CHAPTER XXV

HOW THE DEED WAS DONE

Gebb quite agreed with Parge, regarding the guilt of Alder; and on looking back over the collective evidence, he wondered that he had not suspected him before. No wonder he had come forward to defend Ferris: for bad as he was, the man had some conscience, and did not wish to see a guiltless person hanged for his crime, even though that person was his rival in love. What Gebb could not understand was, why Alder had been so kind to Dean; and it was to ascertain this, amongst other things, that he left Parge as soon as he was able, and went off to Alder's rooms. The man was dying; and for the clearance of all persons concerned in the matter, it was absolutely necessary that he should make a confession of his guilt, even at the eleventh hour.

"I could tell you much that I have discovered," said Gebb, slipping the incriminating letter into his pocket, "but as Alder is dying there is no time to be lost in getting him to confess."

"I agree with you," replied Parge, promptly. "I knew that he was dying, as I saw an account of his accident in the papers. Get him to confess, and for that purpose take Mr. Basson with you as a witness; then come back to me, and tell me everything. I wish to write out all details concerning this very extraordinary case, and put the report in my collection."

"It certainly merits it," replied Gebb, putting on his hat, "and I dare say this confession will be the most wonderful of all. By the way, why did not the servant give up this letter before?"

"Because she is a cunning, artful little minx!" burst out Parge, in great wrath, "and wished to make money over it. She found it, as I told you, while cleaning out the grate, when the room was stripped by Alder. The letter was torn across, as Miss Gilmar evidently did not think it worth while to adopt Alder's advice and burn it. It was lucky she did not, or her death would have gone unavenged; as it is----"

"As it is, the man will escape the law," interrupted Gebb, "but I dare say he'll be punished somehow. I'm sure he deserves to be. Did Mrs. Presk know of 'Tilda's discovery?"

"No! 'Tilda kept the discovery to herself, and intended to sell her information to the highest bidder. It took me two hours to wring the truth and the letter out of her; but I did in the end, and for the evidence I paid her five pounds."

"I've no doubt Miss Wedderburn will pay you when she comes into the estate."

"What, the five pounds!" exclaimed Parge, wrathfully. "Why, I expect the reward."

"But the reward was to be paid by Alder himself," argued Gebb; "and although it was a blind, you can hardly expect the man to pay for his own detection."

"His next heir must pay it!" said the ex-detective, doggedly.

"Miss Wedderburn is the next heir."

"Then I'll apply to her," cried Parge, "I'm going to be paid for my trouble."

"Seems to me, Simon, I've had all the trouble," said Gebb, dryly. "You've sat in your armchair and done nothing."

"I've found out the truth, if you call that nothing!" retorted Parge, growing red. "I've used my brains, which is more than you have done. There is life in the old dog yet, Absalom!"

"And temper also," rejoined Gebb, who was rather sore about the reward "Eh, Simon? Well! well! We'll argue the matter hereafter. I must go to Alder."

"Don't forget to take Basson!"

"No, I won't. But if you are right about Alder, you are wrong about Dean; he did not kill Kirkstone."

"Then who did?" grunted Parge, rather displeased.

"Miss Gilmar herself!" retorted Gebb, and departed swiftly, leaving to his friend this--to him--indigestible morsel.

Parge raged a trifle after Gebb had gone, as he did not like to be put in the wrong; but when he recollected his triumph in the new murder case, he was quite content to set it against his failure in the old one. So he sat placidly in his armchair, and enjoyed his success, and the prospect of getting two hundred pounds with so little trouble. All of which was satisfactory to his wife also; as it kept Parge in a good temper for one entire day, a state of things which was little less than miraculous in that frequently disturbed household.

In the mean time Gebb, with a desperate fear in his heart that he might be too late, went as quick as a hansom could travel to Basson's rooms. Keeping the cab at the door, he ran up the long staircase so quickly that he arrived at the top with failing breath and beating heart. The perennial legend, "Back in five minutes," was still on the barrister's door, and Gebb on knocking was again greeted by the boy in the small suit. This latter admitted that his master was at home, but stated that he could not be seen.

"'Cos he ain't well," explained Cerberus; "he's had a shock!"

"What kind of a shock? An accident?" asked Gebb.

"No," replied the boy, after some consideration, "not that sort of shock. Quite another kind."

"Well, I'm sorry to disturb Mr. Basson," said Gebb, "but you must take him my card and tell him that I must see him. It's a matter of life and death."

