SUNSET

LIBRARY

1278 20th. Avenue
San Francisco, Calif.

* =• L

RIME XTTHTWlA^QmiA is a baffling
mystery story which the reader will want
to finish at a sitting. George Norsworthy, who
iknows the Riviera so well, has chosen Roque-
brune-Cap-Martin, with its bougainvillaea-clad
villas and its terraced gardens perfumed with
orange blossom, as his setting.

Martin Crow, K.C., the famous criminal
lawyer, who made his first appearance in The
House-Party Mystery, is the central figure in
this new story. Accompanied by his daughter,
Gerry, he sets himself the extremely difficult
task of proving, against over-whelming evidence,
[that Michael Maguire was not responsible for
the death of his eccentric aunt from whom he
inherits a large fortune.

This is undoubtedly George Norsworthy's
best story.

CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

AUTHOR OP

CASINO

DAMES-ERRANT

A HOUSE-PARTY MYSTERY

GEORGE NORSWORTHY

NEW YORK
GREENBERG : PUBLISHER

To E.A.N.

My dear Buff,

Since you are an insatiable reader of thrillers, and
since I know that you often sigh for the terraced
gardens, the olive groves and the eucalyptus bordered
walks of the Golfe Bleu, I have ventured to inscribe
your initials at the top of this page.

I, too, often feel that I should like to go and buy
a packet of HIGH LIFE cigarettes from Mme.
Imbert; lunch in the garden of the Pension Mireille
where you used to do your lessons, and walk to
Monte Carlo by the narrow path above the rocks.
You, of course, prefer the summer months there
while I should always choose the winter for a visit
because, for me, that season is almost unendurable
in England. Well, we won't quarrel about it. Some
time we will each have our wish. We will go back
there for both the summer and the winter.

With affection,

G.N.

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. THE RED-HAIRED MAN . ... i

II. THE PENSION MIREILLE . . . 8

III. THE DILEMMA . . . * 18

IV. MURDER is COMMITTED . . . 29
V. THE CASE AGAINST MICHAEL MAGUIRE 38

VI. "LE MEURTRIER" . . '']? . 48

VII. THE VILLA GLORIA . . . 64

VIII. THE LIBRARY . ... . 75

IX. THEORIES 85

X. DR. ARISTIDE JOURNET'S OPINION . 99

XI. Miss MAGUIRE'S WILL . . . 108

XII. THE BUTLER . . .' . , 122

XIII. CHARLES CARTHEW? . . 135

XIV. MARTIN CROW EXPERIMENTS . . 148
XV. AN EAVESDROPPER . . . .164

XVI. DANGER FOR MARTIN CROW . . 183

XVII. SURPRISES FOR M. PEILLE ,. . . 197

XVIII. MARTIN CROW MAKES DISCOVERIES . 205

XIX. MARTIN CROW VISITS MAIDENHEAD . 218

XX. MRS. LANCING .... 228

XXI. CROW VISITS CHURCH MORTIMER . 240

XXII. THE RECTOR'S SECRET . . . 252

XXIII. THE KEY TO THE PROBLEM . . 265

XXIV. CROW LAYS DOWN His CARDS . . 277
XXV. CORAL TRENT CONFIDES . . . 287

XXVI. BOUGHTON FAILS AGAIN . . . 298

XXVII. M. PEILLE APOLOGISES . . . 308

2137460 '

CRIME AT
THE VILLA GLORIA

CHAPTER I

THE RED-HAIRED MAN

A RED-HAIRED man was sitting at a table in
a corner of the Bar-Restaurant Imbert at
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. Earlier in the evening he
had dined there and for the last hour had been
sipping his Pernod and glancing continually at the
cheap little clock which stood upon one of the
shelves amongst a number of bottles of all shapes
and sizes. It was now half past ten.

"Monsieur's friend is late to-night," observed
Mme. Imbert from her high stool behind the counter
upon which the ficlaireur de Nice was spread out
before her.

"Oui," was her customer's brief reply. He was
an Englishman and his powers of understanding
French were better than those of speaking it. Having
read all the news in the Paris edition of the Daily
Mail he was now striving to find entertainment in
the advertisements. Presently the door was flung
open and a tall, good-looking man of about fifty
entered.

2 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Phew, it's warm!" he exclaimed. He had a
pleasant, well modulated voice. "Bon soir, Madame.
What are you going to have, Charlie?"

"Another Pernod, thanks, Ernie."

"Deux Pernods, s'il vous plait," the newcomer
said with an atrocious French accent, as he sat
down. "Sorry I'm so late, but things have been
happening and I hung on to hear the result of the
first round."

"He's arrived?" asked the red-haired man.

"Yes, and the cat's out of the bag all right. She's
given him his orders, stiff and proper, and he can
take them or quit. If he quits he'll have to fend
for himself. He won't get another ruddy cent out
of her."

"What's he going to do about it?"

At that moment Mme. Imbert came across from
the counter with the drinks which she put down on
the marble-topped table.

"Merci, Madame. Combien?"

"Deux francs."

The man called Ernie gave her a coin and waited
until she had returned to her stool before he answered
his companion's question.

"I don't know, but I imagine that he'll kick," he
said, leaning a little across the table. "Well, Cheerio
Charlie, old boy. Here's to it. No, I'm blessed if
I can tell you what's going to happen but I'm pretty
sure there'll be a hell of a row to-morrow night if
he comes along with a blunt refusal, because she's

THE RED-HAIRED MAN 3

made up her mind that he's going to do as she
wants. Now look here, old son, this is going to be
our great chance, and I've made some discoveries
which are going to help quite a lot. To begin with
I know that she keeps her will in the safe in the
library, and I also know that by that will he's going
to inherit half the fortune and the niece the other
half."

"How did you pick that up?" asked Charlie as
he sipped his drink.

"I heard her telling the girl all about it last night.
Now the position is this: if he does as she wants,
that will is going to hold; but if he jibs she's got
another all ready to sign, and that one will cut him
clean out of everything and the lot will go to the girl."

"I don't see how that affects us."

"It doesn't, but the point is this; if she suddenly,
and conveniently, snuffed out, and no will could be
found, you'd come in for everything."

Charlie ran his fingers through his red hair.

"A cool hundred thou', at the very least," he said,
looking up.

"All that, to say nothing of the properties."

"Sounds all right, doesn't it, Ernie, but it involves
a hell of a risk."

"Not if we work together and you do exactly as
I tell you," said the other. Then, dropping his voice
still lower, he went on: "I've worked it all out in
my mind and it's going to be easy. You come along
to-morrow night at about half past nine. Wear your

4 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

gloves so that you don't plaster the place with
finger-prints, and come up through the garden
from the gate down by the railway line, and I'll be
waiting for you at the end of the terrace. They
should be well into the last round by that time and
we'll be able to hear what's going on. She always
has the French window open a few inches; and if
she does the usual she'll sit up till eleven or twelve,
playing Patience."

"Yes, and what then?"

"We'll wait until she's finished with him, then
I'll go in and make sure that he's gone up to bed,
and when I tip you the wink you can slip in through
the window and get to work. I shall wait about in
the hall to see that you aren't disturbed, and when
you've done the job we'll get hold of the wills from
the safe and shove them into the fire."

"She has fires this weather?"

"In the library. She's an icy mortal. Yes, Charlie,
we'll get rid of those documents and then you can
make your getaway. Nothing'll be discovered until
the morning, and when the police turn up and begin
questioning everyone it won't be long before they
hear about the aunt and nephew quarrelling; and
if anyone's suspected it'll be the young fellow. By
that time you'll be miles away."

"Where do I make for?"

"If you take my advice you'll get the last train
going to Marseilles and from there you'll take a
boat, or fly, to Corsica, the next day."

