The Case and the Girl

  CHAPTER XVI

  WEST MAKES HIS CHOICE

  The girl neither answered, nor hesitated, but crossed the room swiftly,her hands seeking the lashings about his wrists. Her movement thrilledhim, and his blood leaped at the soft touch of her fingers.

  "Really, I did not realize you were tied into the chair," she exclaimedindignantly. "Hobart is a fool to do such a thing. Why, what has causedhim to become so frightened? Tell me, Captain West, how all thisoccurred?"

  "You know nothing?"

  "Only what has been said since I entered the room. Mike simply told methey had a man here who Hobart thought was a detective, and he wanted meto come in a moment. I came, and found you. Now, please, what does itall mean?"

  She slipped back to her seat again, her eyes on his face, as he arose andstretched his limbs to restore circulation. To his quick glance her faceexpressed only sympathy, and innocent interest. Any doubt he may havefelt as to the sincerity of the girl vanished instantly; whatever ofcrime was concealed here, she had no suspicion. He could tell her thewhole story without fear.

  "I'll try and explain, Miss Natalie," he began rather lamely, "althoughperhaps, you may not wholly understand the motives which have promptedme. This, of course, is really no business of mine, and the only thingthat has involved me is the deep interest I have felt in you."

  "In me! why that is rather interesting. It was to serve me youcame here?"

  "At least I thought so. Shall I make it more definite? No doubt you areaware that you are an unusually pretty woman. Well, at least, I think sofor one, and our first meeting, with its subsequent adventures, wasromantic enough to shake me out of a commonplace existence. In fact, Ibecame quite deeply interested in you."

  "Why really, Captain," she interrupted, slightly puzzled. "I perhaps donot fully comprehend to what you refer. Do you mean there was somethingbetween us? Some special intimacy?"

  "Oh, no; not that; probably no dream of what was occurring in your mind.Yet the circumstances of our meeting were peculiar; they rendered a verybrief acquaintance into what promised to become a real friendship."

  "How do you mean?"

  "Surely you cannot have forgotten so soon," he exclaimed in surprise ather attitude, seating himself once more and facing her determinedly. "Icame to you in response to a strange advertisement; you trusted me socompletely as to introduce me to your friends as your fiance, and laterconfided to me the special trouble you were in. I pledged you myassistance, and it was surely very natural that, under thesecircumstances, I as a young man, should have become rather deeplyinterested--"

  "In both the case, and the girl."

  "Yes; so much so, indeed, that even when I was rather harshly dismissed,I could not accept it without a protest. I had grown to feel that thiswas not a mere business arrangement between us. Do you understand now?"

  "I can see it from your stand-point. But nevertheless, I am surprised,Captain West. You--you mean you actually fell in love with me?"

  "I felt a very, very deep interest in you," he admitted gravely, "agreater interest than I have ever felt in any other woman. That is mysole excuse for becoming involved in your affairs. I could not bear tosee you make a mistake it might be in my power to prevent."

  "What mistake?"

  "Well, first of all, trusting in this man Hobart."

  She laughed, her eyes glancing up quickly into his face.

  "And why now, please? Remember your confession; I may think this onlyjealousy."

  "You are not so silly as that," earnestly. "Moreover, I may as well beperfectly frank. I did confess an interest in you, and in a measure, Istill feel eager to serve you in every possible way; but you havechanged so greatly, Miss Natalie, that my confidence in you has beenseverely tried."

  "You no longer believe?"

  "I hardly know; I fail utterly to understand you of late; you seem anentirely different girl. For one thing, you have deliberatelydeceived me."

  "Indeed! in what?"

  "In your visit to Arch Street with Percival Coolidge. That was no missionof charity to a poor widow and children."

  "What then?"

  "An arranged conference with this fellow Hobart. He rented that cottagefor no other purpose, and left it the next day. You made a mistake whenyou took me along."

  She straightened up slightly in the chair, yet spoke ratherindifferently, her voice cold.

