CHAPTER XVII.

TWO AGAINST ONE.

On arriving at Taxton-on-Thames Fanks had taken up his abode at the Royal Arms Hotel. It was his intention to make inquiries about Sir Louis Fellenger, Dr. Binjoy, and the negro servant of the latter. Ignorant that he had been thwarted by Hersham, he had also intended to interview Anne Colmer without loss of time, before she could see or even hear from her lover. The intercepted telegram proved conclusively that this girl knew something which Hersham did not want her to reveal; and in the absence--as Fanks supposed of all warning--he hoped to take her at a disadvantage. In this mood he took his way to her home.

So far as the detective could see, his future plans depended almost entirely upon the information which he expected to obtain from this girl within the next few hours. And in that supposition lay the irony of the situation. Being in this frame of mind, his astonishment may be conceived when on the door of Briar Cottage being opened he saw before him the man whom he thought was at that moment in London. For the minute he was unable to speak, but recovered himself to ironically congratulate Hersham on his dexterity in evading the machinery of the law. In reality Fanks was angered, but he had too much good sense to give way to bad temper. It was, in his opinion, useless to make bad worse.

"So you have stolen a march on me, Hersham," he said sardonically. "I was doubtful of your honesty in London; I am still more so now. How did you manage to dodge the traps I laid for you?"

"By knowing where they were laid," said Hersham, sullenly. "I guessed you would have the railway stations watched, so I came down here on my bicycle."

"A very ingenious idea; you have no doubt warned Miss Colmer not to answer my questions?"

"Yes," said Hersham, defiantly; "I have done so. As I did not receive a reply to my telegram, I guessed that you had intercepted my message in some way. It has arrived now, when it is too late. To see Miss Colmer, to warn her, I came down here at the risk of my own safety."

"Oh!" remarked Fanks, taking note of this injudicious speech. "That is as much as to say that you risked being arrested by me. I don't know that you are wrong, my friend. You deserve punishment for your trickery."

"You have evidence against me?"

"I have sufficient to ensure your arrest. On the whole, Hersham," said the detective, "I should advise you to help me. Otherwise I shall arrest you within the hour. Take your choice."

Before Hersham could answer this question Anne appeared at the door with a pale face and a determined manner. At once she intervened in the conversation, and placed herself between the two men.

"There is no necessity to threaten, Mr. Fanks," said she, quickly. "Come inside, and let us discuss this matter calmly. I am sure that Mr. Hersham will agree that this is the best course."

The journalist nodded sullenly, and the two men passed into the house, conducted by Anne. She led them into a room, the window of which looked on to the road, and here, when they were seated, she addressed herself more particularly to Hersham.

"You were wrong to speak as you did to Mr. Fanks," she said meaningly. "There is no reason why you or I should conceal anything. I am perfectly willing to tell all that I know--which is not much--and to afford this gentleman every information in my power."

"You will regret it if you do, Anne," said Hersham, warningly.

"You will regret it if you don't," interposed Fanks. "I really do not understand why you should act in this childish manner. I have always been your friend, yet you treat me a though I were your bitterest enemy."

"You are trying to trap me."

"If your conscience is clear I do not think you need be afraid of being trapped," retorted Fanks; "but it seems useless to hope for any sense from you. Perhaps this young lady may be more amenable to reason."

"You can depend upon me to help you, Mr. Fanks," said Anne, calmly.

Hersham rose to his feet with an agitated look on his face. "I shall leave you to reveal what you think fit," he declared. "At the same time I wash my hands of the consequences which may result."

And with a significant look at Anne, he left the room.

Fanks gave him a parting warning as he passed through the door. "You had better stay here, Hersham," he said, "as I may want to see you again. Whether you stay or go I can lay my hands on you at any moment."

"You are having me watched?" questioned Hersham, fiercely.

"Yes, I am having you watched; and you may thank yourself that you are placed in so unpleasant a position. Now, then, will you go to London, or stay here?"

Hersham hesitated for a moment, then, biassed by a look from Anne, he compromised. "I shall stay in the village," he said, and passed through the open door, leaving the detective with Miss Colmer.

Strange to say, Fanks was by no means at his ease with this woman the more so, as he mistrusted her promise to tell him all she knew. She had deceived him by flying from the chambers in Half-Moon Street; she might again mislead him with false reports. If she had anything to conceal, this ready acquiescence hinted that she would not tell her secret; and the detective was far more distrustful of her craft than of the foolish behaviour of Hersham. He might combat obstinacy with more or less success, but to deal with a diplomatic person like Miss Colmer, required a dexterous use of all the intelligence he possessed. Fanks, therefore, prepared for a duel of words; and weighed both expression, and information, during the ensuing conversation.

"Well, Mr. Fanks," said Miss Colmer, coolly, "I must congratulate you on your cleverness in determining my identity; I thought when I left you in Sir Gregory's chambers that I should be able to elude you altogether. I was wrong, it seems; you have found me out. Now that you have done so, may I ask what you want to know?"

"I want to know a great many things," said Fanks, emulating her coolness; "but the question is whether you will consent to answer all my questions?"

"You can judge for yourself. Ask me what question you will, and I shall answer to the best of my ability. But," added she, pointedly, "before you begin, let me ask you one question. Do you suspect that I have anything to do with the murder of Sir Gregory?"

