1940-01-12 — Page 16

SHORT STORY

BLACK FOR LUCK

THE CHINA MAIL, JANUARY 12, 1940 ·

By Leslie Beresford

"By all means, air, carry on with the good work," the inspector responded. willingly. "No need for anyone to stay here, if they don't wish.”

As Detective-Inspector

Haynes showing It to young Mrs. Phayre and all, but was handed that pendant by intended to leave before this--to look reached the house, making for the Mrs. Worth, the latter remarking that someone in this house, doubtless by in on a patient.” front-door, he passed a partly-open it was too valuable to be left in a bed- way of that window, left open on pur- window. From this something leaped room. In fact, recollecting this only pose."

"Ah. " Mrs. Markham was im right across his path, so startlingly half-an-hour or so since, the colonel's and so close to him that he stepped wife had gone up to bring down the mediately intrigues. She said: "The back in momentary surprise. Next pendant and its case, so that her hus- maid, Lucy, of course. It couldn't pos- moment, in a patch of light cast from band might lock it away till the bank sibly have been cook. She's such a other windows over a small lawn, the opened next day. inspector realised what it was, and laughed softly to himself.

"Big

black cat!" he chuckled. "Should be lucky for me, if there's any truth in the old saying."

He watched it go streaking away into the darkness, fast as though all the dogs in the world were after it. Then he turned his mind to the more serious matter which had brought him here from the station. The house, standing in a well-kept garden of size, had all the air of being occupied by people of comparative affluence and standing, Just the kind of house to be visited in the dark hours by mem- bers of the light-fingered fraternity.

Before knocking, he looked over the outside of the place, as though taking his bearings. He even went back for a moment to that partly-open window, throwing light from an electric torch on it, and on as much of the interior as was visible. From the sill he picked up something, which he studied interestedly, and then slipped into a waistcoat pocket.

The front-door was opened to him very promptly by a young maid, in whose pretty face were a pair of big, rather frightened-looking eyes. As he gave his name, her agitation became the more pronounced. She said weak- ly:

"

Will you please come right in And then, very desperately: "It wasn't anything to do with me, sir, that I do

swear."

Before he could comment on that remark, she had flung open a door and announced him. Haynes found him- self in a largish room, two of the walls being lined with books. A card-table had recently been in use, though no- body was near it now.

The six occupants of the room were grouped round the hearth, in which a fire burned. The Inspector knew some of them. Especially grey-haired Colonel Markham, who had lived here since retiring from the Indian Army some six years since.

"Evening, sir. The inspector addressed him briskly. "I understand you've had a burglary."

·

ing."

The

treasure

V

the

of

The inspector, after leaving the house, did not curiously enough turn in the direction of the local police-station in the small cathedral "And here" rather dramatical-

He turned his back on "And I can't believe, my dear, that town. ly, the colonel held out the empty it. could have been Lucy, either," her town, in fact, walking exactly the op-

# matter case "-here, Inspector, is what my husband fired up stoutly. "No. It's posite way; until-in wife found. The pendant was miss- admittedly true enough that ho eight or ten minutes he came to a

turned to the inspector. "We do hap- small villa in a garden. Inspector silently considered

pen to know that the poor girl had

The villa was in complete darkness the case, which in his mind was not a spot of bother with your people in at the front, anyhow. He flicked confined merely to that empty shell of London three years ago, and actually the rays of his torch here and there, as leather, velvet and silk. Nor was he served a short sentence. But she's been he passed up the garden path, lighting looking at that, though nobody could straight as a dle ever since she's been the threshold and the evergreen bushes have said exactly at what, or whom, with us, inspector, I'm positive. What's planted beneath the front windows his eyes gazed in their absorbed man- more, she's only recently become en- and forming also a hedge to the gar- ner.

gaged to a very fine young fellow den. At this moment, contrasting with around here. No ne. I bar Lucy from Suddenly, he switched off the light, his almost stupidly phlegmatic absorp- this."