THE RED-HAIRED MAN 5

"Corsica!" exclaimed the red-haired man with
some surprise. "What's the idea of going there?"

"It's primitive, at least parts of it are, and you
can bury yourself conveniently. If you remain over
here, where all the papers will be full of the business,
you'd be expected to read about it, and you've got
to pretend to know nothing for quite a long time. If
you show up too soon it'll look fishy and will set
people thinking. If you're living the simple life
in some wayside pub over in Corsica you can always
say that you haven't seen a paper for months. Then
there's another thing. With a hundred francs you
can bribe those Corsicans to say anything you like,
and it would be well to prime someone up to say
that you'd been living there for the last two or three
weeks."

Both men remained silent for several minutes.
Charlie sat with his eyes fixed upon one of the
advertisements in his paper.

"A hundred thou'l" he muttered, as if to himself.
"By God! It's not to be sneezed at."

"I should think not. Better than your measly
£500 a year, what?"

"You don't think it would be possible to put the
screw on a bit more and get a good lump sum out
of her?"

"No, I don't. She's not the sort that you can scare
into doing things. She's the toughest proposition
I've ever come across, and I've struck some pretty
tough ones in my time. Besides, why shouldn't

6 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

we have the lot between us, Charlie. Damn it, man,
I've been working up to something of this sort for
the last two years, and it hasn't been easy finding
things out, bit by bit, I can tell you. No, we'll go
for the big thing. Fate hasn't been too lenient with
either of us, and it will only be getting a bit of our
own back, so to speak."

"Yes, you're right there, Ernie. I'm about fed
up with this scrounging round on a few quid a week;
but as I said just now, it's going to be a hell of a
risk."

"Not with me helping you, old son," said Ernie,
persuasively. "I'll see that your tracks are well
covered, and this time next winter we'll have villas
of our own here, and we shall be somebodies."

He got up and going across to the counter managed
to make Mme. Imbert understand that he wanted
to see a railway time-table. She got down from
her stool and rummaged about beneath the counter.
Presently she stood up and produced what he
required.

"Merci, Madame. Tres bon," he said, and
returned to his chair. "Now we'll see how the trains
fit in . . . here we are, Ventimiglia to Marseilles
. . . yes, there's a train due here just before mid-
night and it reaches Marseilles at seven in the
morning."

"God, what a time!"

"They don't hurry at night, except with the
Paris expresses. Now, you'll probably have got

THE RED-HAIRED MAN 7

clear long before midnight and would have time to
walk over to Monte Carlo and pick it up there.
Safer than getting in here; less likely to be noticed.
Well, old son, is that agreed?"

There was a moment's hesitation and then the
red-haired man roused himself resolutely.

"Right!" he exclaimed. "I'm in with you."

Ernie beamed.

"Good old Charlie," he said. "Let's shake on it."

They gripped each other's hand across the table.

CHAPTER II

THE PENSION MIREILLE

THE Pension Mireille at Roquebrune stands at the
top of the zig-zagging steps which lead from
the old main road down to the station of Cap-Martin-
Roquebrune where the flower-bordered platforms
are shaded by tall and graceful eucalyptus trees.
The Pension is small and unpretentious and over-
looks the Golfe-Bleu, with the rock of Monaco in
the distance to the right, and the wooded promontory
of Cap Martin to the left. There is no ostentatious
display of luxury at the Pension Mireille, but Madame
Ribaud is an excellent cook; her daughter, Antoinette,
is an efficient waitress; and Monsieur Ribaud is one
of the most accomplished gardeners on the Cote
d'Azur. Under his care the little garden, with its
corners shaded by orange, lemon and mimosa trees,
is kept in a state of perpetual perfection except,
perhaps, during the summer months when all
vegetation welts under the relentless heat.

One day, towards the end of March, Martin Crow
and his daughter, Gerry, were having their dejeuner
in the little arbour in the garden which was fragrant
with the perfume of stocks and heliotrope. Crow
was a big, lumbering man of fifty-five. He had a

8

THE PENSION MIREILLE 9

round, smiling, clean-shaven face and a light, gentle
voice which seemed out of keeping with his great
size. His dress was neat but old-fashioned in cut,
and he had a trick of running his ringers through
the short scrub of white hair which stood erect upon
his head.

Gerry, otherwise Geraldine, was, oddly enough,
a diminutive little person, of about thirty. According
to ordinary standards of beauty she was unquestion-
ably plain, and yet she was not without physical
attractions. Her singularly small form was in perfect
proportion, and she had large, intelligent eyes which
looked at you through horn-rimmed glasses. She
was neat and business-like in dress, manner and
speech.

Martin Crow, K.C., had been one of the leading
lawyers at the English Bar. For many years no
important trial had been complete without his name
among the defending counsel. He had made a
substantial income of which he had never spent
more than a fraction, with the result that he was now
a man of considerable means although he no longer
practised. The psychology of crime had always
been for him an absorbing interest, and ten years
ago he had surprised his friends and colleagues by
abandoning his practice and devoting himself to the
investigation of crime. His knowledge of the criminal
mind, his powers of reasoning, and his attention
to the smallest details had brought him many remark-
able successes. He was known and respected at

10 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

Scotland Yard and the Surete Generate in Paris,
and the police organisations of other European
countries frequently invited him to assist them.

Mademoiselle Antoinette, a pretty, smiling girl,
had served the coffee and Gerry had lighted a
cigarette. Martin Crow, who never smoked, drained
his glass and leant back in his chair with a contented
sigh.

"What a strange thing environment is, Gerry,"
he remarked. "In England I drink nothing but
water with my meals because I never have any desire
to taste wine or spirits; but here, in this delightful
sunshine, and eating these lighter and more imagina-
tive repasts, it seems the most natural thing in the
world to drink the wine of the country."

"I believe you are really enjoying yourself tremen-
dously," his daughter replied.

"I am enjoying it, tremendously, as you say."

"And think of the bother I had to get you to take
a holiday."

Martin Crow laughed and, taking a pencil from
his waistcoat pocket, began to draw on the back of
the menu card.

"My whole life is a holiday, my dear," he said,
bending over his drawing. "I find fresh interest in
every new face that I see."

"What is it that has been interesting you for the
last quarter of an hour?" Gerry asked, as she broke
one of the slabs of sugar and dropped it into her
coffee.

THE PENSION MIREILLE II

"That young couple over there," replied Crow,
looking past his daughter at two people who were
sitting at a table some distance along the terrace.
The girl was fair and handsome rather than pretty.
Her companion, a dark, good-looking young fellow,
was doing most of the talking. He was obviously
excited, and his thoughts appeared to be outstripping
his tongue.

"I thought so. Well?" asked Gerry, glancing
sideways over her shoulder.

"There we have some human problem which will
probably be worth watching, if we are given the
chance."

"You are incorrigible, Father."

Martin Crow laughed again.

"And why, my dear? Just because the every-day
problems of my fellow creatures interest me?"

"I brought you here to forget such things."

"Foolish child! I thought you knew me better
than to expect that of me."

"Out with it then," said Gerry. "What is it?
An elopement with irate parents or an enraged
husband upon their tracks?"

Crow shook his head. His grey eyes were fixed
upon the young people who were too absorbed with
their own affairs to notice the interest which they
had aroused.

"She is not married," Crow declared.

"Because she wears no ring?"

" Imbecile child ! What have rings to do with being

12 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

married in these days? No, she has not the manner
of speaking, or the movements of a married woman.
She is deeply in love with him, and he with her; but
there is some hitch, and I doubt if they know what
that hitch is. They are arguing round in circles and
can arrive at no definite conclusion. Well, we shall
see, perhaps." Crow took a large gold watch from his
pocket and glanced at it. "If we are going to walk
over to Monte Carlo I think we should be going or
we shall be late for the concert."