"I can't answer that until you have replied to my questions, Miss Colmer; but, judging from your readiness to afford me information, I fancy that you do know something of the matter."

"You are right, I do know something of the matter; but I cannot promise to tell you who killed Sir Gregory. I know that he was murdered--no more; and even that information I gained from the newspapers."

Fanks made no reply to this remark; whereupon Miss Colmer continued: "Why do you think that I know anything about the crime? I never met Sir Gregory."

"Why did you come to the rooms of Sir Gregory?" replied Fanks. "I connect you with the murder because of that visit."

"If you know the story of my poor sister, you know why I came to Half-Moon Street," said Anne, coldly. "It was to ask the servant, Robert, for a portrait of Emma, that had been taken from her by Sir Gregory."

"I have seen that photograph, Miss Colmer. Did you want it back for the picture, or because it had some writing on the back?"

"What writing do you mean?" asked the girl, sharply.

Fanks produced the celebrated envelope from his pocket. "That is the writing," he said; "whosoever wrote that, also wrote on the back of the photograph of your sister. Perhaps you can tell me who is the scribe."

Miss Colmer looked earnestly at the envelope, and shook her head. "I never saw that writing before," she said, decisively.

"Yet you can see that the post mark is of this village."

"So it appears; nevertheless. I cannot name the writer; and I cannot understand why you show it to me."

"Well, Miss Colmer," said Fanks, disappointed with this answer, "when I find out who wrote this envelope I shall know who killed Sir Gregory."

"I am sorry I cannot help you, Mr. Fanks. I see that you think the envelope came from this house, but I assure you that you are wrong. Both my mother and myself considered Sir Gregory a villain because of his treatment of poor Emma; but we did not wish his death. If you came here to find the assassin you have wasted your time. I know nothing about the matter."

"Then what is it that Hersham did not wish you to reveal?"

"Nothing; he wished me to deny that I had been at the chambers of Sir Gregory on that day, lest you should think I had something to do with the murder."

"Oh!" said Fanks, disbelievingly. "And did Hersham wish you to deny also that you had been in Tooley's Alley on the night of the murder?"

Anne became pale at the directness of this attack, and took refuge in a plain denial. "I was not there," she said, obstinately. "Neither on that night nor at any time."

"Pardon me, I saw you myself."

"You must have been mistaken."

"I think not. Yours is not a face I could easily forget."

"Thank you for the compliment," said Anne, "but in this case I am afraid it is unmerited. I was not at Tooley's Alley on that night. If you doubt me, you can ask my mother."

"No!" said Fanks, after a moment's reflection, "I shall not ask your mother--yet." As a matter of fact, the detective was well assured that mother and daughter had prepared an alibi in case of discovery. Not being ready to analyse the matter, by reason of lack of information, and certain that Anne would persist in her denial, he wisely postponed all discussion until a more fitting occasion. He, therefore, on the face of it, accepted Anne's assertion, and merely remarked that Hersham was foolish to induce her to conceal what had better have been told.

To this, Anne replied, promptly: "You must forgive him, Mr. Fanks," she said. "He knows that I hated Sir Gregory for his treatment of my sister; and he fancies that my unlucky visit might implicate me in this matter. But I have told you the reason I went there; so you must blame or excuse me as you see fit."

"I shall do neither, at present," said Fanks, significantly. "But I shall ask you why you ran away from me on that day?"

"I was afraid of you."

"Why, you did not know me; you never saw me before."

"I saw your portrait," said Miss Colmer, frankly. "You gave one to Ted--Mr. Hersham--and he told me that you were a detective. When I saw you in those chambers I guessed that you had the case in hand; and I was seized with a panic fear lest you should suspect me to be mixed up in the crime. For that reason I fled. How did you trace me?"

"It was wrong of you to go, Miss Colmer," said Fanks, not replying directly, "and I was naturally suspicious of your flight."

"But you don't suspect me now?"

"Not since you have explained your visit. You ask me how I traced you. First, from your marvellous resemblance to your dead sister; and, secondly, from the post mark on this envelope. As I told you, the writing on envelope and portrait are the same. You see the connection?"

"Yes. I see the connection. And now, Mr. Fanks, I have told you all I know; is there any other question you wish to ask me?"

"Yes. Where was this photograph taken you wanted?"

"In this village."

"Was it your sister's possession?"

"It was; it was the only photograph we had of her. The negative was broken and there was no picture of my sister in existence. After the death, my mother wanted this picture; and, as I guessed that it might be at Sir Gregory's chambers, I went up for it."

"Did you see it in your sister's possession before she went away with Sir Gregory?"

"Yes. She took it from here when she went to London."

"Was there any writing on the back then?"

Anne reflected a moment. "No," she said. "There was no writing on it then."

"Do you think your sister wrote on the back of the portrait before she committed suicide?"

"If the writing on the back of the photograph is the same as that on this letter--or rather, envelope--I do not think she wrote it. This is not my sister's handwriting."

"You cannot think who wrote it?"

"No, Mr. Fanks; I am entirely ignorant of that."

Needless to say, Fanks took his departure from Briar Cottage in a very puzzled frame of mind. Before leaving, he told Miss Colmer that he would call again the next day. When he got back to his hotel he asked himself how much of her story he could believe; and he came to the conclusion that not one word of it was true. He was as far off discovery as ever.