£19,000. Burford Delannoy
closed his offices and went into the dentist's.
He locked the outer door, and walking into the inner chamber, said:
"Charley, I have been thinking it over, and it does seem an awful thing to do that over the railings business. Mind you, I still believe it all sentiment, but, if possible, we will find out where the man lived, and devise a means of driving him home."
"Won't it be dangerous?"
"Yes. Still we will risk it. It seems a brutal thing to do as I suggested. We will put him on his own doorstep late to-night."
"You think we can manage it without——"
"Great point is, where he lived. If in a quiet suburb we can manage it all right. Get a cab here at my door, send the cabby round the corner for some cigars, we mind the horse, and, while he is away, slip the body in. When he comes back he will notice nothing in the darkness."
"But the man said he was going to America to-morrow!"
"Great Scott! So he did. I had forgotten that. Anyway, let us see if he has any address, pocketbook, letters—or anything on him to show where he would have slept if living to-night."
The key was turned in the lock of the cupboard, the body brought out and searched.
In the pockets were a passage ticket for America, letters addressed to "Mr. George Depew (of New York), Armfield's Hotel, Finsbury."
It was evident from the wording of the letters, which the brothers read, that Mr. Depew had stayed at Armfield's since his arrival from America.
The letters were from a city solicitor named Loide—Richard Loide, of Liverpool Street.
A perusal of those letters showed the whole reason of Mr. Depew's being that side of the Atlantic.
Loide had acted for Depew's aunt in the collection of the rents of certain properties. That aunt died, and Depew was sole legatee.
When the lawyer's letter reached him to that effect, Depew cabled Loide to sell all the property immediately. Another cable, a few hours later, announced that Depew was aboard a liner, and on his way to England. He was coming to look after his own.
The last letter from the solicitor was dated only one day before, and appointed two o'clock that very day—the day of the death—for Depew to attend at the lawyer's office, and receive nineteen thousand pounds, the amount the deceased woman's estate had realized.
The brothers were silent for a few moments after the perusal of that last letter. The consideration of a sum like nineteen thousand pounds, by two poor men, needs a few moments' silence.
Then they turned over again the contents of the dead man's pockets. The purse contained a few sovereigns and dollars, the steamer passage ticket, two Broad Street station cloak room tickets, and nothing more.
"Nineteen thousand pounds!"
It was the surgeon speaking. He looked at his brother; his brother looked at him. Each look was full of eloquence.
Then they picked up the dead man's coat, felt every inch of the lining thereof, thinking to find a secret pocket, or notes sewn in it. Nothing.
The two cloak room tickets for portmanteaus inspired the dentist to remark:
"Must be in one of the portmanteaus."
The surgeon shook his head.
"No man," he said, "would be fool enough to intrust such a sum to a cloak room's tender mercies."
"Then at the hotel?"
The surgeon did not think so—said as much as he bent over the body and unbuttoned the waistcoat, to make a closer search.
He felt something hard round the waist, investigated further, unbuckled what he found, and brought a money belt to the table and loosed the catch.
Notes! He pulled them out, and, as he fingered them, the rustle was as sweet music.
There were nineteen of them! Each for a thousand pounds.
They might have dreamed of such things, but they had never expected to actually handle such a sum.
For some while silence reigned. In incidents of this kind silence plays a big part.
There was no need of conversation—the brothers seemed to read each other's thoughts.
"It is a small fortune," presently whispered the dentist.
"And must be ours."
"Will the notes be traced?"
"We must guard against that."
"How?"
"I have been thinking——"
"Well?"
"This ticket—passage—has been booked in London; he will not be known on the ship."
"No."
"He intended going from Broad Street to Euston, thence to Liverpool, in time for the boat to-morrow."
"Well?"
"He will have to go."
"What, in heaven's name, do you mean?"
"Heaven," said the surgeon grimly, "I am afraid, has little to do with this job. But, see here, Charley, there's time yet. We can be poor and honest, and give up this fortune, or a few hours' nasty work, and wealth—nineteen thousand pounds."
He picked up the notes again, and the rustle made both men's eyes sparkle.
A piano organ in the distance was jigging out a "Belle of New York" tune, but no sound of it was heard by the brothers. Their ears were full of that crisp, crackling sound.
"But how do you mean that he will have to go?"
"One of us in his name, to America."
"Surely there is no need for that."
"Every need."
"Why?"
"For two reasons. He—this—has to be disposed of."
He indicated the corpse at their feet, and went on:
"Then, again, some one in his name must land in America, and disappear there, so that, when ultimately a hue and cry is raised, no suspicion may arise this side of the water."
"I see."
"While one of us is on the way to America, the other must gradually cash these notes at home. The numbers cannot be stopped for a week or two."
"Yes. But—but the body?"
"Must be taken aboard the boat."
"Good God!"
"No help for it, Charley. I had better be the passenger; you look after the money. I have more nerve for the work. I shall take the body in two portmanteaus, and manage to drop them overboard en route."
"In two portmanteaus?"
"Yes. My old days at the hospital operating table will come back to me. Yes. Don't look so scared; there's no help for it—just lock the door after me while I go in for my case of instruments."
The dentist did so, and stood there waiting his brother's return. Waited with bulging eyes and open mouth.
His training had not been that of the hospital. He had not the coolness in handling the limbs of his fellow-men which practice had given the surgeon.
The piano organ had struck into a religious tune now, and was discharging "Abide With Me." The dentist heard that. Heard it and shivered. The eventide was falling fast.
CHAPTER III