THE CRIME AND THE CASKET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20384, 12 October 1929, Page 18 (Supplement)

THE CRIME AND THE CASKET.

BY JOHN IRONSIDE.

CHAPTER XVl.—(Continued.) Jordan entered, apologetically. " Beg pardon, sir. Miss Gregory's on the telephone. Says sh* knows you have ret rimed, and she must speak to you. ' Jerry flushed darkly through bis tan. Of all persons in the world he least desired t.o speak to waj Laura Gregory, remembering, as he did, her extraordinary conduct .when he last saw her. " Te'.l Miss Gregory I'm engaged Excuse me, sir," said freeman qukkty. " Why not let him hold the j line for half a minute, and then put the , cali through ?" i Jerry hesitated, for a second only, then j zipdded. "Ali right. Bo that, Jordan. In about ] ha'ii a minute. And—" he thought he ; interpreted aright the message conveyed by j Freeman's glance —" yoa iC ! next room, Jack ?" Gardner retreated, mystified but j obedient, and when the bell tinkled Jerry t took off the receiver and held it some two j inches from his ear. He could hear distinctly enough. So also could Mr. free-, man, who, .in the interval had said a few rapid words in an undertone. "Oh, Jerrv, you poor old thing. I nfc ,' 7 you had come," said Laura. ' e car, and felt I must ring up." He had never heard her speak so soitly, w'ith a queer little emotional ring tn ntr xoicfi, too. " I'm only down for an hour or to. How are you, Laura? "Oh, I'm fit. enough. There 3 never anything wrong with me. How are vou. And when shall I s*e yoa ? •' >fot at present. I don when 1 lhall be coming down again. He fDoke coldly, with studied courtesy ij.rwislv conscious the while ot that i other listener, whose presence Laura could not suspect; hating the situation, which he felt ' wasn't bur freeman had rushed him info it. There was; a curiously compelling force nbout the htt.e man. . . " Can't you come across now—just ur V few minutes? There's so much I want to «av to vou—naturally." He" hesitated, and, as Freeham touched his arm. glanced at him. The detective ehook bis head and Jerry took the cue. ".Cant possibly. Gardner s h* rc an " I've heaps of things to see to. e leave in an hour." , , ~ . Sho made an inarticulate sound, which might have been a smothered oath, then said aggrievedly: . , " Oh, very well. Fact is, you ye s„iU cot your back up about what I said that night, and that's very unjust. Jerry. For T, was right—horribly right, as you must confess now, if you're honest with yourself. And I'm perfectly heart-broken about it" all. Don't suppose you'll believe that, but it's true, all the same! Vre never felt anything so much in my lite as Rose's death. It was—awful. And she'd hate to think yon weren't friends with me. * Bufc it can't be helped. I suppose you It come round one of these days? That is n you want to know Rose's last messages, poor dear. And I'm not going to give them over the 'phone. They re too •acred!" " I'm Sony, Laura," he said curt!). V But I can't come round to-day." j "Has anvthing been heard of the i 'lvory box—that Rose kept her journal. 2n ? I suppose you know it stolen. J " Yes. I've just heard. I can't_ do j anvthing about it at there seems nothing to be done. , "Yoa sound pretty casual: I should have thought you'd have been fnghtiully j Upset—as I was. and am ! However, that 3 j that I Good-bye, Jerry. Sorry I interrupted your business. Suppers vou re on to Ilfracotnbe ? Just as well. ou may gut on the track of the casket there—ll too care to!" , * " I haven't the least idea what you re id riving at. I*aura. Good-bye," he said curtly, and replaced the receiver. " Now how the dickens did she know I was going to Ilfracombe?" he mutteied more to himself than to Freeman I didn't know mvself till a couple of hours *go t and nobody but Gardner knew it either. I haven't even told Jordan yet. "A chance shot." said Freeman, " Ladies often make 'em. and sometimes hit the mark. It wa3 verv pood of you, Mr. Hunter, to fall in with my whim. It may mean more than I can explain at the moment. I won't detain you now, but we'll have a quiet talk when you return to town." , , Jerry, frowning, embarrassed, perplexed, stood cogitating for a moment, then said abruptly: „ „ r i ' " Look here, Mr. Freeman. Re frank with me. I suppose you've met Alis3 Gregory 1" ~ " I have. More than once. ' " About the casket ?" " Certainly. What else should I h;r. e wanted to see her about?" . " Do you think she knows where it is. Or who took it?" . i ~ '' Freeman's kteady eyes were inscrutable. " I can't say anything more than I ha\e Hone, Mr. Hunter. Don't forget my adrice. Keep a clear mind, don't worrv or conjecture. And —await developments.