darkness swallowing him up, Minutes tion, the atmosphere was electric. One "Well, sir,” the detective soothed in passed—sive, then ten or more. Pre- sensed, even violently, an under- his quiet way, "I'll probably have a sently, footsteps pattered along the current of universal suspicion, alter- chat with the girl presently, and form road outside, a garden gate clanged, nated by personal Indignation, do- my own conclusions. Meanwhile" and someone came up the garden-path minating each person, not even ex- "Meanwhile, inspector," broke in, to the front-door, which was opened cluding host and hostess. It was just rather truculently, the young man by a key. as if all, like the little maid earlier named Phayre, "you mentioned two out in the hall, protested an injured possibilities in regard to this-theft, innocence, while shadowing everyone What is your second, if the first falls?" else with suspicion.

The inspector eventually broke a tense silence, addressing the colonel.

"You say, sir, there's no sign of any- one having broken in," he remarked, and smiled. "Well, maybe I'd prove. the best judge of that, seeing that it's my profession to use my eyes to ad- vantage. I'd better go upstairs, and have a look round, if you don't mind showing me."

Some little time elapsed before they returned. By then, the inspector had mado a very thorough examination, having searched minutely for possible

"That there was no outside thief at all. That the person who stole the pendant is in this house, and knows where it is."

- one of us?" en-

"Even including quired Mrs. Worth in her flutelike, quavering voice.

"

"

Light flooded a small hall within, and into that light inspector Haynes stepped swiftly, saying politely:

"Pardon me, Mrs. Worth. The light shone on her blonde hair, as the women swung round, startled und agitated, exclaiming shrilly:

"Why, who's that?" Then, as recognition came to her, she gasped: "Gracious

It's the detective per-

"In a case of this sort, ma'am, every son." possibility has to be considered - "The same, madam. Naturally, I've the neighbourhood. "Oh, but that's simply preposterous, seen you about inspector!" The colonel exploded, red knew where you lived-"? in the face. "As though, for a single moment, my wife and I would insult our friends here by even suspecting them."

"But I thought you were going to the police station? You said so, quite clearly. What do you want here?"

"A little friendly chat, Mrs. Worth. I've saved you the trouble of fooking for your cat, by the way. Nice animals, cats. So domesticated-!!

an

***

clues

0.9 staircase, as well on the

"Well, colonel, Inspector Haynes is around the ground-floor hall and paa- within his rights, of course," the doc- sages, until in the final process he tor Intervened gently. "It's awk came on that partly-open window he ward for all of us, that pendant dis- Meanwhile he had moved into the had earlier noticed from outside. appearing So mysteriously. Some hall, closing the front-door. Mrs.

taken it. He was speaking about this when body certainly has

And Worth, staring at him in a fascinated preceded him into a room, they returned at last to the others in several people here knew it to be ly- way, the library. As they came in, the ing upstairs in that bedroom, unguard- switching on the light. This showed Colonel and he clearly interrupted a ed —”

how he held tightly under one arm a heated and not too well-tempered. "I did, doctor, for one!" exclaimed struggling big black cat, obviously well argument, which became hushed when tersely the young and pretty Mrs. cared for. Round its neck was they entered.

Phayre. "I had it in my hands-even unusually immense bow of broad blue Mrs. Worth, her face gone "About that open window, colonel," round my neck-before we came down, ribbon. the inspector remarked thoughtfully, to dinner. But that doesn't mean the colour of chalk, protested wildly: "It's quite possible a thief could have had anything to do with its 1058-or "How dare you interfere with my entered and left that way, being lucky my husband, either." --

cat? She's no business of yours——— The colonel gestured in an embar- enough neither to be seen nor heard. "Dear me, of course not --" the She stretched out hands to take the rassed way, distress obvious in his Which reminds me. Just as I reached flutelike voice of Mrs. Worth quavered struggling animal, but the inspector- kindly, paternal manner.