The boy still seemed unwilling, but Gebb thrust the card into his hand, and insisted; so in the end it was taken to Basson. In less than a minute Cerberus returned with the information that his master would see Mr. Gebb at once. With a nod the detective stepped into the dingy inner office, and found Mr. Basson with his arms on the mantelpiece, and his head bent down on them in an attitude of dejection. When he heard the footstep of his visitor--and firm, quick, business-like footsteps they were--he turned slowly, and displayed a very pale face and eyes so red that they looked as though he had been crying.

"What is the matter?" asked Gebb, rather taken aback by this evidence of grief.

"I've had a shock," replied Basson, using the very same words as his small clerk had done.

"Nothing serious, I hope?"

"Serious in one way, not in another. Still, I am glad to see you. If you had not come to me I should have paid you a visit in the course of the day. You have a right to know."

"Know what?" demanded Gebb, beginning to feel uncomfortable; he knew not why.

"That Alder is dead."

"Dead!" Gebb, with a burst of anger unusual in one of his self-control, dashed his hat on the floor. "By----!" he used a strong word, "so he has escaped me after all!"

"What!" cried Basson, leaning forward in the chair he had flung himself into. "You know?"

"I know that Alder killed Miss Gilmar; I heard it this morning. I have the evidence of his own handwriting to prove his guilt. When did you hear of it? How did you hear of it?"

"I heard all about it at eight o'clock this morning, shortly before Alder died."

"Then he confessed his crime?"

"He did. I was sent for at seven o'clock at his particular request, and he told me the whole story. In order to clear any innocent person who might be suspected, I wrote down what he said, and got him to sign it. The doctor and myself were the witnesses, and the confession is locked in my desk yonder. I was coming round to your office later on in order to place it in your hands. How did you find out the truth?"

"It's a long story, Mr. Basson. I'll tell it to you some other time. But I learned that he killed his cousin, and I came here to get you to go with me, and force him to confess."

"He did so voluntarily," said Basson, sadly, "and made what reparation he could for his wickedness. Do you wonder that I received a shock, Mr. Gebb? It was terrible to hear a man I had known so long, whom I had liked so much, confess himself a murderer."

"It is terrible, I grant you," replied Gebb, somewhat moved by the grief of the old Bohemian. "I should never have thought it of him myself, as is proved by the fact that I never suspected him. He seemed a kindly, honest, pleasant gentleman. Perhaps, however, there is the excuse that he did the deed in a fit of rage. From what I have heard of Miss Gilmar she was a woman to irritate an archangel."

Basson shook his head. "There is not even that excuse," he said. "The crime was committed in cold blood. He planned and carried it out in the most ruthless manner."

"But why in Heaven's name did he desire the death of his wretched cousin?"

"Money, Mr. Gebb--money. Alder was desperately hard up--on the verge of bankruptcy; and as his cousin refused to help him, he killed her. To gain her wealth was the motive of the act. Well," added Basson, with a sigh, "he did not enjoy his ill-gotten gains long, for in the midst of his prosperity the hand of God struck him down."

"You have the confession, you say?"

"Here it is!" Basson unlocked the drawer of his desk, and took out a sheet, or, to be precise, several sheets of paper, and handed them to Gebb. The detective turned to the end, saw the three signatures, then slipped the papers into his pocket.

"It will take too long reading this just now," he said apologetically, "and I have much to do. Will you be so kind, Mr. Basson, as to tell me the facts in your own way? I am curious to know how so many people concerned in the case came to be collected in Grangebury on the night of the murder."

"Alder collected them," said Basson, nodding; "he planned the whole affair in a most wonderful manner, so as to throw suspicion of the crime on every one but himself. Had he lived he would have escaped all suspicion."

"I think not," replied Gebb, feeling for the letter he had received from Parge; "his own handwriting would have committed him. This is one of those little accidents which mar the plans of the most accomplished criminals. However, that is neither here nor there. Let me hear the confession."

Basson thought for a moment, then began. "It seems that Miss Wedderburn was not the only person Miss Gilmar wrote to; she corresponded also with Alder about business matters, for, as she had left her property to him by will, she did not think that he would betray her to Dean. As a matter of fact, she was simply putting temptation in the man's way, for Alder was desperately hard up, and was looking forward to the time when he would come into possession of Miss Gilmar's money. However, she did not know that, and kept him advised of her changes of address."

"Did he know that she was in Grangebury?"

