The Red Mouse: A Mystery Romance

  IX

  After seeing Miss Bloodgood to her carriage Murgatroyd's thoughts werein a maze of bewildering complexity. As a matter of fact, his peace ofmind was wholly gone; and it was with a far different feeling than anyhe had heretofore experienced that he sought his down-town club forluncheon. It chanced to be at a time when stocks were buoyant, and inconsequence the atmosphere of the dining-room was charged withcheerfulness. But Murgatroyd was in no mood to join any of the variousgroups lunching together; on the contrary, he took particular pains toseat himself at a small table apart from the others, where he gavehimself up at once to a mental rehearsal of the scene in his office ahalf hour ago.

  Success at any cost! Yes, that was the way she had put it. Well, and whynot? Was not that the modern idea--the spirit of the age? And should hehold a mere slip of a girl responsible for putting into words what everywoman thinks? Ridiculous!... And the United States Senate was herconception of greatness! Ah, that was for Thorne! The organisation, thebrewers, the railroads, would send him there--buy him the job! Yes, herfriend Thorne would be a success, achieve greatness; while he, WilliamMurgatroyd, would be likely at the expiration of his present term ofoffice to find himself dead politically, become a cipher professionallyas well.

  Presently the waiter brought his luncheon. None of the dishes suitedhim; the servant was taken to task; the head-waiter was summoned; thedishes were changed, and still they did not taste right. Finallymuttering to himself comments derogatory to the club's cuisine,Murgatroyd pushed away his plate, lit a cigar and hastened out of thebuilding.

  Lost in an abyss of depression he sank wearily into the seat at hisdesk. It was thus that McGrath found him when he entered to announcethat he had brought down Pemmican.

  Murgatroyd stared at him dully.

  "Pemmican?" he repeated. "Who the deuce is Pemmican?"

  "Thunderation!" burst from the lips of McGrath. "Why, your star witnessin the Challoner case!"

  This brought Murgatroyd to earth.

  "Well, don't bring him in," he said impatiently; "I'll ring when I wantyou."

  McGrath was dumbfounded. In fact, his astonishment at his superior'sevident disinclination to proceed immediately with the examination ofPemmican was such that it came very near to making him forget that therewas another reason for his presence there.

  "Another lady to see you, counsellor," said McGrath half-apologetically."It's Mrs. Challoner this time."

  Murgatroyd looked up quickly.

  "Mrs. Challoner! Why didn't you say so before? Show her in at once!" Andas that person came through the door Murgatroyd rose and went forward tomeet her, saying:--

  "How do you do, Mrs. Challoner? If you had let me know that you wishedto see me, I should have been glad to call on you. What can I do foryou?"

  For a moment Mrs. Challoner did not answer, but looked suspiciouslyabout to see whether any one else was present.

  "Mr. Murgatroyd, I do not wish it to be known that I have come here,"she began, as she dropped into a chair. She looked haggard, pale andworn. Her manner, the tone of her voice, at once indicated to theprosecutor that she was labouring under some suppressed excitement. Itwas a situation not at all to his liking, and he watched her narrowlywhile she proceeded:--

  "I have come to see what can be done for my husband."

  "Miss Bloodgood was here a short time ago on the same errand," heobserved, to put her at ease.

  "Miss Bloodgood!" Amazement leaped into the young wife's tired, browneyes. "She did not tell me she was coming--but that's just like her--shenever tells half the good things she does. She's a friend--indeed,Shirley's a good friend."

  There was an embarrassing pause in which both were silent. Apparentlyshe was nerving herself to go on. Presently courage came, and shesaid:--

  "Will you tell me, please, what my husband's chances are?"

  "Every man is supposed to be innocent until he is proven guilty.... Butfirst as last, I may as well inform you, Mrs. Challoner, that I can donothing, absolutely nothing for you. Your husband must stand trial!"

  "Yes, yes, I know. But you don't quite understand. The man was nothimself. Surely you must know that! Let him live, Mr. Murgatroyd; he'sworth saving. Give him time--a chance. He'll be good--I shall make himgood. I have tried, and I shall continue to try all the harder...."