They got up and went indoors for their hats. A
few minutes later they were going down the steps
towards the station beyond which they took the path
which runs between the railway line and the shore.
They were going to hear Cortot play at the Casino.

That evening at dinner, which was served in the
glass-surrounded restaurant, the fair girl was sitting
alone. An open book lay upon the table at her side
but she did not seem able to give it her attention.
From time to time she glanced nervously across at
Gerry and then lowered her eyes quickly. As soon
as she had finished her meal she closed her book and
got up, and as she passed into the little lounge she
glanced again at Gerry and the faintest smile parted
her lips.

The next morning Martin Crow and his daughter
started early, with their lunch, to walk over the
mountains to Gorbio. The fair girl was sitting in
the garden and Gerry paused and spoke to her as
she passed.

THE PENSION MIREILLE 13

"Isn't it a wonderful morning?" she said.

"Glorious." The word was uttered hesitatingly,
as if she were not convinced of its accuracy.

"We are going over to Gorbio," Gerry said.
"Have you been there?"

"No, I only arrived yesterday and this is my
first visit to the Riviera."

Gerry smiled and hurried after her father.

"She's all on edge, poor thing," she told him.

Martin Crow made no reply and, with the exception
of an occasional remark about the views, or some
wayside flower, they walked, as they usually did, in
silence. It was six o'clock before they returned, for
they came back by Sainte Agnes and Menton, and
from the balcony of his room Crow saw the fair
girl and the young man sitting in the garden below.
The latter was talking quickly and was emphasising
his words with short, jerky movements of his hand.
The girl was sitting with her chin cupped in her
hands and her eyes fixed upon something in the far
distance. Martin Crow watched them for a few
moments and then, closing the window, began to
change from the rough clothes and shoes in which
he had been walking. When he and Gerry went
down to dinner the fair girl was alone and appeared
to be even more nervous and anxious than she had
been the previous evening. In fact it was not until
Mile. Antoinette had put the little baskets of fruit
upon the tables that she showed any sign of recognis-
ing Gerry. Their eyes met for the fraction of a

14 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

second and the smile which she gave was manifestly
forced.

"Won't you come and drink your coffee with
us?" Martin Crow said, turning towards her.

The girl looked startled and did not reply. Gerry
got up and went across to her.

"Do come and talk to us," she said, and almost
before the other realised what was happening she
found herself being gently led across to the other table.

"I was just going to ask Mile. Antoinette if she
has any good liqueur brandy," Crow told her. "I
always think that a fine is a fitting conclusion to a
good meal. Will you join us?"

"Oh, thank you."

Martin Crow beckoned to Mile. Antoinette and
gave the order. For several moments there was an
awkward silence.

"Have you been doing anything interesting
to-day?" Gerry asked.

Their companion looked at her, hesitated for a
moment, and then said,

"No, I have not been outside the garden. I have
been waiting for my fiance who said that he might
be coming at any time."

"He is staying in Roquebrune?" asked Crow.

Another hesitation.

"Yes, with his aunt at the Villa Gloria."

"That is near here?"

"Yes, just along the road past the Four-and-
Twenty Blackbirds tea-room. You can see it from

THE PENSION MIREILLE 15

the garden. It is the large white villa with the green
shutters."

Mile. Antoinette appeared with three small glasses
and a bottle. As soon as she had left them Crow
said,

"I have not been here for nearly five years, and I
don't suppose I should be here now if my daughter
had not dragged me away. She thought that I was
going into a decline for want of a rest and a change,"
he chuckled. "This is your first visit to the Riviera,
I understand?"

"Yes."

Martin Crow raised his glass and smiled.

" I wish you as enjoyable a holiday as I am having,"
he said.

The girl also raised her glass but lowered it without
putting it to her lips.

"I fear this is not exactly a holiday for me," she
sighed. After a moment's pause she went on, "My
fiance and I find ourselves confronted by an unex-
pected dilemma."

"Ah, I was afraid that you were both troubled
about something," said her host in that gentle,
persuasive tone which had brought him so many
confidences. "I suppose we should introduce our-
selves. My name is Martin Crow, and this is my
daughter, Gerry. Until a few years ago I spent my
life in the Courts, mostly defending criminals and
other people who found themselves in difficulties.
Now I lead a delightfully idle life and "

l6 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"What nonsense, Father!" interrupted Gerry.
"You know that you still work as hard as any man at
the Bar."

Crow smiled and patted his daughter's hand.

"Don't interrupt, Gerry," he said with mock
parental sternness. "You must allow me to describe
myself in my own way. Don't take any notice of
what she says, Miss ?"

"Beamish. Alison Beamish."

. . . Miss Beamish. I was going to tell you
that since I gave up practising I have amused myself
by becoming interested in other people's affairs.
From that you may conclude that I am one of those
meddlesome old fellows who should be avoided, but
I am not really so bad as my description may sound.
It is seldom that I interfere without being asked."

"Father is simply marvellous at disentangling
people's troubles," Gerry declared.

Crow frowned playfully at his daughter.

"Take no notice of her, Miss Beamish, but if I
can be of any help to you I trust that you will not
hesitate to ask me."

"That is terribly kind of you, Mr. Crow, but "

She paused and with a shrug of her slim shoulders
gave a deep sigh. "I don't see how you can help,"
she added with a note of despair in her low, soft
voice.

Crow emptied his glass and leant across the table.

"Please do not think that I am an inquisitive old
man," he said, lowering his voice, "but if you feel

THE PENSION MIREILLE I'J

inclined to tell us something of your difficulties you
may find that the mere telling will afford you some
comfort. Gerry, I am sure that Miss Beamish would
smoke a cigarette if you offered her one." Crow
looked round the room. Several tables were occu-
pied. "And then perhaps you would care to come
upstairs and talk," he added.

Alison accepted the cigarette and after a few
minutes they went up to Gerry's room which over-
looked the Bon Voyage quarter of Roquebrune and
the lower slopes of Mont Agel. It was a warm
evening and they sat before the open window.

CHAPTER III

THE DILEMMA

Miss Beamish, just tell us as much of
your difficulties as you wish, and I can assure
you that you will have our attention."

"The trouble concerns my fiance, Michael
Maguire, and his aunt," Alison began in a more
cheerful tone than she had employed hitherto. The
opportunity to talk obviously came as a relief to her.
"He is a year older than I am, twenty-five. He is a
medical student and hopes to qualify next February.
His parents both died when he was a child and since
that time he has been brought up and educated by
his aunt, Miss Jennifer Maguire. She is a wealthy
woman and in some ways spends her money gener-
ously, but in other ways she is " Alison hesitated

as if she could not find the right word.

"Parsimonious?" prompted Crow.

"Yes, I suppose that is the word. She sent Michael
to a first class preparatory school, to Charterhouse and
Cambridge, and for the last five years has been paying
all his hospital expenses and allowing him £3 a week."

"As pocket money?" questioned Crow.

"You could hardly call it pocket money," replied
Alison. "Out of that he had to keep and clothe

18

THE DILEMMA 19

himself, and pay for such things as amusements,
cigarettes and bus fares. He "

"One moment, Miss Beamish. I should like to
be quite sure of the facts. Just now you spoke of
Miss Maguire as a wealthy woman. What, exactly,
do you mean by wealthy?"

"I really could not tell you what her income is,
but she has the villa, here, and a large country
house near Church Mortimer where she keeps five
or six servants and three or four gardeners; and she
runs a Rolls Royce which she brings to the Riviera
every winter."

"Thank you; that gives me some idea of her means.
Please go on."

"Miss Maguire, I must tell you, is a woman of
about sixty. She is tall, sharp-featured, severe in
manner and dress, and is domineering. I first met
her two years ago when Michael and I became en-
gaged. She asked Michael to take me to Merryfields
for the week-end, and received me as her future
niece-in-law."

