A COMPLEX CRIME

Waikato Times, Volume 98, Issue 15310, 10 August 1923, Page 3

A COMPLEX CRIME

(All Rights Reserved)

BY CECILE V. SAYER. Author of "Kindred Souls," "The Foil y of Ludley Vere,"' -'Another Man's Shoes," etc.

CHAPTER XXVll.—(Contd.) "To this speech his brother made no reply, and he continued—'There's a lot to be seen to at Darkleigh. I've left John Farren—Fan-en was the family solicitor—in charge for the present. Most of the servants have left owing to some silly report of the west wing's being haunted. You recollect that peculiar building, don't you Henry? I never could understand what it was ever built for — right away from the house as It is. It is a pity our late aunt didn't have the show pulled down; it's neither" use nor ornament that I can see. _i suppose, however, that you will ma£e a ifew modern improvements?' " 'I certainly shan't interfere with the architecture of the place,' replied my husband. " 'Well,' said the other, 'with your and Mrs. DarreU's permission, I'll accompany you to whichever hotel you Intend to put up at. I came up to town on purpose to meet you, as there are a good many items of business to discuss before I leave England, which I intend to do shortly. For' laughing bitterly—'l have nothing to induce me to stay in the Old Country, and I suppose I shall be a wanderer to the end of my days.' " " 'Don't say that,' rejoined my husband kindly. 'You are welcome to stay at |Darklcigh as long as you like.'

Anally found myself in a huge, lowpitched bod-chamuer. ■ "The furniture was heavy and very old-fashioned; and the bed, a massive four-poster, was hung with faded tapestry. Everything looked very dark and gloomy. The feeble light of the lamp, which my companion carried, only seemed to deepen the shadows and gloom. "'ls my husband there?' I asked, pointing to the bed. " 'Go and see,' was the reply.

"Grossing swiftly over to the bed, I drew aside the sombre hangings, and then stood for a space speechless and bewildered. The bed was empty."

CHAPTER XXVIII. "WHERE IS MY HUSBAND?" "I realised then that I had been the victim of a cruel hoax. Turning furiously on my companion, I demanded to know what she meant by luring me thither; insisting on being taken at once to my husband. " 'You little fool!' she exclaimed, shaking me roughly by the arm. 'Do you suppose your husband—if you ever really had one —is here. This house, let me tell you, belongs to Mr Darrell; and I'm employed by him, to look after you, so long as it suits his pleasure to keep you beneath his roof. Do your hear? And mind, I intend to have no nonsense. You'll just do as I tell you.' "In fright and amazement, I stared at the hard, cruel face, bent close to my own; and, exerting all my- feeble strength, I gave vent to a very frenzy of wrath. I think I actually plucked up sufficient courage to strike that woman's evil face.

" 'lt's very kind of you,' was the cold reply; 'but it's next to impossible as you must know, that I should ever make my home with you; more especially now that you are married.' And he glanced at me sideways with a sneer.

"Well, my husband secured- a suite of rooms at the Charing Cross Hotel and his brother became our guest.

"Take me to my husband!' I screamed struggling frantically in the arms which held me as in a vice. " 'Your husband is not here, don't I tell you, you little spit-flee,' she hissed. 'Be quiet, will you? or it'll be the worse for you. Mr Darreil was quite right. You are mad—as mad as a hatter. I can see that. And you can thank your lucky stars the master hasn't had you put into a public asylum.'. "This awful accusation and threat, I think, quelled my temper, and I asked quite meekly what she meant by her words. " 'What Mr Darrell are you speaking of?' I queried. "Mr Harry Darrell, the owner of this house,' was the reply. And then, in an instant, the whole truth seemed to flash across me.

"On the day following our arrival in London he persuaded my husband to accompany him to Yorkshire, and to leave me at the hotel for a day or two, in order, as he said, that things might be made comfortable for me at my future home.

"It was some little while, however, before my husband agreed to this proposal. He did not like the idea of leaving me alone, even for a few hours, in the great noisy, wilderness of London, where I was a stranger. "But his brother laughed down and overcame his idiotic scruples, as he termed them; and I, not wishing to be looked upon as a fool by this cynical man, added my entreaties to his, and persuaded my husband to agree to his proposal. "And it was so arranged that, when their business at Darkleigh was settled, and the place put in something like order —winch, according to my brother-in-law's statement, would be within three or four days from thou • —my husband was to return for me. "That same evening the two men started off to King's Cross in a hansom, in order to catch the seven o'clock express to the north; and from that day to this, I have never set eyes on my husband's face. "It was his brother who, late in the evening of the fourth day of, his absence, turned up at the hotel and informed me that Henry had met with a rather severe accident at Darkleigh; that he had fallen down some steps which led to some dungeons—beneath that west wing of which he had spoken—and had broken his ankle, and, being unable to move, he had requested his brother to act for him and to take me to him.