  Murgatroyd sat motionless. His profile was toward Mrs. Challoner. It wasa clean-cut profile, and upon its contour there was no sign of yielding.After a while he looked up and said:--

  "I am very sorry for you, Mrs. Challoner, and I dislike intensely tohurt your feelings. But do you realise that your husband ... shot thisman in a quarrel over----"

  Mrs. Challoner quickly cut him short.

  "That woman! What do I care for that! You don't know what my husband isto me! I love him no matter what he has done. Besides, it was all myfault. Let me tell you how it was. Laurie wanted money--his money wasgone--he had spent it all, and----"

  Murgatroyd held up his hand.

  "I cannot let you speak this way. You are simply supplying me withevidence against him."

  "And I refused him," continued the woman, too excited to hear what theprosecutor was saying. "I hardened my heart against him--drove him fromhome, and then--this dreadful thing happened."

  "It would be dastardly in me to listen further. You are making yourhusband's guilt more evident with every word. When Hargraves was foundhe had been robbed of ten thousand dollars!" And with that Murgatroydrose as if to indicate that the interview was at an end. "There isnothing I can do, Madam," he declared flatly; and then added: "Therenever was but one way to cure a man like Challoner; it's too late now."

  Minutes passed.... Murgatroyd watched her intently; but she did notmove: she sat rigid as if preparing herself for some ordeal yet to come.All of a sudden her attitude changed. Mistrustfully she peered about heronce more, then leaning far over toward Murgatroyd, she whispered:--

  "We are alone?"

  The lawyer regarded her with pardonable curiosity before he answered:--

  "Yes. Why do you ask?"

  Mrs. Challoner wrung her hands; she seemed uncertain how to proceed. Inthe end she said:--

  "I am going to do a terrible thing. It frightens me almost to death. Idon't know how to begin, but my love for Laurie is my excuse for what Ihave to say. I hope you won't misunderstand me. Supposing Shirley was inLaurie's place--if she were accused of crime, what wouldn't you do forher?"

  "The cases are hardly parallel," he answered indifferently.

  "They are precisely parallel," she maintained. "You love Shirley as Ilove Laurie--I know you do. Don't say no--women have a way of knowingthose things." Her eyes sought his for confirmation. "Am I not right?"

  "I would do anything to win her," he spoke up quickly; evidently shetook the rest for granted, for she continued to persevere:--

  "I know that you have great ambitions; and with such a girl at your sidethere is no reason why you should not become a great man."

  This sudden interest on her part in matters concerning his future, forthe moment rattled him. Nevertheless, he was conscious of a decidedsensation of relief that the conversation had taken its present course;and her words: "With such a girl at your side" found a welcome in hisheart. On her part, Mrs. Challoner was becoming more and more composed.And now in a voice that seemed to him ringing with conviction, she wenton:--

  "You will have up-hill work, I know. Your party is against you and allthat sort of thing; but if only for Shirley's sake, I want you--you mustsucceed!"

  For some reason which he did not attempt to explain Murgatroyd foundhimself actually confessing to this woman that he thought he deserved towin out.

  "It's only money that you lack, I know," she ventured now. "With moneythey couldn't keep you down. With money of your own--" she stoppedabruptly; the tension was getting too much for her. Presently she criedout: "Oh, Mr. Murgatroyd, don't you see what I mean, and won't you helpme?"

  But he failed to understand her meaning, and was obliged to ask
her toexplain herself. He was staring hard at her now.

  And then at last it came out.

  "Only this, Mr. Murgatroyd," she said, meeting his gaze. "I will giveyou one hundred thousand dollars to set my husband free!"

  Murgatroyd instantly sprang to his feet.

  "You mean to bribe me!"

  Miriam Challoner cowered before him. She had not put the matter to himin quite the way she had intended. She was desperately afraid that shehad destroyed all hope of success by blurting it out like this. "Pleasedon't be hard on me--condemn me," she begged as one before the judgmentseat. "I know it's awful!"

  For a full half minute Murgatroyd fastened his gaze on her face. Then hewalked to the door, stepped inside the vault and satisfied himself thatthere was no one there, looked into every corner of the room andunderneath the table; and when at last he was convinced that he hadtaken every precaution, he came back and stood directly in front of thewoman and told her to repeat what she had said.

