CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
THE RAT
Ayscough and Melky kept silence, until they had exchanged the busystreets for the quieter by-roads which lie behind the PaddingtonCanal--then, as they turned up Portsdown Road, the detective tapped hiscompanion's arm.
"What do you know about these two Chinese chaps that have thisfurnished house of yours?" he asked. "Much?--or little?"
"We don't know nothing at all, Mr. Ayscough--me and my cousin Zillah,"replied Melky. "Never heard of 'em! Never knew they were there! Neverknew the old man had furnished house to let in Maida Vale! He wasclose, the old man was, about some things. That was one of 'em.However, Mr. Penniket, he knew of this--but only recently. He saysthey're all right--medical students at one of the hospitals--yes,University College. That's in Gower Street, ain't it? The old man--heput in a note about there here Molteno Lodge that these Chinks weregood tenants. I know what he'd mean by that!--paid their rent regular,in advance."
"Oh, I know they've always plenty of money, these chaps!" observedAyscough. "I've been wondering if I'd ever seen these two. But Lor'bless you!--there's such a lot o' foreigners in this quarter,especially Japanese and Siamese--law students and medical students andsuch like--that you'd never notice a couple of Easternsparticularly--and I've no doubt they wear English clothes. Now, what doyou want to see this doctor for?" he asked as they halted by Dr.Mirandolet's door. "Anything to do with the matter in hand?"
"You'll see in a minute," replied Melky as he rang the bell. "Just anotion that occurred to me. And it has got to do with it."
Dr. Mirandolet was in, and received his visitors in a room which washalf-surgery and half-laboratory, and filled to the last corner withthe evidences and implements of his profession. He was wearing a whitelinen operating jacket, and his dark face and black hair looked all thedarker and blacker because of it. Melky gazed at him with some awe ashe dropped into the chair which Mirandolet indicated and found thedoctor's piercing eyes on him.
"Just a question or two, mister!" he said, apologetically. "Me and Mr.Ayscough there is doing a bit of looking into this mystery about Mr.Multenius, and knowing as you was a big man in your way, it struck meyou'd tell me something. I was at that inquest on Parslett, you know,mister."
Mirandolet nodded and waited, and Melky gained courage.
"Mister!" he said, suddenly bending forward and tapping the doctor'sknee in a confidential fashion. "I hear you say at that inquest as howyou'd lived in the East?"
"Yes!" replied Mirandolet. "Many years. India--Burmah--China!"
"You know these Easterns, mister, and their little way?" suggestedMelky. "Now, would it be too much--I don't want to get no professionalinformation, you know, if it ain't etiquette!--but would it be too muchto ask you if them folks is pretty good hands at poisoning?"
Mirandolet laughed, showing a set of very white teeth, and glared atAyscough with a suggestion of invitation to join in his amusement. Heclapped Melky on the shoulder as if he had said something diverting.
"Good hands, my young friend?" he exclaimed. "The very best in theworld! Past masters! Adepts. Poison you while they look at you!"
"Bit cunning and artful about it, mister?" suggested Melky.
"Beyond your conception, my friend," replied Mirandolet. "Unless I verymuch mistake your physiognomy, you yourself come of an ancient racewhich is not without cunning and artifice--but in such matters as yourefer to, you are children, compared to your Far East folk."
"Just so, mister--I believe you!" said Melky, solemnly. "And--which of'em, now, do you consider the cleverest of the lot--them as you sayyou've lived amongst, now? You mentioned three lots of 'em, youknow--Indians, Burmese, Chinese. Which would you consider theartfullest of them three--if it came to a bit of real underhand work,now?"
"For the sort of thing you're thinking of, my friend," answeredMirandolet, "you can't beat a Chinaman. Does that satisfy you?"
Melky rose and glanced at the detective before turning to the doctor.
"Mister," he said, "that's precisely what I should ha' said myself.Only--I wanted to know what a big man like you thought. Now, I know!Much obliged to you, mister. If there's ever anything I can do for you,doctor--if you want a bit of real good stuff--jewellery, you know--atdead cost price--"
Mirandolet laughed and clapping Melky's shoulder again, looked atAyscough.
"What's our young friend after?" he asked, good-humouredly. "What's hisgame?"
"Hanged if I know, doctor!" said Ayscough, shaking his head. "He's gotsome notion in his head. Are you satisfied, Mr. Rubinstein?"
Melky was making for the door.
"Ain't I just said so?" he answered. "You come along of me, Mr.Ayscough, and let's be getting about our business. Now, look here!" hesaid, taking the detective's arm when they had left the house. "We'regoing to take a look at them Chinks. I've got it into my head thatthey've something to do with this affair--and I'm going to see 'em, andto ask 'em a question or two. And--you're coming with me!"
"I say, you know!" remarked Ayscough. "They're respectablegentlemen--even if they are foreigners. Better be careful--we don'tknow anything against 'em."
