THE ORANGE TAXI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20642, 14 August 1930, Page 18

THE ORANGE TAXI.

BY C. D. LESLIE/

(COPYRIGHT.)

, ,CHAPTER lll.—Continued. Who was - the last person to 6ee Mr. [Oldham here?" " Hicks. The office boy." Farr pressed a button, and tho shock-headed boy entered. Hall surveyed tho lad, a gawky youth of fifteen, growing out of his clothes, and Bpoke slowly and authoritatively^ " I hear, my lad, you were the last person/in this office to seo Mr. Oldham yesterday." " Yes, sir." Hicks strove hard to speak nonchalantly, but was really thrilling with eecret emotion. This was the greatest moment of his life. He was being interrogated ,by a real Scotland Yard detective about 'a murder mystery! The real tragedy jvas iio had so little to tell. " It was at six-three," ho began in a singing voice, " the rest of the staff having gone, and mo having sealed _the letters, •I knocks at Mr. Oldham's door and puts my 'ed—head, in. He was at his desk where jilr. Farr is now, reading a dockyjncnt. I couldn't say what." " 'Anything further for the post, sir ?' I asks. V " ' Nothing, Hicks,* he answers, ' you lean go. Good-night!' "And 1 says, 'Good-night, sir!' and closes the door and goes, and that's all," concluded Hicks, sadly. If he had only known! If only tho boss had prolonged the interview, said something mysterious and illuminating. But Mr. Oldham had uttered nothing more, and Hicks had been enly too thankful to escape.. j;;"Is there any way of finding out what time he left, and if he had any visitors lifter six?".asked the detective of Farr. ;" I'll ask Taylor, sir," volunteered Hicks, "'e's caretaker, sleeps in the building, and is always wandering about it." , Receiving a nod of permission, he hurried from the room with all the enthusiasm pf an amateur sleuth. "Does Mr. Oldham use a fountain pen?" suddenly inquired Hall. " I've never known him to—in fact, I'm eure he doesn't possess one." "This bunch of keys was found on him." Farr took them in'his hands and picked tout two keys. - . . " These unlock his private drawer and Private cash-box, kept in tho office safe, he latter I know contains his will, I am » witness, but not a trustee." " What are the contents of the will ? " " With the exception of an annuity of A hundred and fifty a year for his daughter, everything goes to his wife for life, and on her death to the three grandchildren in equal proportions. The moneyis strictly, tied up; two old .friends, both lawyers, are trustees. • Mrs. Oldham cannot touch ■ her capital or spend a penny .beyond her income, even the grandchildren on attaining the age of twentyone do not get uncontrolled possession. A regular lawyer's will," concluded Mr.' Farr, with a laugh. " Shall I see if it's in the cash-box?" A few minutes later the two men had examined the contents of both cash-box and drawer, withput finding anything of importance, except tho will. Hicks came back to say that he had interviewed Taylor, and that functionary had not seen Mr. Oldham leave the previous evening. He was dismissed, and Hall, plainly chagrined at his failure to find any light on the murder, was standing in the" middle of the room contemplating on the next step, .when Farr, who had been examining the stubs of Mr Oldham's private cheque-book, looked up and oaid: "There's one thing I'd like to know, but honestly*; I'm afraid it's just curiosity; it's unlikely to have anything to do with the murder, but X would like to know .why Mr. Oldham paid out two sums. of one hundred pounds to Constantino Lucas in the last three weeks. The first, exactly , three weeks ago, the second two weeks later.",' " Who is Constantino Lucas? There were