THE BUCK OWL.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 8, 11 January 1927, Page 16

THE BUCK OWL.

(3 y WILLIAM LE QTJETTX.)

CHAPTER VIII,

Pearsons demeanour, always characterised by intense seriousness and gravity, seemed more solemn than usual as he seated himself at Crawshaw's invitation. That astute reader of men fancied that there was also about him a veiled air of hostility, not to say resentment, at the detective's presence.

"A very terrible and tragic affair this, Mr. Pearson ? " were the opening words, spoken in a pleasant and conciliatory tone, with the view of putting the grave butler at his ease. The man answered in his rather deep voice. "It could not be more tragic, sir. It.has pearly killed poor Mrs. Winterton. If you will pardon me for saying so, Mr. Crawshaw, I rather regret your visit here to-day, for the effect it may have upon her. You see it re-opena ail [the miserable details just as I was hoping she was growing a little more composed." '"I am sorry if my asking a few harmless questions should produce such an unfavourable result," was Crawshaw's calm remark. "You think then she is recovering from the shock." "I certainly think she was. Time does soften a grief, Mr. Crawshaw, or how could any of us survive the troubles we have to go through? It is awful to think of the death of the poor girl, of course, but if my daughter had done what she did, I would rather think of her as dead than the victim of such a wretched marriage as that must have proved." "Are you a father that you speak so feelingly ? " "No, I have never married, but I can put myself in the place of a parent," was the prompt reply. "Quite so," said Crawshaw. "Well, Mr. Pearson, I shall not have to keep you long, my questions will be very few, and then my disturbing presence will be removed. I understand from Mr. Fraser that you have been many years in this ■service ? " "A great many years, sir." . "Mr. Fraser further tells me that Mrs. Winterton holds you in great esteem, and speaks in the highest terms of you. I suppose I may assume that you have a considerable regard for her?" There was a certain amount of warmth in the man's voice and manner as he

answered the question. "I have never served anybody with so much pleasure, I have never come across a lady in her station of life for whom I have a deeper j respect and admiration." I "It is pleasant to hear such a tribute, |und to know that there is appreciation on both sides," said the detective with a gravity equal to the butler's. "Did your regard extend to the daughter? " "Certainly, Mr. Crawshaw. She was a most charming young lady, of an open and sunny disposition, popular with everybody she met, high and low. I was greatly attached to her, if I may say so, in speaking of my employer's daughter." "Now, Mr. Pearson, I have questioned all the other servants with regard to any signs of intimacy between the young lady and Graves, and they all emphatically say they saw none. Are you prepared to give the same answer to that question ? " After a little hesitation, the butler •spoke.

"Frankly, no, Mr. Crawshaw. For nome little time I had a notion, I admit a somewhat indefinite one, that the relations between them were not - quite those of mistress and servant." "Now, will you kindly tell me, Mr. Pearson, on what particular action or J actions on their part did you found these suspicions which have not suggested themselves to the others ? " Again a long pause before Pearson epoke. "That is precisely what I cannot do, Mr. Crawshaw. In reality, I- sup- 1 pose 1 had next to nothing to go i upon, but I am a very observant man, and very often I have an intuitive sense of what is going on." The detective was quite prepared to admit that there was a really marvellous intuitive faculty in some people. He flattered himself that he possessed it himself in no small degree. "I can fully understand you, Mr. Pearson," Crawshaw said in a musing tone. "Women are very intuitive also, much more so than our sex. It seems strange , that what struck you, whatever it was, which you cannot actually define in words, should not strike any one of the women servants." "Pardon me, sir, but all the women servants in the house, the men, too, for the matter of that, are rather a stupid lot mentally. I picked them out for Mrs. VVinterton for their domestic qualities only, and in that respect I am bound to say they have given every satisfaction." j The butler spoke these words with an j obvious air of superiority, which was not lost upon his listener. Evidently Pearson thought himself a clever man and did not hesitate to suggest the fact. "Not a very brainy collection, certainly," assented the detective, in answer to the disparaging remark about the other members of the household. "But still even the most stupid of women are keen on the scent of a love affair. But let that pass. Well, Mr. Pearson, you had some suspicion, or intuition, call it what you will. Did it not strike you, as an old and attached servant, that it was your duty to warn Mrs. Winterton to get rid of this too attractive young man ? " j Pearson was quite ready with his answer. It was a very delicate situation. Mr. Crawshaw must remember the differ- | ence in their positions, he was, after all, only a servant. Moreover, he liad.nothing convincing to go upon. The young lady would, of course, have denied thel-e was j the slightest cause for suspicion, the mother would naturally have believed her own child, and bitterly resented his ill-judged interference in such a private j matter. Mr. Crawshaw nodded his head. "I! eee," he said in his quiet, suave j way. "You might have lost your job through Miss Winterton's influence I over her mother. Well, anyway, Mr. Pearson, you took what you considered! a prudent course, and kept your sus- j picione to yourself." - ' "Sometimes, I have blamed myself for j doing so," was the butler's remark, in! a tone of humility that the detective thought he was not prone to assume very often. "'lf I had spoken, I might as you say have lost my job, but that unhappy girl would probably not have been lying at the bottom of the sea now. My speaking might have nipped this wretched affair in the bud." "If she is lying at the bottom of the sea," remarked Crawshaw quietly. Pearson darted at him a surprised look. "But surely there can be no doubt of that, after the discovery of Grave's j coat by the fisherman?" "The wrecked car points to such a tragedy. But to a man of your acumen, Mr. Pearson, has not this point occurred to you? Why and how did Graves divest himself of that coaf? We know that on the night they set but, it was quite chilly and there was a cold wind. Under these circumstances, would he not be wearing this coat for warmth when, the car tumbled into the sea?" 1

