The Red-headed Man

by Fergus Hume

CHAPTER XXVI

[CONCLUSION]

So the last man in the world whom Torry suspected turned out to be the criminal. Blake was arrested, brought up before a magistrate, and on the evidence given by Vass, committed, for trial. He pleaded not guilty, and reserved his defence; but while in prison, bail being refused, his nerve gave way. Seeing that he could not escape in the face of the secretary's recognition, and his own admission in the hearing of Torry, Vass, Darrel, and the two constables, he resolved to make a clean breast of it. Having been supplied with writing materials at his own request, he wrote out and signed a confession acknowledging himself guilty, and describing how he had committed the crimes, This he handed to the gaol chaplain, and that night, not being closely watched, hanged himself in his cell by means of his braces. The murderer died as a suicide--and that was the end of Roderick Blake.

"I hereby declare," so ran the confession, "that I alone killed Jesse Grent and Julia Brawn. I knew from Lydia Hargone, to whom I was engaged, that Grent wished to fly to Italy with her and ten thousand pounds, the property of the Patriotic Peruvians. I wanted to get the money for myself, but I was afraid to rob Grent openly, lest the society should trace and kill me. I therefore suggested to Lydia that she should make an appointment with Grent in a quiet place, ask him to shew her the money, and then rob him. Thus Grent, as having been paid the money by Manuel, would be suspected, and Lydia and myself would escape the vengeance of the society. Lydia made an appointment in Mortality-Lane, and promised--to gull Grent--that she would elope with him to Italy the next morning. At the last moment she turned weak, and refused to go. She proposed that Julia Brawn should disguise herself as Lydia Hargone in a fawn-coloured mantle, and meet Grent. For some reason Julia agreed to go at once; but I did not quite trust her, so I said that I would go also. In case there might be any difficulty, I wished to receive the money personally; but as Grent would give it up to no one but Lydia, I resolved to wear her clothes. I was not very tall, I was clean shaven, and could soften my voice to a feminine drawl; so it was easy for me to disguise myself as a woman. At first I determined not to take Julia, but she was so eager to go--I don't know why--that I resolved to make use of her. To confuse the police, should there be any trouble about the robbery, I made Julia disguise herself as a man. She only wore a pair of trousers above her underclothes, a long great coat, a soft hat, and a black wig and beard. I put on her dress and petticoat, wore her hat, and Lydia's fawn-coloured mantle, for Grent to recognise, and a veil. We dressed thus simply as I intended, to further confuse the police, that we should change in some obscure spot as soon as the robbery was accomplished. When we went to keep the appointment I took with me my Spanish bowie-knife, but only for protection. I swear, by all I hold most sacred, that I had no murderous intention at the time.

"We arrived in Mortality-lane shortly after midnight, and a few minutes later Grent appeared in disguise to keep his appointment. At first he was alarmed at seeing two of us, but I explained--mimicking the voice of Lydia, which I could imitate very well--that Julia was the son of my landlady, whom I had brought to protect me in the midnight streets. Mr. Grent was pacified, and shewed me the notes done up in one bundle. I wanted to look at them, but he refused to give them into my hands. I then tried to take them, but did it too strongly, and Grent suspected something. He snatched at my veil, it came off, and in the light of a near gas-lamp he recognised me. I was furious and lost my temper. Grent began to run with the notes. As I was determined to have them I followed, and threw myself on him. For his own sake he was afraid to cry out, but struggled with me in silence. He tore the lace off my cloak; so finding him bent on resistance, I drew my knife and, watching my opportunity, I stabbed him to the heart. He fell with a low cry, and when I examined him I found him stone dead.

"Julia was in a great state; she cried and wrung her hands, until I thought someone would come. I made her be quiet, and took the packet of notes off Grent's dead body; these I slipped into the pocket of the dress I wore. Then I took Julia's arm, and was going away with her, when it struck me that, to save myself and the girl from suspicion, it would be a good thing to lay the blame on the secret society. Before I left home I had put two tomb-images in my pocket, as I thought if Grent did not give up the money I might produce one, say I represented the society, and thus terrify him into giving me the ten thousand pounds. I would have tried this trick if he had not torn off my veil and recognised me. As it was, in a moment of passion, I killed him. To avert suspicion and cast it on Manuel, I placed a Blue Mummy on the ground beside the corpse. Then I took Julia up the lane, we found a cab and got into it. I told the man to drive to Northumberland-avenue, near the theatre, as Julia wanted to get out there, saying it was near her lodgings.

"In the cab we changed our clothes. Julia reassumed her petticoat and dress, also the fawn-coloured mantle of Lydia, and the hat given to her by Donna Maria. I put on the coat and hat and black beard. When we alighted from the cab near the Avenue Theatre and dismissed it, I went down to the Embankment with Julia, and threw the trousers she had worn into the river. As I did so, she ran off down the Embankment. Then I recollected that the bank-notes were in the pocket of the dress I had worn, and which she now had on. I followed her as quickly as I could, and found her talking to a man near Cleopatra's Needle. I did not know who the man was, but, thinking she was betraying the fact that I had murdered Grent, I became mad with rage. I ran at her with my knife open, she turned, and I stabbed her to the heart. The man ran off. I waited to search Julia's clothes for the notes, but could not find them, so I concluded that she had given them to the man. I resolved to follow, but first tried to throw the body into the river, so as to conceal my crime. I dragged it as far as the steps, when I heard someone coming, and ran off to save myself.

