The Red Room

the parrot, addressing asides to his pet, causing the bird toscreech noisily, grow excited, and make idiotic responses.

  "Mark me, Mr. Holford," he said at length, "you did a most foolish thingto betray me to Scotland Yard. In you I'm most disappointed, I assureyou. My confidence was misplaced."

  "I understand you've been to my garage and in my absence purchased anEckhardt tyre," I remarked.

  "Well?" he said, opening his eyes slightly. "I only came down to seeyou, but when I found you absent I bought a tyre as an excuse."

  "And you expect me to believe that, eh?" I asked, with a dry laugh.

  "You can believe it or not believe it, just as you think fit," was hisquick reply. "I have no use for motor-tyres, not possessing a car."

  I grinned in disbelief, recollecting the air of secrecy with which hehad examined the tyre on the first occasion he had called upon me, andalso the effect produced upon him later when I told him of the two othermen who had called to inspect the tyre.

  I think I remained with him for nearly an hour. Then, after he had toldme that his intention was to stay in England, at least for the present,I left him and walked back to my desolate home, where, Gwen havingretired, I sat for a further hour in my den, deeply thinking.

  That Kirk was in some secret way in association with the bogus Professorwas plain. Was it not, then, more than likely that they would ere longmeet again? If I kept a wary eye upon him, I might, I saw, discoversomething of great interest.

  Who could this man be who led a dual existence for no apparent cause;this man who was narrow-minded and penurious in Bedford Park, yet waswealthy and open-handed in Whitehall Court?

  As I calmly reviewed the whole extraordinary situation I saw that, inturn, I mistrusted the whole of the actors in that bewildering drama.Ethelwynn, the calm, sweet, clear-eyed girl, so content in her greatlove for Leonard Langton, though she had actually witnessed her fatherlying dead and cold, yet now refused to presume his death! Why? DoctorFlynn I disliked instinctively; Langton was evidently playing a doublegame, having denied all knowledge of Kirk, whereas the latter was hisfriend; Antonio and Pietro were away; while Kirk himself, silent andcunning, was pretending a complete ignorance which was only ill-feigned.

  And the most important point of all was that not a breath of suspicionof the Professor's death had yet leaked out to the public.

  Thus, utterly bewildered, I again retired to rest.

  Early astir next morning, I set watch upon Kirk's movements, assisted byDick Drake, my clean-shaven, bullet-headed chauffeur. A few momentsbefore eleven he came forth, thinly clad and shabby, as he generallyappeared in Chiswick, and, walking to Ravenscourt Park Station, took athird-class ticket to Westminster, whence he walked to a rather grimyhouse situate in Page Street, a poor neighbourhood lying behind theAbbey. There he remained for some time, after which, fearing lest heshould recognise me, I directed Drake to follow him, and returned to thegarage.

  At six that evening my man returned, tired and hungry, reporting thatKirk had gone to a house in Foley Street, Tottenham Court Road, thenumber of which he gave me, and after ten minutes there he had eaten hisluncheon at a bar in Oxford Street. Then he had taken train fromHolborn Viaduct to Shortlands, near Bromley, where he had made a call ata small villa residence not far from the station.

  The door of the house had been opened by a tall, thin man in a dark bluejersey, who, he said, had the appearance of a foreigner, and Kirk hadstayed inside for nearly two hours. When at last he came out, the tallman had walked with him to the station, and bade him adieu on theplatform.

  "But," added Drake, "that gentleman's a pretty 'cute one, sir. Hespotted me."

  "H'm, that's unfortunate," I said. "You were a bit too bold, I fear."

  Of course I had told him nothing of the reason why I was watching theman who had evinced such interest in the Eckhardt tyre.

  "I exercised all the caution possible," Drake declared, "but he doubledback upon me down at Shortlands and thus tricked me. He didn't sayanything, but only laughed in my face."

  The story of the foreigner at the villa at Shortlands struck me assomewhat remarkable, and I resolved to go there on the morrow andinvestigate. I now held all Kershaw Kirk's movements in suspicion.

