登陆注册
15468700000021

第21章 IV. THE CHASE AFTER THE TRUTH(3)

The fugitive collided with one of the policemen who ran to head him off, sending him sprawling down the slope; indeed, the fugitive seemed inspired with the strength of a wild ape. He cleared at a bound the rampart of flowers, over which Barbara had once leaned to look at her future lover, and tumbled with blinding speed down the steep path up which that troubadour had climbed. Racing with the rushing wind they all streamed across the garden after him, down the path, and finally on to the seashore by the fisher's cot, and the pierced crags and caverns the American had admired when he first landed.

The runaway did not, however, make for the house he had long inhabited, but rather for the pier, as if with a mind to seize the boat or to swim.

Only when he reached the other end of the small stone jetty did he turn, and show them the pale face with the spectacles; and they saw that it was still smiling.

"I'm rather glad of this," said Treherne, with a great sigh.

"The man is mad."

Nevertheless, the naturalness of the doctor's voice, when he spoke, startled them as much as a shriek.

"Gentleman," he said, "I won't protract your painful duties by asking you what you want; but I will ask at once for a small favor, which will not prejudice those duties in any way.

I came down here rather in a hurry perhaps; but the truth is I thought I was late for an appointment." He looked dispassionately at his watch. "I find there is still some fifteen minutes.

Will you wait with me here for that short time; after which I am quite at your service."

There was a bewildered silence, and then Paynter said:

"For my part, I feel as if it would really be better to humor him."

"Ashe," said the doctor, with a new note of seriousness, "for old friendship, grant me this last little indulgence.

It will make no difference; I have no arms or means of escape; you. can search me if you like. I know you think you are doing right, and I also know you will do it as fairly as you can. Well, after all, you get friends to help you; look at our friend with the beard, or the remains of the beard. Why shouldn't I have a friend to help me?

A man will be here in a few minutes in whom I put some confidence; a great authority on these things. Why not, if only out of curiosity, wait and hear his view of the case?"

"This seems all moonshine," said Ashe, "but on the chance of any light on things--well, from the moon--I don't mind waiting a quarter of an hour. Who is this friend, I wonder; some amateur detective, I suppose."

"I thank you," said the doctor, with some dignity.

"I think you will trust him when you have talked to him a little.

And now," he added with an air of amiably relaxing into lighter matters, "let us talk about the murder.

"This case," he said in a detached manner, "will be found, I suspect, to be rather unique. There is a very clear and conclusive combination of evidence against Thomas Burton Brown, otherwise myself. But there is one peculiarity about that evidence, which you may perhaps have noticed.

It all comes ultimately from one source, and that a rather unusual one.

Thus, the woodcutter says I had his ax, but what makes him think so?

He says I told him I had his ax; that I told him so again and again.

Once more, Mr. Paynter here pulled up the ax out of the well; but how?

I think Mr. Paynter will testify that I brought him the tackle for fishing it up, tackle he might never have got in any other way.

Curious, is it not? Again, the ax is found to be wrapped in lint that was in my possession, according to the fisherman. But who showed the lint to the fisherman? I did. Who marked it with large letters as mine? I did. Who wrapped it round the handle at all? I did.

Rather a singular thing to do; has anyone ever explained it?"

His words, which had been heard at first with painful coldness were beginning to hold more and more of their attention.

"Then there is the well itself," proceeded the doctor, with the same air of insane calm. "I suppose some of you by this time know at least the secret of that.

The secret of the well is simply that it is not a well.

It is purposely shaped at the top so as to look like one, but it is really a sort of chimney opening from the roof of one of those caves over there; a cave that runs inland just under the wood, and indeed IS connected by tunnels and secret passages with other openings miles and miles away. It is a sort of labyrinth used by smugglers and such people for ages past.

This doubtless explains many of those disappearances we have heard of.

But to return to the well that is not a well, in case some of you still don't know about it. When the sea rises very high at certain seasons it fills the low cave, and even rises a little way in the funnel above, making it look more like a well than ever.

The noise Mr. Paynter heard was the natural eddy of a breaker from outside, and the whole experience depended on something so elementary as the tide."

The American was startled into ordinary speech.

"The tide!" he said. "And I never even thought of it!

I guess that comes of living by the Mediterranean."

"The next step will be obvious enough," continued the speaker, "to a logical mind like that of Mr. Ashe, for instance. If it be asked why, even so, the tide did not wash away the Squire's remains that had lain there since his disappearance, there is only one possible answer.

The remains had NOT lain there since his disappearance. The remains had been deliberately put there in the cavern under the wood, and put there AFTER Mr. Paynter had made his first investigation. They were put there, in short, after the sea had retreated and the cave was again dry.

That is why they were dry; of course, much drier than the cave.

Who put them there, I wonder?"

He was gazing gravely through his spectacles over their heads into vacancy, and suddenly he smiled.