  In fear and trembling she reiterated her words:--

  "I will give you one hundred thousand dollars to set my husband free!"

  "Mrs. Challoner," the prosecutor asked, falling into his habit ofputting finger-tip to finger-tip, "how much money have you?"

  "In all?"

  Murgatroyd nodded.

  "In just a minute...."

  With a hard look on his face Murgatroyd watched her pull a little bookfrom a bag, watched her take out the stub of a pencil, waited while shebusied herself in adding figures, waited until at the end of a shortcalculation she looked up at him and made known the result.

  "In all, I have about eight hundred and sixty thousand dollars left."

  "What?" exclaimed the prosecutor, unable to conceal his astonishment.For since he had begun his investigations it had come to him that Mrs.Challoner's affairs were in a bad way. A moment later he said: "And thateight hundred thousand dollars or so is----"

  "All in negotiable securities," she promptly assured him, "payable tobearer. I get six and seven per cent. on some of them--the old ones."

  "Where are these securities?"

  "In the Fidelity Safe Deposit vaults."

  "In addition to these," went on Murgatroyd, "you have your house on theAvenue?"

  "Yes. There's a small equity in it."

  He raised his eyebrows.

  "It is subject to mortgage, then?"

  "Of course," she answered glibly. "I get six per cent. on most of mysecurities, and have to pay only four and a half on my mortgage. Itwould have been foolish to pay it off."

  Murgatroyd smiled a cold smile.

  "You're quite a business woman, Mrs. Challoner."

  "I have to be," she acknowledged with a smile that was intenselypathetic.

  "And that's all you have?" he asked a moment later.

  "Absolutely."

  "Your house," mused Murgatroyd, half to himself, "will take care ofThorne's fee."

  "How much will that be?"

  Murgatroyd jerked his head nervously.

  "Thorne?--Oh, he'll take all he can get!" There was a short silencewhich Murgatroyd suddenly broke. "Mrs. Challoner, your attempt to bribeis no longer an attempt. You have succeeded. I shall set your husbandfree!"

  Mrs. Challoner smiled while the tears trickled down her cheeks.

  "I shall get you the hundred thousand dollars right away," she said, asif it were a mere bagatelle.

  "Just one moment, please," continued Murgatroyd, waving her back intoher seat, for she had risen. "I shall set your husband free for _eighthundred and sixty thousand dollars_!"

  Miriam Challoner leaned back in her chair. She seemed to hesitate.

  "For everything I have!" she muttered half aloud.

  Murgatroyd reached over and touched her on the arm, and repeated in thesame tone:--

  "Everything you have!" And added: "Surely you did not think that I wouldsell myself for less?"

  "No, no, of course not," she faltered. "I wish I had millions to giveyou. You are a good man--you are doing a good act."

  Murgatroyd shook his head and said somewhat impatiently:--

  "Mrs. Challoner, this is a business transaction; let us close it. Youcan get those securities to-day, I suppose?"

  "Yes," she replied in the next breath, the flush of joy still on herface.

  "Then do so, please." His voice was hoarse now. "And bring them to mehere wrapped up in brown paper. You understand that nobody must knowabout this. You know what it would mean to me, to you, to Challoner ..."

  "Yes, yes," she cried eagerly, and held out her hand. "It's anagreement."

  But Murgatroyd purposely ignored her hand and abruptly turned away,saying:--

  "This matter must be closed at once."

  And with a confident "I'll be back in half an hour," Mrs. Challonerpassed out of the door, which Murgatroyd had softly and noiselesslyunlocked.