"Merryfields, I suppose, is the house near Church
Mortimer?" asked Crow.

"Yes. I have been there several times during the
last two years and, in a distant way, we got on quite
well together. I believe that she respected me be-
cause I was not afraid to express my opinions in an
argument and did not hesitate to disagree with her
if our views differed. Michael, on the other hand,
was rather inclined to be diffident. He allowed her

20 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

to have her own way, rather than argue, and I think
that he lost her respect by doing that. There is
something of the bully in her and, like most bullies,
she despises and takes advantage of anything which
might be taken for weakness. However, I'm afraid I
am worrying you with a lot of silly details, Mr.
Crow."

"Not at all, my dear Miss Beamish, not at all.
Details are so often of the greatest importance.
Please continue as you have begun."

"The last time that I went to Merryfields was
about fifteen months ago, just before Miss Maguire
came out here the winter before last, and the ques-
tion of our marrying was freely discussed. Miss
Maguire suggested that we should wait until Michael
was qualified, and she said that she would spend
£2,000 on buying him a practice and would give him
£500 with which to start a home."

"That was generous enough," remarked Crow.

"Very generous," Alison agreed, "in fact we were
both very surprised in view of her allowance of £3
a week which had always kept Michael terribly
short."

"Used he to comment upon the meagreness of the
allowance?"

"No, he never did that. He managed to rub
along without getting into debt, and his future
seemed to be assured, so he did not grumble. He
had not much time for spending money. He was
working all day at the hospital, while I had my own

THE DILEMMA 21

secretarial job which provided me with all that I
needed."

"Then you have not seen Miss Maguire for more
than a year?"

"No. The Christmas before last she wrote her
usual seasonal letter to Michael, enclosing a cheque
for £i, and sending me some kind message. He did
not hear from her again until his birthday in March
when she said that she had been joined by her
niece, Coral Trent, whose mother had recently died
in Australia. This girl and Miss Maguire are, as
far as Michael knows, his only relatives."

"Was the girl's father dead?"

"Yes, he died three or four years ago, I believe.
Now, the next time that Michael heard from his
aunt was last summer when she wrote to him from
the Hyde Park Hotel in London, saying that she and
Coral were staying there for a couple of nights on
their way to Church Mortimer, and asking him if
he would dine with them. Perhaps I should be more
accurate if I said that she commanded, not asked.
I remember seeing her letter. She said: 'We shall
expect to see you here to dinner to-morrow at 7.30.' "

"Is Miss Maguire in the habit of commanding,
rather than inviting?" asked Crow.

"Invariably, where Michael is concerned," Alison
replied. "She always expected him to do things. She
expected him to go to Merryfields for the week-end,
never asked him if it would be convenient, or if
he would care to go."

22 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Something of a dictator," Gerry remarked.

"That is only too true, Miss Crow," replied the
girl, "as you will see when I have told you every-
thing. Well, Michael went to dinner at the hotel
and made the acquaintance of his cousin, whom he
described to me as 'a queer creature.' He judged
her to be about thirty. She was, apparently, quite
unattractive and hardly said a word the whole time
that he was with them. The next day Miss Maguire
and Coral went to Merryfields and, contrary to his
expectations, Michael received no command to go
there during the remainder of the summer. Last
Christmas he received the usual letter and cheque,
but this time there was no reference to myself. She
asked him, however, when he proposed to take his
next holiday and he told her that he hoped to get
away for a fortnight in March. Miss Maguire replied
at once and said that she would expect him to spend
the holiday here, at Roquebrune, and that she would
write again nearer the time. About ten days ago he
received a letter in which she enclosed a cheque
for his second-class return fare and said that Coral
was such a sweet girl and that she was most anxious
for them to meet again so that they could really
get to know each other."

"Was there any message to yourself in that letter,
Miss Beamish?"

"None at all."

"Did you imagine that you had offended her in
some way?"

THE DILEMMA 23

"No, I knew that I could not have done that.
Michael and I discussed the matter for hours and
eventually came to the conclusion that Miss Maguire
was going to try to persuade him to marry Coral."

"She had not hinted at such a thing before?"

"Never, but we could account for the wording of
her letter and avoidance of any mention of myself
in no other way."

"Yes, I can see that," said Crow. "And how did
your fiance reply to that letter?"

"He thanked her for the cheque and said that he
would be arriving some time during the afternoon
of the twenty-fifth; that was yesterday."

"He did not consider the possibility of refusing
to come down here?"

Alison smiled faintly.

"He would have liked to refuse but didn't feel
that he was in a position to do so. It was a most
awkward predicament in which he found himself.
We discussed it from every point of view and came
to the conclusion that if there was going to be trouble
it would be best to face it and get it over. Michael
knew enough of his aunt to be pretty certain that if
she did want him to marry Coral Trent he would
find it very difficult, if not impossible, to defy her
without making her furiously angry."

" Miss Maguire, I take it, is used to being obeyed ? "
Crow asked.

"Absolutely, and she is given to fits of violent
temper if anyone opposes her. When we were

24 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

discussing it I became terribly worried because I
knew that over a matter which affected him so deeply
Michael would not allow himself to be brow-beaten,
and it was my suggestion that I should come down
here and stay near by so that I could go and
talk to Miss Maguire, if we thought it advisable,
when we knew for certain what was really in her
mind."

"Does she know that you are here?"

"Not yet. We arrived by the midday train yester-
day and after lunch Michael went up to the villa.
Miss Maguire received him in her usual, formal
way, and after tea sent him and Coral out for a two
hours' drive in the Rolls. Michael says that it was
the most unpleasant two hours he ever spent. He
tried to make himself agreeable but could not get
more than a 'yes* and a 'no' out of his cousin.

"After dinner they played three-handed Bridge
until half past nine and then his aunt told Coral to
go to bed as she wanted to talk business. Without
any preliminaries she said that she had decided that
he was to marry Coral, in fact she had made arrange-
ments for the marriage to take place at the British
Consulate at Nice. Michael listened to her in
silence and then, when she had calmly asked him
if he wished to make any comment, he reminded
her that he was going to marry me."

"She seems to be something more than a dictator,"
remarked Gerry. "Tyrant, I should say, would be
nearer the mark."

THE DILEMMA 25

"Yes, Miss Crow, I think you are right," said
Alison. "Miss Maguire was in her severest mood.
She seems to have treated Michael's reminder as a
joke. She laughed derisively at him and told him
not to be foolish. He pointed out that he was actually
engaged to me and was about to say that he would
not think of marrying Coral even if he were not,
but Miss Maguire forbade him to say another word.
She told him to go to bed and consider the matter
carefully. He was not to mention the matter again
until to-night, and she reminded him that he was
entirely dependent upon her. He asked what she
meant by that, and she replied that if he were foolish
enough to refuse to marry Carol he would find all
supplies cut off immediately, and that she would
make a fresh will disinheriting him."

"And he was telling you all this this evening?"
asked Crow.

"Yes."

"What has taken place between aunt and nephew
to-day?"

"She greeted him in her usual stiff manner this
morning; they all went over to Monte Carlo to do
some shopping, and this afternoon Miss Maguire
sent Michael and Coral over to Cannes to have tea
at the Casino."

"The question of marriage has not been touched
upon?"

"No. They are probably discussing it at this
moment."

26 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"He will not give way, of course?"

"Nothing would induce him to do that, although
I can't imagine what will happen if she holds to her
threat about cutting off all supplies. He hasn't a
penny of his own, and it will be impossible for him
to continue at the hospital."

Martin Crow shook his head gravely.

"It is certainly a most unfortunate position," he
said after a moment's silence, "and I am very sorry
for you, my dear young lady."

"Can you think of anything that we can do?"
asked Alison, anxiously.

"When do you expect to hear what has been
happening this evening?"

"Michael said he would come down in the morning
and tell me."

