THE RIDDLE OF WRAYE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20867, 8 May 1931, Page 18

THE RIDDLE OF WRAYE.

By JOHN LAURENCE: Author of " The Pursuing Shadow," " The Double Cross Inn," " Mystery Money," etc.

(COPTBIGUT.)

CH A PTER Xl.—(Con tin ucd). Ton'nison was sick v with fear, and it the saijjor who forced him . leavo tho houso quietly and I llowly, to make his way steadily through the undergrowth until it ,was certain they wcro out of sight and hearing of tho cottage. Daggs had no inj tention of letting Tonnison full into the hands of At tray,—yet,. 110 had suddenly become very suspicious "f I'arslow's clerk. fThe knowledge that a quarter of a million Was awaiting the finding had had its effect on Daggs as it had hacl on Tonnison. and !Attpy and And the result, as far as Tonnison was concerned, was not going to be pleasant-. Already, in fact, Tonnison was beginning to wish he had never seen Daggs when the latter had walked so unexpectedly into tho office the ilay after Parslow had left for Wniye. The grip of the sailor was menacing in its fierceness. While tho i\yj men were putting rs much space as possible between themselves and tho cot I age. At fray was thundering the door without obtaining any answer. Impatiently, at last, he turned to his companion. " Stay here,; .whilo I look round the back," ha ordered. " They can't havo bolted already.. They've taken down the fcotiee board." Ho found it As ho followed the. brick pathway round the cottage, the " To letfurnished " notice, dropped among the nhrubbery. As he gauged tho situation, Daggs and his/unknown companion had saken possession 7 without making any inquiries. It was A risk, of course, but they had got to tako a risk if they wanted pheltor in tho neighbourhood. But who JDaggs' companion was puzzled him. Ho lifted the latch of the back door and finding it yielded beneath his cautious push, opened it, warily, and stood; there listening. With a quick movement he was inside and his hand went. to his pocket us thero came a groan from the sittingloom. The door between the latter and the kitchen, was open, and tho moment lAttray looked through ho saw the figure <>f the lawyer on the floor, and knew at once that the house must bo empty. He flung open, the front door and admitted !his companion.

" Look through the place," he said Kharply. " Ydu won't find, anybody. They've half killed Parslow by the look of him." He knelt down beside the grpaning man. Parslow was beginning to make a painful iccovefy and ho began to gasp and splutter «s Attray forced brandy between his lips. !Attray propped him up with cushions against a chair. If il hadn't been that he thought Parslow might have some news jof Daggs' companion ho would have left iiim to recover / tho best way he could. The fact that Parslow had returned to the cottage, after apparently making his way to the Inn, made Attray certain that the lawyer was playing his usual and underhand games. " God, it hurts," groaned Parslow, putting his fingers to his tender jaw. " What made, you come back ? You asked for it." ''

" I thought, I'd better keep an eyo- on him until you appeared again," lied Parslow. *' I was - chatting to hirn when he hit rne without any warning. .Who's Hia eyes looked np as his ears caught ,/ "the sound of footsteps in the bedroom above. " Jim Holroyd, I went along to fetch him;- in case there was a rumpus. He's laving a look round. Who was Daggs' companion ?" His eyes \Vere watching the door closely. •There was no mistaking Tarslow's astonishment at the/question. " Hud he got somebody with him ? How do you know ?" " I don't, but I think he must have had somebody who knew the neighbour- ' "hood and knew this cottage was empty. I)agg3 hasn't tho brains—" Tho lawyer shook his head, and groaned again as the movement gavo him a twinge '<?! pain. "Daggs is not such a fool as you'd Relieve him to be. He was clever enough to fake a copy of Hcrrion's letter on us. I thought it was genuine when I saw it, but after that// idiotic at tack you' made on him he must -hayo put two and two together pretty' quickly." "I" wish (I'd killed him . now, instead of only winging him," growled Attray. / It was only 'k flesh wound. They're as hard as nails. / Well ?" .

Attray's companion had returned from his tour of the cottage. >' " Nobody about," lie reported. " Two beds have been slept in, and cups and paucers for two used." • Parslow staggered to his feet. " I'm really going back this time, to get .some breakfast. What's Lho time ? " " Just on eight." " Early birds this morning," said Parslow. "I'll call round later, after breakfast. We've got to work together. I expect ShelhvoodV been spreading the hews.'he chased' Daggs in tho middle of the night." 'i- ' " We've got tor get him before they do. I'll go and start things moving," replied Attray. " And there won't bo any mistake the second time," ho added savagely. Parslow wandeied slowly buck to the Inn. 'He was feeling thoroughly shaky, and his jaw hurt atrociously. It was not till after breakfast that he went out into the garden again, to find Temple Fortime and Martin deep in conversation. " Good morning, Parslow," greeted the former. " What have you been doing to your jaw ? " " You've got a nasty bruise' there," added Shell wood. " Very nasty." " 1 was walking across the fields last night," explained Parslow carefully. "And I came over tho bridge at the bottom of the garden. I had just climbed the stile when 1 was attacked find knocked out." " Did you seo who it was?" asked Fortune Parslow shook his head. I hadn't time. He was on me without warning. I wasn't expecting it." I'll give you something to rub on it," siid Martin. . " He got you right on tho point. Pity you didn't rccogniso hirn." F ran make a guess who it was." lie saw Marl in look quickly at his companion. 'I hero was no ohject, he reflected, in not, saying it was Daggs. After all, he had seen Martin chasing hirn, although Parslow had no intention of acknowledging thai fact. " Daggs," ho added. Again eamo'thnt quick glanco between Martin and Fortune. " Daggs," echoed tho Inlter. "We must get the local police on his track. What, time was it when you wero attacked ? " " About half-past eleven," replied Parslow.. ' I think I' 1 i \va.!k along and see the local police myself. Tho walk will do ino good." Tho man's a liar," remarked Martin, when tho lawyer was out of earshot. *' If I know anything about bruises, that's not much more than a couple of houjs old. It was made this morning. If he had got it last night it would have been morn discoloured." " I suppose it must havo been Tonnioon ?" " I doubt it.," replied Martin. " For cmft thing Tonnison didn't slrike. mo as the tvpo of /man to do it. mid 1 don't think he's got. the strength. Daggs could

