CHAPTER XIII
A PLAN OF CAMPAIGN
Naturally, a man facing prosecution on a murder charge is liable to benervous, whether he is innocent or not. If an attempt is being made togather evidence that will clear him, he wishes for frequent reports,always hoping that there will be some ray of hope. And so it was withSidney Prale this morning, as he paced the floor in the living room ofhis suite in the hotel.
Murk had done everything possible to make Sidney Prale comfortable. Nowhe merely stood to one side and watched the man who had saved him from aself-inflicted death, and tried to think of something that he could sayor do to make Prale easier in his mind.
They had not seen or heard from Jim Farland since the evening before,when he had engaged the taxicab and had started in pursuit of thelimousine Kate Gilbert had entered. Prale wondered what Farland had beendoing, whether he had discovered anything concerning Kate Gilbert,whether he had found a clew that would lead to an unraveling of themystery.
"Are you sure about that Farland man, Mr. Prale?" Murk asked, after atime.
"What do you mean by that, Murk?"
"Well, he's a kind of cop, and I never had much faith in cops," saidMurk.
"Farland is an old friend of mine, Murk, and he is on the square--ifthat is what you mean."
"He sure started out like a house afire, sir, but he seems to be fallin'down now," Murk declared. "He sure did handle that barber and theclothin' merchant, but he ain't showed us any speed since he left uslast night."
"He is busy somewhere--you may be sure of that," Sidney Prale declared.
"Well, boss, I ain't got any education, and I ain't an expert in anyparticular line, but I've often been accused of havin' common sense, andI'm strong for you!"
"Meaning what, Murk?"
"Nothin', boss, except that I'd like to be busy gettin' you out of thismess. Seems to me I know just as much about it as you do, and if we'dtalk matters over, maybe I'd get some sort of an idea, or somethin' likethat."
Prale sat down before the window, lighted a cigar, and looked up atMurk.
"Go ahead," he said. "It won't hurt anything, and it will serve to killtime until we hear from Jim Farland. What do you want to talk aboutfirst?"
"It seems to me," said Murk, clearing his throat and attempting to speakin an impressive manner, "that this is a double-barreled affair."
"What do you mean?" Prale asked.
"Well, there's the murder thing, and then there's this thing about youhavin' some powerful and secret enemies that are tryin' to do you dirtwithout even comin' out in the open about it. Maybe them two things aremixed together, and maybe again they ain't. If they ain't, we've got twojobs on our hands."
"And, if they are?" Prale asked.
"Then it looks to me, boss, like the gang that's after you is tryin' tohang this murder on you after havin' had somebody croak that Shepleyguy."
"I've thought of that, Murk. But it doesn't look possible," Prale said."If my enemies merely wanted to hang a murder charge on me, as you havesuggested, I think they would have planned better and would have madethe evidence against me more conclusive. It would mean that there wouldbe a lot of persons in the secret; the men who plan murder do not liketo take the entire town into confidence about it."
"Well, that sounds reasonable," Murk admitted.
"And why Rufus Shepley?"
"Because you had that spat with him in the lobby of the hotel, and itcould be shown that you had a reason for knifin' him," Murk said, withevident satisfaction.
"Nobody could have known I was going to have that quarrel with Shepley,because I had no idea of it myself when I entered the hotel lobby,"Prale said. "After I left the hotel, I met Farland and then walked downto the river and met you--and you know the rest. How could they havecontemplated hanging that crime on me when they did not know but that Ihad a perfect alibi? I think we're on the wrong track, Murk."
"Well, boss, how about your fountain pen?" Murk asked. "How come it wasfound beside the body?"
"That is one of the biggest puzzles in the whole thing, Murk. I cannotremember exactly when I had the pen last. I cannot imagine how it gotinto Shepley's room and on the floor beside his body. That fountain penof mine is an important factor in this case, Murk, and it has meworried."
"It seems to me," Murk said, "that if I had any powerful enemies aftermy scalp, I'd know the birds and be watchin' out for them all the time,to see that they didn't start anything when I was lookin' in the otherdirection."
"But, Murk, I haven't the slightest idea who they are," Sidney Praledeclared. "I don't know why I should have enemies that amount toanything, and that is what makes it so puzzling. How can I work thisthing out when I don't even know where to start? I wish Jim Farlandwould come."
Jim Farland did, at that moment. Murk let him in, and the detectivetossed his hat on a chair, sat down in another, lighted one of his ownblack cigars, and looked at Sidney Prale through narrowed eyes.
"Well, Jim?" Prale asked.
"I talk when I've really got something to say, but I'm not going to makegeneral conversation and muddle your brains with a lot of scatteredjunk," Jim Farland replied. "I'll say this much--things are looking muchbetter for you."
"That sounds good, Jim. Can't you tell me anything?" Prale asked,sitting forward on his chair.
"The barber and the clothing merchant have fixed up a part of youralibi, Sid, as perhaps Murk has told you. That is the first point. Itmakes it look impossible for you to have slain Rufus Shepley, and Ithink Lawyer Coadley could get the charge against you dismissed on thatalone."
"But I want to be entirely cleared."
"Exactly. You don't want to leave the slightest doubt in the mind of asingle person. There is but one way to clear you absolutely, Sid. We'vegot to show conclusively that you could not have killed Shepley, and thebest way to do that is to find the person who did."
"I understand, Jim."