"Then I am afraid we must try to be very patient
until then," Crow replied, encouragingly. "If, when
you have heard his news, you feel disposed to confide
in me again I shall be most happy to offer you my
advice for what it may be worth."

"That is very very good of you, Mr. Crow. How
can I thank you?"

"By trying to smile in spite of your trouble.
Remember that things are not always so bad as they
appear to be at first; and remember also that there is
a remedy for most situations. A happy conclusion
to a difficulty is often the result of keeping calm
and clear-headed."

"You really think that there may be some way of

THEDILEMMA 27

making Miss Maguire see the unreasonableness of
her attitude?" asked Alison, hopefully.

"I must not raise your hopes unduly, my dear
young lady," Crow answered. "So much will
depend upon what takes place this evening, but I
do feel that there may be some channel by which
we may be able successfully to approach Miss
Maguire."

Alison stood up and smiled almost naturally.

"You have made me feel far less wretched, Mr.
Crow," she said, offering him her hand. "You
don't know how grateful I am to you for making me
come and talk to you," she added, turning to Gerry.

"I had a feeling that you wanted to talk to some-
one," said the latter.

"Yes, I did. Then I will say good night and I
will let you know Michael's news directly I have
heard it myself. Are you going out in the morning?"

As a matter of fact they had arranged to walk
across the frontier to the village of Grimaldi, but
Martin Crow said,

"No, we snail not be going out until the after-
noon." As soon as Alison had left them he turned
to his daughter. "You don't mind, do you?"

"What? About not going to Grimaldi? Of course
not. It will make all the difference to her if she knows
that she can come to you at any time."

"I'm sorry for her, and for the young man," said
Crow, "but looking at it — er — professionally, the
case has some interesting aspects."

28 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"At any rate it isn't a sordid crime," remarked
Gerry, "but it strikes me that it will be a tough
proposition trying to get round that selfish, pig-
headed woman."

"Yes, perhaps it will," Crow agreed, "but as
Miss Beamish says, the aunt is, apparently, a bully,
and I've never come across a bully who did not
have his, or her, weak spot; therefore, my dear
Gerry, find Miss Jennifer Maguire's weak spot and
apply pressure, and apply it ruthlessly. Now, what
about a stroll up to the village?"
"Five hundred steps at this hour?"
"If you are tired, my dear, I can go alone."
"You certainly won't. I'm not tired, but I thought
you might be after our long walk."

" I want to see the lights of Monte Carlo from the
Place, and the exercise will make me sleep like a
top," replied Martin Crow as he went into his own
room to fetch his old broad-brimmed felt hat.

CHAPTER IV

MURDER IS COMMITTED

MARTIN CROW and Gerry were having their
petit dejeuner on the balcony of the former's
room. It was one of those dazzlingly brilliant morn-
ings when the Tete du Chien, the rock of Monaco
and the white buildings of Monte Carlo looked as
if they formed part of some gigantic stage setting.
Their outlines were clear cut, and the third dimen-
sion scarcely seemed to exist. There was hardly a
ripple on the sea, which was of that intense sapphire
colour which is always associated with the Mediter-
ranean. The light-houses at the entrance to Monaco
harbour, the arched wall supporting the Tir au
Pigeons ground, and the houses along the lower
road, cast mirror-like reflections which seemed
almost unreal. Below the Pension Mireille a fisher-
man was standing in his boat, in-shore, with a long
pronged pole in his hand. He was looking intently
down into the clear deep water in the hope of seeing
a small octopus on one of the submerged rocks.
From the Pension garden there came the perfume
of a score of flowers; roses, heliotrope, stocks,
carnations, orange blossom, wistaria, and many
others.

29

30 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

Martin Crow and his daughter had been eating
in silence for some minutes and it was not until
they saw Alison Beamish walk across the small
stretch of grass, and settle herself in the little arbour,
that the former spoke.

"I wonder how long it will be before she hears
anything," he said.

"It must be terrible not knowing what has
happened," Gerry replied. "I'm terribly sorry
for them both, but I'm inclined to think that
he is probably entirely to blame for the present
situation."

"How?"

"He has obviously played the part of the obedient,
uncomplaining little boy to that aunt, and she, no
doubt, despises him heartily for not making a stand
against her."

"You may be right, my dear, but don't forget
that we know next to nothing about him."

"Quite, but I feel that I know a good deal about
Miss Maguire," answered Gerry. "You heard what
Miss Beamish said, that the aunt seemed to respect
her because she wasn't afraid of giving her opinion.
I imagine that he accepted, or pretended to accept
everything that Miss Maguire said."

Martin Crow emptied his coffee cup and stood
up.

"Well, that may have been prudent on his part,"
he said. "We must remember that he is entirely
dependent upon her, for his present needs and for

MURDER IS COMMITTED 3!

his future, and, as far as we know, he has had no
cause to disagree seriously with her until he came
here the day before yesterday."

"No, probably not, but continual acquiescence in
trivial matters no doubt led Miss Maguire to suppose
that she could do whatever she liked with him;
and this sudden opposition will probably be attri-
buted to Alison's influence. Have you any idea
how she might be approached?"

Crow was watching one of the great Italian liners
which had just come out of Villefranche harbour,
on its way from New York, and was now heading
for Genoa. He did not reply for half a minute.

"No, I can't say that I have," he said at length.
"So much will depend upon what took place at
the villa last night. Presumably Miss Maguire is
quite determined that he shall marry the other
girl, and he appears to be equally determined not
to. From what we have heard of Miss Maguire I
should expect her to dismiss him from her villa
and tell him not to show his face there again unless
he changes his mind."

"Which he won't do."

"According to Miss Beamish."

"And he will find himself penniless and with
very little chance of earning a living."

Martin Crow made no reply. He turned into the
room and fetched his binoculars from the chest of
drawers.

"At the back of my mind I have a suspicion

32 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

that you are thinking of helping him, practically,
in some way," Gerry remarked.

Martin Crow, who had been following the liner
with the glasses, lowered them and looked round.

"There isn't much that escapes you, is there,
my dear?" he said with a smile.

"It seemed to me to be an obvious solution if we
could think of a tactful way of doing it."

"Yes, one does not want to hurt anyone's feelings,
but I think that we ought to be able to avoid doing
that. Young Maguire is in his fifth year, and his
medical knowledge might be of the greatest help to
us at times."

Gerry laughed.

"I see, employ him as pathologist?"

"Something of that sort, my dear."

"Of course they'd both see through the little
plan."

"Possibly, but we could put it in such a way
that they would not feel they were accepting charity."

"And he could continue his studies?" said Gerry.

Martin Crow remained silent. He was watching
Mile. Antoinette who was going across the garden
to the arbour. He saw her hand Alison a note which
was quickly opened; then he heard a sharp cry.

"I'm afraid it's bad news, Gerry," Crow said,
swinging round. "Perhaps you might be able to
help her if you went down."

Gerry did not wait to ask any questions but ran
out of the room and down the stairs. She found

MURDER IS COMMITTED 33

Alison Beamish sitting with a crumpled sheet of
paper in her hand. Her cheeks were the colour of
chalk and she seemed unable to speak.

"What is the matter?" Gerry asked, laying her
hand upon the girl's shoulder.

Alison looked up with staring eyes and, still with-
out speaking, handed her the note. Gerry unfolded
it and saw that it was headed:

"Wednesday 5 a.m."

"Darling. I'm afraid this is going to be a bit of a
shock for you but you must have courage as I know that
it must come all right in the end. We had a furious row
last night. Of course I refused and she told me to leave
the villa before she was up in the morning and never
to let her see me again. I went off to my room to think
things over and decided that I would clear out at once.
When I went downstairs with my suit-case I found that
she had been murdered. The police were called, they
questioned everyone, Coral Trent acting as interpreter.
A few minutes ago I was informed that I should be charged
with the murder and would be taken over to Nice for
examination by the magistrate. Will you come and see me
at the Prefecture as soon as possible and we will discuss
the problem of engaging a French lawyer. Always yours,
dearest, M.

