JOHN GELDART

Waikato Times, Volume 118, Issue 18764, 20 December 1935, Page 4

JOHN GELDART

. .-vj 1 ; SERIAL STORY V! i j

CHAPTER XII. (continued.)

“Why, just this,” rejoined McKnight. “I know now that Marmion was not wholly unprepared l’or his fate. In other words, that he had an enemy or enemies of whom lie lived in mortal dread. Miss Marmion . . he turned to Paula, “ . . .do you want to see jour brother safe and free?” "Of course I do,” she said in a low voice.

“Then tell me now and once for all, the truth of all that you know about this business. I admit and I would admit and I would go upon record as admitting, that I do not believe now that your brother killed your father. To prove it, I will do this." lie look from his pocket a folded paper. “Hero Is my warrant for the arrest of Leonard,” he said, and lie proceeded to tear it into fragments which he tossed into the waste-paper basket. Paula looked at him in astonishment.

“Mr McKnight." she murmured. “I cannot say how glad I am that you feel this way. In return, I am going to throw myself on your mercy. 1 am going to tell you everything that I know and everything that I did.” “Paula, Paula,” cried Sir David “Remember, for God's sake, that this man is a policeman.” “It will be quite all right, Sir David,” she replied calmly. “I feel differently towards Mr McKnight now. He is a gentleman as well as a policeman, and I am no| going to be afraid to tell him cvcrylliing.”

The detective sal hunched up in his chair during Paula’s recital and from it. she missed nothing, not even llut incident of the hiding of the revolver Abbott sal through it all as stiff as an image, save that, the lingers of his right hand played continually with a seat hanging from his watch-chain. When site had come to the end of her story, Paula shrugged her shoulders and said: “And now you know everything, sir —everything that. T can tell you. The man who tried to blackmail me, I havo i ol seen since.” “You would know this man if you were io see him again. Miss Marmion?" asked the detective and she nodded emphatically. "His face is only too clearly engraved on my memory," she shuddered. “Thank you for telling- me all thin, Miss Marmion." said McKnight. "Although, to he brutally frank, if you had told me everything before, you might, have spared yourself many a heartache.’ “I was distracted: I didn't know which way to turn.” "1 understand that.” he said with a note of sympathy in his voice. "1 can Imagine the shock you must have fell when you saw your brother standing there, over your father’s body. Toil me. did you have any recollection of vour father cut speaking' Hie mum; pf 'John Geldarl,' or liave you e\er

By ,v. & /. L. MORRISSEY. (Author of “ High Doom,” Eto., Etc.)'

heard the name before?” “John Geldarl,” she repeated. “N. I can’t remember having heard Iho name before • , -oh, you mean that letter at the inquest? Do you really think there may be something behind that?"

“flow can I tell?” lie shrugged his shoulders with a non-committal gesture, .ancl Brian knew that lie was not yet prepared to fell which way his thoughts were leading him. “Do I understand, Mr McKnight," exclaimed Sir David, “that you are renouncing your former suspicions of this young lady’s brother?" “That is about the size of it," was McKnight’s smiling rejoinder. “Then I take it you have suspicions in some other quarter?"

“Oh! not exactly what I’d call suspicions,replied the other easily. “Just Intuitions, shall we say?” “I appreciate your generosity, sir," said Abbott cordially. "As you know, Miss Marmion Is a great friend of mine: wo have been associated together for some years. I would have done anything—anything, I tell you, io have saved her from the worry and distraction of this business. 1 might say that never in the whole course of our association together has she given me cause to assume that her affection for her brother was as great as it. is.”

“Rut the poor boy was so weak and helpless, Sir David,” she said to him. “I was afraid that if I mentioned ids name too often to you lie might attempt to impose on you.” “Well, wherever he is now,” said McKnight heartily, “he can come back in safety.”