here, a huge black cat jumped out excitedly. "One might as well say the laughingly-kept it out of her reach. "Well, inspector, that's the natural from thas window, nearly falling on same of me. Why, it was I who sug- "Not my business?" he bantered. conclusion, of course.”

me in the dark.”

gested it to be unsafe up there in the "Oh, I think so, all the same, lady,” He hesitated, seemed to be search-

"A black cat? Good gracious, in- bedroom ——“

"You may remember," he went on, ing for the right explanation. Then spector. "The blonde Mrs. Worth

"that I mentioned how your cat jump-

said:

interposed in surprise and some agita-

ed out on me from an open window "The trouble is, inspector, that tion. "Why, that must have been my

as I reached Colonel Markham's place. I should properly have mentioned strangely enough-we can trace no darling Christine. Really-in all this sign of the place having been forcibly upheaval-I hadn't even noticed that

that it had been hurriedly put out, and entered, and nobody has been heard, she was not here. Oh, dear. Oh, dear.

by a woman. "I caught a quick glimpse let alone seen about the house. Mean- I do hope she's safe. The naughty girl.

of a woman's hand, anyhow. After- pendant-a highly valuable She's never run away from me before,

"One moment, ma'am'.

wards, 'examining the sill with my black, pear-shaped pearl, attached to all the times and places I've taken her The inspector seemed far away in torch, I found this. A wedding-ring. a platinum chain-belonging to my with me."

thought. He had suddenly produced As a widow, which I believe you are, wife here, has disappeared from her "You must be very fond of your cat, a little pocket-book, through the pages you should surely be wearing one,

ma'am

The inspector smiled of which he was rapidly glancing, as though I noticed at the colonel's house "And that couldn't possibly, happen, sympathetically, "taking her about if seeking for something of im your marriage finger was bare, This is sir, without some sort of human as- with you —————-”

portance. He closed the book, thrust- perhaps yours, worn a trifle loose with sistance," the inspector remarked "Oh, devoted. And Christine is ing it away into a pocket of his time

"It is not, and this is preposterous.” cheertly, as much to the others in the quite devoted to me, the sweet angel. capacious overcoat.

the white- room as to the colonel.

I can't understand why

"On second thoughts, ma'am," he the other exclaimed in "I suppose, Agatha darling, she be- ruminated deeply, “I don't think for heat of fury, "Why should I put my came frightened by all the fuss going the moment, anyhow - we need dis-" own cat out of "that window, when I woman of middle-age, a Mrs. Worth, on here, everyone talking and running tress your friends. An iden has just wanted her there safely with me, described by him as an old and very about, searching for the thief," the come to me. There is something about when I had gone to the trouble to dear friend of his wife. A tall and colonel's wife suggested, adding with this case which tallles in many res- take her there at all?" grave man was one of the local doc- a little shiver: "I'm frightened, myself. pects with one or two other mysteri- tora, whom in fact Haynes knew if a thief can walk in and out of our ous losses in and about this well by sight and reputation. A house, without being seen or heard, it's hourhood, not so far explain young married couple, named Phayre,

quite

time a

bedroom into thin air.”

W

The last, as a matter of form, pre- sented his guests. First, a blonde

1

were apparently relatives of the colonel, staying here on a visit.

The colonel them explained that the black pearl pendant was usua

from by

ink. It had been

#

"I know, Agatha darling ." The colonel's wife placed an arm round her affectionately, and eyed the inspector with frank disfavour.

"It's all very stupid," she said "I wish we hadn't called you in, if our friends are to be suspected

It may be

He took up ma'am, could

times," the table where it, and addresse

"

ས

a cat to places did strike me as queer; pector Haynes mur- mured drily. -"Still, it seems to be a habit' yours tell you just

Meantime, I'll you did put your be¬ out of that window. the natural

laid.

You

here to its home.

ild “at once come