several men in the Yard who eould have told Hall, but he had never heard of the man. "His name is English enough, but his forebears hail from the. Levant. Miss. Sark knows him. He has a bad reputation jn the West End, so I've heard." Inspector Hall wrote down the name. '/1 wonder," murmured Farr tentatively, " if I might throw out a suggestion? You asked me just, now if I thought Mr. Oldham was going to see Miss Sark and I'replied that you know better' than I because in that case he ■would most likely be .carrying some documents relating to her affairs. It appears there were none. It's come into my mind that Harold Binney lives in Down Street and anyone walking, say from Piccadilly Circus to Down Street, would pass by Birkenhead Mansions." While speaking he had been hunting through a heap of letters and now passed one over, to the detective.. It was very short. ' Pear . Mr. Oldham, I must have five hundred of the best by the end of the week. Raiso it, will you ? —And oblige, . „ ~ Harold Binney. "*That young man," .explained Farr, *>came in for slightly under ten thousand Sounds on his father's death ago; e's earning nothing, and he's already ppent nearly four thousand. Old Mr. Binney was a friend of Mr. Oldham s, and I know the letter, which arrived yesterday morning, distressed him. It's more than possible he went to remonstrate with the : .writer." -f • • < " Just running -through his - patrimony? " queried the detective, noting the address. ' Farr nodded. , j . . " Y§s, and as the money is entirely at his disposal, Mr. Oldham .could not stop liim. ' r - *»*• * * A "*V On the following evening Hall had a «hat with his immediate chief at Scotland [Yard. *' H'm," said that gentleman, after listening to his subordinate's report, "this isn't going to be an easy case; nothing to go on. Stay, I'm wrong. There's a fellow below with important information to disclose. He's been detained till you returned. I gather he's no stranger here. fThe name of the man is Solly Kite. Do you, know him? " " Quite well, sir. A street loafer, I believe he holds a pedlar's licence. He has occasionally been useful to us, but he's not a man whose uncorroborated evidence can be taken." A newcomer entered the room. "Well, Terry?" interrogated Sir Bertff am. , . T " This is the photograph, sir, Inspector Hall has been asking for. We know him well," the speaker went on, adrlressintr the detective. " He's kept out of our hands so far, chieflv because he's been lucky." " Suspecte'd of blackmailing ? " queried Hall; , " And card-sharping,' replied the other. «* A- very good-looking fellow,, commented Sir' Bertram, examining the photo•grnpli. He scanned the.brief biography of Mr. Lucas, recorded on the back. "On friendly- terms with Miss Sark." he read aloud; " Why then, the' case is as clear as mud! This man, Oldham, starts to call on Miss Sark, to remonstrate with her, on her friendship with Lucas, and the aforesaid Lucas lures him into tho empty cab in front of Birkenhead Mansions • and strangles him. Shall I sign a warrant for his arrest? " Hall, knowing his chief's sardonic humour, merely smiled and iose, "If vou'll .excuse me, sir, T'll go and see Solly Kite." " Sit down, Hall, sit down. Terry, fetch Kite up here. I should like to hear what he has to say. This case is interesting m p.') "Will you interrogate the man. sir?" " No, no, Hall. I am merely the one faho looks on:" The speaker lit a cigarette and leaned {b»>k in his chajr. Kite was a weedv, middle-aeed, down-at-sg heels -wastrel. Modern civilisation is rewonsible for men like him being alive to- - j an 4 degenerates such as off young in hardier ages. He ' E£y c Tor b Hai f ° relOCk 16 Bei ' tram