"Ah," he cried, jumping up from. the rock with alacrity, "here is the amateur detective at last!"

Ashe turned his head over his shoulder, and for a few seconds did not move it again, but stood as if with a stiff neck.

同类推荐
  • 鼓枻稿

    鼓枻稿

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 证治心传

    证治心传

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 医林琐语

    医林琐语

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 剧话

    剧话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 浦阳人物记

    浦阳人物记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 分析传统下的电影研究:叙事、虚构与认知

    分析传统下的电影研究:叙事、虚构与认知

    作者提出了一个全新的“西方电影理论”概念。过去人们以为,所谓“当代电影理论”就是上个世纪60年代之后在符号学、结构主义、意识形态批评、女权主义、文化研究等等影响下的电影研究。而作者在对历史的追溯中令人信服地指出,事实上,西方电影理论有两个传统。我们所熟知的只是欧陆传统下的电影理论,而在欧洲大陆之外的英美电影学术圈中,影响更深远、且在目前更具有生命力的,是另一个传统——分析哲学的传统。
  • 糜梦电语

    糜梦电语

    WastedDream,全球最强大人工智能AI研发公司,通过手机平台使人工智能遍布了整个世界,给人类世界给予了前世未有的方便,然而事实真的如表面那样的光鲜亮丽吗?纯粹兴趣,写到自己觉得足够为止,不调众口。
  • 神箭狂少

    神箭狂少

    想要百步穿杨吗?想要射日?他带你走上箭术至高境界!成为一代传奇!
  • 带着日记重生

    带着日记重生

    失意高中生颜紫琪,看着自己的日记,在回忆中睡去······他重生了。宿主是他的好友——萧仙。······
  • 梦的了结

    梦的了结

    那一天,从不弯腰低头的我看到了你,甘愿为你付出一切,为你心痛,为你残忍。或许,双手沾满鲜血的我不配这样,但是我却都做了,都付出了,不论结果如何,我会遵守我的承诺,永远陪着你。直到我化作灰尘,不得存在于世。一切,只为你。……
  • 龙谷山连环疑案

    龙谷山连环疑案

    地处南方的龙谷山市接二连三发生几起少女的失踪案,在龙谷山市掀起巨大的恐怖,造成人心惶惶。这些少女如同人间消失,不见踪影。有的人说外星人降临地球把这些少女掳走,带往了遥远的外星球。也有的人说这些少女长得太美了,被来自十八层地狱的阎王抓走,备受凌辱后被阎王当作美味的晚餐吃掉。这些失踪的少女都是18岁—25岁左右的年纪,身高在166—168cm之间,血型都是O型血。警方通过侦查发现,这些少女都是在河边、偏僻的路段失踪的。龙谷山市警方拉开追捕犯罪嫌疑人的巨网,狡猾的犯罪嫌疑人熟悉龙谷山的每一个角落,给案件侦破带来了巨大的阻力,一场邪恶与捍卫正义之间的较量在龙谷山这片神奇的土地上展开……
  • 福妻驾到

    福妻驾到

    现代饭店彪悍老板娘魂穿古代。不分是非的极品婆婆?三年未归生死不明的丈夫?心狠手辣的阴毒亲戚?贪婪而好色的地主老财?吃上顿没下顿的贫困宭境?不怕不怕,神仙相助,一技在手,天下我有!且看现代张悦娘,如何身带福气玩转古代,开面馆、收小弟、左纳财富,右傍美男,共绘幸福生活大好蓝图!!!!快本新书《天媒地聘》已经上架开始销售,只要3.99元即可将整本书抱回家,你还等什么哪,赶紧点击下面的直通车,享受乐乐精心为您准备的美食盛宴吧!)
  • 隔世之心

    隔世之心

    曾接受过心脏移植手术的许悠然,在一次高烧时意外触电。幸运地活下来的她,却发现自己的身上开始出现了一些匪夷所思的变化……当她在废墟中邂逅罗砚成之后,随之而来的一系列人和事,接连刺激着她的神经,让那些支离破碎的陌生记忆逐渐复苏和连贯起来。许悠然蓦然发现,二十年前另一个女人路雪轻与罗砚成相爱相弃的悱恻往事,无可抗拒地悄然渗透进了她的生命里……
  • 一梦笙歌卿相许

    一梦笙歌卿相许

    一夜情深,她带球跑路。不成想,四年后,某男荣升职场大boss,某女沦为小职员,酒后失态,他们再次碰撞在一起。大boss挖坑填土埋下陷阱,誓要把单身妈咪追到手……
  • 王源之不要忘记我爱你

    王源之不要忘记我爱你

    爱情,有些人当然觉得重要。但有些人为了爱情,失去家庭、学历、能力,虽然不合适,却还要执著,你觉得这样就对吗?你比看起来还要天真烂漫,如果你觉得白痴比白马王子更吸引你,那我要拒绝你。