“THE MYSTERY OF THE PEARLS”

Wairarapa Daily Times, 6 March 1934, Page 7

“THE MYSTERY OF THE PEARLS”

BY JOHN LAURENCE (Author of “The Double Cross Inn,” “Mystery Money,” “Ihe Riddle of Wraye,” etc).

• CHAPTER VI.-—Continued. “Mary’s father was comparatively well-to-do. He had a streak of superstition in him—l think all the Reynolds have —and he believed that the pearls brought him luck and There is actually an old saying to the effect that the loss of the pearls would bring death in the family and ultimately poverty. 1 think it nonsense but —” “Ii isn’t nonsense, Mr Reeves,” interrupted Mary. “Everything went right as long as father had the pearls and everything went wrong as soon as Mr Whiteoakes had them. Father died shortly afterwards, and so did mother, and now Aunt Hetty is very ill—and >) She stopped with.a strained look on her face and Reeves spoke quickly to Merton. “Did Mr Reynolds sell the pearls to Whiteoakes/” he asked. “Who is Whiteoakes anyway ? ’ ’ “ llow_cxactly Whiteoakes got the pearls is not certain. It is certain they could not be sold. He and Mr were very friendly at one time. That was when AVhiteoakes was in a very small way. Just before Mr Reynolds died, he said definitely that Ije had lent the pearls to Whiteoakes to bring him luck and they were to be returned. I saw Whiteoakes and lie stuck to it that

lie had bought the pearls. When I pointed out, to him that lie could not* do that, and in any case at the time he could not have raised the five thousand pounds they were worth, he changed his tune and asserted that they had been given to him. He could not produce any paper to prove his story, nor could we find any note to show what had taken place. Mr Reynolds was rather careless when he was friendly.” “Why didn’t you sue him?” “What good would that have done? It would only draw the attention of everybody to them. I’m afraid I let myself go, for I told him that as lie; had stolen them from us we’d steal them back again. He only laughed and said if I was clever enough to do that we could keep them.” “That seems to show he had no real right to them. ’ ’ “•That’s what we thought. He was beginning to make money fast then and went to London. I kept in touch, but I never had any opportunity. Then a few months ago he took a big house at Grinstead and began entertaining there. A sister of Sanders got a place as a parlour maid. We learnt he kept the pearls in a safe in the dining room and ever since he had had them had employed a man, an ex-boxer, to keep guard. It was when we heard that this man was going to see some boxing exhibition in London that I decided to take a chance and burgle the place.” “Why borrow my asked Reeves, wlip was beginning to be interested. Merton had a trick of telling his story which made it sound very dramatic.

“That was just the sheerest luck in the world,” admitted Merton, “though I owe you an apology for inadvertently getting you mixed up with our trouble. I can assure you if I had known I would have risked it with my own bus. But mine is not a fast one, and I had gone into Horsham to try to find one. We wanted as fast a car as wc could get in case anything went wrong and we had to run for it. We couldn’t afford to risk being overtaken. And when I rang up Billy and he told me about your Speedway and the ‘mag’ and ligiits going wrong, it flashed across my mind at once that I had got the same ‘mag.’ I knew there wouldn’t be any difficulty in changing over temporarily, and that the repairing of the lights 'would only take a few minutes. I told him to keep you at any cost and persuade you to stop the night.” “So that was why you changed your attitude so suddenly?” exclaimed Reeves.

Billy Reynolds laughed. “I thought you would see the reason,” he declared. ' “We pushed the bus half a mile down the road before we started it, in case it would wake you up. I thought you’d be sleeping too souiidlv when they came back. I was up all the time talking to Sanders. I was feeling pretty scared till they did turn up.” . “If I hadn’t woke up just then, things might have turned out altogether different. I ’ certainly shouldn’t have guessed anything about the pearls. How did you get them.”’ “Sanders’s sister let me in by the back door when I got there,” continued Merton. “Mary waited in the ear in the driveway near the gate, ready to make a dash for it. Sanders’s sister went straight to the dining-room and switched on the lights. She told me Whiteoakes had gone to bed a couple of hours ago, and was a sound sleeper. That’s partly why he employed a man to keep an eye on things for him. Then a most astonishing thing happened. I found the key in the safe. For a moment 1. suspected a trap, but I had to risk it. 1 used my handkerchief to open the door and turn the key. In five minutes I had the pearls and was out of the house again.” “You didn’t see Whiteoakes?”

‘‘Not a sign of him. He certainly wasn’t in the dining-room dead or alive, if that’s what you mean,” replied Merton. ‘•I don’t remember anything about where he was found,” agreed Recv~s thoughtfullly. ‘‘lt might have been in bed, of course. Funny the key should be in the safe. If he carried it, it looks to me then that it had already been taken from him.” “It puzzled me, I admit. The more I thought about it the more it seemed to me that someone else was after the pearls, and 1 must have come in just a the very wrong moment for him.” Reeves ruminated over the idea for a few minutes. “Did you make any noise as you came along to the dining-room door,” lie asked, “sufficient to warn anybody who might have been in the room?” “We certainly weren’t on tip-toe. The maid was talking. She said there was no chance of anyone hearing. The servants’ quarters were the other side of the house and Whiteoakes slept heavily. Oh, yes, now I come to think of it anyone in. the dining room would have heard us coming. The door was open.” • ‘ But, you must have seen — ’ ’ “Not necessarily. There was another door on the far side of the room and anyone could have slipped through that. I wasn’t looking for t. ,other burglar. Very likely”—he laughed at the recollection —“he was watching me collecting his booty.”