"P.S. I need hardly tell you that I didn't do it."

Gerry called up to her father who came down at
once and was shown Michael's letter. By this time
the Pension Mireille was in a state of the greatest
excitement, for the gendarme who had brought the
envelope had given Mme. Ribaud a graphic account
of the affaire at the Villa Gloria.

34 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"But this is terrible, Mademoiselle, terrible,"
cried Madame Ribaud, rushing into the garden.
"There must surely be some mistake. Monsieur
was so charming. I am sure he could not do such
a thing. Ah, the police! They are imbeciles! The
real murderers always go unpunished."

Martin Crow agreed with Madame that some
mistake had most certainly been made, and he asked
her to be good enough to ring up a garage and order
a taxi to take them over to Nice at once. Then he
turned his attention to Alison, who was still dazed
by the shock of the news. He sat down beside
her and took her hand in his.

"This is very terrible for you, my dear," he said,
in his gentlest tone, "but you must try to be brave
for your Michael's sake. I have had a good deal of
experience with the French police and you must
remember that their methods are not the same as
ours. They are much more precipitate in taking
action, and are not so afraid of making blunders as
our police are. Moreover, in this country, an arrested
man is considered guilty until he has proved his
innocence. On the other hand, they are, in many ways,
far more lenient. They give more consideration to
extenuating circumstances."

"But Michael could not possibly have done such
a thing!" Alison cried. "There can be no question
of extenu "

"No, no, of course not," said Crow, patting her
hand. "I should not have used that stupid expression,

MURDER IS COMMITTED 35

but I wished to show you that at the moment
it all seems so much worse than it really may turn
out to be. I have just ordered a taxi to take us over
to Nice. Will you allow us to take you?"

"Of course, I shall be so grateful."

"And directly we get there we will see about
instructing a French lawyer to prepare his defence."

"But can't you do that, Mr. Crow?" Alison
looked disappointed.

"You can rely upon me, my dear young lady, to
do all I can," Crow replied, "but a French lawyer
will be indispensable. We have the technicalities of
the law to consider, and it is most important that
Michael's interests should be watched by someone
who is conversant with all the details of procedure.
Michael has declared his innocence, and you have
assured me that he could not have committed such
a crime. I shall assume both those statements to be
true and shall make it my business to play the part of
amateur detective, and search for clues which will
establish someone else's guilt."

"You are very very kind, Mr. Crow. What
should I have done if you had not been here?"

"Providence, perhaps, foresaw what was going
to happen and sent me on this little holiday so that
I might be of some assistance to you," Crow said
as he stood up.

Half an hour later they were driving along the
busy lower road to Nice where they at once went
to the British Consulate. The Vice-Consul, in the

36 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

absence of his chief, had already been informed of
Michael's arrest, by telephone from the Prefecture,
but he had not yet seen either the accused or the
Commissaire. The latter had been ordered to take
charge of the case, from the Roquebrune police,
by order of the Prefet.

The Vice-Consul listened with interest to Alison's
account of the relationship between Miss Maguire
and her nephew and said that a lady giving the
name of Coral Trent had called at the Consulate
four or five days ago, accompanied by a tall, elderly
woman, and had given notice that she wished to
marry Michael Maguire as soon as the necessary
formalities could be complied with. The Vice-Consul
agreed with Martin Crow that a French lawyer
should be engaged at once, and after a short dis-
cussion they all went out to the waiting car and drove
to an office in the vicinity of the Palais de Justice.

Maitre Corbin, the lawyer, was a large bearded
man who talked in a loud, sonorous voice and used
his hands freely as he spoke. He listened silently
to the bare facts of the case and then said that it
was useless to enter into any discussion until they
had seen the accused. He would accompany them
at once to the Prefecture which was just round
the corner.

It was found that Michael Maguire had been taken
back to the Villa Gloria where the Juge d' Instruction
was reconstructing the crime, and they were asked
to return at two o'clock. Maitre Corbin exclaimed,

MURDER IS COMMITTED 37

"Mon Dieu! This is how they always keep one
hanging about." The Vice-Consul said, "Well, it
can't be helped," and Martin Crow calmly remarked
that he was sorry they had been taken away from
their work unnecessarily and hoped that they would
be able to return at two. Maitre Corbin said that
it would be impossible for him to do so and then
decided that he would come. The Vice-Consul
made no fuss at all, and they parted with many
handshakes.

It was already past midday, and Martin Crow
and the two girls walked along the Promenade des
Anglais and lunched on the terrace of the Hotel
Ruhl. At two o'clock they returned to the Pre-
fecture where they found the Vice-Consul and the
lawyer waiting for them, but it was nearly four
o'clock before they were invited to go along to the
office of M. Peille, the Commissaire.

CHAPTER V

THE CASE AGAINST MICHAEL MAGUIRE

MPEILLE was a short, red-faced man who
. looked more like a genial priest than a police
officer. He at once remembered Martin Crow and
expressed his delight at renewing the acquaintance
of his collaborates of the affaire Jehnan. Crow
returned the compliment in his perfect French, and
after he had introduced Gerry and Alison explained
how he came to be interested in the case of Michael
Maguire.

"Ah! You have watched its later developments,
so to speak," M. Peille said, and then shook his
head gravely. "It is indeed very sad for Mademoi-
selle," he went on, indicating Alison, who only under-
stood an occasional word. "Unfortunately the evi-
dence is clear, but I admit that it indicates, without
doubt, that this young man was provoked in a
manner which only a person fortified by unusual
self-control could have faced with absolute calm.
You are conversant with the details?"

Maitre Corbin explained how much was known
to himself and his companions.

"I must first tell you," said the Commissaire,
" that since the accused is an Englishman, and the

38

CASE AGAINST MICHAEL MAGUIRE 39

nephew of one of the Riviera's most respected
winter residents, I am prepared to depart from
our normal procedure and lay all the facts before
you. I will present the case to you from our point
of view. It was at ten thirty last night that the
Brigadier at the Gendarmerie of Roquebrune-Cap-
Martin received a telephone message from the
Villa Gloria saying that Mile. Maguire had been
found murdered in the library. The Brigadier and
two gendarmes went at once to the villa and found
Mademoiselle leaning back in her chair at her
writing table, apparently dead. There was a wound
on the right side of her head and a heavy silver
candlestick, upon which there were strands of hair
and blood, was lying on the floor.

"The Brigadier was met by M. Maguire, now the
accused, the maitre d'hotel, an Englishman named
Boughton, and he afterwards saw a young lady,
Mile. Trent, who understood and spoke a little
French and acted as interpreter during the preliminary
interrogations. The accused said that he discovered
the crime and, in answer to further questions, declared
that he had been discussing business matters with
his aunt and had had a serious disagreement with
her. She had ordered him to leave the villa early in
the morning before she appeared, but he had elected
to leave that night. He went up to his room, packed
his valise and was about to go out by the front door
when he decided that he would inform Mademoiselle,
his aunt, of his intention. He left the valise in the

40 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

hall and entered the library where he had parted
from his relation only half an hour previously. There
he discovered her sitting at her writing table, dead.
The candlestick was lying on the floor at her side.
"That is the story of Michael Maguire as he
related it to the Brigadier. Boughton, the maitre
d'hotel, said that Mile. Maguire and her nephew
had been alone in the library on the previous evening
and that he had heard the young man's voice raised
in anger several times. Last night Boughton was
feeling a little indisposed and went to bed earlier
than usual, in fact he was going along the corridor
to his room when Mile. Trent came up the stairs.
At that moment he again heard the accused talking
angrily, and even when he was in his room, undress-
ing, he could still hear the voices downstairs. Bough-
ton says that he had just got into bed when he
heard M. Maguire come up to his room and close
the door with a bang. For a little while, perhaps
twenty minutes, there was silence and then he heard
a commotion in the room on the other side of the
passage, the room of the accused. Boughton imagined
that the young man had given way to a violent fit
of temper and was throwing his things about. The
latter explained this noise by saying that he was
opening and closing drawers and cupboards while
he was packing his valise. However, the maitre
d'hotel did not become alarmed until he heard the
accused come out of his room and go down the
stairs, and then he decided that he would follow him.