“Gh. that reminds me, sir,” said Paula suddenly, “that we have heard from Leonard—at least. Janet, his fiancee, lias.” “Oh, Indeed,’’ observed the detective. “is that llm young woman who was at the inquest? Well, well, and what does he say?” “1 have tils' letter, sir,” said Brian, speaking for Hie first lime, and he produced from his pocket the loiter Janet had given him. McKnight, took it from its envelope and read it, through with half-closed eyes. Then turning' it over, lie held it up to the window. Willi a glance at the post-mark on the envelope, lie tossed It on Sic David’s desk. Abboll picked il up and scanned iL. “P suppose there is no doubt il is your brother's handwriting?” asked McKnight. casually. “Nolle at, all.” replied Iho girl. “Leonard wrote that note all right,” “Well, lie seems safe and comfortable enough." said McKnight carelessly. “Rut I wonder what is his idea ill saying Ihal il 'may he a long lime’ before he sees Ihis young lady again? Whal is your idea, sir?” and lie turned Io Aliholt. Sic David looked puzzled. “1 don’t, know what to say." he confessed. "from ibis letter one would think ho was in voluntary hiding and if

that is the case, the one who Is hiding him must have been friendly towards him. You notice that Leonard makes no mention of -the murder—as it touched him. I-Io names It only as ‘a wretched business’."

“Well, now, Sir David,” said the detective, facing him squarely, “what is your private opinion of this murder? You have known this young lady for some time and you are on sufficiently intimate terms with her for her to have told you something of her father, and of her life with him during iho past six months. In your opinion, what sort of a man was this Francis Marmion? I am speaking 'brutally but we have all noticed that so far from thoro having been any love lost between him and his children, each of them seems to have thought immeasurably more, in Hie way of affection, of each other than of him. You admit, Miss Marmion, that you feel no more sorrow over his dealli than if he were a stranger? Xow, Sir David, in your opinion was Francis Marmion deserving of death; of a dcatii by violence?”

“Come, come, McKnight,” laughed Abbott. “You can’t ask me a question like that, you know? I am a philanthropist and a public benefactor. All men must he my brothers, and so on, you know. With regard to Marmlon’s private life, I know nothing beyond what Miss Paula Has told me since his death, and you yourself are as fit to judgo of the man's character as I am.” “Very well, Sir David,” laughed the detective good-humouredly. “I can see j'ou dont want to tell any tales out of school. But now—what about this will?—ah! I thought I had you there,” he chuckled as the other’s face went a shade darker.

“I mean what I say about that will,” said Sir David, determination showing in every grim line of his face- “I intend to make, every effort to havo the preposterous tiling upset. It is the most dastardly outrage against decency and justice that has ever perpetrated in the name of Law."

“How aro you going about, it?” “I shall find a way,” was the reply. “Never fear. I shall have the most expert advice on the mailer, and if necessary I will spend half my private fortune lo get that infamous document upset.” .“Surely that would hardly he worth while, sir," said McKnight with a halfsmile.

“For the principle at slake —it would he.” "Of course. A very commendable emotion of yours, Sir David," said iho dcleciive, rising from his chair. “Well, I’ll havo to he going. You’ll excuse me. T hope,” he embraced them all in the disarming smile with which he accompanied the words, “l suppose. 1 shall lie seeing you again soon. Mr Clarke?’’ he added, and Brian nodded. “Rill and 1 are coming along lo see you. this afternoon,” lie said. “When .shall we llml you in?" "Oh. any lime after about six o'clock, you'll lind me there. So long, all of you. Good-bye, .Miss Marmion, ami don’t forget, slop worrying about Leonard. She smiled brightly at him as he departed, and whim the door had closed behind hint, she turned impulsively lo Sir David. “Isn'l he rather a dear 0 Come now, confess, don’t you admire him immensely ?” "You’re absolutely rigid, my dear, as always.” he returned gallantly. "Kb, Mr i Jarkc, isn’t -lie ?“ Brian could only smile in i eply, lur could think of no .words with .which j

he could give the other his opinions of Paula. They were too deep for mere language.

CHAPTER XXIII. The IVlan Who Knew. That afternoon, after he had put Paula on her way home, Brian repaired lo the meeting place lie had arranged with Bill Cleveland. He found that-young gentleman still intoxicated by the charms of the fair Daphne, with whom, it seemed, he had had a most delightful tetc-a-teto over the luncheon-table at the Cafe Royal. “The girl is a peach, old man," ho said enthusiastically, as they made their way towards New Scotland Yard for what Bill humorously described as their “regular pow-wow” with the detective. “Of course, her* name isn’t really Swallow, you know—even I couldn’t have swallowed that —’’ he dodged a blow on the shoulder. “But seriously, old man, the dear girl is a wonder. Her name is Molly Woods, but they told her that name wouldn’t go over on the stage, so she changed it to Daphne Swallow. Dashed queer, when you come to think of it.” He was keenly Interested In Brian's recital of the march of events since the morning, and as they walked along they discussed the significance of these new developments. “That man Marmion must have been living in fear of his life," was Bill's sage opinion. “Any number of chaps might havo wanted to put him out of the way. So the present theory is that Leonard, poor blundering ass, in a fine slato of sozzlement, just happened to pick on tlie moment when someone had done it, to butt In?" “But who on earth can it he?” groaned Brian. “You know, Paula won’t he sallsfled until she knows for certain. Even all this talk of your uncle’s about his no longer thinking Leonard guilty, doesn’t really calm her l'ears. Only if another person is actually proved as the murderer, will slio bo opulent.”

