Scandal at Barons Court

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19913, 16 June 1936, Page 4

Scandal at Barons Court

by ALAN GREY.

An Unusual and Powerful Mystery Story.

SYNOPIS. Members Of the house—pony BI Barons Court—Sir Bertram Foulkos. of Barons Cuun: .\gliha l-‘oullies. Sir Beriram's sisler: Evelyn Fnuikvs. Sir Bertram‘s More and word; Howam l.sue_ Evelyn‘s name; Colonel Everard Lane. the weiirknnwn er plurvr, Howard's rtilhvr; Ilunway Somali. lhe Amnrican spembuvo; .lrnney Lea. mu tress, n’eweli anti Jenny are in love with Ouch other. but Jenny is tied to a husband. IES‘GT Brice. whom she has "0‘ heard Of [or years. Pauline Vines, .\zut‘ha‘s com< Danton-secreiary: cleaves. the butler. A homicidal msnisc. Bmdy Towers escapes from Greymoor Asylum five miles uwsy. Next on the murdered body or a {Hunter is discovered in the summerouu Among the woods behind Barons Court. .\i: the same time, Towers flee? down the steep wooded bank before his ”Hut”. and perishss in the river. Chiefspeciar \vhaley takes our” of the case. _— CHAPTER XXL—(Continued) 'Noar-near the summerhouse.“ ,“flow do you know?" snapped V'haley. "If you lose a handkerchief ”s usually somewhere you can‘t remember. It you know the place, you can find it. again." Evelyn didn't falter. “I was near the Summerhouse when I missed it." She said. “ What day?“ donnmdcd Whaley. “I—l don‘t. remember. Two or three days ago." " What did you cut. your hand on?" Inked thiey. The girl looked puzzled. “ Because.“ went on the Inspector. nimly. “that stain is blood, Miss l'oulkoo." Evelyn said nothing. She realised Ii was too late to say she had out herself. In any one she could not chow on: scar that. would bear her out. "You still malnuin you weren‘t in Ilia grounds this afternoon." demanded Illa domain. “You.” ‘ “And you lost this several days '0?" i “You! ‘ "And yet.” odd Wham. leanins‘ [award and stabbing the handkerthf with his forefinger, “ this is ab-i lolutoly clean and fresh man from‘ “a plooes where the blood is. Ii: ruined last night, and it rained yester-l .1 morning, not much. but enough io‘ Inks ihst handkerchief wet. and dirty. flow do you explain that. Miss foulkes? " Evelyn wont pa‘le. hm. an3wored heuly enough. “I can’t explain ii." she said. “ unlus it fell somewhere sheltered. It might have done." \\'haley shrugxwl his shoulders, and Wrapped the handkerchief up in a piece of tissue paper. lln was srowl—hm. and he looked ferocious:

“The trouble is,“ he growled. half Io himsrlf, “ that I can't get anyone in tell the Imm, It‘s Me. lie. He, from Hurt m finish.“ He addressed her more directly. "You were out, 01' course. You were seen. I‘ve been told that. you—"

Evelyn leaned forward it little in her chair. Her eyes were blazing. “Not by—" she began. And then she stopped, biting her lips. Whuley laughed. with satisfaction. ‘lt doesn't matter who by," he said. “You've come to as near edmitting you were out this afternoon as you can. Miss Foulkes. I might ‘tcll you that our conversation is being overheard. So that little remark won't go unneeded." Evelyn Foulkcs said nothing for a moment. She had fallen into a trap, and it was useleSs, now. to deny that she had been out that afternoon. Those two words ‘not by' had given away the fact that she knew she had ‘been seen by someone. She wished she was dead. It only she had with—draxni the words, if only this awful {business was over\\'haley. looking at her drawn, hegigard face, felt sorry for her. But it Iwssn't his job to allow sentiment to affect, him. its must keep on. forcint;r information as best he rould, being t'l‘lh‘l if nm-ossni‘y. to find the truth. He told himself that he had rarely hmi a case where so many people had reasons [or lying. \Vith that. thought name the second. it was almost im—possible to believe that all of the suspects actually knew anything about the murder. But most of them, probably, had a good motive for kill—ing Lester Brice. and were lying in order to try and prevent the discovery of the motive. Whaley drummed his fingers on his desk. “It's a pity." he said. “Why don‘t you tell me the truth. Miss Feulkes, the whole truth? It may he distasteful, it may even affect some—one dear to you, but in the long run it will be best." Evelyn said nothing. She had gone back into her shell again. Wheley scowled. “ All right." he snapped. " What did you know about Lester Brice. Miss Foulkes? \\'hat was he too you? " The words rsme, like so many of Martin John \Vhaley's. with the force and rapidity of a machine-gun. They struck home. There was some conneotion between Brice and Evelyn Foulkes. She was the first one of his suspects to show that, by reaction. But she remained mute. \Vhaley shrugged his shoulders. “All right." he said, in a. hard metallic voice. “You‘re making this more difficult for me and worse for yourself. But if you won't talk, I can't make you." ‘ He nodded, in ehrupt dismissal, and Evelyn hurried towards the door. She; was actually at it. hell—turned to-i wards \\'haley, \\hen the latter rappedi out: . “ W'hereahoute did you see Howard‘ Lane ‘3 " ‘i There was a sudden, tense silent-9.. Then Evelyn Foulkes uttered a low—} pitched cry, and dropped down, un—l‘

