a day or two at any rate. But there is one thing I may mention —relying on your discretion and tarn is the strange similarity between the way both Mr Garnstone and Levi Betton were done to death. Stabbed m the same heart region with a blow struck upwards by a tkm-bladed km e of the stiletto type. Just tre sort of knife that would fit into the sheath which is now in my possession. “In other words, a double murdei. “Looks to me like it,” Medway said “But we shall know more about tliax when those adjourned inquests are held We are having these kept back for a purpose. Now another phase ot the cases. Isn’t it strange how the affair of the Blue Daffodil keeps cropping up all through the drama,? ihe gold cup Tanberg claims as Ins own, though Lord Glenday has proved by ins private mark that he bought the cup in Amsterdam. Then the cup is stolen from his lordship’s house in Park Street, and when Miss Goff or Miss Zaroff sees it she says it was stolen from her parents. Then again, we have the Blue Daffodil flower itself purloined by Gunter in order to raise money for a person who is blackmailing “A bewildering business altogether,”

Brentford agreed. “Yes, and then there happens tlie murder of Levi Lefton to complicate matters still further. He was killed almost in my sight by a man who barely escaped detection, leaving behind him the sheath of a knife which has a Blue Daffodil design on it—a sheath which also once belonged to the Zaroff s.” . . “And here we come jn du-oc.t contact with Tanberg who was once in the Zaroff employ. Don’t you think lie could tell us a whole lot if he could he induced to speak?” “I’m absolutely sure of it,” Medway declared. “We may find it possible to make him speak.” “You don’t think he has fled the country, then?” “I am absolutely sure he hasn’t. Nor has he gone off with all the loot stolen from Lord Glenday. At the present moment the man is closely watched by the Paris police, and every move lie makes will be reported to me. Besides, he is not going to relinquish his claim on the gold cup so easily. Give him all the rope he wants, I say. Now is there anything more you want to know, or alternately can you give me another pointer?” Brentford smiled as if something amused him. “Just one little thing,” he said. “I propose to take a taxi as far as Wapping. Off Nightingale Lane, you know. The place where I kept watch. Like to come along?” A sudden light flashed into Medway’s eyes. “Rather!” he cried. “I shall forget my own name next.” (To be Continued.)