THE SPOTTED OUNCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20961, 26 August 1931, Page 17

THE SPOTTED OUNCE.

By JOHN H. VAHEY.

(COPYRIGHT.)

CHAPTER XVII. " I have wired to my man, calling him eft that job at Croydon," Hast told Carey, as they sat smoking- their cigars after dinner that evening'. " I want him at Bins ley > v 'k er <3 can watch Eugene gmith—Mrs. Ralph will stay put, as long a3 , she has to keep in touch with the Public Trustee." I " I suppose so," said Mounsey slowly. f Bui I'm hanged if she looked the kind c f woman to be in a dirty job like this. Have you still got an idea that they may have faked someone to resemble George Kotfeson V "I am not so sure of that now," said Hast, " though it could be clone. If there js a conspiracy, as we suspect, then it xnay have taken years to work." " Would any crook give years to it, Hast ?"

" Well, they may spend a year engineerins a robbery that, would bring in five thousand of less. But here the stakes are ready" big. Ten years would be well spent, if thev found such a fortune at the er.d of it- /

.'Mounsey had not. thought of that. "Yes, of course. But what about the toe. and the on the shin ?"

Hast smiled. "If they got hold of a man resembling RaUeson irx other particulars, the promise of a big share might l/au to that. Take an actual case—a man some years ago, who wanted to get one leg'cut off on the railway, to get compensation. He lost both, as it happened, and then someone saw him. He got uo compensation. but went to jail. Then there was a case I investigated, where a fellow actually cut off two joint* of a finger to 'prove that he was not the author of a forgery. He had forged the signature a year before, kept it in and nearly got oft- They might get a man to agree to have a toe broken, and gash his shin with an axe, if they knew these peculiarities were on Rolleson." "By Jove! There may be something in it." "Or there may not. It doesn't matter much how it was worked (even if Ralph was Rolleson) if f can fix the murder on 31n>. Ralph befor'e the claim is admitted by you." , Mounsey laid down his cigar, and looked uncomfortably at his guest. " 1 suppose you have tu look at lhe.se cases from than angle," he safd. '* I can't say that I like the idea of scoring by getting that hanged." Hast looked slightly impatient. " Even if she murdered her husband, or had him murdered for gain ''No. I don't Amean that. 1 can't believe she did it.' " Lf not, then no one can harm her. Look here, sir. I want you to tell me what fresh evidence has been put before you by rbe Public Trustee's people. I understand there/was something fresh." Mounsey nodded, and put down his cigar. jT Yes, there was/. They have been making very extensive inquiries in Africa, but drew blank at most of the ports. The ether day they struck oil at Beira. In other words the Portuguese there say a man calling himself Roberts lived there for six months. 'He carae down from the interior, and set up as a trader. That was eight months after Rolleson was reported dead up the Limpopo." " He might have taken about that, time to get to Beira./Go on." Mounsey lighted another cigar, and passed the box. The Portuguese, though they are our eldest allies, and rather proud of it. are not above -a bit of jealousy .wfien it comes to their colonies, T understand. They don't care for too hot competition from foreigners on their own ter- j ritorv. In other' words, they make j trouble at times for people who start, trading there, like Roberts. He was not there very long before they accused him or the breach of some petty by-law. They couldn't bring it? home to him sufficiently to stick him in jail, tut he knew they meant to shunt him, and said he would go while the going was good." .' So he left Beira?" "He left Beira in an American tramp *fearner that was going to the Phillip(nes, the s.s. John P. Sommer. Our energetic friend the Public Trustee discovered thai the steamer belonged to the U.S. Statesman Line. She was still going strong, and under the same skipper. They cabled, heard the boat was loading •at Seattle, and promptly had the skipper interviewed by an American lawyer. Whep was that ?" " Last Friday. Re said he remembered * one-eyed passenger taking the trip with him to" Manila. "He said the man was called Roberts. Proof had already been obtained in Beira that Roberts had one eye. They remembered it particularly because the eye had not !ong been knocked out when he first arrived there, and once c>r twice he went to a local Dr. I erreiro J Scout it."