conscious. | \\'haley walked towards her‘ it was no more than a faint, he knew, and it‘ would probably do her more good thnnt harm. But it had proved she hath seen llowsrd Lane in the grounds, and it made it. very nearly certain she suspected Lane. Pleased with the success of his theory, \thley bent down and started to raise the girl, but before he had succeeded Bilson came in. The sergeant looked at her white face, and grunted. "\\'e are having some fainting fits. Chief," he drawled. “Looks like u chronic complaint round here." “The chronic complaint round here," said \\‘halcy bitterly, " is lying. No one seems to know what the truth is. Fetch a maid, and get her to her room, will you? Watch her, and make ‘sure she doesn't have a chance to talk to young Lane.“ A deep voice followed his, quickly. " What‘s young Howard been up to, now?" Whaley looked up. into the smiling grey eyes of Colonel Everard Lane. The detective smiled hack. Colonel Lane was the only member of this accursed household who seemed sane. "Nothing, more than I've already told you," he said, “but i think Miss Foulkes saw him in the grounds this utternoon. and she believes he knows —or did—something." Colonel Lane looked serious. "The devil she does. She didn't say anything, Inspector?" “ Nothing that was true." saJd Whaley, bitingly. Lane nodded. "it‘s only natural. i suppose," he said. “it she thinks young Howard is in it. anywhere. You'd do the same, in the some circumstanrcs." \\’haloy‘s smile was still grim. “.\inybe I would," he said. "but the fact, remains that every possible thing that. can‘go wrong is goinrz wrong. With one vital exception." he added. with a short laugh. “ Conway Sewell is getting deeper and deeper into the mire, every few minutes." Lane rubbed his chin. “You really think he did it?" he asked. “ l've enough evidence to charge him,“ said Martin John Vt'haley, “and I‘m going to.‘ “ Then you must be pretty certain," said the Colonel.

Before \Vhaley could speak again, Slr Bertram Foulkes came out of the lounge and, seeing the two men—Bilson and a maid had already taken Evelyn upstairs—strolled towards them. In this case, \Vlmley knew, there were so many people who might have done something that it was impossible for him to give them all the attention he wanted to. Now he looked at the fine face and the upright figure of the haronet, and he wondered just how much Sir Bertram knew. On his own admission he had been in the grounds. near the summerhouse. lle was, in fact, one or the few who had made any admission at all. But. had he told everything he knew? He hadn't of course. Thomas Dew—son had seen him with Evelyn, yet Sir Bertram had maintained that his niece had not been in the grounds. He was lying to save her: she was lying. to save your Howard Lane, and Howard was lying. to save the girl. It was a vicious circle. but— The idea came to Whaley while Sir Bertram was still crossing the hall. It. was pretty sale to assume that. the Emmy could be split into three