"Oh yes; but he did not visit her there, for already he was thinking of getting rid of her by violent means. The difficulty was how to do it without incriminating himself. Then two accidents helped him. The first was that while on a visit to Kirkstone, Edith told him that she was bent on getting the necklace for Arthur Ferris, and was going up to Grangebury on the evening of the twenty-fourth of July to get it. Ferris, she said, was to escort her. Later on, while Alder was still in the hall, Dean told how he had discovered Miss Gilmar's confession, and wished to give it to me. He was afraid, however, to come to my office lest he should be recognized. Afterwards Alder induced me to lecture at Grangebury, and wrote to Dean telling him to come up and see me there. Then he gave Ferris tickets for my lecture, and told him he could wait for Miss Wedderburn in the Town Hall, while she went to see Miss Gilmar. So now you see, Mr. Gebb, that on the twenty-fourth of July Alder had these three people likely to be suspected on the spot."

"A very ingenious idea," said Gebb. "I suppose he didn't care on whom suspicion fell?"

"I don't think he did," admitted Basson, candidly; "but he preferred to be guided by circumstances, and he really wanted the suspicion to fall upon Dean, as he had threatened to kill Miss Gilmar. Well, you know about Arthur and Edith."

"Yes, I know that he waited in the Town Hall, and that she got the necklace and joined him later, and that they both returned to London. Also, I know that Dean came up, and as he was too late to see you, gave the confession to Alder. But I don't know how Alder managed to get away from the hall without suspicion."

"Oh, that was easy," replied Basson. "He was busy seeing after the tickets on my behalf, and looking at the house; so none of the attendants knew where he was at the moment, but believed him to be in another part of the Town Hall. When Edith came back with the necklace he sent her into the hall, and got rid of Dean, who had missed his train, by giving him money and telling him to stay all night in Grangebury--a fact which favoured his plans; then the coast being clear, he went alone to Paradise Row shortly before ten o'clock, and saw Miss Gilmar. In accordance with his instructions she was alone in the house, as she had sent Mrs. Presk and 'Tilda to my lecture."

"She admitted him?"

"Yes, and locked the door after he was inside; but he did not see where she hid the key. He then told her that Dean had found the confession, and Miss Gilmar, as you may guess, was in a great state. She immediately, with her usual superstition, got out the cards, to see what would happen."

"And she turned up the death-card?"

"Yes. How do you know?"

"Because I found it in her lap."

"Yes," said Basson again, "she picked up the death-card, and while gazing at it in horror Alder, who was striding about the room smoking, slipped behind her, and with a cord torn from the nearest curtain, strangled her. He then robbed her of all her jewels and slipped them into his pocket. Then he tried to get out, but found the doors locked, and did not know where the keys were."

"Mrs. Presk had the key of the back door, and Miss Gilmar that of the front," said Gebb.

"Quite so; but Alder did not know that. He did not dare to get out by the window, lest he should be taken for a burglar, and arrested; so he stepped down to the kitchen and waited till Mrs. Presk came home. He heard her go upstairs and then call 'Tilda, so that he knew the crime had been discovered. When the servant went up to the Yellow Boudoir, Alder ran out of the back door, and returned to the Town Hall. The people in charge of the money and tickets thought that he had been with me, I fancied he had been with them, and as no inquiries were made, you see nobody could guess that he had been away and had committed a crime."

"And why did he leave the jewels in Dean's room at Kirkstone Hall?"

"Ah, you know that?" said Basson, much surprised. "Why, he hid them so as to throw the blame on Dean. Everything was suspicious against the man. He was presumably guilty of the first crime, he had threatened to kill Miss Gilmar, he was in Grangebury on the night of the murder, and the jewels--as Alder arranged--were to be found in his room."

"They were found," said Gebb. "I found them, and for the moment believed Dean guilty. But about that ticket found in the Yellow Boudoir?"

"That was purposely dropped there by Alder to further incriminate Dean."

"How did he get the ticket?"

"In giving the confession it fell out of Dean's pocket, and Alder picked it up. So you see, Mr. Gebb, that in every way chance played into Alder's hands."

"'The wicked flourish like a green bay tree'; but not for long," said Gebb, grimly. "But tell me. Why was Alder so kind to Ferris?"

"Oh, that was his deceit," said Basson, with a sigh. "He fancied that when Dean was accused of this second murder Edith would never marry Ferris, as being the son of such a man. He was kind to him because he wanted to ingratiate himself with Edith: so that she might marry him after parting, as he thought she would, with Ferris."

"Infernal scamp!" cried Gebb, swearing, "when he knew that the poor devil was innocent. Have you Miss Gilmar's confession?"

"Here it is; Alder gave it to me. It clears Dean entirely, so I suppose he'll receive a free pardon."

"I suppose so," said Gebb, putting the confession of Miss Gilmar into his pocket along with that of Alder. "But his life is ruined. I'm only sorry for one thing: that Alder did not live to be hanged."

"Well, I cannot agree with you; after all, he was my friend," said Basson, sadly.

"He was a blackguard," retorted Gebb, and took his departure.