Part 37 (1/2)
He telephoned for a cab.
Then, seating himself at the table, he tore a sheet from a scratch-pad and wrote:
”Don't lose sight of Mrs. Brace. Disregard Russell's arrest.
”Hendricks: the Sloanehurst people are members of the Arlington Golf Club. Get a look at golf bags there. Did one, or two, contain piece or pieces of a bed-slat?
”Gore: check up on Mrs. B.'s use of money.
”I'll be back Sunday.”
He sealed the envelope into which he put that, and, addressing it to Hendricks, left it lying on the table.
At the station he bought the afternoon newspapers and turned to Eugene Russell's statement, made to the reporters immediately after his arrest.
It ran:
”I repeat that I'm innocent of the murder. Of course, I made a mistake in omitting all mention of my having ridden the first four miles from Sloanehurst. But, being innocent and knowing the weight of the circ.u.mstantial evidence against me, I could not resist the temptation to make my alibi good. I neither committed that murder nor witnessed it.
The story I told at the inquest of what happened to me and what I did at Sloanehurst stands. It is the truth.”
XIX
”PURSUIT!”
Returning from his trip Sunday morning, the detective, after a brief conference with Hendricks, had gone immediately to Mrs. Brace's apartment. She sat now, still and watchful, on the armless rocker by the window, waiting for him to disclose the object of his visit. Except the lifted, faintly interrogating eyebrows, there was nothing in her face indicative of what she thought.
He caught himself comparing her to a statue, forever seated on the low-backed, uncomfortable chair, awaiting without emotion or alteration of feature the outcome of her evil scheming. Her hardness gave him the impression of something hammered on, beaten into an ugly pattern.
Having that imperturbability to overcome, he struck his first blow with surprising directness.
”I'm just back from Pursuit,” he said.
That was the first speech by either of them since the monosyllabic greeting at the door. He saw that she had prepared herself for such an announcement; but the way she took it reminded him of a door shaken by the impact of a terrific blow. A little s.h.i.+ver, for all her force of repression, moved her from head to foot.
”You are?” she responded, her voice controlled, the hard face untouched by the shock to which her body had responded.
”Yes; I got back half an hour ago, and, except for one of my a.s.sistants, you're the first person I've seen.” When that drew no comment from her, he added: ”I want you to remember that--later on.”
He began to whittle.
”Why?” she asked with genuine curiosity, after a pause.
”Because it may be well for you to know that I'm dealing with you alone, and fairly.--I got all the facts concerning you.”
”Concerning me?” Her tone intimated doubt.
”Now, Mrs. Brace!” he exclaimed, disapproving her apparent intention.