The Red-headed Man

by Fergus Hume

CHAPTER XXIII

[A CONFESSION]

Here was a discovery. Of all men Torry had least suspected Vass, as he had doubted the courage and nerve of so effeminate a creature. Yet if according to the evidence of the locket, he was the lover of Julia Brawn; and if he had followed her out of jealousy on that fatal night, there was no doubt that he had killed Grent. Torry explained all this to Darrel, as that young gentleman was dressing.

"If this, if that, if the other thing," said Frank doubtfully; "much virtue in if, as Shakspere says. Admitting that Vass was Julia's lover--which certainly seems probable, judging from the initials on the locket--you cannot prove that he was with Julia on that night. She alone could give evidence, and she is dead."

Torry nodded. "I admit there are links wanting," he said; "but as I am absolutely certain that Vass is the man we want, it only remains to force a confession out of him by sheer terror."

"How can you do that?"

The detective smiled meaningly, and from his breast-pocket produced a warrant against Vass.

"I got this an hour ago," he said, "as soon as I learnt the truth from the locket, I have sent a note asking Vass to come here and see you. Then, by means of this warrant, I shall so play on his fears that he will confess the truth."

"And so fall out of the frying-pan into the fire," said Darrel cynically. "If he holds his tongue, you arrest him on suspicion; if he confesses, you arrest him on certainty. So, in either case, he is bound to go to gaol. Silence is golden in his case, Torry; he won't confess."

"He might not if he was a hardened criminal," said the detective coolly. "But the man is a weak, hysterical fool, alive with nerves. He wept at the news of Grent's death; he fainted on seeing the Blue Mummy. A man who has so little command over himself will not be difficult to coerce into confession."

"When is he to be here?"

Torry glanced at his watch. "Ten thirty," he said, "and it is almost that now. I say, Mr. Darrel, it was a lucky thought of mine that the tramp might have robbed the dead body."

"It was! What made you think of it?"

"Well, he stole the knife in the first place, so I judged he would help himself to whatever valuables he could find. It seems he did and pawned the locket he stole. Then he saw one of my handbills offering a reward, and turned up last night to tell me the truth. I went with him to the pawn-shop, redeemed the locket, paid my friend two pounds and congratulated myself that the initials on the locket implicated Vass."

"Are you sure the initials are his?"

"Quite sure. When I first met him I ascertained that his name was Gustavus, so G.V. can stand for nothing else than Gustavus Vass; the name is an uncommon one. Besides, he must have guessed that the unexpected visit of Donna Maria had to do with the transference of the money to Grent."

"Oh, oh!" said Frank, turning round from the mirror at which he was brushing his hair. "So you think the motive of the crime is robbery, not jealousy."

"Both! The motive of the first crime was robbery, of the second jealousy--and perhaps a trifle of vengeance."

"I don't understand."

"It is not difficult," replied Torry with a shrug. "Listen! In some way, I can't say how--Vass became aware that Julia, at the instigation of Miss Hargone, was to meet Grent in Mortality-lane. He watched and followed, witnessed the interview, and when Grent gave the money to Julia, sprang forward in a fit of jealous rage and killed him. Then he forced Julia into the cab, and drove to the end of Northumberland-Avenue. He took her down to Cleopatra's Needle on some pretence, killed her out of revenge for her betraying him, and robbed her of the money. Then he tried to throw her body into the river, but was interrupted and fled. That is my theory, and a very nice one it is."

"It would be better," responded Darrel drily, "if it were not so full of flaws."

"Flaws!"

"Yes. You omit the Blue Mummy altogether; you make Vass decoy Julia to the Embankment without the shadow of an excuse--why you can't even invent an impossible one. Finally, you forget that the money was returned; so it is ridiculous to suppose that Vass would act so honestly after committing two crimes to gain it. Also, a nervous idiot like Vass couldn't kill two people in cold blood. He hadn't the spunk to do it."

Torry laughed at these so-called flaws, which he regarded as puerile; but out of sheer contradiction was about to contest them, when a faint and timid knock sounded on the outside door.

"Vass!" said Torry promptly. "Even in his knock I recognise his sneaking, vacillating nature. Now to try my game of bluff."

With a nod to Frank he went to the door, and shortly returned with Vass at his heels. The secretary was smartly dressed, and looked cool and composed, never thinking that his sin had found him out, and that the smiling little detective had set a trap for him into which he had walked blindly. There was something ironical in the situation.

"I got your note," said Vass, addressing Frank, when they were seated. "And I came on here at once. Has anything new been discovered?"

"Oh, yes," replied the detective politely, "something quite new, which will interest you very much."

"Really; relative to the robbery?"

"No; relative to the murder. Not to keep you in suspense Mr. Vass," said Torry slowly, "I may tell you that we know who committed this double crime."

Vass turned the colour of chalk. "Captain Manuel?" said he faintly.

