CHAPTER VI
THE ORIENTAL PERFUME
The inquest into Robert Ashton's strange death, which was held thefollowing day in the billiard-room at The Oaks, was a brief affair. Ajury had been impaneled in the town, and Major Temple, Miss Temple andmyself, as well as Li Min and the other servants, were duly examined andwe told our respective stories as we had already told them to SergeantMcQuade. No new light was thrown upon the affair by our testimony. MissTemple, when questioned, admitted that she had left the house early inthe morning, with the intention of running away, but had changed hermind suddenly and returned. Beyond this nothing could be got out of her.The divisional surgeon testified that his examination of the deceasedshowed a simple fracture of the skull, not necessarily sufficient toproduce death, although capable of doing so when combined with nervousshock or a weakened condition of the heart. That one or both of thelatter agencies had combined with the result of the blow was evidencedby Ashton's almost instantaneous death and the look of horror which wasupon his face. There was nothing for the jury to do but render a verdictstating that Robert Ashton had come to his death through a blow upon thehead, delivered with some sharp instrument by a person or personsunknown. Said verdict having accordingly been rendered, and the bodyremoved to an undertaking establishment in Exeter, there seemed nothingfurther for me to do but pack up my few belongings and go my way,knowing no more of the cause of Robert Ashton's death than before. Iknew that Sergeant McQuade was working eagerly upon the case, and Ifelt sure that, if the discovery of the murderer were possible, hewould accomplish it, but I had very grave doubts as to his success. Ispoke a few words to him at the close of the inquest, and he informed methat he intended going up to London early that afternoon to interrogatethe two Chinamen detained there since the preceding day, and, upon myvolunteering to accompany him, he evinced no objection, but on thecontrary seemed rather to welcome my suggestion. I knew perfectly wellthat, until the mystery was solved, not only myself, but Major and MissTemple and Li Min, as well as the other servants in the house would allbe more or less under police surveillance, and my sudden determinationto go up to London arose from a feeling that I wanted if possible tostay with this case to the end--a feeling that became intensifiedwhenever I thought of Muriel Temple and the unfortunate position inwhich this affair had placed her. Her exquisitely lovely face, drawnwith suffering, appeared to me constantly, as she had looked at thecoroner's inquest, and I felt with all my heart that, if I could doanything to help her, I would, cost what it might. I had no very clearidea as to just what I could accomplish by going up to London, but Ifelt sure that I should be more likely to find opportunities for helpingher there, with the detective, than would be the case should I continuemy walking trip to Torquay.
I hastened to my room, therefore, intending to pack my belongings beforeluncheon, so as to be ready for a start as soon thereafter as thedetective was ready. I left the door of my room partially open uponentering, and for a time busied myself in arranging my luggage. As I didso, I thought I heard a slight sound in the green room across thehall--the one in which the tragedy had occurred--and, glancing up, sawthat, by looking into the mirror of my dresser, I could see most of theinterior of the room opposite. The room was not empty--for in a momentI observed Li Min, the Chinese servant, engaged apparently in arrangingit, now that its unfortunate occupant and his belongings had beenremoved. His actions struck me as being decidedly peculiar, and Iwatched him carefully as he moved about. He was evidently searching forsomething, and examined with the most minute care every object in theroom--the carpet, the pictures, the furniture, even the wall paper, asthough looking for some place of concealment. I tried to figure this outto myself, but I could see no reasonable explanation of his conduct. Ifhe, or any of his confederates had killed Ashton, they certainly musthave secured the emerald Buddha, and taken it with them--the empty case,I remembered, lay upon the table. What then, could this Chinaman besearching for with such evident eagerness and anxiety? I determined tosurprise him, and with a few rapid steps crossed the intervening halland appeared in the doorway. He at once seemed confused, and made aquick pretense of being busily occupied in the business of setting theroom to rights. I stood looking at him questioningly for a few moments,when I presently became aware of a curiously pungent, yet sweet,aromatic odor, which had something vaguely familiar to me about it. Icould not, at first, place this perfume, which was noticeably differentfrom those of our own country, when suddenly it flashed into my mindthat this was the curious scent which I had noticed upon Miss Temple'shandkerchief--the one dropped by her in Ashton's room on the occasion ofher visit to him shortly before midnight on the evening preceding thetragedy. I glanced about, thinking to discover the source of thisperfume, but for a time had difficulty in doing so. At last, however, Ifound that it came from a small cake of soap, of a dull-green color,which lay upon the washstand where it had evidently been left byAshton. I picked up the soap and examined it, and at once recognized thepungent odor of which I have spoken. The coincidence struck me as beingqueer--the presence of this same perfume upon Miss Temple'shandkerchief--and I was at a loss to account for it. I picked up thecake of soap, observing its perfume closely, then, noticing that theChinaman was regarding me with a particularly malevolent gaze, I retiredto my room, taking the soap with me. I had no definite purpose in thisexcept to keep it in order to identify the perfume, and, upon returningto my room threw it into my satchel and completed the arrangements formy departure.
