CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
THE DEAD MAN'S PROPERTY
Old Daniel Multenius had been quietly laid to rest that afternoon, andat the very moment in which Mr. Killick and his companions were drivingaway from the police station to seek Stuyvesant Guyler at his hotel,Mr. Penniket was closeted with Zillah and her cousin Melky Rubinsteinin the back-parlour of the shop in Praed Street--behind closed andlocked doors which they had no intention of opening to anybody. Nowthat the old man was dead and buried, it was necessary to know howthings stood with respect to his will and his property, and, as Mr.Penniket had remarked as they drove back from the cemetery, there wasno reason why they should not go into matters there and then. Zillahand Melky were the only relations--and the only people concerned, saidMr. Penniket. Five minutes would put them in possession of the reallypertinent facts as regards the provisions of the will--but there wouldbe details to go into. And now they were all three sitting round thetable, and Mr. Penniket had drawn two papers from his inner pocket--andZillah regarding him almost listlessly, and Melky with one of hisquietly solemn expression. Each had a pretty good idea of what wascoming and each regarded the present occasion as no more than aformality.
"This is the will," said Mr. Penniket, selecting and unfolding one ofthe documents. "It was made about a year ago--by me. That is, I draftedit. It's a short, a very short and practical will, drafted from preciseinstructions given to me by my late client, your grandfather. I may aswell tell you in a few words what it amounts to. Everything that heleft is to be sold--this business as a going concern; all his shares;all his house property. The whole estate is to be realized by theexecutors--your two selves. And when that's done, you're to divide thelot--equally. One half is yours, Miss Wildrose; Mr. Rubinstein, theother half is yours. And," concluded Mr. Penniket, rubbing his hands,"you'll find you're very fortunate--not to say wealthy--young people,and I congratulate you on your good fortune! Now, perhaps, you'd liketo read the will?"
Mr. Penniket laid the will on the table before the two cousins, andthey bent forward and read its legal phraseology. Zillah was the firstto look up and to speak.
"I never knew my grandfather had any house property," she said. "Didyou, Melky?"
"S'elp me, Zillah, if I ever knew what he had in that way!" answeredMelky. "He had his secrets and he could be close. No--I never knew ofhis having anything but his business. But then, I might have known thathe'd invest his profits in some way or other."
The solicitor unfolded the other document.
"Here's a schedule, prepared by Mr. Multenius himself, and handed byhim to me not many weeks ago, of his property outside this business,"he remarked. "I'll go through the items. Shares in the Great WesternRailway. Shares in the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway.Government Stock. Certain American Railway Stock. It's allparticularized--and all gilt-edged security. Now then, about his houseproperty. There's a block of flats at Hampstead. There are six housesat Highgate. There are three villas in the Finchley Road. The rents ofall these have been collected by Messrs. Holder and Keeper, estateagents, and evidently paid by them direct to your esteemed relative'saccount at his bank. And then--to wind up--there is a small villa inMaida Vale, which he let furnished--you never heard of that?"
"Never!" exclaimed Zillah, while Melky shook his head.
"There's a special note about that at the end of this schedule," saidMr. Penniket. "In his own hand--like all the rest. This is what hesays. 'N. B. Molteno Lodge, Maida Vale--all the furniture, pictures,belongings in this are mine--I have let it as a furnished residence atL12 a month, all clear, for some years past. Let at present, on sameterms, rent paid quarterly, in advance, to two Chinese gentlemen, Mr.Chang Li and Mr. Chen Li--good tenants."
Zillah uttered another sharp exclamation and sprang to her feet. Shewalked across to an old-fashioned standup desk which stood in a cornerof the parlour, drew a bunch of keys from her pocket, and raised thelid.
"That explains something!" she said. "I looked into this desk the otherday--grandfather used to throw letters and papers in there sometimes,during the day, and then put them away at night. Here's a cheque herethat puzzled me--I don't know anything about it. But--it'll be aquarter's rent for that house. Look at the signatures!"
She laid a cheque before Melky and Mr. Penniket and stood by while theylooked at it. There was nothing remarkable about the cheque--made outto Mr. Daniel Multenius on order for L36--except the two odd lookingnames at its foot--_Chang Li: Chen Li_. Otherwise, it was just like allother cheques--and it was on a local bank, in Edgware Road, and dulycrossed. But Melky instantly observed the date, and put one of his longfingers to it.
"November 18th," he remarked. "The day he died. Did you notice that,Zillah?"
"Yes," answered Zillah. "It must have come in by post and he's thrownit, as he often did throw things, into that desk. Well--that'sexplained! That'll be the quarter's rent, then, for this furnishedhouse, Mr. Penniket?"
"Evidently!" agreed the solicitor. "Of course, there's no need to givenotice to these two foreigners--yet. It'll take a little time to settlethe estate, and you can let them stay on awhile. I know who theyare--your grandfather mentioned them--two medical students, ofUniversity College. They're all right. Well, now, that completes theschedule. As regards administering the estate--"
A sudden gentle but firm knock at the side-door brought Zillah to herfeet again.