"Yes, I have thought of that," answered the butler eagerly. "My explanation i« that in hie battle for life with the resistless waves, he managed to get it off somehow, a proceeding which, of course, would only prolong his agony. He had told somebody in the stables that lie had never learned to ewim-" Mr. Crawshaw did not pursue the subject. "Your theory may be perfectly correct," was all he said. The only other question he put to him was. had he seen the letter found in the chaffeur'3 room? He had not. If he had, would he have been in a position to corroborate Mrs. Winterton'e testimony that it was written by her daughter? He thought

he would. It was true lie had not seen ! much of Iris' handwriting, hut he was I well acquainted with it on the envelopes, I which she had addressed to her mother | during their brief separations from each | other. It was a quite distinctive hand, | he said. | t; Thanks, Mr. Pearson, that is all I i have to ask you. I should like you to ! come down to the police station, where I am now going to have a chat with mv old friend in charge there and have a look at the letter. I have no doubt Mrs. Winterton will spare you for the short time it will take " Mrs. Winterton readily gave her permission. Fraser bade her good-bye and drove with Crawsliaw and Pearson to the police station. Here for some ten minutes, the detective was closeted with his old friend; at the end of that time, the butler was called in and shown the letter, now crumpled and somewhat dirty. He scrutinised it very carefully, and declared it to be undoubtedly in Iris' handwriting, pointing out one or two things of a characteristic nature. After he had given his testimony Crawsliaw dismissed him, and in due course the two men journeyed back to London. The train was a crowded one, and there was no opportunity for discussion. On their stepping out on to the platform, Fraser put a few natural questions as to what opinions Crawshaw had formed, if any, but the detective's replies were quite non-committal. He alluded to two points he wished to clear up, but did not mention what the points were. One | was evidently the letter, by his request 1 that Fraser would send him a couple of , notes, at least, which he had received 1 from Iris. He did not mention that his provincial colleague had promised to send him a photographed copy. He was a man who was very chary of revealing either his intentions or his methods. But he never delayed in his conduct

of a case- Next day he called at tin house in Cadogan Place tenanted by the Mr. Akroyd who had given Graves a reference. The door wa-s opened by a smart-look-ing man servant who, in answer to his inquiry if Mr. Akroyd \va6 in, shook his head. "You've come to the wrong house, no Mr. Akroyd here," he said. "Mr. Dane is the tenant, has been for the last twelve years." Crawsliaw's usually alert expression grew more alert than ever at this information. He produced his professional card, and explained his errand, being quite sure of the number. "I have called on a little detective business. A man named Graves, a chauffeur, got employment with a lady I know by obtaining a reference from a Mr. Akroyd, who was represented to her 1 is the owner of this house-" j The smart young manservant began to ■

