said, 'What's the row, anyway? I thought you were following the hat-thief, ' And he said, 'That's just it,' in a sort of queer voice. 'I've followed it too, far. I've stirred up something, and it's got me.'
The chief inspector leaned forward.
`Yes?' he prompted. `You gathered that Driscoll, thought he was in danger from this hat-thief?'
`Something like that. Naturally, I joked about it. I remember asking, 'What's the matter; are you afraid he'll steal your hat?' And he said, 'It's' not my hat I'm worried about. It's my head.'
There was a silence. Then Hadley spoke casually:
`So you left the Tower. to go to his place. What then?'
`Now comes the odd part of it. I drove up to the garage; it's in Dane Street, High Holborn. The mechanic was busy on a job at the moment. He said he could fix the horn in a few minutes, but I should have to wait until he finished with the car he was working on. So I decided to walk to the flat, and pick up the car later. There was no hurry.'
Hadley reached for his notebook. `The address of the flat?' 'Tavistock Chambers, 34 Tavistock Square, WC. It's number two, on the ground floor…. Well, when I got there I rang at his door for a long time, and nobody answered.` So I went in.'
`The door was open?'
`No. But I have a key. You see, the gates of the Tower of London are closed at ten o'clock sharp every night, and the King himself would have a time getting in after that. So, when I went to a theatre or a dance or something of the sort, I had to have a place to stay the night, and I usually stopped on the couch in Phil's sitting-room…. Where was I? Oh yes. Well, I sat down to wait for him.'
Dalrye drew a long breath. He put the palm of his hand suddenly down on the table.
`About fifteen minutes or so after I had left the Tower, Phil Driscoll appeared at the general's quarters here and asked for me. Parker naturally said I had gone out in response to his phone message. Then, Parker says, Phil got as pale as death; he began to rave and call Parker mad. He had phoned that morning asking to see me at one o'clock… But he swore he had not changed the appointment. He swore he had never telephoned a second time at all.'
5. The Shadow by the Rail
Hadley stiffened. He laid down the pencil quietly, but there were tight muscles down the line of his jaw.
`Just so,' he said quietly. `What then?'
`I waited. It was getting foggier, and it had started to rain, and I got impatient. Then the phone in the flat rang, and I answered it.
`It was Parker, telling me what I've just told you. He had called once before to get me, but I was at the garage and hadn't arrived. Phil was waiting for me at the Tower, in a hell of a stew. Parker said he wasn't drunk, and I thought somebody had gone mad. But there was nothing to do but return; I had to do that, anyway. I Hurried over to get the car, and when I was leaving the garage I met the General…. '
`You also,' inquired Hadley, glancing up, `were in town, General?'
Mason was gloomily regarding his shoes. He looked up with a somewhat satiric expression.
`It would seem so. I had a luncheon engagement, and afterwards I went to the British Museum to pick up some books they had for me. As Dalrye says, it began to rain, so of course there weren't any taxis. Then I remembered the car would probably be at Stapleman's garage or, if it weren't, Stapleman would lend me a car to go back in. It's not far away from the Museum, so I started out. And I saw Dalrye in the car, and hailed him…. I've told you the rest of it. We got here at two-thirty, and found him.'
`Was it a very important luncheon engagement, General Mason?' asked Dr Fell suddenly.
The query was startling in its very naivete, and they all turned to look at him. His round and ruddy face was sunk into his collar, the great white plumed mop of hair straggling over one ear,
The General stared. `I don't think I understand.!
'Was it by any chance,' pursued the doctor, 'a society of some sort, a board of directors' meeting, a gathering of…'
`As a matter of fact,' said Mason, `it was.' He seemed puzzled and his hard eyes grew brighter. `The Antiquarians' Society. We meet for lunch on the first Monday of every month. I don't like the crowd. Gaa-a! Sedentary fossils of the worst type.- I only stay in the organization because you get the benefit of their knowledge, on a doubtful question. Sir Leonard Haldyne — the Keeper of the jewels here drove me up in his car, at noon.'
I suppose your membership in the society is well known?'
`All my friends know of it, if that's what you mean. It seems' to amuse them at the Rag.'
Hadley nodded slowly, contemplating Dr Fell. 'I begin to see what you're driving at. Tell me, General. You and Mr Dalrye were the only people at the Tower whom young Driscoll knew at all well?'
'Ye-es, I suppose so. I think he'd met Sir Leonard, and he had a nodding acquaintance with a number of the warders, but, . ' `But you were the only ones he'd be apt to call on?'
`Probably.'
Dalrye's mouth opened a trifle, and he sat up. Then he sank back into his chair.
`I see, sir. You mean the murderer had made certain both General Mason and I were out?'
The doctor spoke in a testy voice, ringing the ferrule of his cane as he hammered it on the floor:
`Of course he did. If you had been there, he'd certainly have been with you. If the General had been here in your absence, he might have been with the General. And, the murderer wouldn't have any chance to lure him to a suitable spot in the fog and put an end to him.'
Dalrye looked troubled. `All the same,' he said, `I'm willin g to swear it was really Phil's voice on the phone that second time. My God! man — excuse me, sir!' He swallowed, and as Dr Fell only beamed blandly he went on with more assurance, `What I mean is, I knew that voice as well as I knew anybody's. And if what you say is true, it couldn't have been Phil's voice at all..: Besides, how did this person, whoever it was, know that Phil had arranged to meet me down here at one o'clock? And why all the rigmarole about being 'afraid of his head'?’
'Those facts,' said Dr Fell composedly, `may provide us with very admirable clues. Think them over. By the way, what sort of voice did Driscoll have?'
Dalrye hesitated. `The only way to describe it is incoherent. He thought so fast that he ran miles ahead of what he was trying to say. And when he was excited his voice tended to grow high.'
Dr Fell, his head on one side and his eyes half closed, was nodding slowly. He peered up, as a knock sounded at the door, and the chief warder entered.
'The police surgeon is here, sir,' he said, `and several other men from Scotland Yard. Are there any instructions?'
Hadley started to rise, and reconsidered.. 'No. Just tell them the usual routine, if you please; they'll understand. I want about a dozen pictures of the body, from all angles. Is there any place the body can conveniently be taken for examination?'
`The Bloody Tower, Mr Radburn,' said General Mason. `Use the Princes Room that's very suitable. Have you got Parker here?'
`Outside, sir; Have you any instructions about those visitors? They're getting impatient, and
`In a moment,' said Hadley. `Would you mind sending Parker in?' As, the chief warder withdrew, he turned to Dalrye. `You have those visitors' names?'
`Yes. And I rather overstepped my rights,' said Dalrye. He drew from his wallet a number of sheets of paper. `I was very solemn about it. I instructed them to write down names, addresses, occupations, and references. Most of them were obvious tourists. I don't think there's any harm in them, and they didn't show any fight. Except Mrs Bitton, that is. And one other woman.'
He handed the bundle of sheets to Hadley. The chief inspector glanced up sharply. `One other woman? Who was she?'
`I didn't notice what she wrote, but I remembered her name from the way she acted. Hard-faced party. You see, I had it all very official, to scare 'em into writing the truth. And this woman was wary. She said, 'You're not a notary, are you, young man?' and I was so surprised that I looked at her. Then she said, 'You've got no right to do