CASE AGAINST MICHAEL MAGUIRE 41

He put on a pair of trousers and an overcoat and
descended to the hall where he noticed that the
front door was open and a valise standing beside it.
A sound attracted him to the library and on entering
the room he saw the accused standing over his aunt
who was lying back in her chair with blood stream-
ing from her forehead.

"Boughton declares that the young man looked
round with a start and said that his aunt had been
murdered by someone who must have entered
the room by the window. Boughton went across
to both windows to see if one of them had been
forced open, but he found them both securely
fastened. He then asked Monsieur to look at the
windows in the salon and salle k manger while he
looked round the servants' quarters. Everything
was found to be in order, shut and secured. Boughton
then telephoned to the gendarmerie."

"Did he suspect M. Maguire of having killed
his aunt?" Maitre Corbin asked.

"He afterwards told me that he was a little sus-
picious when he saw him standing over the body,
and that he became certain when he found that
no one could have entered the house by the windows,"
replied the Commissaire.

"Did he accuse M. Maguire before the police
arrived?" questioned Martin Crow.

"No, he was careful to conceal his suspicions
because, he told me, he did not want the police
to begin by being prejudiced. It was with the

42 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

greatest reluctance that he admitted to me that he
was afraid M. Maguire had been carried away by
a sudden passion of anger. We questioned everyone
else in the house, of course. The other servants
were not able to help us; they all occupy rooms at
the back of the villa in a wing which is shut off by
a door. Mile. Trent could only say that she had
heard her aunt and cousin quarrelling from her
own room which is over the salon."

"She heard no cry?" asked Maitre Corbin.

"She could not be certain about that. She did
hear something which might have been a cry or an
exclamation of anger."

"And you have arrested the accused on the bare
evidence and suspicions of Boughton?" Crow asked
in an accusing tone.

"By no means, Monsieur," replied the Com-
missaire, suavely. "He was not arrested until a
quarter to five this morning, several hours after I
arrived at tjje Villa Gloria and had interrogated
him with the aid of an official interpreter. During
his examination of the villa the Brigadier made
several important discoveries which required ex-
planations from M. Maguire, and his answers were
far from satisfactory."

"I am not surprised, considering the hour and
the circumstances," said Crow.

The Commissaire shrugged his shoulders.

"It is necessary to interrogate without delay,
Monsieur," he said, "otherwise confusion is

CASE AGAINST MICHAEL MAGUIRE 43

inevitable. During my questioning he admitted that
his aunt had been trying to compel him to marry
Mile. Trent although she knew that he was already
affianced to someone else. Then he told me that
Mile. Maguire had shown him two testamentary
documents. By the first, which, I understand, had
been signed some months previously, he and Mile.
Trent would each receive half of the defunct lady's
fortune which, he told me, amounts to many thou-
sands of livres sterling. By the second document,
which was not yet signed, he was not to receive one
sou unless he was married to Mile. Trent. Now,
Messieurs, do you not consider it strange when I
tell you that neither of those documents can be
found, but that a quantity of charred paper lies in
the fireplace in the library?"

"You suggest that M. Maguire deliberately burnt
them?" demanded Crow.

"But yes, in the absence of any satisfactory
explanation of their disappearance to the contrary,"
replied the Commissaire as he leant back in his
chair and polished the lenses of his pince-nez.

"But would you expect him to destroy a document
by which he would inherit half of his aunt's con-
siderable fortune?"

"Ah, M. Crow, that is a point which we must
investigate further," warned M. Peille. "For the
moment I offer two explanations for such conduct.
He may have thought that the terms of those wills
would provide us with a motive for his crime. Or

44 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

he may have hoped that by destroying them both
he would inherit the whole of his aunt's fortune."

"The whole of it!" exclaimed Crow. "I do not
understand, M. le Commissaire."

"Is it not a fact," asked M. Peille, "that by
your English law everything goes to the nearest
relation if a person dies without making a will?"

"Yes, yes, but ..."

"From what M. Maguire has told me it seems
that he is his aunt's next-of-kin."

"But the idea is preposterous, my dear sir!"
Martin Crow cried, indignantly. "Do you seriously
think that a young man of his character and position
would commit murder because he wanted to inherit
two hundred thousand pounds instead of one hun-
dred thousand, or whatever the amounts might be?"

"More extraordinary things than that have come
under my notice, Mr. Crow."

"I cannot believe that any man could be so
avaricious, or that any sane man would have been
so frank, as the accused appears to have been with
you, unless he were innocent. Reflect, M. Peille,
practically everything which he has told you has
prejudiced your mind against him. He need not
have told you a quarter of what he did."

"Yes, that is possible," admitted the Commis-
saire, "but let me remind you that it was not until
I had interrogated him for nearly three hours that
I was able to wrench from him the details of his
quarrel with his aunt."

CASE AGAINST MICHAEL MAGUIRE 45

"Have you at any time suspected Boughton or
any of the other servants ? " asked Maitre Corbin.

"But what motive could any of them have had for
killing the woman who employed them; and the
maitre d'hotel least of all."

"Why do you lay stress on him?" asked Crow.

"He had no reason for supposing that he would
benefit in any way under Mademoiselle's will and
her death might very well mean that he will lose a
good position. Moreover, when he was questioned
he gave his evidence readily and without any con-
fusion or contradictions. Nothing which we have
discovered has in any way pointed to him as the
guilty one. On the other hand the Brigadier found
five mille notes stuffed into a corner of the accused's
valise. Now, Mile. Trent has told us that yesterday
evening during dinner, she heard her cousin telling
her aunt that he had only two hundred francs and
a little English money in his possession, and he has
admitted that that is correct. Mile. Trent also
informed us that yesterday morning she and her
aunt and her cousin went into Monte Carlo and
visited the English Bank where Mile. Maguire drew
out six thousand francs. One of the mille notes
which she was given was changed while they were
shopping, the remaining five she locked in her safe
when she returned to the villa."

"Mile. Trent saw her put them there?" asked
Crow.

"Yes."

46 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Did the accused go into the bank and see his
aunt withdraw the money?" questioned the lawyer.

"Both he and Mile. Trent went in."

"And did he know that the five mille notes had
been locked away in the safe?"

"He told me that he did not know," answered
the Commissaire. "But that is of no importance.
Mile. Maguire had left the safe door wide open
when she took out the wills, so he would have had
no difficulty in finding them."

"And did you make any other incriminating dis-
coveries, M. Peille?"

"Yes. Several streaks of blood on the sleeve of
M. Maguire's jacket. I think you will admit, Mes-
sieurs, that I found myself possessed with much
evidence which pointed to M. Maguire as the
murderer, and when I took into consideration
the unsatisfactory manner in which he gave us
information, I felt fully justified in arresting him.
It "

"One moment, M. Peille," interrupted Crow.
"What, exactly do you mean by 'unsatisfactory
manner'?"

"I refer, Monsieur, to his initial reluctance to
talk. If he had started by telling the Brigadier of
everything that had happened; if, with me, he had
at once given the reason for his disagreement with
his aunt and had then explained about the testa-
mentary documents, I should not have been so
ready to suspect him. But I assure you I had to

CASE AGAINST MICHAEL MAGUIRE 47

drag all those facts from him; yes, I dragged them,
word by word."