  * * * * *

  The man who presently was brought out of the barred ante-room and takenbefore the prosecutor might have been anything from a floor-walker of abig department store to a manager of a renowned rathskeller. It wasevident from the manner in which he bore himself while under theconstant surveillance of the minions of the law, that he was perfectlyat home in the presence of strangers, and that unusual situations didnot feaze him. In the matter of general adornment of the person,however, Pemmican of the low brow was an exception to his class: nodiamond blazed from his shirt-front or fingers; moreover, he was dressedin the most sombre of blacks, and under his soft felt hat of the samecolour the hair was brushed forward with scrupulous care. The long,thin, smooth-shaven face, the little, deep-set eyes, the abnormally lowbrow, which was accentuated by this odd arrangement of his hair, thepasty complexion, all gave one the impression of dignified sleekness. Inother words, one could easily have pictured the man as performing in amost impressive manner the last offices needed by man here below. To sumup, the attitude of the man now waiting for the prosecutor to addresshim--Pemmican of the low brow always knew his place--produced the effectof distressed meekness.

  "Pemmican," said Murgatroyd, all geniality and good-fellowship now, "howare they treating you?" And then, with a chuckle: "You look peaked, myman!"

  It was second nature to Pemmican to swallow his indignation and simulatecheerfulness, but he answered peevishly:--

  "No wonder I'm all to the bad. But why am I kept locked up in this houseof detention?"

  McGrath grinned and spoke for the prosecutor.

  "Witnesses is wary game and scarce; it ain't always the open season, sowe got to keep 'em in cold storage, see?"

  Pemmican ignored this remark, but turned to the prosecutor, and therewas a whine in the voice that said:--

  "You made my bail so infernally large that my friends would not put itup for me."

  "I did it purposely," Murgatroyd declared, still smiling. "This is animportant case; you are the only witness; and I've got to keep you whereyour friends cannot reach you--" here a faint flush spread over theprosecutor's countenance--"cannot corrupt you, Pemmican."

  Suddenly Murgatroyd rose from his revolving chair. He nodded a dismissalto McGrath; and then going over to a table in the centre of the room, hedrew to him a sheet of foolscap from a pile lying there, and said:--

  "Come over here, Pemmican!" There was an article of some kind in thehand that rested on the table. "Just sketch me here--on this paper--alittle plan showing the position of the men in Room A that night."

  "Sure," volunteered Pemmican, taking the proffered pencil; "now, herewas Colonel Hargraves, here was----"

  He stopped abruptly. For he had seen that the article in Murgatroyd'shand was a wallet marked "R. H."

  "Go on!" said Murgatroyd.

  "And here was--" Pemmican stopped again.

  "What are you looking at?" Murgatroyd asked. "Oh, that?" he saidcasually, and passed the wallet to Pemmican.

  Pemmican started and backed away.

  "I don't want it. It ain't mine. I don't know what it is-
-what is it,anyhow?" he gulped. "No, counsellor," he added; "and besides, I wasn'tlooking at it."

  Murgatroyd patted the wallet.

  "It was Colonel Hargraves's pocketbook," he said. "I thought yourecognised it."

  "Never saw it before, counsellor," he repeated sulkily; "never saw itbefore."

  "You must have seen it," persisted Murgatroyd; "it's pretty well worn,and he must have carried it a long time. He was one of your patrons. Thefact is, Pemmican," he went on, "this wallet was the occasion of mysending for you just now. I am informed that when Hargraves last carriedit the wallet was full of bills; and when he was found in the street itwas quite empty. It is a mere detail, but I should like to know whetherChalloner robbed this man as well as killed him."

  Pemmican slowly shook his head.

  "Can't help you out," he answered, "for I never saw the wallet. I don'tknow...."

  Murgatroyd went off on another tack.

  "Very well, then; but there's another thing that you may clear up.... Bythe way, Pemmican, perhaps you don't know that Challoner has confessed?"

  Pemmican's physiognomy lost its doleful appearance. And he criedjoyfully:--

  "Confessed? Gee, that's good--great! Confessed? Well, say, counsellor,it just had to come to that!"

  "Yes," conceded Murgatroyd; "but there's another thing which bothers me,though I don't know that it complicates matters exactly. It's a meredetail again. Challoner says he shot his man in Room A in Cradlebaugh's;you say the quarrel took place there, that Hargraves went out first, andthat Challoner followed him. Hargraves, as we know, was found dead inthe street above. That's right--isn't it?"

