Part 30 (1/2)

The sheriff, unaware of the newcomer, stood near the bed, emphasizing his speech with restless arms and violent motions of his head, as if to galvanize into response the still and prostrate form before him. On the opposite side of the bed stood the sepulchral Jarvis, flas.h.i.+ng malign looks at Crown, but chiefly busy, with unshaking hands, preparing a beverage of some sort for the sick man.

Sloane lay on his back, eyes closed, face under the full glare of the reading light. His expression indicated both boredom and physical suffering.

”--have to make an arrest!” Crown was saying. ”You're making me take that action--ain't you? I come in here, considerate as I know how to be, and I ask you for a few facts. Do you give 'em to me? Not by a long shot! You lie there in that bed, and talk about leaping angels, and say I bore you! Well, Mr. Sloane, that won't get you a thing! You're where I said you were: it's either Webster that will be arrested--or yourself!

Now, I'm giving you another chance. I'm asking you what you saw; and you can tell me--or take the consequences!”

Hastings thought: ”He's up that gum stump of his again, and don't know how to quit talking.”

Sloane made no answer.

”Well,” thundered Crown. ”I'm asking you!”

”Moaning martyrs!” Sloane protested in a thin, querulous tone. ”Jarvis, the bromide.”

”All right!” the sheriff delivered his ultimatum. ”I'll stick to what I said. Webster may be too sick to talk, but not too sick to have a warrant served on him. He'll be arrested because you won't tell me----”

Hastings spoke then.

”Gentlemen!” he greeted pleasantly. ”Mr. Sloane, good evening. Mr.

Sheriff--am I interrupting a private conference?”

”Fiery fiends!” wailed Sloane. ”Another!”

Hastings gave his attention to Crown. He was certain that the man, balked by Sloane's refusal to ”talk,” would welcome an excuse for leaving the room.

”Let me see you a moment, will you?” He put a hand on the sheriff's shoulder, persuading: ”It's important, right now.”

”But I want to know what Mr. Sloane's going to say,” Crown bl.u.s.tered.

”If he'll tell----”

Hastings stopped him with a whisper: ”That's exactly what he'll do--soon!”

He led the sheriff into the hall. They went into the parlour.

”Now,” Hastings began, in genial tone; ”did you get anything from him?”

”Not a dad-blamed thing!” Crown was still bl.u.s.tery. ”But he'll talk before I'm through! You can put your little bets down on that!”

”All right. You've had your chance at him. Better let me see him.”

Crown looked his distrust. He was thinking of Mrs. Brace's warning that this man had made a fool of him.

”I'm not trying to put anything over on you,” the detective a.s.sured him. ”Fact is, I'm out here for the newspaper men. They've had nothing from him; they've asked me to get his story. I'll give it to you before I see them. What do you say?”

Crown still hesitated.

”If, after you've heard it,” Hastings added, ”you want to question him further, you can do it, of course. But this way we take two shots at it.”

To that, the other finally agreed.

Hastings found Sloane smoking a cigarette, his eyes still closed. Jarvis was behind a screen near the door, now and then clinking gla.s.s against gla.s.s as he worked.