I was soon ready to go, and, after leaving my bag with one of McQuade'smen, who was to accompany us to the railway station, I sought MissTemple in the hope of saying good-by to her before my departure. Iwas lucky enough to find her in the library, sewing, and lookingunusually pale and distressed. She greeted me with rising color, and Iconfess that I, too, felt a trifle of embarrassment. I could not forgether agitation of the day before when I had questioned her as to hermovements upon the morning of the tragedy and her flat refusal tocontinue the conversation when I had pressed her to explain her reasonsfor her early morning expedition as well as her sudden return. I stoodgazing at her in perplexity, but, as I did so, the beauty of her face,the clear, honest expression of her eyes once more convinced me thatwhatever were her reasons for silence they did not in any way implicate_her_ in this tangled affair.
"I HAVE COME TO SAY GOOD-BY," I SAID.]
"I have come to say good-by," I said.
"Oh, are you going--I did not know." She half rose; her face filled withlively concern.
"I'm afraid I've already overstayed my time," I replied. "After all,Miss Temple, I came as a stranger and must thank you and your father formaking me as welcome as you have under the existing painfulcircumstances."
"I have not thought of you as a stranger, Mr. Morgan," she answeredsimply. "You have been a great help during this trying ordeal, and I amsorry that you must go--very sorry." There was a ring of sincerity inher voice that thrilled me; my heart gave a leap, and, as I met hereyes, I realized all of a sudden that, go where I might, I could not yetgo very far away from Muriel Temple. "I do not go because I desire it,"I replied, in a voice from which I could not eliminate the depth andintensity of my feelings. "I am no longer needed here, and it is in thehope that I may perhaps be of some service to you in London that I haveasked Sergeant McQuade's permission to accompany him there to-day. Ihave taken the deepest interest in this terrible affair, Miss Temple,and, if it lies in my power, I intend to find the solution of it. Myreward, if I can do so, will be the knowledge that I have served you."
"You are very good, Mr. Morgan. I shall never forget it, never." Sherose and placed her hand in mine, and allowed it to remain there for amoment--a moment which seemed far too short to me, since I had suddenlyrealized that I should be madly happy could I know that I would have theright to keep it there always. "And, when you have good news, you willcome to The Oaks and tell us about it, will you not?" she concluded,with a smile that went to my heart.
"Indeed I shall, Miss Temple--you ma
y be sure of that--and I hope it maybe soon."
"So do I," she said, and I turned to leave her. Then I suddenlybethought myself of the strange Oriental perfume that had clung sostrongly to the handkerchief which the detective had found in the greenroom. I turned to her once more. "Miss Temple," I said, with somehesitation, "you will pardon me, I know, but you may remember that thehandkerchief which was found in Mr. Ashton's room upon the morning ofthe--the tragedy, and which you thought you might have dropped there,was strongly scented with a powerful Oriental perfume. May I ask whatthat perfume is, and where you procured it?"
"Perfume?" she ejaculated, in surprise. "Why, Mr. Morgan, I never useany--never."
"You never use any?" I stammered. "But it was upon your handkerchief. Ithought that perhaps you might have gotten it during your travels inChina."
"The handkerchief was mine, Mr. Morgan--that is true. But of the perfumeI know absolutely nothing. Why do you ask?"