"Never you fear!" said Melky. "I'll beat 'em all right. Ain't I got agood excuse, Mr. Ayscough? Just to ask a civil question. Begging theirpardons for intrusion, but since the lamented death of Mr. DanielMultenius, me and Miss Zillah Wildrose has come into his bit ofproperty, and does the two gentlemen desire to continue their tenancy,and is there anything we can do to make 'em comfortable--see? Oh, I'lltalk to 'em all right!"
"What're you getting at, all the same?" asked the detective. "Give it atitle!"
Melky squeezed his companion's arm.
"I want to see 'em," he whispered. "That's one thing. And I want tofind out how that last cheque of theirs got into our back-parlour! Wasit sent by post--or was it delivered by hand? And if by hand--whodelivered it?"
"You're a cute 'un, you are!" observed Ayscough. "You'd better join us."
"Thank you, Mr. Ayscough, but events has happened which'll keep me busyat something else," said Melky, cheerfully. "Do you know that my goodold relative has divided everything between me and my cousin?--I'm arich man, now, Mr. Ayscough. S'elp me!--I don't know how rich I am.It'll take a bit o' reckoning."
"Good luck to you!" exclaimed the detective heartily. "Glad to hear it!Then I reckon you and your cousin'll be making a match of it--keepingthe money in the family, what?"
Melky laid his finger on the side of his nose.
"Then you think wrong!" he said. "There'll be marriages beforelong--for both of us--but it'll not be as you suggest! There's MoltenoLodge, across the road there--s'elp me, I've often seen that bit of aretreat from the top of a 'bus, but I never knew it belonged to thepoor old man!"
They had now come to the lower part of Maida Vale, where many detachedhouses stand in walled-in gardens, isolated and detached from eachother--Melky pointed to one of the smaller ones--a stucco villa, whosewhite walls shone in the November moonlight. Its garden, surrounded byhigh walls, was somewhat larger than those of the neighbouring houses,and was filled with elms rising to a considerable height and with tallbushes growing beneath them.
"Nice, truly rural sort of spot," said Melky, as they crossed the roadand approached the gate in the wall. "And--once inside--uncommonprivate, no doubt! What do you say, Mr. Ayscough?"
The detective was examining the gate. It was a curious sort of gate,set between two stout pillars, and fashioned of wrought ironwork, themeshes of which were closely intertwined. Ayscough peered through theupper part and saw a trim lawn, a bit of statuary, a garden seat, andall the rest of the appurtenances common to a London garden whoseowners wish to remind themselves of rusticity--also, he saw no signs oflife in the house at the end of the garden.
"There's no light in this house," he remarked, trying the gate. "Looksto me as if everybody was out. Are you going to ring?"
Melky pointed along the front of the wall.
"There's a sort of alley going up there, be
tween this house and thenext," he said. "Come round--sure to be a tradesman's entrance--aside-door--up there."
"Plenty of spikes and glass-bottle stuff on those walls, anyhow!"remarked Ayscough, as they went round a narrow alley to the rear of thevilla. "Your grandfather evidently didn't intend anybody to get intothese premises very easily, Mr. Rubinstein. Six-foot walls and what youmight call regular fortifications on top of 'em! What are you going todo, now?"
Melky had entered a recess in the side-wall and was examining a stoutdoor on which, plainly seen in the moonlight, were the words_Tradesman's Entrance_. He turned the handle--and uttered anexclamation.
"Open!" he said. "Come on, Mr. Ayscough--we're a-going in! If there isanybody at home, all right--if there ain't, well, still all right. I'mgoing to have a look round."
The detective followed Melky into a paved yard at the back of thevilla. All was very still there--and the windows were dark.
"No lights, back or front," remarked Ayscough. "Can't be anybody in.And I say--if either of those Chinese gents was to let himself in withhis key at the front gate and find us prowling about, it wouldn't lookvery well, would it, now? Why not call again--in broad daylight?"
"Shucks!" said Melky. "Ain't I one o' the landlords of this desirablebit o' property? And didn't we find that door open? Come round to thefront."
He set off along a gravelled path which ran round the side of thehouse, and ascended the steps to the porticoed front door. And there herang the bell--and he and his companion heard its loud ringing insidethe house. But no answer came--and the whole place seemed darker andstiller than before.
"Of course there's nobody in!" muttered Ayscough. "Come on--let's getout of it."
Melky made no answer. He walked down the steps, and across the lawnbeneath the iron-work gate in the street wall. A thick shrubbery ofholly and laurel bushes stood on his right--and as he passed itsomething darted out--something alive and alert and sinuous--and wentscudding away across the lawn.
"Good Lord!" said Ayscough. "A rat! And as big as a rabbit!"
Melky paused, looked after the rat, and then at the place from which ithad emerged. And suddenly he stepped towards the shrubbery and drewaside the thick cluster of laurel branches. Just as suddenly he startedback on the detective, and his face went white in the moonbeams.
"Mr. Ayscough!" he gasped. "S'elp me!--there's a dead man here! Lookfor yourself!"