"I went after the unknown man, but could not trace him. I wanted to know who he was, and get the money back. That was why I wished to assist in the investigation of the case. As Julia was dead and Lydia staunch, I thought I would never be discovered. But I fell by my own folly. Finding out from Darrel that Vass was the man who had taken the notes from Julia, I wrote a note asking him to meet me, intending to force him to give them up. He came, and he betrayed me; so now I am in gaol. I cannot defend myself at the trial, as Vass recognised me; so it is certain that I shall be condemned to death. I have confessed my crime, and I have nothing more to do but sign myself as a double murderer. God have mercy on all who give way to their passions.

"Roderick Blake."

A week after this precious confession, Torry was seated in Darrel's chambers talking over the matter. The detective was rather downcast, and Frank was trying to cheer him up.

"After all, you found out who committed the crimes," said he, "and that wretched Blake has committed suicide."

"Yes; but I expected to find Leighbourne and discovered Blake. Yet I feel sure that Leighbourne is mixed up in the case."

"And you are right," said Frank soothingly, "perfectly right."

"Right, am I! How so?"

"Well, Vass came to see me this morning in a great state of mind. He had been kicked out of his billet, because of his connection with this case."

"By old Leighbourne?"

"Yes; but he is not so furious with that old ass as with his son. Do you know who returned those notes to Manuel?"

"Why, Vass, of course."

"No. It was Frederick Leighbourne. That young man had a speculation one which threatened to fail for want of money. Vass, who was devoted to him heart and soul, got the money for him from Julia. Leighbourne gave the notes to a stockbroker as security, on condition that they were not to be put into circulation unless the speculation failed. It did not fail, and Leighbourne got back the notes, which he sent Vass to return to Manuel. So you see it was Leighbourne who restored the notes."

"The deuce!" said Torry. "Why doesn't Vass tell old Leighbourne?"

"He has done so out of revenge, and I heard from Vass that Master Frederick had bolted this morning to the Continent. Vass intends to follow him, and, I suppose, make it hot for him for not helping him to keep his situation."

"The jackal after the lion. I daresay they'll make it up again."

"Not if Lydia can help it."

"Why, what about that beauty?"

"She eloped with Frederick, and, I suppose intends to become Mrs. Leighbourne. She'll soon send Vass to the right about."

"H'm! A nice couple! She never loved Grent."

"No, nor Blake either; she only loves herself. By the way," added Frank, "do you think that the story told by Grent to Donna Maria was true?"

"Not all of it. He lied about the society, and that man he called Centa. For my part, I don't believe Centa exists. No, Darrel; all Grent's lies were invented to enable him to clear off with the money.

"Well, Nemesis overtook him."

"Yes; as it overtook Blake. It is no use trying to escape Fate. But both those men were scoundrels. The only one I pity is Julia, who only sinned out of love for Vass. She is the true victim. But I was going to ask you, what about Donna Maria?"

Darrel grew red and confused, as a lover should. "She is going back to Lima with her aunt. Poor Donna Inez, she has been terribly upset by all this public scandal and the discovery of her husband's perfidy."

"Pooh, pooh! she is better without the old libertine; but women never know when they are well off. It is a pity, though, she has lost all her money.

"Not all. Old Leighbourne says he can save her a thousand a year out of the general wreck."

"And that is opulence in Peru," said Torry. "Are you going to Peru also?"

"Why do you ask?" said Frank, blushing again.

"Because since the discovery of Blake's guilt you have been down to Wray House every day."

"Donna Maria wanted things explained to her."

"Oh, and it took three weeks to explain them. Well when is the marriage to be?"

"Bosh! I haven't spoken of that yet. In a month Donna Maria goes out to Lima. I stay at home and work hard."

"To make a home for the future Mrs. Darrel, I suppose. Why don't you write a novel on this case?"

"Because if I did no one would believe it."

"But it is all true, even to the fact that Manuel remains in London as the agent for a society of assassins misnamed Patriots."

"I know; but the truth is always improbable in print. But some day I may soften its improbable truth into my probable fiction."

"With yourself as hero and Donna Maria as the heroine; and a marriage between you to end the book."

"Well, there's many a true word spoken in jest," said Frank smiling; "and I think Maria likes me a little."

"Maria! Ah, that settles it. You'll follow her to Lima and marry her there."

"Well, Torry, why not?"

"Why not, indeed. She is a charming girl. I anticipated as much, and so I brought with me a wedding present for you."

"Where is it? What is it?"

Torry smiled and placed in Darrel's hands--a Blue Mummy.