  "Sure," returned Pemmican, positively. "I didn't see him fire the shot;nobody saw that. It's a good thing, though, because between you and me,Prosecutor, notwithstanding my testimony I thought that you'd have sometrouble in making out a case. Circumstances is something, but they ain'teverything, you know."

  Murgatroyd agreed to this, and added:--

  "We've got certainty now, because he's confessed--but he's mixed as tothe place of the shooting. He thinks it was in your place--that you werepresent, that's all."

  Murgatroyd seemed satisfied. He sat down at his desk and from a drawerhe drew a box of cigars. Now he leaned toward Pemmican and saidconfidentially:--

  "Pemmican, I want your testimony in this case--I want it _right_. Have acigar?"

  Pemmican accepted, and finding a ready match in his pocket, struck it onthe heel of his boot and lighted the cigar before the slow-movingMurgatroyd could pass him his matchbox.

  "Thank you, counsellor, I have one," he said, and blew a cloud of smoketo the ceiling. "You can depend on me; I'll tell the truth--the wholetruth and nothing but the truth, so help me--" His gaze returned againto the pigskin wallet on the desk. "But say, I never saw that thingbefore."

  Murgatroyd picked it up and spoke in a still lower tone now.

  "Pemmican, suppose I were to fill this with, well, say ten thousanddollars and give it to you; how would you testify in this case, eh?"

  "But," protested Pemmican, "I never saw ten thousand dollars init--No...."

  "No," repeated Murgatroyd; "but if you should right now have it filledwith ten thousand dollars, how would you testify for me?"

  Pemmican stolidly shook his head and answered:

  "To the truth, counsellor--I'm an honest man."

  Murgatroyd still persisted.

  "How much would you take, Pemmican," he went on, "to swear thatChalloner did not commit this crime?"

  Pemmican started back in alarm, and once more shook his head.

  "Counsellor, I'm an honest man," he answered doggedly.

  Murgatroyd gave it up as a bad job.

  "You're honest, all right, Pemmican," he said. "You can go back now; butI'll have you down again before the trial, and together we'll go overthe testimony carefully." He placed his hand upon the other's arm. "Yousee, I'm most particular about this case." The next moment Mixley andMcGrath entered and took Pemmican away.

  * * * * *

  Fifteen minutes later Mrs. Challoner arrived. She was accompanied byStevens, the butler, carrying a large parcel, which he deposited on theprosecutor's table as directed. He was then dismissed; and when the doorhad closed on him, the man and the woman stood for a few minuteslistening in silence to his retreating footsteps. Then in low, rapidtones Mrs. Challoner assured the prosecutor that she had accomplishedher purpose without arousing the suspicions of any one--not even theservant. Murgatroyd noiselessly locked the door, and putting his handupon the parcel on the table, looked at her interrogatively.

  "Yes--the securities--they're all there," she hastened to assure him.

  "Shall I----"

  Mrs. Challoner's hand waved her permission. The big, heavy parcel hadbeen clumsily tied up with brown paper. This, Murgatroyd tore off, andthere stood revealed two long, sheet-iron boxes, old and somewhatbattered. They were heavily sealed, and across each on a pasted piece ofpaper appeared in big letters the name "Miriam Challoner."

  "I brought them just as they were," she went on to explain. "You maybreak the seals, scratch off my name, and then they will be yours to dowith as you please."

  "For the present," Murgatroyd told himself, as his eyes fell on thevault door, "that will be their resting place." And turning to her, hesaid aloud:--

  "The deal is closed. You understand the terms? Everything is left tome--I am to free your husband--I am to keep your money?"

  "Yes," she breathed, as if some heavy burden had rolled from her youngshoulders.

  And now for the first time Murgatroyd looked Miriam Challoner full inthe face, and said solemnly:--

  "One thing more: absolutely no one must know of this. Not Challoner, norThorne, and above all, not Miss Bloodgood. Everything depends on yoursilence--your silence is the essence of this contract. You agree?"

  Mrs. Challoner bowed.

  "I do." And she might have been taking an oath from the way she said it.

  "Remember you will say nothing to Miss Bloodgood...."

  "Shirley will never know of it."

  "Most decidedly not Shirley." But the prosecutor remarked this tohimself when once more he was alone.