  "No doubt I did," she said tersely. "Indeed I have already discovered,Captain West, that I made an even greater mistake when I first took youinto my service. You have proven altogether too inquisitive. Now I willbe plain with you. Whatever need I once supposed I had for your servicesended with the explanation I received in that Arch Street cottage. I toldyou so very distinctly after our return home. You recall that interview,no doubt?"

  He bowed, waiting for her to go on.

  "You were then and there dismissed from my service. That should have beensufficient. I knew nothing of your silly feeling of personal interest inme; nor did I realize any occasion for discussing with you the reasonscausing me to change my plans. You were my employee, and I dischargedyou; that was all. It is true Percival Coolidge took me to that cottageto have certain mysterious things explained, and they were explained tomy complete satisfaction."

  "By Hobart?"

  "Yes."

  "You knew the fellow before?"

  She hesitated slightly, although there was no perceptible change in theanswering voice.

  "For several years; he was in my father's employ; the--the whole troubleoriginated in a joke, and--and was quite amusing, once I understood. Ofcourse, after that, I had no further need for you. Why did you persist inannoying me?"

  West hesitated an instant, his mind struggling with the situation. Wasshe honest, truthful, in this statement? Could he say anything whichwould change her viewpoint? She must have been deceived by these men, yethow could he expose them so she would comprehend? He was so littlecertain of the facts himself, that he had nothing but suspicion to offer.

  "Why do you not answer, Captain West?"

  The girl's eyes were clear, insistent, a little amused; they somehowaroused his determination.

  "I will endeavour to make you understood, Miss Natalie," he explainedslowly. "I would not have you feel that I deliberately pushed myself intothis affair. When I left Fairlawn after your dismissal, I had no thoughtof ever seeing you again. I have already told you the interest I had feltin you up to that time, but your abruptness during our last interview,left me angry, and with no inclination to seek your presence again. Youcan scarcely blame me for such a feeling?"

  "No," she confessed. "I--I was so excited and nervous I was notvery nice."

  "You certainly hurt me. I departed with a sense of wrong rankling, and nodesire to come back. But fate intervened. You know, perhaps, that Ioverheard the shot which ended the life of Percival Coolidge, and I wasthe first to discover his dead body. This made no particular impressionon me at the time. I supposed it a case of suicide, and so bore witnessat the inquest. The whole matter would have ended there; but the next dayyou discharged Sexton also, and the man sought me out at the Club."

  She leaned forward, her lips parted, a new light in her eyes.

  "He told you something? He made you suspicious?" she asked breathlessly.

  "He caused me to see the affair from a somewhat different point ofview--a point of view which, I confess, revived my interest in you. Ibegan to believe you had been deceived, and your treatment of me arosethrough a misunderstanding; I thought you a victim, and that I would be acad if I failed to stand by you. We put this and that together, carriedout some investigations quietly, and arrived at a definite conclusion."

  "What investigations?"

  "In the field where the body was found first," West went on steadily, butno longer looking at her, "tracing the different tracks through theclover. Then I looked up that cottage in Arch Street, and thus learnedabout Hobart. Somehow he seemed to fit into the picture, and yourmysterious visit there made me anxious to intervi
ew the man. He had leftno address however, just faded out of sight suddenly, which increasedsuspicion. Then, when we were completely baffled, Sexton learned aboutyour conversation over the telephone."

  "How? Was he at the house?"

  "Yes; he went out at my suggestion."

  "And heard me repeat this number?"

  "It makes no difference how he got the information; we knew you werecoming here this afternoon, and jumped at the conclusion that you weregoing to meet Hobart for some reason."

  "Very bright, I am sure," and there was a tone of relief in her voice."And that is your whole story, I suppose? What does it amount to?"

  "Not very much, perhaps."

  "And the two of you came out here seeking to learn my business, to pryinto my personal affairs. That was not a very gentlemanly act, CaptainWest, and I hardly see how you can justify yourself."

  "I had two purposes," he insisted, "either of which justify. I felt ita duty to locate this man Hobart; and also to warn you of the dangeryou were in."