"There seems to be some sort of a mysterious alliance against you, Sid.You say that you can't understand why you should have enemies that hateyou so, and I know you're telling the truth. Whether that business hasanything to do with the murder, or not, I am not prepared to say now.But we want to find out about this enemy business, too, don't we?"
"Certainly," Prale said.
"I followed Kate Gilbert. I know where she lives. She does not belong toa rich family and does not live in splendor. But she wears expensivegowns and has plenty of spending money, and has mysterious dealings witha distinguished-looking man. Her father is mixed up in it in some way,too. I went through their apartment, Sid. Somebody in that apartmentwrote the anonymous notes you received."
"What?" Prale gasped.
"I found a tablet of the same sort of paper, and scraps of writing inthe wastebasket that were in the same hand. Think, Sid! On the ship----"
"By George!" Prale exclaimed. "She could have slipped into my stateroomand pinned that note to my pillow, and she could have stuck the secondone on my suit case as I walked past her on the deck."
"And could have sent the others," Farland added.
"But, why?" Prale demanded. "I never saw the woman until I met her at asocial affair in Honduras. What could she or any of her people haveagainst me?"
"Perhaps it was the maid," Farland said.
"She could have done it, of course, the same as Kate Gilbert," Pralesaid. "But the same difficulty holds good--why? Kate Gilbert did seem toavoid me, and I caught her big maid glaring at me once or twice as ifshe hated the sight of me. But why on earth----"
Farland cleared his throat. "Here is another thought for you to digest,"he said. "This Kate Gilbert knows your cousin, George Lerton."
Sidney Prale suddenly sat up straight in his chair again, his eyesblinking rapidly.
"Doesn't that open up possibilities?" Jim Farland asked him. "The womanseems to be working against you for some reason, and we know that GeorgeLerton lied about meeting you on Fifth Avenue that night. It appearsthat he is working against you, too, for some myster
ious motive."
A dangerous gleam came into Sidney Prale's eyes. "That simplifiesmatters," he said. "I'll watch for Kate Gilbert, and when I see her I'llask why she sent me those notes. Then I'll get George Lerton alone andchoke out of him why he lied about meeting me on the Avenue. I'vetrimmed worse men than George Lerton."
"You'll be a good little boy and do nothing of the sort," Farland toldhim. "We are playing a double game, remember--trying to solve this enemybusiness, and at the same time trying to clear you of a murder charge.If any of those persons get the idea that we are unduly interested inthem, we may not have such an easy time of it."
"I understand that, of course."
"Let me tell you a few more things, Sid. I saw Lerton talking to MissGilbert on the street. They were speaking in very low tones. When theyparted, I followed Lerton to his office, and went in and talked to him.I did it just to size him up. He still declares that he never met you onFifth Avenue. He acts like a man afraid of something; and I discoveredan interesting thing, Sid. He has a typewriter in his private office,one for his personal use. I managed to type a short note on it."
"What of that?"
"That typewriter has a few bad keys, Sid. And I discovered this--thatthe notes sent to the barber and merchant, that caused them to lie andtry to smash your alibi, were written on the typewriter in GeorgeLerton's office!"
Prale sprang to his feet. "Then Lerton has something to do with this!"he cried. "He tried to get me to leave town, and he tried to break downmy alibi. How did he know I was going to make an alibi like that?"
"My guess is that your cousin has been having you watched since you gotoff the ship."
"But, why?" Prale cried. "It is true that he married the girl who hadjilted me a few years before, but I do not hold that against him. I knowof no reason why he should work against me so."
"Know anything about him that might cause him serious trouble if youtalked?"
"No," Prale replied. "As much as I dislike him, as much as I suspectthat he is crooked in business, all that I really could say would bethat he had a mean disposition and was not to be trusted too far."
"I thought maybe you had something on him, and he was trying to get youout of the way so you'd not talk," Farland said. "That would explain alot, of course."
"It can't be that."
"Then we are up in the air again."
"Why not ask him?" Prale demanded. "Believe me, I'll wait for him tocome from his office--and he'll answer me, and tell the truth!"
"Put that hot head of yours under the nearest cold-water faucet!"Farland commanded. "You make a move that I don't sanction, and I'll quitthe case! You'll spoil things, Sid, if you're not careful. Just digestwhat I have told you."
"You're in command, Jim!"
"Very well. You leave George Lerton to me, Sid. There are many angles tothis case, and I can't attend to all of them at once. I don't want tocall in other detectives, because they may be in the pay of thesemysterious enemies of yours, and I haven't an assistant with an ounce ofbrains. Sid, you've got to turn detective yourself--you and Murk."
"I was just wonderin' if I was goin' to get a chance to do anything,"Murk said.
"Plenty of chances," Farland replied. "Sid, you pick up this KateGilbert, if you can. Act as if you did not suspect a thing. Try to talkto her--you were introduced to her in Honduras, and all that. Don't lether get nervous about you, but watch her as much as you can, and let meknow everything you see and hear. Take a look at that big maid, Marie,when you get a chance. If you can do so, and think it advisable, putMurk on Marie's trail. I'll want to use Murk later myself."
Sidney Prale was quick to agree. And thus, without being aware of it, hestarted on a short career of adventure and romance.
Had Murk been a crystal gazer or something of the sort, and could hehave looked into the future in that manner, he would have said that thecrystal lied.