  Next day I rose with the fixed intention of going at once down toShortlands, that district of suburban villadom, but hardly had I risenfrom the table where I had breakfasted in silence with Gwen, whensomething occurred to turn the tide of events into an entirely differentchannel.

  Indeed, by that sudden and unexpected occurrence I knew that I had atlast advanced one step towards the knowledge of who killed ProfessorGreer behind those locked doors in Sussex Place.

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

  A PLOT FAILS.

  What actually occurred was this. I had risen from the table when Annieentered with a telegram which, on opening, I found to be an urgentmessage from Langton, at Broadstairs, begging me to go there at once, ashe had some important information to communicate to me.

  From the time-table I found that a fast train left Victoria in an hour,and full of excitement I bade good-bye to Gwen, promising to wire herthe result of the interview.

  Soon after noon I strode down the steep street of the quiet littlewatering-place so beloved by Dickens. On that February day it was verychilly, and very deserted, but gaining the parade I crossed thefootbridge, and, continuing past the Grand Hotel, went along the top ofthe cliffs beyond the town, to where stood the late Professor's seasidered-brick home.

  In the small but pretty drawing-room I was greeted by Ethelwynn and herlover, who were standing talking near the fire as I entered. The girllooked delightfully sweet in a pale blue blouse and dark brown skirt,her splendid hair dressed in a style that suited her admirably, whilehe, on his part, presented the appearance of the typical clean-limbed,well-bred Englishman. They were, indeed, a handsome pair.

  "It's very good of you, Mr. Holford, to come down so quickly!" the girlexclaimed, as she took my hand. "Leonard wants to have a serious chatwith you."

  And yet this was the girl who was privy to her father's tragic end. Wasit possible that her lover also knew the truth?

  Langton invited me to a chair, and commenced by haltingly apologisingfor bringing me down from London.

  "We, however, considered it necessary," he went on; "necessary in theinterests of us all that there should exist a clear and perfectunderstanding between us."

  "In what manner?" I asked Langton.

  "Well," he said, "it has come to our knowledge that you have beenrelating a most extraordinary story regarding Ethelwynn's father. Youdeclare that he died under suspicious circumstances."

  "Whatever I've said is the truth--the plain and absolute truth," Ideclared openly. "Mr. Kirk introduced me into the house in SussexPlace, where I saw the poor Professor lying dead in his laboratory."

  "Ah!" cried the girl quickly, her manner suddenly changing. "Then youare a friend of Kirk's--not of my father?"

  "That is so," I admitted. "And in Kirk's company I saw your fatherlying dead through violence."

  "And you've dared to put forward this story as an absolute fact!"Langton cried. "Do you happen to know who Kershaw Kirk really is?"

  "No; I'd very much like to know," I said, full of anxiety. "Who is he?"

  "If you knew, you would, I think, have hesitated before you went to thepolice with such a fairy tale as yours."

  "It is no fairy tale, Mr. Langton!" I declared very earnestly. "I havewith my own eyes seen the Professor lying dead."

  "But you forget that my father went to Edinburgh on that night, andwired me from there next day," the girl pointed out, fixing her splendideyes on mine with unwavering gaze.

  "I forget no point of the remarkable affair, Miss Greer," I saidquietly. "As a matter of fact, I followed the man believed to be yourfather to Scotland."

  "You--you followed him?" gasped Langton, while the girl's cheeks grewpaler. "Did you see him? Did you speak with him?"

 
"No; but I discovered some rather interesting facts which, when the timearrives, I intend to put forward as proof of a very remarkablesubterfuge."

  The pair exchanged meaning glances in silence. The girl was seated inan arm-chair opposite to me, near the fire, while Langton stood upon thehearthrug, with his hands thrust with feigned carelessness into hispockets.

  "The whole affair was no doubt most cleverly planned, thanks to theingenuity of Kirk. The servants were all in ignorance of anythingunusual--all save Antonio, who, as you know, has escaped to theContinent."

  "Escaped!" The pretty girl laughed uneasily. "The last I heard of himwas that he was with my father, travelling in