CHAPTER I
THE DEAD MAN ON THE GRASS
The Commissioner of Police turned in his chair and picked up the telephone receiver. He frowned in accompaniment; it was a frown that was unpleasant and vindictive, by no means a frown of the sympathetically parental sort. When Sir Austin Mostyn Kemble trafficked in frowns of this nature, those at the āYardā to whom he said ācomeā for their coming, and āgoā for their going, were excessively careful to mind their step and watch points. Chief-Inspector MacMorran had seen this frownās elder brother at close quarters about a quarter of an hour previously, and it still remained for him an acute reminiscence.
āSend Mr. Bathurst up at once,ā said the Commissioner with peremptory emphasis. āIām ready for him immediately.ā
Anthony Bathurst came to him, smiled, and put his hat on the corner of the desk that fronted Sir Austin.
āA poor thing, sir,ā he said whimsically, ābut mine own. The English weather must be held largely responsible. In addition to the fact that I abominate umbrellas. Morning, Sir Austin. Whatās the latest spot of bother? Head, tummy, gout, or just the āYardā? Canāt a vet. do anything?ā
Sir Austin turned gloomy attention from the hat to the hatās owner. He was not in the mood for dalliance. āThe trouble over which I desire to consult you, my dear Bathurst,ā he remarked testily, āconcerns me officially. That is to say, as Commissioner of Police. Had it been to do with myāerāphysical self, I should have hesitated about dragging you into it, much as I respect your ability. Anyhow, sit down. Take that chair over there.ā
Mr. Bathurst was dutifully obedient. āI find it difficult to suppress my vivid qualitiesāthe feast of reason and the flow of soulābut I am ready, Sir Austin, to become the perfect listener. There are thousands, I am sure, who would cheerfully give their false teeth for the opportunity that is mine. May I help myself to a cigarette?ā
āOf course, of course. Now listen. I want you to assess the facts that I am going to give you as carefully as you possibly can. When Iāve finished giving them to you, I shall call upon you to give me an immediate expression of opinion. Understand? An immediate expression of opinion. The years of experience that, happily, are mine, have taught me to rely more or less on first impressions.ā
āThey are often the best, I admit,ā murmured Mr. Bathurst; ābut it would be unwise to exalt them in a statement that went beyond that. Well?ā
The testiness in Sir Austinās tone gradually gave way to gravity. āFirst of all,ā he declared, āI will deal with the extraordinary case of John Pender Blundell.ā
Mr. Bathurst caressed his chin. The significance of the movement was not lost upon Sir Austin.
āHeard of him?ā
āMām. The nameās familiar, certainly. Just trying to pick up the threads. They will come to me in a second or so. Still, never mind meāgo on. Amongst other accomplishments, I can think and listen at the same time. When I get the connection for which Iām groping, Iāll signal.ā
Anthony grinned. Sir Austin always had on him an effect which approximated an inordinate cheerfulness; there was no other man quite like the Commissioner in this respect, with the possible exception of Inspector Baddeley of the Sussex Constabulary.
āWhat I am about to say should assist you materially. If you want to stop me to ask me anything, donāt hesitate. I know your knack of kernel-finding.ā
The Commissioner leaned a little farther forward in his chair. āJohn Pender Blundell was a man in the late forties. Between forty-eight and forty-nine, I believe. Comparatively well-to-do, as things go nowadays, and unmarried.ā
āSpare me these glaring redundancies,ā whispered Anthony; ātheyāre definitely disturbing.ā
Sir Austin ignored the interruption and proceeded somewhat hastily: āHe was independent. Lived a few miles the Brighton side of Haywardās Heath at a place called Hurstfold. There has always been money in the Blundell family, and it came to him fairly early in life. His mother died when he was at school, and his father was killed in the Hong Kong earthquake some years after the war. John Blundell, our man, may be classed as one of the best English type. Thoroughly sound and reliable in everything he undertook. Wrykyn and Luther. Not perhaps as hallmarked as Eton and āThe Houseā, but in the ordinary way good enough for anything. But you understand that as well as I do.ā Sir Austin paused.