j see light. "I have it," he cried. "When : did this lady apply for a reference?" Crawshaw furnished him with the apj porximate date. The man who spoke j had been in Mr. Dane's' service over six 1 j years. At the time mentioned, a fellow ' I footman named Akroyd had been in the i house. "He wae a nice pleasant fellow in his ways, and as innocent looking as a lamb," ( explained the communicate young man. I "But he was a regular wrong 'tin, be- , longed to a gang of crooks. He was , caught in Mrs. Dane's bedroom stealing her jewellery, and given into custody. It was a clear case and he got a "tidy sentence. And now you mention the name, he had a pal named Graves and they were as thick as thieves. There was a portrait of him in Akroyds room, a well set-up, good looking chap. I took it away and keep it after he was arrested, for n particular reason, and put it along with other photos of mine. , I suppose you know the man by si<*ht, or would you like me to show it to yo*u?" Crawshaw never let an opportunity slip. He did not know the man by sight and would very much like to see the likeness. If the footman had no sentimental feelings with regard to it, he would like to buy that portrait at a •Vi.P rice - Tlle young man was quite willing, a ten-shilling note changed hands and the detective walked away with the souvenir in his pocket. Well, he had established something bv j his visit. The man Graves had obtained I a situation by a false reference, possiblv j nis former master, Lord Axniinster, had I been deceived in the same way. Also he I was the bosom friend of a convicted i crook. It was a fair inference that he | was a crook himself, and masqueraded ( as a chauffeur for ulterior purposes. I J A 6, received a photographic ! C <W ° f the letter found in Graves' room, identified by both her mother and Pearj son as being in the handwriting of Iris , This he sent together with the notes he j had received from Fraser, to an expert with a request for a speedy opinion. ,^, e received that opinion" verv quicklv with the result that he asked 'Fraser to come round to his-office about live that same afternoon. Fraser, of course, obeyed the summons I taking with him, Wroxall. in whose judcr-' ment and clear-headedness he had the j most perfect faith. "I told you on your first visit. Mr. 1' laser, that I never counselled a client to throw away his luonev on will-o'-tlie-wisps," said the detectiVc in his clear, uibane tones. "When I <rot back to London, I was not m,.. p whether I should | ad-use you to drop this matter, or pur®ue it fuither. 1 hat advice depended wWh re * ult " f c = ,tai » investigations which I proposed t.» make. The result is now before me. and I unhesitatingly recommend yon to r.o o:i." " J Fraser looked at Wroxall. and Wroxall looked at the u?tcctive. He had discovered something evident 1 v. He explained t.u them' first that the letter, in the decided opinion of the expert, was a forgery, and not a verv hITw rge , r \ U ;' at ' differences i kad been detected between it and the genuine ones not probably apparent to the , ordinary observer, but perfectly obvious to a trained eye. 1.. "?y th f ? ett . er r being left in his room, jit is a fair inference that he put it , there on purpose to be discovered. Had | it been genuine, he would have been more likely to destroy it, or put it in his pocket was Crawshaw's comment, i And yet her mother declared posi- ! w 'as in her daughter's hand- ; I remarked Wroxall. Quite so, and so did Pearson," was the ? n r S Z fir ;, " B " t my expert says particu- ; larly, that the difference might not be apparent to an untrained observer The ' general characteristics of the were no doubt skilfully imitated." e ' ■ V* r/ent on to tell them of his , visit to Cadogan Place, and what he had 1 the ° bli S in S and communicatne footman. Never too fond of let-

ting anybody into his methods of working, he did not mention that he had bought from this young man a portrait of Graves taken by a London photographer. He waited for everything to dovetail before he made. .p. full disclosure. What he told them fully established the fact that the man Graves was a quite questionable character, as the false reference alone proved. Wroxall also mentioned the fact that Graves had been introduced by Pearson, according to the statement of Mrs. Winterton.

"I have not overlooked that fact, Mr. Wroxall, or that you mentioned it in our previous interview," said Crawshaw quietly. "It may or may not have significance in the future. Well, gentlemen, am I to go further?" '"By all means," cried Fraser heartily, and his friend nodded his head in approval. | "I shall lose no time, you may be sure," were Crawshaw's parting words as tlie young man left, "but you may not hear from me for some little time. The moment any important development takes place, I will let you know at once." When they had gone, the detective went to the 'phone and rang up the address of a certain Bohemian club, the same club, in fact, to which Mr. Atwood, the American, had taken Fraser for an aperitif on a certain morning. "Is Mr. Marsden in the club, please. He is—will you ask him to come and speak to me —Crawshaw. Ah, Marsden, how are you? Can you be round at my office at ten to-morrow morning? Something quite after your own heart. You can—right oh! Good-bye." After this prompt action, Mr. Crawshaw sat down and thought deeplv over tlie strange happenings at C'lanstone. (To be continued dail\\)