“Oh, so that’s it, is it?” said Sinclair. “I begin to see. That’s what she was keeping back in her evidence. That’s what you had up your sleeve.”
“I thought it would not be fair to tell you this at the time, as you would be bound to use it officially. If it had led to anything, of course I would have told you; when I was satisfied in my own mind that Sanders had nothing to do with the crime.” Sanders squirmed with shame. “I decided to tell no one.”
“That’s why you told Miss Watson, I suppose,” Sanders blurted out.
“You wrong Mr. Collins, he only told me when we had got at cross-purposes. When he told me there might be suspicion on someone dear to me I thought he meant Ronald. He treated you most generously all through,” she said, coldly.
“We are rather wandering from the main story,” said Allery, to pour oil on the water. “Let’s hear the rest, Watson.”
“There is little more to tell. We decided that I must get out of the house, and I thought of the old tower. Allery here had arranged for a motor boat to take me to Bristol, and I was going on board a tramp bound for Rio. I was going to answer the advertisement from there and return. Tomorrow I should have been off, but our friend here,” he pointed to Collins, “seems to have been one too much for us, and came in the nick of time.”
Collins gave a laugh. “I see you all want to know my part in the matter. I am afraid there is no mystery about it, and no great skill. I will confess that when I found the visiting card on the floor I thought it was a possible clue, and worth following up. But when I became acquainted with Sanders I realised that it was a mere coincidence.” He bowed slightly to Sanders with a politeness which was almost a mockery, and Sanders looked hatred at him. Every word was putting him in a position of humiliation and Collins as the hero of the piece, and it was gall to him.
Collins continued.
“The first thing which put me on the track was the fact that no news had been heard of Lewis. I was certain that he had nothing to do with the crime, and yet he had disappeared. His confusion when asked to go to Leveson Square was taken to be a sign of guilt, but if there was no guilt there must be another explanation. He had not fled instantly. He had gone back to his lodgings, and paid his bill, and then gone. There was, therefore, I argued, another reason for going. It must be connected in some way with Sir James, especially when he had said that he was going there on that afternoon. There was a hue and cry out for him, and he had not come forward to clear himself. Then he must have a reason beyond the mere shrinking from publicity.
“Then it is difficult for a man without friends, as he appeared to be, to disappear entirely, as he seemed to have done.
“If it was anything to do with Sir James, there might conceivably be a clue at this house. On the first night I was here as the sun was setting a ray shone on that portrait of Sir James, and I saw Lewis looking at me.”
“What do you mean?” said Mabel, startled.
“I mean the likeness was unmistakable. The light was peculiar, and the eyes, nose and forehead were all that showed up, and there was the striking family likeness.”
“I saw the expression on your face,” said Allery, “and it made me uneasy.”
“And I saw the look that passed between you and Miss Mabel,” said Collins with a laugh, “and it confirmed my suspicions.”
“Then the ghost, of course, was as clear as daylight to me. The dress was a good idea, if I may say so. I found the marks of real feet on the hearthrug. When I went from here I did not go back to London, but kept watch. I thought I had got you,” he said turning to Watson, “when the car left here secretly at night; but you were too cunning, there was only Allery and Miss Mabel. I suppose that was your doing, Allery?”
Allery burst out laughing. “We did you there. We had no idea that anyone was watching, of course, but we had to take precautions, so Mabel fetched the car from the garage, and Watson was waiting there. He was on the floor of the car, covered with a rug, and I came out of the front door and joined them. It was in case any servants were about. We didn’t want another ghost episode. But how did you pick up the clue?”
“I hung around. The night was too wet to follow the tracks of the car, but twice I saw you going on the road to Wilton in the evening, and each time I was further along the road, and on the second occasion was able to follow up, and saw the car at the bottom of the hill. I was certain Lewis, or Sir Ronald, as I now thought it was, was hiding in the neighbourhood, and knew a search would simply give the game away.
“So I came down here and watched, and finally saw you coming down the hill. I had found out about this strange service, and calculated that if a lonely man wanted to come down he would take the chance when a lot of others were coming.”
“Very clever,” said Allery.
“I think that explains all there is to explain. But how did you get on the track, Sinclair?”
“I had my suspicions, but pardon me, I am not a freelance like you are, but an official, and you must allow me to keep