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“It might have been the same man who came round the other night,” suggested Beeves. “I never thought of that! That’s an idea, certainly.” * “We’re in the cart,” said Billy gloomily. “He must have been the murderer!” exclaimed Mary. “Oh, Tommy, he might have killed you.” “Whoever it was, evidently lie. can’t go to the police, and tell his story,” Said Merton. “Because if he did that he would have to admit he was after the pearls. If it Avas one of the servants, Avliy 'didn’t he give the alarm? Mind you, I’m only surmising I disturbed him at the safe.” “It’s a pretty sound surmise,” said Beeves. “And I think you can go further. He must have killed Wliiteoakes to get the key. And that’s another reason Avliy lie can’t go to the police. He’d find himself Avorse off. But if he killed Wliiteoakes to get the pearls, then he must he "feeling pretty sick doing a murder for nothing.” “That may make him dangerous. If lie Avere the man you' saAv in the garden, I Avonder he didn’t try to kill you. It Avas the second time the pearls had slipped through his fingers, as it Avere. ” “He probably kneAv the police Avere Avatching the house and thought I Avas a policeman,” said Beeves. “With a murder on his conscience naturally lie bolted like a startled rabbit.” “What I can’t understand,” said Mary, “is, if lie A\ r as you, Tommy, and he is the same man Avho came last night, how he found out Avho you Avere and Avlierc you lived? I’m sure no car folloAved us. We Avent too fast for that.” “That’s a facer I admit,” replied Merton, “and, I think, cuts out any possibility. I think the man last night must be an accident, and he Aims so scared by Beeves’s onslaught that lie’s probably never stopped running since.” “I hope so,” said Beeves fervently, though he felt by no means sure. There Aims something too sure about the Avay the unknoAvn had dug up the pearls, as though he had knoivn Avliat had been hidden. Beeves Avas certain in his OAvn mind that lie had not seen the last of the man avlio had run aAvay. Sanders came Avalking across the laAvn, his expression inscrutable. “The sergeant has called and Avould like to see you for a moment, sir,” he said to Merton. “Ask him here, Sanders. One mo-: ment, is your sister still at Grinstead?” “Yes, sir. She thought she’d better stop till the funeral Avas over.” “I don’t suppose she’ll Avant to stop much longer. I suppose she Avill stay Avitli your brother for a Avliile then?” “Yes, sir.” “We’ll find her something to do, Sanders. The sergeant didn’t say ; Avliat-lie wanted. “No, sir.” ! Beeves half rose. “Don’t move,” said*- Merton. “There’s nothing he can say you sliouldn ’t hear. ’ ’ The sergeant came directly to the point. ; “The inquest on Mr Wliiteoakes has ! been fixed for to-morrow at eleven o’clock at Grinstead,” lie announced. “And you Avant us to be there, I suppose?” asked Merton, his face hardening a little. “Yes, sir, and Mr Beeves.” “What have I got to do Avitli it?” demanded Beeves. The sergeant shrugged liis shoulders. “I’m sorry sir, I’m only carryingout instructions. It’s unlikely that any eA'idence Avill be taken except that of identification, but the coroner likes to have all possible Avitnesses present. I understood from the inspector it would probably be formal and Avould be adjourned for 14 days while avc pursued our inquiries.” “I hope they'll be successful, Sergeant,” said Merton drily. “They certainly avou’t as long as you continue to bark up the Avroiig tree. Found Avliat you Avere searching for?” The sergeant reddened a little. “You’ll be there, sir?” he asked stiffly. “Oli, Ave’H be there all right,” replied Merton. “I’ve never been to an inquest on a murdered man before.” “I think I’ll be getting along, too,” said Beeves, Avhen the sergeant had gone.

• 1 / on’t you going to let us have the pearls, Mr Reeves?” asked Mary. There was almost dismay in her tones as he rose. ‘'We have told you everything.” ‘• L think I'd better keep them for a while,” fenced Reeves. “They are quite safe where they are; safer, in fact, than they would be here. Don’t you think so/” “But we must have them. Don't you understand ? Aunt Hetty is dying.” Reeves looked puzzled. He eouldn *i see what the. unknown Aunt Hetty’s illness had got to do with the pearls, but Mary went into a rush of explanation. “She believes in the superstition about the pearls, Mr Reeves. Ever since father and mother died and the pearls were not returned she has been getting worse. Of course, we know it’s all nonsense, but she doesn’t. She says she is the next in the family to go and nothing will save her life. Tommy has promised to bring them to her and she is only living for that. Oh, don’t you understand? Don’t you know faith will move mountains? We said we would be back in a few days. The doctor has warned us a crisis is approaching. She hasn’t got the will to live. We must give it to her. ’ ’ (To be Continued).