" How did ho say ho had got it ?" " Poked out by a Swahili lie had bad a scrap with, so he told the doctor. But, anyway, Hast, we see that he was on Jiis way in the direction of America after George Roileson's supposed death. ' "That seems ciear enough." replied Hast, thoughtfully. " I am beginning to think the real Simon Pure did die here, but, with this new evidence, I think I can put a spoke in the wheel of the conspiracy—l meaii the evidence aoout this cheque." Mounsey rose restlessly. " By all means. I'll back you up, and explain matters to my wife. But let's go and play billiards. M'e can't settle any more to-night. Oil the following morning. Hast went cfi to Bnngley. He made some inquiries 'there, and discovered that lingerie Smith, the bookmaker, was in local sport, and president of the cricket ciub. A run round the photographers chops save him what he wanted, a large photograph of Eugene Smith, presenting a silver shield to the winners of the Bingley District/Cricket League. He went in and bought two copies; ."from which later on he cut out the figure ct the bookmaker. Then he visited the local police station, and made further inquiries. But here he found Eugene Smith had a good character and an unassailable reputation. He had already told Thomas in wire to str/y at a little hotel called The Roval, and left a note there to explain what he wanted done. It was to be handed to Thomas when he arrived. t From inglev he returned hastily to •town, and had/ a second interview with Inspector Fane. Fane good-naturedly gave .him a note to the "superintendent of police at Croydon, and with that in his

Packet, Hast set off at once. Hie superintendent was anxious to be f 3ielpfu!, tiiouk'li he was riot rnaile aware ot tile purpose of tht; inquiries. Hast gave hirn the photograph of Eugene Smith. and iuke<j liirii if it niight Vie circulated among the policemen on a certain series of beats : ln Croydon and district. I want to know if anv man like that has been seen iocallv during the past six months—or, better, a vear," he said. There is ins' a chance that one of tnenx have seen him." The superintendent agreed to help. Fane's note had introduced the visitor as a private inquiry agent who had always passed on to Scotland ard any uilorma- " tion he carne bv of interest to them. On two occasions, this information had proved Eiost valuable j " The i'act is. Superintendent."' Hast t"ld him. " 1 am engaged to investigate thiseiaim for a fortune arising out of the /suicide at Care Hanger some time ago. Ralph, the suicide's widow, resides ln ycur d : ~trict. Ibere is just a chance that she may get into the hands of sharks, /you see; with the possibility of this looney corning to her. But, of course, I 7 - teil you that in confidence." Tie superintendent nodded. " We'll let it out, Mr. Hast, and I shall certainly see that my men have a glance at this photograph. They are a. pretty smart lot here, and I know where Mrs. gwalph lives. I saw this case in the ■ papers. There won't be so many strangers pandering about a purely residential place 1 t ' KU .' anc * those who visited Mrs. • if one did visit her, might have - ween seen by the people living in the

A fascinating story of romance, mystery and excitement. / i

same road. Leave me your address, and I'll let you know at once if we get anything." Hast thanked him, and went back to his office, where he sac down with a scribbling block and begin to write down some points and persona in the case.

(1) The man who forged the cheque. Was it Eugene Smith? If he went to the races actually with Ralph, aa he may have done, did, he say he had come out without, a cheque-book, ond borrow a cheque-form from Ralph ? If not, the form may have been taken by someone at the Spotted Ounce. Hodd. the chambermaid (who seems a cheap lot), o.\ this unknown ecufederate who shot Ralph?

(2) Who is the man who calie dhimself Dr. Walther? Why did Mrs. Carey try to see him ?_ Why did he visit the Spotted Ounce? Was it to see Mrs. Carey? Or was there another purpose behind it? This seems difficult to answer, since he visited the inn some time before Ralph sot there, and was not seen in ;hat vicinity after. !3) Why did he call h.mself Dr. Walther? Men who take the name of doctor in vain are generally American dentists. medical charlatans, or men who sell patent medicines, or push them. Query: Is this man doctor of philosophy, chemistry or letters? In that case he would not be on the medical register.