āOne minute, Sir Austin. Let me get him as accurately as I can. Any war service?ā
āI was coming to that. I will explain. Heās always been a whale on ciphers and cryptograms and all that sort of thingāright from his early days at Wrykyn. Heās the author of two standard books on the subject. Regarded in the circles that count as the English equivalent of Le Courvoisier. Canāt give him higher tribute in his own department than that, can I? Well, because of this particular penchant of his, a special job of āIntelligenceā was found him during the five war years, and he acquitted himself according to all accounts with signal distinction.ā
āThese details are all by way of news to me, Sir Austin, but Iāve linked up all right with regard to what I thought I knew of Blundell when you just mentioned the name. There was an S.O.S. message concerning him broadcast about ten days to a fortnight ago. Disappeared from his house one morning, didnāt he, and hasnāt been seen since? Am I right?ā
Sir Austinās reply was delayed. When it came it was startling. āAlmostānot quite. He was found in the early hours of this morning.ā The Commissioner drummed on his desk with his finger-tips. Anthony Bathurst, stung into acuter interest, looked at him with sharp enquiry.
āWhere?ā
āIn Bushey Park.ā
Again Bathurst came in, rapid, insistent. āWandering, do you mean? Loss of memory?ā
Sir Austin shook his head in grave denial. āWorse than that, my dear Bathurst. Perhaps I misled you. The body of Blundell was found in Bushey Park. Dead as a door-nail. Moreover, had been dead some days, the doctor says.ā
Anthony stared. There was no levity now in any part of him; there was, on the other hand, work in front of him. Another manās death to be avenged. He was once again harnessed to the chariot of Justice. āHow?ā The question was almost curt.
āWell, thatās rather peculiar. Poison. Sugden says cyanide of potassiumāa form of prussic acid. Been sprayed up the poor fellowās nostrils. But there are other extraordinary features of the affair.ā
āSuch as . . . ?ā
Sir Austin drew a paper, towards him. āFractured skull, three ribs and one leg broken. Tibia splintered, Sugden says. Body one mass of bruises, and a peculiar jagged slash down the right cheek.ā
Mr. Bathurstās stare developed. āSeems all wrong to meāsomewhere, sir. Like so many of these cases do when you first start attacking them. Where exactly in Bushey Park was the body found? On a path? Near a seat? Beneath trees? On the grass? Tell me, please.ā
āOn a stretch of grass beneath one of the biggest trees. Iāve a plan here. Look at it for yourself.ā
Bathurst took the paper that Sir Austin passed over to him. āWhose image and superscription is this?ā
āAn old friend of yours perpetrated thatāMacMorran. He went along to the spot directly we got the news through. Chatterton went with him. You see, weād combed the country for Blundell for a fortnight. Never picked up the slightest trace of him anywhere. He seemed to have vanished into thin air. Till this morning.ā
Anthony, after a momentās examination, pushed the plan back to the Commissioner. āThanks, Sir Austin. Thatās no end of a help to me. MacMorranās an artist. The lines are hard and clear. When I see him I shall have to compliment him upon his versatility. Well?ā
Sir Austin Kemble was hesitant. Bathurst watched him silently. Several seconds elapsed. It seemed that Sir Austin was turning something over in his mind. Eventually the Commissioner broke the silence.
āWhat do you mean exactly by āwellā?ā
Anthony grinned at him sympathetically. āTell me the rest. Just that. Nothing more. You know. āThe primrose by the riverās brim, a yellow primrose was to him.ā Why the coyness?ā
The Commissioner chose his words. āYou must understand that we identified Blundell this morning entirely from what I will call āphysicalā evidence. There was nothing on him, for instance, that screamed his identity. His featuresāhis height . . . you understand what I mean? The suit that he wore was bought from a London tailorānot, for example, from anybody in the neighbourhood of Brighton or Haywardās Heath. There were no papers, letters or documents of any kind found in any of his pockets. But we had three photographs of him that had been supplied to us by his nephew two or three days after Blundell had first been reported missing, and thus we were enabled to establish the necessary identification. But . . . and here I come to the interestingāalmost vitalāpoint. In the lower left-hand pocket of the dead manās vest MacMorran discovered a small, crumpled piece of paper. A fragment of creased and folded notepaperāthe ordinary stuff that can be purchased from a stationer in a small way of business. On it there were a few words written in pencilāvery much rubbed by the passage of time, as you may well imagine, and, as a result, almost illegible. You shall endeavour to read them and make of them what you can. To me they seem fantastic, to say the least. Still, hereās the piece of paper in question. Letās hear your views on it.ā
Anthony Bathurst extended his hand for the tiny fragment of notepaper. The writing, as Sir Austin had stated, was faint, bordering closely on a condition of erasure. Bathurst smoothed the paper out very carefully and took it to the light. After a time of examination, he turned to Sir Austin and made an announcement.