A SPLENDID SERIAL OF ROMANCE, LOVE AND MYSTERY.

" Well, Solly," began the detective, *'l hear you' have some information to give us about the murder of Mr. Oldham. " That's right,' Inspector, I 'ave. I understand you wants to know if e was seen walking with anybody near Birkenhead Mansions between 11-5 and 11-50 on the night of tho murder." . The detective, keenly watching the speaker's face, nodded. " I was going East along Oswald Street ,'bout 11-15 'that- night when I passes two gents walkin' west, which 'ud takepast Birkenhead Mansions. One of em was Mr. Oldham. I've been and seen im in the mortuary. I'll swear to 'im." The speaker paused impressively. " And the other man ?." , . . " 'E was a young man, togged up, evening clothes. A touch of furriner about 'im." " , Sir Bertram, leaning forward, passed Hall the photograph, and the detective handed it on to Kite. " Yus, that's 'im," declared that gentleman. after a scrutiny, "yus, I'll swear to 'im!" "The trouble," as Inspector Hall pointed out to his Chief after Kite had been removed, " is that he's the type of man who will swear to anything. But it is a coincidence, I grant." • " Didn't you find anything in the cab ? Hall smiled, and drew his chair closer to the desk. "As a matter of fact, sir, I did. On the floor. But not a helpful He laid a fountain pen before his Chief. " What's this ? " 'Lion,' a new make, poor finish." ' . <• " But fine value for a shilling, sir, the only self-filling fountain pen sold at that price. Every office boy is buying one. Mr. Oldham does not use a fountain pen', and if he did he would certainly never carry this. I suggest it fell out of the murderer's pocket." ' - "It might have been dropped bv a previous fare, though certainly people who ride in taxi-cabs don't usually carry shilling fountain pens. Who was tho previous fare before Miss Sark ? "T don't know, sir." ."But why haven't you—oh, 1 forgot, the cahman, Smith has disappeared, Why ? " "I know about Smith's disappearance, sir," confidentially returned tho detective. CHAPTER IV. JIBS. WALrOLE GETS X SURPRISE. "Smith," proceeded Inspector Hall, " has run away from his wife, a woman much older than himself, whom he was tempted to marry for her money..' And now he's run away again to avoid being traced by her." . . The sub-commissioner was examining the .fountain" pen. " You say that every office boy has one of these ? Is there an office boy in Oldham's office ?" " There is, sir, but he's only 15; and physically incapable of strangling his master, even- if he felt inclined to. This murder was a man's work." " The owner was tempted to carve his initials on the pen," the chief pointed out. "What d'you make of .them?'. " I couldn't make anything of them, "/The other laughed. " Neither _can I; these scratches might mean anything; indeed to' call them initials is begging the question." , "Herbert Hicks is the office bovj the two clerks are Groombridge and Lord, there's a lady typist, Miss Adams, and there's Mr. Philip Farr." "Mr. Farr, the inspector went on, "If you'll excuse a pun, sir, I think, will go far. He s a sort of a young man who gets on in life; he 'earned his partnership by sheer hard work. He lives in Hendon, plays tennis in his spare time, supports his mother in the country. It's doubtful if he 11 benefit by the elimination of his principal. Mr. Oldham's trustees are both lawyers, and quite capable of carrying on the business. Both and . Lord are highly respectable men; in fact Ive decided I must look beyond the office for the murderer." He rose. " That's all I have to report, sir. Any instructions ?',: • . ■ "None, Hall; carry on as you think fit. .Oh, one moment. Have you seen the .widow ?" ' "No, sir. I've been down to JUtnam: but I couldn't see her; I've talked to the servants, local shopmen, neighbours. Gathered nothing helpful." "See the widow," ordered the subCommissioner. ' Hall did. He saw the- widow. He called on Harold Binney. He visited the chambers Mr. Lucas occupied in town but he had gone to the seaside. He did some , hard spade work with reference to the murder, but nothing spectacular or of a nature to lead to a clue was ■ discovered by him. Some days later he got a mild shock, and'in consequence of it imitated Mrs. Walpole in going to Baddmgton and taking a ticket for Penrode. But let us first follow the lady. A few years ago Penrode was nothing but a hamlet' near the sea, on a typical stretch of Cornish beach. .It occurred to an enterprising speculator to build a Dig,, first-class hotel there; trust to advertising to bring people to it, and try modei - ate charges and making his guests comfortable to induce them, after coming once, to come again. In this ha succeeded; the place was always more or less full'; and already its prices were rising and old habitues were saying that the hotel wasn't so good as it had been. ,The one train' of' the day from London brings hotel visitors to the Royal just in time for dinner, if they hurry; but Mrs. Walpole did not show herself in public that night. She dined in her room, and, later, listened to hotel gossip gathered by her maid,, a woman with .a valuable gift -for' picking up personal information regarding fellow guests. Yes Sir' Arthur Sefton was one of the latest'arrivals at tho hotel. So his cousin, Miss Sark, over whom Lady Maitland was supposed to exercise a nominal chaperonage; her ladyship was leader of tho principal clique formed among guests, and Miss Sark and her cousin were the bright particular stars in that set. Already Sir Arthur ,had made himself very popular; it was his custom every .morning to bo rowed a mile out to sea and swim ashore. He played a good came of tennis; and in the afternoons took his cousin out in his sports twoseater. Mr. Lucas was also staying at the hotel, but he was'not so keen on out-door-sports. He loafed a. good .deal on the ylerraco in front of the hotel, and played billiards; on the previous night a eentleman, hitherto the local champion, had been just beaten'in a ding-dong game by Lucas and lost five pounds. i On the following day, just before lunch, Arthur Sefton, returning from the tennis courts to the hotel, received such a smile and-bow from a lady ho encountered that perforce he halted. " How do you do," she cooed, and then reproachfully, "now don't say you ve already forgotten me?" ' • The young .man smiled on her and hesitated. He had just recognised her, and couldn't on tho spur of the moment decide what to do. tl _, "Am I at. fault?" lie asked Lm Arthur fcefton, and I m afraid I can t re-call-you. I don't:think we've ever met Standing face to face with him in full daylieht, any doubt Mrs. Walpole had ever "felt as to his identity vanished. '"lt's true you've risen in since we last met," she told him, but I think it's.very ungrateful of you to torget. mc so soon. I always tipped you well." (To be continued daily.)