CHAPTER XVII. . HOLIDAYS,. " Expect we shall only find Mrs. Puddicomb3 and tottie. The others arc bound to be in church. That's one of the wife s rules, Sunday morning wet or line, all the year round. And quite light, J sa>, remarked slr. Gardner, as lie and Jerry neared their destination, alter a glorious rim from Exeter on the sunny August morning. "To the left here-new left Again—now to the ngnt, this side, thud house. And here we are. ' Jerry drew up before the comfortable old-fashioned house in Tom I ark Road, which the Gardners had rented furnished . for the month. But Nancy Gardner had broken her own rule for and now ran out to welcome her spouse and bis A^sturdily-built, bright-faced, charming liltle woman, whose fair head didn t rcac up to her big husband's shoulder. <Just bs high as my heart," Jack was wont to say, gallantly. He picked her up bodily in a bear-like , hug—after nearly sixteen years of married life theso two were still lovers^ set her down, and, laughing and biualnng, »he turned to . greet Jerry. " I am so glad Jack prevailed on you to como down with him, Mr. Hunter. We're having such a lovely time, as usual, in' this dear old place—" ~ " Always come here, you know, Jack interrupted. " Never missed a year, except in the war, of course—wnen I was ' over there ' inosL of the time. It was here, in jolly old 'Combe, the wife and I first met, and fell in love with each other at sight, eh, old —" He stopped abruptly, in obedience to her warning frown, wondering how lie d '"put his foot into it" now! Jerry saw and understood the conveyed signal. In some ways lie was as intuitive and as sensitive as a woman, and was quite aware of tha thought that bid flashed at once to Mrs. Gardner's mind. That her good man's ,naive allusion to their own happiness might hurt him, whose own marriage had been such & quiet, long-drawn-out tragedy. Cider or whiskv and soda, Mr. Hunf ter ? \ou mus.t Lc dying for a drink, , both of you," she continued quickly,'hospitably busying herself at the sideboard. :I- can t tell you how delighted we are to have you. The fry nearly went off their heads when they heard you were j, coming—" : l" But T'm not going to inflict myself onyoU' , s - Gardner!" he protested. Jvot for sleeping—wo literally haven.'t ft corner, so as soon as I got Jack ! s wire .yesterday Jessie ran along and gob rooms, ; tor you and your chauffeur, at the Runr i ea X e ; , Cireat lllck > for they are so * -Q i y< ? u can * ara S 6 thft «r there, put we re reckosigg oa having you

A FASCINATING STORY OF LOVE AND MYSTERY.

(COPYRIGHT.)