I hardly knew what reply to make. The whole affair seemed absurdlytrivial; the identity of the perfume of the soap, and of thehandkerchief meant nothing, pointed to nothing, and yet I could notshake off the idea that there was some intimate connection between theperfume of the handkerchief and that of the soap which would go fartoward solving the mystery of Robert Ashton's death. I bade her good-bywith some simple explanation of my question, and hurried out to findMcQuade. I understood that he intended going in to Exeter beforeluncheon, getting a bite to eat there, and taking the early afternoonexpress for London. I found him with one of his men upon the porch roof,busily engaged in making photographs of the bloody hand print upon thewindow sill of the green room. He came down presently and joined me.
"Is it not a curious fact, Mr. Morgan," he remarked, as he reached thefoot of the short ladder he had used to ascend to the roof, "that,although Li Min had not only the motive for the murder, namely, thesecuring of the emerald Buddha, but also the opportunity, inasmuch ashe could readily have reached the porch roof from within the house bymeans of the hall window, and while the hand print which I have beenphotographing is small and delicate, like that of a woman, or indeedlike that of Li Min himself, yet I have tested every possible humanmeans whereby the windows and doors of that room could have beenbolted after the crime was committed, and I can see no possible way inwhich it could have been done, unless either Major Temple or yourselfdid it upon entering the room, which you certainly would neither ofyou have any reason to do were Li Min the guilty person? In spite ofmany of the peculiarities of Miss Temple's conduct, in spite of MajorTemple's altercation with Mr. Ashton, I have been prepared to believeall along that Li Min was on this roof at or near daybreak yesterdaymorning and I do not mind telling you that I have discovered certainevidence--evidence which had before escaped me, that to my mind provesit conclusively--yet how he could have entered that room, murdered Mr.Ashton, secured the jewel, climbed out of the window and shut andbolted it behind him on the inside is beyond my comprehension. It isnot humanly possible--it simply cannot be." He shook his head andlooked at me in a state of evident perplexity.
I felt unable to offer any suggestions of value, but I hazarded aquestion. "Have you searched the attic above the room?" I asked.
"Thoroughly," he replied. "The rafters have never been floored over. Thelath and plaster of the ceiling are absolutely unbroken. As for the fourwalls, two of them are exterior walls, without openings, except thewindows. One is the solid partition between the room and the hallway.The fourth is equally solid, and of brick, between the green room and alarge closet adjoining it to the east, which has evidently been used asa sort of lumber room, and contains a collection of old furniture,carpets, etc., covered with dust half an inch deep. The dust-coveredfloor and the rusty lock both show that it has not been entered for along time. The furniture belongs to the owners of the property, and wasevidently placed there years ago when the property was offered forleasing."
"Then it would seem that we have exhausted all possible clews," Iobserved. I did not think it worth while to take him into my confidenceregarding Li Min, or the perfumed soap; and the brass-headed poker whichI had found, and which I had placed in the drawer in my room, I had forthe moment completely forgotten.
"So it seems," he remarked, thoughtfully. "This is by long odds thestrangest case I have ever worked on. Possibly the two Chinamen we havein London may be able to throw some light upon it."
As we rounded the corner of the house, on our way to the front door, wesuddenly saw Li Min dart out of the main entrance, closely pursued bythe officer to whom I had entrusted my luggage. The Chinaman carried inhis hand my Gladstone bag, and was running with incredible swiftnesstoward the road. Before I had time to make a move, McQuade dartedforward and intercepted him, knocking from his hand with lightning-likequickness a long knife which he drew from his blouse. The two of themtumbled over upon the turf, McQuade rising first with my satchel in hishand. He looked at it, and seeing my name upon it handed it to me with agrim smile. "You must have a valuable kit here, Sir," he said, "or elsethis fellow has taken leave of his senses." He nodded to his assistant,who promptly stepped forward and snapped a pair of handcuffs upon thesullen-looking Oriental.
"The whole outfit isn't worth five pounds," I said, laughing, and pickedup the satchel. As I did so the catch came open and my small collectionof flannel shirts, toilet articles, sketching materials, etc., tumbledupon the grass. McQuade joined in my laugh, and assisted me in replacingmy effects. "Nothing much here, Sir," he said, but I did not fail tonotice that he observed each article closely as we repacked the satchel.