"I know that knock," she remarked. "It's Ayscough, the detective. Isuppose he may come in, now?"
A moment later Ayscough, looking very grave and full of news, hadjoined the circle round the table. He shook his head as he glanced atMr. Penniket.
"I came on here to give you a bit of information," he said. "There'sbeen an important development this afternoon. You know the name of thisStephen Purvis that's been mentioned as having been about here? Well,this afternoon his brother turned up from Devonshire. He wanted to seeus--to tell us something. He thinks Stephen's been murdered!"
"On what grounds?" asked the solicitor.
"It turns out Stephen had sent Mr. Multenius a rare finediamond--uncut--from South Africa," answered Ayscough. "Worth everypenny of eighty thousand pounds!"
He was closely watching Zillah and Melky as he gave this piece of news,and he was quick to see their utter astonishment. Zillah turned to thesolicitor; Melky slapped the table.
"That's been what the old man fetched from his bank that day!" heexclaimed. "S'elp me if I ain't beginning to see light! Robbery--beforemurder!"
"That's about it," agreed Ayscough. "But I'll tell you all that's comeout."
He went on to narrate the events of the afternoon, from the arrival ofMr. Killick and his companions at the police station to the coming ofJohn Purvis, and his three listeners drank in every word with risinginterest. Mr. Penniket became graver and graver.
"Where's Mr. Killick now--and the rest of them?" he asked in the end.
"Gone to find that American chap--Guyler," answered Ayscough. "They didthink he might be likely--having experience of these South Africanmatters--to know something how Stephen Purvis may have been followed.You see--you're bound to have some theory! It looks as if StephenPurvis had been tracked--for the sake of that diamond. The thievesprobably tracked it to this shop--most likely attacked Mr. Multeniusfor it. They'd most likely been in here just before young Lauristoncame in."
"But where does Stephen Purvis come in--then?" asked Mr. Penniket.
"Can't say yet--," replied Ayscough, doubtfully. "But--it may be thathe--and Levendale--got an idea who the thieves were, and went off afterthem, and have got--well, trapped, or, as John Purvis suggests,murdered. It's getting a nicer tangle than ever!"
"What's going to be done?" enquired the solicitor.
"Why!" said Ayscough. "At present, there's little more to be done thanwhat is being done! There's no end of publicity in the newspapers aboutboth Levendale and Purvis. Every newspaper reporter in London's on thestretch for a thread of news of 'em! And we're getting posters andbills out, all over, advertisi
ng for them--those bills'll be outsideevery police-station in London--and over a good part of England--bytomorrow noon. And, of course, we're all at work. But you see, wehaven't so far, the slightest clue as to the thieves! For there's nodoubt, now, that it was theft first, and the rest afterwards."
Mr. Penniket rose and gathered his papers together.
"I suppose," he remarked, "that neither of you ever heard of thisdiamond, nor of Mr. Multenius having charge of it? No--just so. Anatmosphere of secrecy all over the transaction. Well--all I can say,Ayscough, is this--you find Levendale. He's the man who knows."
When the solicitor had gone, Ayscough turned to Zillah.
"You never saw anything of any small box, packet, or anything of thatsort, lying about after your grandfather's death?" he asked. "I'mthinking of what that diamond had been enclosed in, when he brought itfrom the bank. My notion is that he was examining that diamond when hewas attacked, and in that case the box he'd taken it from would belying about, or thrown aside."
"You were in here yourself, before me," said Zillah.
"Quite so--but I never noticed anything," remarked Ayscough.
"Neither have I," replied Zillah. "And don't you think that whoeverseized that diamond would have the sense to snatch up anythingconnected with it! I believe in what Mr. Penniket said just now--youfind Levendale. If there's a man living who knows who killed mygrandfather, Levendale's that man. You get him."
Mrs. Goldmark came in just then, to resume her task of keeping Zillahcompany, and the detective left. Melky snatched up his overcoat andfollowed him out, and in the side-passage laid a hand on his arm.
"Look here, Mr. Ayscough!" he whispered confidentially. "I want you!There's something turned up in there, just now, that I ain't said aword about to either Penniket or my cousin--but I will to you. Do youknow what, Mr. Ayscough--listen here;"--and he went on to tell thedetective the story of the furnished house in Maida Vale, its Chineseoccupants, and their cheque. "Dated that very day the old man wasscragged!" exclaimed Melky. "Now, Mr. Ayscough, supposing that one o'those Chinks called here with that cheque that afternoon when Zillahwas out, and found the old man alone, and that diamond in his hand--eh?"
Ayscough started and gave a low, sharp whistle.
"Whew!" he said. "By George, that's an idea! Where's this house, do yousay? Molteno Lodge, Maida Vale? I know it--small detached house in agarden. I say!--let's go and take a look round there!"
"It's what I was going to propose--and at once," responded Melky. "Comeon--but on the way, we'll pay a bit of a call. I want to ask a questionof Dr. Mirandolet."