frere, except just for ' bed and breakfast '— jf you'll put up with our *ciambly ways!" • , " It's most awfully good of you, arid I'd love it, if you'll really let me be one of the familv," he laid iincercly. " You'll have to be that, for we can t attempt to pot on frills in holidav time, ®ven for the chief!" she declared, adding softly: " And we're really more glad than t can say to have you, Mr. Hunter. We never forget, Jack and I how you, and your father before you, have been, not only Jack s employers, but our beat friends," all these years. And now, wouldn't you and Jack like to go along and see your room ? ,Snd by the time vou get back dinner will be ready and Jessie and the kids home from church." " How are the youngster* and—Miss Graham ?" he asked. " Oh, the crowd are all right, bless 'em. And Jessie's much better. She was terribly run down when she came to U 3 —do wonder! As I daresay. Jacks told vou. But she »3 pretty well again. And "such a dear! We're just one big, happv family!" So*indeed they appeared when he and Gardner returned from the hotel. Betty and Bobby Graham launched themse'lvei joyously on him, the young Gardners, Norah, Keith, and Joij, the eldest—John Osborne Gardner, hence his sobriquet—greeted him with the shy deference due to their father's young " b033." They bad only seen him once or tw-ice in their lives, but had alwavs associated him with the sumptuous tovs and family bcx for the pantomime, with which he had never failed to " weigh in " every Christmas. Jessie stood a little apart, a tremulous smile on her lips, her hazel eyes dar» with emotion. How good it was to see him again. How much that was heart rending had happened since they parted, only a few months ago. that seemed like an absolute lifetime! At last he turned to her, took t-o.h her hands 33 he bad done that last morning, and looked down at, her. " How can I ever find words to tjiank you for ail you "ere to her," he said in a voice that reached her ears only. And for the moment that was all. Jerrv did not return to town on Tue.v day with his conscientious manager. There was no reason why he should, so J far as the business was concerned. The firm of Hunter and Son was nourishing exceedingly, arid this last visit to South America, although it had terminated prematurely, had resulted tn fre-h contracts that would bring a good deal of extra grist to the mill for some vears to come. Moreover, practically the whole of the staff had now returned from their annual holidays, and Jerry insisted that his invaluable manager should put his next. ;n command in charge and return f"r two or three weeks—till the time came foi the voungsters to go back to school. An extension of tenancy for the home in Torrs Park was easily arranged. He fixed that up' himself, and at his own expense, as soon as he decided to remain and enjoy the first real holiday he had indulged in for years. He had n r ve. been so happy in his life before, not even during his wonderful honeymoon with Rose, although that had been invested with'all the glamour surrounding the fulfilment of a first and fervent passion. They had gone on a long continental i tour, staying at one luxurious hotel after i another, and. as Rose enjoyed it all thor- ! oughlv, so did The orny thing in ; the world that mattered then was that ' she was beside him. I But ordinarily he loathed hotel lite: (wanted nothing* better than to he one ot I a big familv, as he never had been. He delighted in the simple, happy-go-Juckv holiday housenold of the in which he speedily took his place j and his share of vrhat Utile Mrs. Gardner termed " the chores "—as to the manner born. , There was plerfty to do, for the only servants were good Mrs. Puddicombe, the cook who was "taken over" with the house, and their own little maid, Lottie, whose duties were made as light as possible by everyone else lending a hand in one way or another. Jerrv himself manifested such a remarkable talent for selecting and packing picnic iare, that he was speedily elsctcd " M.C.—Master of the Commissariat." and wonderful repast 3 he produced for the dailv expeditions, sometimes afloat, in the "big motor-boat he chartered, more often through the glorious country,, far and wide, m the two cars, his own big one, and the Gardners' shaboy and beloved small one, returning home, tired, happy, to a late supper, and so to bed, and to such sound, dreamless sleep as he had not had for years. He was a changed creature, who seemed to have regained his lost youth in these long and lovely and crowded days, when he was nearly always in Jessie Graham s company. Seldom alone, never for more than a few minutes, till one evening when, after supper, they all went along to the Capstone, and presently they two found themselves on a secluded old scat apart from the crowd. fhey sat there, watching the stars come out and the lights at sea as darkness fell, the brilliant beams of the Bull Light, the recurrent twinkle from far-off Lundy. They talked long and earnestly that night, not of themselves but of Rose, the first opportunity they had yet had to do so. She seemed very near to them both. They spoke of the missing casket also. He himself referred to it first. He had not forgotten Freeman's warning, but it never occucred to him that it applied to Jessie. The idea would ha\e been too preposterous. " It is the strangest thing of all." she said " You know, I simply couldn't believe at first that it had gone. And the curious thing 13 that I can't remember distinctly when I saw it last. [ suppose one doesn't notice things that arc always there, or supposed to be there, especially when one is—upset, and so terribly anxious. Those few days seem to rne—and always will, as they "did at the time—like a dreadful dream," in which everything was vague, except the dear brave darling. She was so brave, Mr. Hunter, and so patient and sweet, thinking of everyone except herself. Thinking of you—far iwav—most of all." I "I know," he said softly. Arid a little silence feli between them. > " It seems so strange that you haven t had, and perhaps never will hare now, her last message to you, written with her own weak hands! Who can have taken the casket, Mr. Hunter ?" . < "Heaven knows! But T am convinced | it will be found some day." ' " Until it is, Lady Ryder, at least, will always believe I took it, she said gravely. . He turned to her quickly. "You! Maud Ryder dared say that? What insufferable .insolence!" "It was natural, perhaps, for. after all; she knew very little about me, and that little she didn't like. I don't know vrhv, and I'ui afraid I don t care. I have scarcely spoken to her, and she seemed only like one of tlio weird shadows in that bad" dream,.even when she accused me, point-blank, of stealing tlio casket. I can remember that, but I can't remember what I said—or anything else, definitely, until my head really became clear again. And then I was ut ■ Goldcr's Green with dear Mrs. Gardner.' He inado no rejoinder, for a shout from behind juintiotK.'cd tlic arrival of " the gang"—Bobby and Betty and ,t!ie three young Gardners, who swarniod round them, vociferating that, they had been looking for them every where, and Mom said it was high timo for homo and bedibyes. (To lie continued daily.)