āIāll read it as I see it:
āTo-night I heard that crackling voice use those same strange words that I have heard twice before in this house. But the animal is not normal, it is spiked, and remember, too . . . Wing . . .ā
Bathurst looked up from his reading. āThatās as near as I can get to it, sir. Some of the words are almost indecipherable, but Iāve supplied them by the context. The last word, I suggest, is probably, when completed, āwingedā. There are some more letters, I think, after the āgā, but itās impossible to tell what they are. āSpikedā and āwingedā animals, eh? Wyverns and griffins and such-like almost indicate the Book of Revelation, eh? Do you agree, sir?ā
The Commissioner caressed his cheek nervously. āMy interpretation of the writing is almost identical with yours, Bathurst. Also, I am forced to remember this: John Blundell, whom I was seeking to protect, has been murdered. Why? How? By whom? By a spiked and winged animal? Thereās that slashed cheek, you know.ā Sir Austin stopped as he spoke and shrugged his shoulders. āYou canāt expect me to believe that, my dear Bathurst; unicorns and those things belong to the age of superstition; we are not living in a time or territory ofāerāmythology.ā
āNo, Sir Austin. And thereās something else of which we ought to remind ourselves. John Blundell, poor devil, is not living at all.ā
āExactly, Bathurst. Hence my sending for you. It seems to me a problem after your own heart.ā
CHAPTER II
INSPECTOR MACMORRAN CONTRIBUTES SOMETHING
Mr. Bathurst took his seat again, hard by the Commissionerās desk, and smoothed out the worn piece of paper for the second time. Sir Austin scented further developments.
āWhat is it?ā demanded the Commissioner.
Bathurst turned the paper over. āAre you satisfied that this is Blundellās handwriting?ā
Sir Austin pulled open a drawer. āI expected that you would ask me that. YesāI am. Once again I will ask you to form your own opinion from what I am able to place in front of you. Blundell left his house on the morning of the fourth of May, fifteen days ago. As you know now, he never returned. After his disappearance had been broadcast and advertised everywhere, various data were brought to us and placed in our hands. All in the natural course of events. Amongst those data were these specimens of his handwriting. If you examine them you will be satisfied, I think, that these faintly pencilled words were written by Blundell himself. There is just enough of them to make the comparison possible.ā
Bathurst took the papers, and, scrutinizing them carefully, made the comparison. A quick nod was an indication of his agreement with the Commissionerās contention.
āI think youāre right, sir. Who put the case in your hands? In the first instance, I mean.ā
āThe dead manās nephewāthe missing manās nephew, as he was then. By name, Hugh Guest. He and his sister lived with Blundell. I had a lengthy interview with him. Young Guestās still up at Oxford. Intends, so he told me, to come down next December, at the end of the Michaelmas Term. At the moment, owing to the special circumstances, the Varsity authorities have allowed him an extended leave.ā
Mr. Bathurst thrust his hands into his pockets and stared at the telephone. Sir Austin embraced discretion. He allowed the stare full latitude. A question from Bathurst was his reward.
āIs MacMorran handy, sir? If so, Iād like a word with him. If not, Iāll ask you toāā
āUnless somethingās turned up he should be accessible. He was in here with me just before you arrived. Weāll see. Iāll send for him.ā
The Commissioner was as good as his word. MacMorran appeared, a little perturbed, perhaps, at this second summons from the āold manā coming so soon after its predecessor. His eyes falling on Anthony Bathurst, however, the perturbation was dissipated. He and Bathurst had hunted before in double harness. āThere were amateurs,ā he was wont to say, āand amateurs.ā
āCheer-o, MacMorran,ā Anthony greeted him.
The Inspector extended his big hand. āHow do you do, sir? Pleased to see you again.ā
Sir Austin took the reins. āErāsit down, MacMorran. We want to ask you a question or two. Concerning this Blundell murder. There are one or two things that are not quite clear. Go ahead, Bathurst.ā
āI understand that you found nothing in Blundellās pockets, MacMorran, with the exception of this crumpled piece of notepaper? No money, letters, keys, papers or anything?ā
āThatās so, Mr. Bathurst.ā
āWho examined them first of all? You or Constable Chatterton?ā
āI did.ā
āGood. Now tell me. Would you say, from what you saw during that examination, that the dead manās pockets had been deliberately emptied and that this creased piece of paper had been left behind because it had been accidentally overlooked?ā
The Inspectorās eyes glinted. āThatās exactly what I should say, Mr. Bathurst. Iāll go further. Iāll say, too, that thereās precious little doubt about it. That creased piece was left behind because it escaped somebodyās notice. Whoever murdered Blundell intended that nothing should be found on him. Iāll tell you why. The quality of that notepaper is but poor. Itās the cheapest stuff. It rubs easily. In a li...