(1.) Is it possible tha.t Walther went to the Spotted Ounce because be knew Ralph was to slay there later? If so, he must have known Ralph himself, or Mrs. Ralph. Did he go to tiie inn at Care Hanger so that he could get impressions of the keys Opening the front, and other doors? This seems a hkely line. He could have the keys cut in town. Obviously, if Ralph was murdered, the man who murdered him was able not only to get into the inn at night, but also into the bedroom. The fact that the key wa3 inside the door of the be.droom a I'd the door locked mea.ns nothing. It was an old-fashioned key, and the projecting end would enable a man tci grip and turn it from outside in the passage, with a pair of strong pliers. ("<> Send out a questionnaire to men who cut, keys, asking theiu to let me know if one, or two, or a dcr/en old-fashioned keys, of a type I shall describe when I hare visited the inn again, were cut for a client answering to the description of " Dr." Walther. or sent to a house in Ealing, or to that office in New Bond Street. Memo: I had better go back to Care Hanger at once, and put that in hand. (G) Is John Hodd clearing out on an excuse, finding things /retting warm, suspectins that I am on his track, or because he thinks the claim is going through, and he will be able to retire? Can I be sure he •s implicated? It looks odd that he has suddenly resolved to make tracks: but I may be doing him a, wrong. (7) If these people, or any number of them, are conspiring together, where do they meet, if they meet as mil ? Try to get an idea of the postmarks on correspondence reaching Eugene Smith. I can easily get Hodd to write Smith's name, and the postal people might be induced to iook into it.

He put the pad away, after burning that sheet, and set off once more to the station, this time en route for Care Hanger. During the journey down he put the case completely out of bis mind, and read a pocket edition of his favourite travelling companion. " The Shaving of Shagpat." But the case returned at once to his mind when he left the train, and saw Norma Carey under the light of the feeble gas-lamp, giving up her ticket to the collector at the exit.

" Just getting back from town, Mrs. Carey," he said, hastening after her. " I did not know vou were on the train."

Norma greeted him rather wearily. " I did not see you either, Mr. Hast. Have you come to see my husband again ?" " I only left him this morning." he replied. " But I am always turning up like a bad penny."

"It will save you hiring a car," said Norma. " Here is ours waiting. Have you any news for us?" " TTI tell you as we go along," he said, as the chauffeur opened the door for them, "or perhaps you are too tired, and T had better pet it off till later on ?" No. I should prefer to here now," said Norma. " 1 must say our news is not very gratifying."

CHAPTER .Will. "So you think, Mounsey. that Mr. Hast may be right about this cheque ?" Norma asked her husband that evening after dinner. " I can hardly believe it." He shrugged. " H'eli. it seems likely; that is all l can say. 1 am agreed with Hurst that we must follow up the clue, and temporise meanwhile about, the claim." Hast had had some training in art after he left school, and still exhibited pen and pencil portraits at a little show given yearly by some amateurs in London. While Mounsey and his wife were talking, he had taken a little block from his pocket, and tried to sketch in the head of the man he had seen in the bath-chair at Bruges. The hat drawn low over the brows, and the beard the man wore, hid part of the salient features of the brow and chin, but he passed it across presently to Carey, asking him if he had ever seen anyone resembling the sketch. Mounsey studied it for a minute, then shook his head. " N'o. I am sure I haven't. Have a look at this. Norma." Mrs. Carey looked at the sketch in her turn, but made a similar reply. " T can't recognise him at alt," she said, " Who is he?"

" Mrs. Ralph's father," he said. " T only wondered. Now I'll show you a photograph of the bookmaker. If we could prove that he had been down here it might help." But neither of them recognised Eugene Smith, and Hast returned the photograph to his pocket. " We have two alternatives." he said. 4i Either a man was brought here to impersonate your dead brother, or your brother was actually here. Mrs. Carey. I intend to investigate both possibilities; for. even if the so-called Ralph was Mr. George Rolleson, murder is clearly indi- i cated. I nm going to-morrow to the Spotted Ounce to see John Hodd. " I am quite sure he would have nothing to do with it," said Norma. Again she seemed to be championing the inn-keeper. Hast could never get the iHea out of his head. " In any case he may be helpful," he replied. " I have one or two questions to ask him." After breakfast the next day he left j the house, and went down to the inn, | taking his suit-case with him, as he in- • tended to return to London when he had j seen John Hodd. At the Spotted Ounce, j however, iis had a surprise. Mary, the j maid there, told him that -John Hodd had j gone to London for a few days. He had j packed a bag. and left the inn, soon after j his return from seeing the squire. She j did not know his town address. j Hast hired a car to take him to the j station. He wondered if Hodd had re- , ceived a wire or a telephone message j calling him away, and he felt sure there j was something in the wind. He reached his rooms a little after one, j and decided that it would not be worth j while going to his club for lunch. He J put, on a kettle for tea. opened a tin of j jellied sausages, and began to prepare a j scratch meal. !

He made the tea presently, and sat down. He decided immediately afterwards to go down to his office, in case any message had come in from the superintendent, to whom he had given the photograph of the bookmaker. (To be continued daily.)