"No, the man whose name is in this warrant of arrest."

The secretary put out a shaking hand towards the warrant displayed by Torry, then drew it back with a start. "A warrant of arrest," he repeated.

"Yes, and for you!"

"For me--me?" His eyes almost started from his head as he pushed back his chair, and stared terror-stricken at the detective.

"For you--Gustavus Vass, who murdered your master and your sweetheart."

"It is a lie!" cried the young man, trying to rise, "I killed neither."

"You murdered both," said Torry sternly, "and I intend to arrest you. In ten minutes you leave this room for prison."

"But I am innocent!--innocent I tell you," screamed Vass, his brow beaded with perspiration.

"I--I--I can--I can explain."

In a moment Torry whipped out the locket, and held it out on the palm of his hand. "Then explain that."

"Ah!" murmured Vass, falling back in his chair, "I am lost."

"I thought so; you confess your guilt."

The accusation seemed to galvanise the wretched creature into life. "Confess, confess!" he shrieked.

"No, no! I am innocent! I swear it."

"You'd swear anything to save your neck," said Torry coolly. "Come, sir, I am tired of this, let me put the darbies on."

As in a dream Vass sat limply in his chair while Torry approached with the handcuffs. But at the first touch of the cold iron on his wrists he leaped up, and plunging past the detective fell on his knees before Frank.

"Mr. Darrel! Mr. Darrel!" he implored with the tears streaming down his face, "help me, for God's sake! Oh, my poor mother. In heaven's name I am innocent! Don't let him drag me to prison."

"What can I do?" said Darrel moved by this abasement. "I am not above the law. If you are guilty you must pay for your wickedness."

"But I am innocent."

"Then prove your innocence," cried Torry with a sneer. "I am always open to conviction."

"I can't speak, I dare not speak!" moaned Vass, hiding his miserable face in his hands.

"Then keep silence and hang."

The poor wretch shuddered convulsively at the ominous word, and wept loudly. He cried like a woman, and lay on the floor moaning and groaning as in pain. Even Darrel was disgusted at this unmanly conduct, and advised him sharply to leave off whimpering. Torry went further.

"Get up, you milk-sop, or I'll kick you," he cried. "This is not the way to meet your troubles. You say you can explain; do so, and save your neck, if you can."

Finding all his howling did no good, Vass rose to his feet and dried his eyes. Driven like a rat into a corner, he turned to shew fight.

"Give me a glass of water," said he, "and I'll tell you the truth."

"How you killed Grent," said Torry, while Darrel got the water.

"I did not kill Grent. I never saw him on that night."

"Bah! you are a liar."

"You had better hear what I have to say before you call me that," said the secretary with some spirit. Then he drank the water, arranged his disordered clothes, and with more composure than might have been expected from his former agitation made a strange confession. The details startled his two hearers not a little.

"Gentlemen," he said, in rather an oratorical way, "I was, as you know, secretary to the late Mr. Grent, and frequently went down to see him at Wray House. Sometimes I stayed there for days, and, therefore, saw a great deal of the household. About a year ago, I fell in love with Julia Brawn, a handsome girl, who was Donna Maria's maid. I gave her that locket you showed me, and promised to marry her as soon as I was rich enough to keep a wife."

"Did you really intend to marry her?" questioned Darrel suspiciously, "or were you only fooling the girl."

"I intended to make her my wife," said Vass, with dignity. "She was a good girl, and a beautiful girl, whom I loved very much. When we met we naturally conversed about those we knew, and Julia was in the habit of telling me all that went on in the house, I learnt from her that Grent was in love with Miss Hargone, the governess. Now, at this time, I knew that he was nearly ruined by speculation; so when he told me one day that he had ten thousand pounds I doubted him, until he showed it to me at Wray House. He explained that the money belonged to a society called the Peruvian Patriots, and explained to me all about their symbol of the Blue Mummy. Once or twice he said to me that he wished the ten thousand pounds was his own. Then Miss Hargone made a confidant of Julia."

"But Miss Hargone had left the house some weeks before Manuel paid the money to Grent."

"I know that, Mr. Torry, but Julia used to call on Miss Hargone in London. The governess told Julia that Grent intended to fly to America with the ten thousand pounds, and had asked her to go with him. She said she had promised to go if Grent could show her the money in his possession, and to see it, she had made an appointment with him in Mortality-lane. Both were to be disguised."

"Why?"

"Because Grent was terribly afraid of the society and had made Miss Hargone afraid also. They thought it better to meet in some out-of-the-way spot, where there would be no chance of their being disturbed. That was why Mortality-lane was chosen. When Miss Hargone was convinced that Grent had the money she was to return home to her lodgings in Bloomsbury, and meet Grent the next morning at Victoria Station. They were to go to Genoa and sail for South America."

"A very nice plot," said Darrel. "But how about Julia going in place of Lydia?"