We drove back to town in the high cart, with one of Major Temple'sgrooms at the reins beside me, and Li Min and the Sergeant upon the rearseat. After depositing the Chinaman at the jail, we took a hurried lunchat the Half Moon, and left for London on the early afternoon express,arriving at Waterloo station about dusk. I gave McQuade the address ofmy lodgings and studio in Tottenham Court Road, and, as he intendedreporting at once at Scotland Yard, I left him with the understandingthat, if anything significant developed during his examination of thetwo Chinamen, he would advise me and call upon me if I could assist himin any way. I realized of course that I was purely an outsider, and inno position to expect the police to take me into their confidence, buton the other hand I was not only the most important witness in the case,but my keen interest in the solution of the mystery, for the purpose ofclearing the names of both Miss Temple and her father from any vestigeof suspicion, was not lost upon the Sergeant, and I think he realizedthat I might be of considerable assistance to him should the case takesome unexpected turn. He hurried off in a hansom and I followed,stopping on my way at the Vienna Cafe for dinner. It was past eight whenI arrived at my studio, and, throwing my bag into a corner I sat downand wrote a letter to my mother at Torquay, explaining to her my changeof plans, although making no mention of the reasons which caused thechange. I must have been unusually tired, owing to my early rise and thevaried excitements of the day, for I dozed in my chair, and was notaroused until after eleven, when I heard a loud knock at the studiodoor. I sprang up, somewhat confused, and, opening the door, found underit an envelope containing a note, written on plain, rather cheap paper,in a somewhat irregular but legible hand. It was from McQuade, andrequested me to meet him at once at Number 30, Kingsgate Street. Therewas nothing else in the note, so without further delay I threw on a warmcoat and soft hat, and, hurrying to the street, summoned a cab. Thedriver looked a bit surprised at the address, and asked me to repeat it,which I did a bit sharply, then threw myself into the rear seat andlighted a cigarette. Events were moving quickly it seemed. McQuade, Ifelt sure would not have sent for me at this hour of the night unlesssome developments of importance had occurred. I rejoiced in the hopethat the examination of the two Exeter Chinamen had resulted in thediscovery of both the missing jewel and the murderer, and thought withpleasure of the expedition I should make on the morrow to The Oaks andthe happy tidings I should bring to Muriel. I had thought of her socontinuously, since leav
ing there, and felt so keenly the loss of hercompanionship, slight as it had so far been, that I knew that hereafterall roads, for me, would led to Exeter until the day came when I mightled her from it as my wife. It was while occupied in these dreams thatI felt my cab draw up alongside the curb, just as the hour of midnightwas striking from Old St. Paul's. I dismissed my man with a shilling forhis pains, and ascended the steps of Number 30.
The house was an old one, and its exterior was gloomy and forbidding.Not a light shone in its closely shuttered windows, and only over thetransom of the door was there any visible sign of occupants within. Herea faintly burning oil lamp shone behind a cobwebby glass, with thenumber of the house painted upon it in black. The whole atmosphere ofthe place was depressing in the extreme, and I pulled the bell withfeelings of inward trepidation. Without, all was silent and deserted,and the starless sky and the sighing of wind through the gloomy streets,from which my cab had long since departed, but added to my presentimentsof evil. I had heard the faint jangle of a bell in the interior of thehouse when I pulled the knob, but so long an interval elapsed before anyresponse came that I was on the point of ringing it again, when Isuddenly heard soft footsteps in the hallway, and the door was silentlyopened. I stepped within, mechanically, unable to observe the person whohad admitted me, owing to the fact that he or she, I knew not which,stood partially behind the door as it swung open and was thereforeconcealed by it. I had taken but a single step into the passage, whenthe door was swiftly closed behind me, and at the same instant a bag ofheavy cloth was thrust over my head, and my arms were pinioned frombehind in a vise-like grip. I attempted an outcry, and struggledviolently, but the bag was drawn closely about my throat by a noose inthe edge of it, and I felt myself being slowly, but surely, strangled.