“Bloodthirsty young maiden,” was Bill's comment.

“No, it isn’t that,” snapped Brian. “But you know what women are.” "[ try lo," said Bill solemnly. “Who I he deuce can it he?’ pursued Brian. "There is Ilils John Geldarl lo be considered. I* wonder if McKnight lias found out anything about him. And I wonder if he lias established the connection between Marmion and Spooner definitely. That old fellow Carter can’t possibly he as sure as ho says he is. But, good Lord, if we aro to start enumeraling, tiie suspects where shall we land? Look, lirst of all we'll include Leonard. Then we have a possible John Geldarl: then we, havo Hie man who left the billion of his overcoat in Hie house of Ihe murder and Hie. rest of the coal, in a taxi in Montpelier Crescent. Then we have this fellow who used lo euH on .Marmion and who cashed Ihe cheques llu old mail gave him, through the lawyer Wilkins. This chap is possibly Paula’s blackmailer, who hasn't been heard of since. Again. Ihero is ihe man or men who engineered Leonard's escape from llm police. Luslly there is Ibis map Hilary Marsh, whom .McKnight seems lo exonerate, toil in my eyes lie might h" just as guilty as some of these oilier men I've mentioned. That is six possible men, Iml we have scarcely a shadow of evidence to prove that they arc six separate men. They may roll up inlo one man or lliey may make l-.\ 11 i lieu. See what [ mean ? ” "Ahsulutclj, old iciluw, hut iou

don’t have to worry about all this. All you have to do Is to follow patiently iu the footsteps of Uncle James." "But ho seems to be giving us a miss lately,” Brian complained. “Ho hasn’t let us know if anything came of his Investigation into. Marmion’s. connection with the Spooner-Geldart case. I want action: I.mean to say, I want to see someone caught, so that I can go to Paula and

“Oho! so lies the wind that way?” chuckled Bill. “Never mind, old chap, perhaps the uncle, will unburden himself a little more to us to-day.” But in 'that way he was mistaken, for McKnight was blandly uninformative when they arrived at his office, fie allowed them to discuss all the latest developments of the case with him, but lie made no attempt to contribute anything new to the sum-total of information at their disposal. When they came to leave, they were as far from having any definite idea of whero the case really stood, as when they had entered. The procession of events since the previous Monday had all been of such a novel and exciting nature, that when the Tuesday, following the day of the reading of the will, passed without anything happening, Brian found that he felt a strange sort of numbness creeping over him. There were times when he questioned the reality of the scenes through which he had passed. Ills life at the house of Tim and Cynthia seemed so peaceful, normal and bright that there were times when he had. to force himself to the realisation that the whole thing was not a dream. No message came for him from McKnight or Bill, and lie hesitated to approach Paula again Just yet. He judged it best that, she should he allowed to have a complete rest for a day or two, to steady her jangled nerves. But when the Wednesday and the Thursday passed without anything happening lo disturb the normality of bis holiday life, he began to feel anxious. He had ’phoned Bill on the Wednesday, but Cleveland had been evasive, even hinting at oilier engagements. Brian guessed that he was spending all his mornings and as much of his afternoons as Ibe producer would allow, with a certain little lady of Hie “Pelpliie” chorus, filling in tlie remainder of Ihe day watching her from a stall in the theatre.

The same thing happened on Hie Thursday, and at six o’clock, just when lie was making up his min’d that he must take the hull hy the horns and go down himself lo see Me Knight lo learn if anything had cropped up the telephone hell rang. When he answered it. an agitated voice which lie recognised as that of Paula’s Aunt Hilda, asked him to eomo round at mice, ns something had happened. Sim rang off before lie could ask what the something was, and within five minutes ho was out. in Hie street, searching wildly for a taxi.