parts, at Barons Court. They were; i. Pauline Vines (lying for Thomas Dawson). 2. Conway Sewell and Jenny Lea (lying for each other). 3. Sir Bertram, Evelyn Foulkes. and liownrd Lune. -(Also lying for each other, without realising it altogether). Amt. he thought remembering the evidence of 1110 hatpin, there was .\gnihn Foulims. She probably be—]nngrd to group 3, although the do; terttvc admitted, she had not yet made any false statement, probably because he, had not interrogated her. He must do so, before long. “ \\'eil, Whitley?" Sir Bertram was liooking‘ more himself than he had ‘mrlior in the afternoon. ".\ny tuck, lyet?“ 1 "it depends what you'd cull luck." lsaid Whale): “Tell me, Sir Bertram, did you know Lester Brice at all? ” ’l‘he baronet shook his beard. “No. Never heard of him, inspecv tor—that is, apart from knowing he . was Jenny Lea‘s husband.“ “You'd no idea he was going to be here to—day?" " No idea. at all." fWhaley's expression was inscrutable. “ That's the trouble," he said. “If I could find why Brice was here I‘d be a. lot happier. The man didn't just turn up, for the sake of it. Of course," he added as an afterthought, "he might have thought it poasible to get some money from his wife." Neither Sir Bertram nor Colonel Lane made any comment. “ .\"ot committing themselves," thought \Vhaley. . He wondered whether Sir Bertram had lied about not knowing Lester Brice. \Vns it possible Brice had dis—rm‘ered something which he could have held over the baronet's head. and used as a. means of blackmatl? If he had discovered a skeleton in the cup—board, Sir Bertram was a man capable of committing murder to prevent scandal. “Ah, well." VVhaley forced a smile. “\Ve'll probably be able to do a lot better to-morrow." he said, “ when I‘ve got the finger-prints down, and I've heard from Scotland Yard." ‘ “ You're calling the Yard in?" asked ‘Sir Bertram. l “Not yet," said Whaley. “ but I'm l getting them to trace the recent move‘ments or Lester Brice, and to find whether he was short of money or ‘not, I believe he lived in London; if ‘so, his place will have been visited by . now.“ “That's the worst; of the police." lsaid Colonel Lane, with a. wide smile, “they can contact with each other all over the country; the poor qrimtnai hasn't got a dog‘s chance." Sir Bertram shrugged his shoulders. \Vhaley grinned, and walked towards the stairs. Lane and Foulkes went into the library together as \\'haley met Blison on the staircase. Bilson grinned. “She's all right." he said. “ Com-l ing round now." ”I won‘t worry her again, for I. little while,” said Whaley. “Listen. Bilson. I want to work something that might help. I don‘t know why, but I'd like to arrest Sewell while Jenny Lea ls nearby." t Bilson smiled. t “That should be easy." he said: “The guard outside his door saysl she‘s tried to get in, twice, Take the guard away for a few minutes, and she'll slide in all right." \Vhaley nodded. They went to the

guard who was standing outside Sewell‘s door—the passages 0n the second floor of the house went ‘in the form of a square, and all the bedrooms and private rooms opened from them—and told him to move. They waited in an empty room, watching the passage through a partly open door. \Nhaley puckered his lips as Jenny Lea came into sight, walking quickly towards Sewcll‘s room. She opened the door and darted in. “That worked all right," \Vhaley told Bilson. "Now we‘ll see if we can hear anything." But they could only Just hear the mumble of words from inside the room. Jenny Lea was doing most of the talking, and Sewell broke in from time to time with a brief question or answer. “Any chance of listening from the Window?" asked \\‘haley. ‘ “Pretty well none,” said Bilson. ‘ ”All right," said Whaley, “we'll‘ make it." The door was not locked, for the key had already been taken by the police. W’haley pushed it open [quickly as Jenny Lea. and Conway lSewell swung round.

Jenny Lea uttered a little cry. “You oughtn‘t to be here." grunted \Vhaley, “but it doesn't make much difference, now." lie looked grimly at the American. whose face was expressionless. “ Conway Seweli,“ he said, “1 am going to arrest you for the mur—der of Lester Brice, and I warn you that anythlui,r you say can be taken as evidence against you.“ There was a moment‘s pause. “You're wrong," said Conway Sewell. at last, but he looked pale and drawn “1 . . . And then Jenny Lea flung herself towards \Vhaley, dropping down on her knees and clutching at his legs. VV‘haley looked down into a tear—stalned face, and heard the words that, were wrung from her heart. “You can‘t take hlml" sobbed Jenn'y Lea, “You can'tl He didn‘t kill Lester Brice. I can prove it!" CHAPTER XIII. Chief Inspector Whaley stooped down, put his hands beneath Jenny Lea‘s arms, and lifted her up “There‘s no need for that kind or acting," he said, brusquely. “Now—what do you know?" I Jenny Lea swallowed hard. Con—way Sewcli was standing like a statue. ‘looking zit heix She avoided his eyes. 1 “I—l know Conway didn't do it,“ she said. “Let me tell you what hap—pened, Inspector—l‘ll tell everything." . “it's time someone did." gruntcd \Vhaley. ““1311?” Jenny look (1 deep breath. “VVe—Ave were walking along the river bank," she said, speaking so fast that \Vhaley had to ask her to slow down, while Bilson was busy with his notebook. “and I saw him—my hus—-l)and-——going into sthe summerhonse. (To be continued.) _