" 'Mr Harry Darrell is not the owner of this house,' I said, hotly. 'lt is Henry Darrell, my husband, who is the owner of Darkleigh, under his late aunt's will. Harry Darrell is my husband's younger twin brotherhut he is not the heir. He knows that well enough. He can't touch any of the Darkleigh property, while cither my husband or I live. And where is my husband, 1 say? What have you done with him?' " 'Well, I was led to expect such insane questions,' replied- the woman, with a leer. 'You mad folk always delude yourselves with the belief that you are someone of importance. But I'm used to all those little ways, you see. And they won't have any weight with mo.'

"And, so saying, she left Hie room, turning the key in the lock. "As I sat, hour after hour, cold, hungry, and'miserable, thinking over that woman's words, it became pretty clear to my comprehension that Harry Darrell meant to usurp his brother's place. But how was he to manage it? Where was my husband? "In all the terrible years that have passed since that night, I have l.o'cr been able to solve the mystery all my darling's disappearance. I believe that he has been n.urdered, either by nis fiendish brother, or at his instigation. Were Honry still living,' lo you r.hink that he w>u!d stand) aloof and calmly submit to the fraud that is being practised ..fin him? No; I feel positive that he has been decoyed as 1 was, and then killed. "It was easy cnoii,jh for his brother to take possession of the property, and to step, unquestioned, into ray husband's place. Everything would favour his base design—the likeness in face and form to Henry; the similar names. And I, the only obslacle, was out of the way, although he drew the line at killing me by violence, for, of course, being a stranger to any friends of the Darrell's, no one was aware of my existence as the wife of the lawful heir, or of his marriage even. So that, you see, my husband's brother had it all his own way.. There were only four people who could vouch for my existence —Lawrence Dacrc, my father, and the Franzinis. And, of course, I had no of communicating with any of them. (To be continued on

"No story could have been more plausible, and it was hardly likely that 1 should stop to doubt its truth. 1 was all eagerness to reach my darling husband; and so I fell into the cleverly laid trap. "When Harry Darrell and I u&olir ed the station, which I presumed was the nearest to our destination, it was a pitch dark night, and only one other passenger alighted at the dreary little station.

"A closed carriage was willing to convey us to the Manor, iui 1 had scarcely lime to realise what was happening when 1 was hustled inside the vehicle by my companion. c pe followed, the door was slumnuJ, and we were moving rapidly along, in the stillness and darkness of the nitjiit.

"My brother-in-law was strangely silent during that drive. And when, at length, the carriage stopped before a huge, gloomy-looking building—which, he informed me, was Darkleigh Manor —an unaccountable foreboding of evil iilied my heart. "There was only one light visible in the whole house; and that was in the hall. As my companion helped me out of the carriage, the front door was opened by the man.known as Uustave Delaine —a person whom I have long since learned to dread; although not one half so much as the cruel woman who is his wife. It was in 'his woman's charge that I was immediately placed. Instead of taking mo upstairs to my sick husband, as I naturally expected, she hurried me into what appeared to be a large closet, which was in the hall. And then through a narrow and mysterious aperture, behind this closet door, we went down a flight of dark slops, and along a dreary, damp passage, the sides of which almost touched. "■Where are you taking mo?' I asked, becoming frightened. " 'To your husband, of course,' she replied, laughing discordantly. 'Come along—we've not much farther to go. You've nothing to fear,' she added, pausing and turning a horrible, leering countenance towards me. 'Your good man happened to slip down those steps we've just come down: and that's how the mischief came about. He's a big man as you know, and we could not get him up those \ steps again, comfortably, so we just brought him along here, to the west wing, which fools say is haunted, because it's apart from the rest of the house, and is nice and quiet. Just the place for an invalid—no noises and disturbances' —and again she gave that harsh laugh—'as you will find.' "Somewhat reassured, I asked no more questions, uutil we came to a massive, nail-studded oak door. j " 'ls that the entrance to the room | where my husband is lying?' I timidly asked. " 'No—that door leads to the dungeons,' was the sharp reply. And then she pressed a knob in the wall, on the right of the door; and part of it moved back disclosing another | (light, of steps, leading upwards. ! " 'This is ilie way—one way. ;il least —to the rooms In the west win?,' remarked my companion. 'Follow me!' , I "Without a word, I obeyed; .and]