“Why didn't they take it up to the house?” asked Random, on hearing this.
“That would have been dangerous,” said Hope, looking up from the manuscript, “seeing that the mummy was supposed to have been stolen by the murderer. It was easier to hide it amongst the grasses under the jetty, as no one ever goes there. Well”—he turned over a few pages—“that is practically all. The rest is after events.”
“I want to hear them,” said Random, taking another cup of coffee.
Hope ran his eyes swiftly over the remaining portion of the paper, and gave further details rapidly to his friend.
“You know all that happened,” he said, “the Professor's pretended surprise when he found the corpse he had himself helped to pack and—”
“Yes! yes! But why was the mummy placed in Mrs. Jasher's garden?”
“That was Braddock's idea. He fancied that the mummy might be found under the jetty and that inconvenient inquiries might be made. Also, he wished if possible to implicate Mrs. Jasher, so as to keep her from telling to the police what he had told her. He and Cockatoo went down to the river one night and removed the mummy to the arbor silently. Afterwards he pretended to be astonished when I found it. I must say he acted his part very well,” said Hope reflectively, “even to accusing Mrs. Jasher. That was a bold stroke of genius.”
“A very dangerous one.”
“Not at all. He swore to Mrs. Jasher that if she said anything, he would tell the police that she had taken the clothes provided by Sidney from the Pyramids and had gone to speak through the window, in order to fly with Sidney and the emeralds. As the fact of the mummy being found in Mrs. Jasher's garden would lend color to the lie, she was obliged to hold her tongue. And after all, as she says, she didn't mind, since she was engaged to the Professor, and possessed at least one of the emeralds.”
“Ah! the one she passed along to me. How did she get that?”