A SPLENDIDLY TOLD STORY OF MYSTERY AND INTRIGUE. \

I have done it. In any case I think I gave Tonnison. a fright. I shouldn't bo sur- | prised if it was Daggs who hit me. Tonnison must have led mo straight to him'* | You've argued it out that he was most likely to havo been Tonnison's companion and I agree." " If he knocked Parslow out this morning, then Parslow saw him,"- said Temple Fortune thoughtfully. " I'd like to know where, very much, and what Parslow was doing out so early in the morning." Ho turned round as a small boy approached from , the direction of the inn. "Mr. Parslow?" ho asked, holding a letter. Temple Fortune held out his hand without speaking. " Hero's sixpence, sonrjy," he said, with a confiding, smile. " There's no answer, I suppose? Who gavo it to you ?" " Mr. Attray, sir," beamed tho youngster, touching his cap. " I don't like doing it, but I'm going to steam this open, Martin," said Fortune. "We shall have time before Parslow returns, and then wc can drop it on his table." " 1 haven't the slightest compunction," agreed Martin. jjl'lio kettle on tho boh in their private sitting room was boiling, and in a few minutes Temple Fortune had raised tho (lap of tho envelope. " Philips is in the neighbourhood," he read, and that was all. But it was sufficient. " Sorry they've found that out," said Temple Fortune, as ho fastened down the flap again. " But. a more important thing is that it. shows Parslow and Attray are working together. How's your head feeling " Oh, I'm all right now," replied Martin. " I couldn't have been knocked out more than five minutes or six minutes." " Suppose we all stroll along that road again," suggested tho lawyer. " May be we might pick up something which might bo useful." " What about warning Philips.*' The lawyer's eyes twinkled, " As a matter of fact I have arranged to meet hjm along that road at a furnished cottago which is to let. Philips has an order to view, and the keys. It will be a convenient place where we are not likely to be observed." " You mean that old cottage where the roof goes down to the ground on one side? I saw it yesterday and walked past it. Picturesque old place." " There are a good many picturesque old places in Sussex," observed Temple Fortune. " And most of them could tell a tale which would astonish the world, of love and hate, of murder and sudden death." „

" You're growing sentimental, Uncle." Temple Fortune was looking out of the .window, along tho road leading to the village. " Here come Faith and Hope and Stephen. I'm glad you like Faith, Martin." Martin went down tho stairs without replying, and met tho three on the open space before the Inn. " We're going to look over furnished cottages," he said gaily. " Uncle Temple has got tho keys of that quaint old cottage up the road." " We'll overtake you," said Stephen. " If you two like to go on ahead." " You didn't ask me if I were willing to go on ahead," said Faith a few minutes later,, as she and Martin turned out of sight of the inn. "If you hadn't been, I should have been very disappointed," replied Martin. " I don't often get the chance of being alono with you." " You'd soon get over wanting to be, if there were no one olso here. Men always want the thing they haven't got." " But I have got you alone at the moment, and I want us to go on being alone. I wish —" " If wishes were horses beggars would rido," she mocked. " I wish you were serious," protested Martin. Faith stood still and faced him. There was a smilo on her lips, but in her eyes ho did not read tho message for which he was eagerly looking. " Please, Dr. Sh'ellwood, I am serious, terribly serious. I want to think of nothing but my father, now we are so near to success, now that at last we are beginning to find out things, that at last even Undo 'J'emplo believes in his innocence. Does anything else matter besides my father?" I want to help—want to do everything I can," he urged. " But your father belongs to the past, and we belong to tho present and the future." "Isn't that a little unfair, Dr. Shellwood ? Wouldn't you want your father's "

She stopped quickly and the tears came to her eyes. After all, she could not blame him for wanting to forget the past. His father had been ruined by her father's action, and it was only natural Martin wanted to forget, wanted to look forward. " I f nm sorry, my dear." He took her hand, and she made no attempt to withdraw it. " I only want to seo you happy, my dear," ho continued. " You mean everything to me." Tho look in Faith's eyes softened. She withdrew her hand quickly as the others turned tho corner of the road.- " When wo havo found what I came hero for, perhaps—" She broko off, a slight flush on her clipoks, but. Martin felt there was no need for her to finish. That " perhaps " was enough to givo him the hope which made him go forward again with a lighter heart, and a fiercer determination that lie would personally move heaven and earth to prove the innocence of the father of the woman he loved. (To he continued daily.)