  "Warn me!" she laughed scornfully. "That is ridiculous enough surely. Ihave a perfectly good reason for being here, but I am not accountable toyou in any way for my movements. A duty you say--a duty to locate thisman? A duty to whom?"

  "To the State, if no one else," he answered gravely. "Percival Coolidgedid not commit suicide; he was murdered."

  "Murdered!" she came to her feet with utterance of the word. "You cannotthink that!"

  "I know it, Miss Natalie; the evidence is beyond question; he wasmurdered in cold blood."

  "But by whom? for what purpose?"

  "These points are not yet determined; I am only sure of the crime."

  "Yes, but--but you suspect Jim Hobart. Isn't that true? You came hereseeking him--yes, and me. You even think I know how this death occurred.You--you connect it with my fortune."

  "No, Miss Natalie," he protested stoutly, moved by her agitation. "Thecause is a mystery, and who did it equally mysterious. The evidence thusfar unearthed is all circumstantial."

  "Then why did you come out here searching for Hobart?"

  "Because of his strange meeting with Percival Coolidge the very day ofhis death; because his sudden disappearance furnished the only clue."

  "And that is all the knowledge you possess, absolutely all?"

  "Yes; I am no more than groping in the dark. My main object in coming wasto put you on your guard."

  "You have repeated these suspicions to no one else? The Police?"

  "To no one. Only Sexton and I have even talked the matter over. We areboth too loyal to you to ever say a word which might be to your injury."

  She suddenly held out her hand, and he took it, conscious of the firmclasp of her fingers.

  "I thank you, Captain West," she said sincerely, "and believe yourpurpose was honourable. You have told me frankly all you suspect, anddoubtless you have reasons. You have simply made a mistake, that is all.Percival Coolidge was not murdered; he killed himself because he hadmuddled my affairs, and knew he was about to be discovered. You have gotupon a wrong trail. Will you accept my word for this, and drop the wholematter here?"

  West was almost convinced, but not quite; the explanation had not beensufficiently explicit.

  "This man Hobart--who is he? What connection does he have withyour affairs?"

  She hesitated slightly, yet her eyes did not fall, or her apparentcordiality change.

  "Mr. Hobart," she explained, "I have known for years. I told you beforehe was once in my father's employ. Now he is a private detective, andwas employed on my case, before I advertised for you. I thought then hewas not accomplishing anything, but at our interview Sunday, all wascleared up."

  "In the presence of Percival Coolidge?"

  "Yes; he was given a week in which to straighten matters. That was why hekilled himself."

  "But why is it necessary for you to meet Hobart in a place like this--averitable thieves' den?"

  She shrugged her shoulders, releasing his hand.

  "He has not completed his work, and does not think it best for us to beseen together. I know him so well I am not at all afraid, even here. Isthat all, Captain West?"

  "It seems to explain everything," he admitted, yet far from satisfied.

  "And you will drop the whole affair?" she asked anxiously.

  "If I say yes--what?"

  "You will be released from here of course, and the whole misunderstandingforgotten."

  "And otherwise?"

  "I have no means of knowing what the men intend to do. They will acceptyour pledge, I am sure."

  "Possibly, but I am not so sure I will consent to give such a pledge."

  "Then you do not accept my word; do not believe what I have told you?"

  "Not that exactly, Miss Natalie; I could have faith in your word, exceptthat I believe you to be mistaken, deceived. Hobart is not square; he isusing you for his own ends. Under these conditions, I would be a cowardto give such a promise, and leave you helpless in this man's power."

  "You intend then to refuse?"

  "I do; I'll fight it out."

  She stared at him, scarcely believing her own ears, her lips parted, alook of angry fright in her eyes.

  "You are a fool, Captain West," she burst forth at last, unable to holdback the words. "I have done my best for you, and you spurn that. Nowlook out."

  She stepped backward, still fronting him, and, with hand behind her,rapped sharply on the panel of the door.