Martin Crow, who seldom allowed himself to
be easily influenced until he had personally made
at least a preliminary investigation of the facts,
could not help feeling that the case against Michael
Maguire was, indeed, a formidable one.

"I suppose you have examined the candlestick
for finger-prints?" he asked.

"I was about to tell you, a few seconds ago, that I
received a report from the experts just before you
arrived. The finger-prints on the candlestick were,
without doubt, made by the accused."

"You have confronted him with that evidence?"

"But naturally."

"What does he say?"

"He explained it by saying that he handled the
candlestick while he was arguing with Mile. Maguire,"
replied the Commissaire, gravely. "And now,
Messieurs, I will have him brought in," he added,
as he touched a bell on his desk.

CHAPTER VI
"LE MEURTRIER"

THE news that murder had been committed at
the Villa Gloria had not reached the ears of
the newspaper reporters until the £claireur de Nice
and the Petit Nifeois were already being sold in the
kiosks, but by midday Michael Maguire was being
spoken of as le meurtrier and Miss Maguire as la
victime. In France reporters and sub-editors do not
have to worry about that word "alleged" which is
of such importance in English journalism. Directly
a man is arrested in France, however slight the
evidence against him may be, he is referred to as
le meurtrier, Vassassin, or le voleur, according to the
nature of the crime which he is supposed to have
committed; and as long as a year or eighteen months
may elapse before he is finally brought before the
judge and jury. During that time the unfortunate
individual is repeatedly questioned by the Juge
d* Instruction whose business it is to collect all avail-
able information resulting from the cross-examina-
tion of witnesses before the trial commences. Under
this method the evidence of each witness often gives
the Juge d* Instruction a fresh excuse to re-examine
the accused.

48

"LE MEURTRIER" 49

Since the discovery of the crime at the Villa Gloria
Michael Maguire had been questioned for more than
an hour by the Brigadier, and upon the arrival of
the Commissaire from Nice he had been subjected
to a further and searching interrogation, which had
lasted for nearly three hours. After his arrival at
Nice he was questioned by the Juge d* Instruction,
and when he was taken back to the villa at about
midday, for a reconstruction of the crime, further
questions were put to him.

When Michael walked into the Commissaire's
room, followed by a gendarme, Alison gave a little
cry and would have gone up to him if Martin Crow
had not gently restrained her. Michael smiled and
gave her a "hullo" which sadly lacked the cheeriness
which was obviously intended. His dark, waving
hair was ruffled, his cheeks were pale, and dark rings
surrounded his eyes. As he glanced enquiringly at
the row of unfamiliar faces the Commissaire motioned
him to a chair beside his own, and then invited
Martin Crow and Maitre Corbin to put whatever
questions they wished to the accused. There was
a short consultation between the two men and then
Crow addressed Michael.

"You are no doubt wondering, Mr. Maguire,
what so many strange people are doing here," he
said. "My name is Martin Crow, and this is my
daughter. You may not have noticed us the day
before yesterday at the Pension Mireille where we
are staying. We made the acquaintance of Miss

50 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

Beamish last evening and she confided to us your
difficulties. You probably do not know my name,
for you would have been a schoolboy when I appeared
as defending counsel in many important trials in
England. For the last few years I have interested
myself in the investigation of crime, and when I
heard of your arrest this morning I offered my
services, for what they may be worth, to Miss
Beamish."

"That was very good of you, sir," said Michael,
with a nervous smile.

"I am most anxious to do what I can for you,"
Crow replied. "When I was told that you were not
already represented by a French lawyer I went to
see our Consul who has come here with us.
He kindly recommended Maitre Corbin who will
advise you legally. For myself I can only use
my wits and try to discover who committed the
crime."

"I swear that I had nothing to do with it!"
Michael cried, rising from his seat. "You do believe
that, don't you, Alison?"

The girl was on the verge of tears.

"Of course I do. How could I believe otherwise?"
she mumured.

"Thank God! I've been so afraid " The

young man left the sentence unfinished and with a
gesture — as if to imply that it did not matter what
he feared — sat down again.

Martin Crow and Maitre Corbin conferred again

"LE MEURTRIER" 51

for a few moments and then the former addressed
the Commissaire.

"M. Peille," he said, speaking French, "I have
just consulted Maitre Corbin, who only has a very
slight knowledge of English and, with your consent,
my daughter will take down a shorthand report of the
questions which I put to M. Maguire and the answers
which he gives, and she will make a translation.
Maitre Corbin will then be in possession of certain
facts which should assist him in preparing the
defence."

"By all means, M. Crow. If Mademoiselle, your
daughter, will sit at my table she will find paper and
ink at her disposal."

M. Peille smiled at Gerry and gave her his chair.
As soon as she was ready, Crow said: —

"Now, Mr. Maguire, Maitre Corbin and I know
all about the position between yourself, Miss Beamish
and your aunt up to the time when you went to the
Villa Gloria on Monday afternoon. If Maitre Corbin
wishes to hear anything concerning that from your
own lips we can come back to it later on, so I will
ask you to begin by giving an account of your arrival
at the villa." Martin Crow leant across to the
lawyer and translated what he had just said. The
latter nodded his approval. "Now, Mr. Maguire.
Take your time and don't be afraid of giving us
details."

Michael coughed nervously, gave everyone in the
room a swift glance and then began,

52 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"I arrived at the Villa Gloria at about four o'clock
and found my aunt and her niece, Miss Trent, having
tea in the garden. Miss Maguire greeted me in her
usual rather formal manner and asked me if I had
had a comfortable journey. She assumed that I
had just come by the afternoon train."

"You had actually arrived in the morning with
Miss Beamish with whom you lunched at the Pension
Mireille?" Crow prompted.

"Yes. I was given tea and at about five o'clock
my aunt said that she had ordered the car and that
I was to drive with Miss Trent for a couple of hours.
We returned to the villa at seven, dined half an hour
later, and after dinner went into the library where
we played three-handed Bridge. At half past nine,
when we had finished a rubber, Miss Maguire said
to my cousin, ' Now, if you go off to bed, darling, I
can have a little business talk with Michael.' As
soon as we were alone my aunt coolly informed
me that she had made arrangements for me to
marry Miss Trent at the British Consulate at
Nice next week. Of course I was dumbfounded
and "

"One moment," interrupted Crow. "Am I right
in supposing that you had previously suspected
that your aunt might wish you to marry your
cousin?"

"Yes, both Alison and I had come to the conclusion
that she might want me to do that, but it never
occurred to either of us that she would rush at it

" LE MEURTRIER " 53

as she did, without considering my own wishes at
all. However, after making her astounding announce-
ment she reeled off a list of Miss Trent's virtues
and asked me if I did not consider her a very charm-
ing girl. I replied that I did not think my cousin's
charm came into the matter and that she seemed
to have forgotten that I intended marrying Miss
Beamish. My aunt pretended to treat my remark
as a joke and laughed. She told me not to be foolish.
I reminded her that, with her approval I was actually
engaged to Alison, and I was on the point of telling
her that I should not consider marrying my cousin
even if I were not already engaged.

"I could see that my aunt was becoming furiously
angry, and was expecting an outburst from her, but
she managed to control herself and silenced me
with an imperious gesture. She said that she refused
to hear another word from me until I had had time
to consider the question very carefully. She reminded
me that I was entirely dependent upon her generosity,
and said that she hoped I would not compel her to
cut off all supplies and remove my name from her
will."

"And did the interview end there?"

"Yes, she began to set out her Patience cards and
I went up to my room. Last night we played Bridge
again; as before, Miss Trent was told to go to bed;
and when we were alone my aunt began by saying,
' Well, I hope that you have considered very carefully
what I said last night and have come to a reasonable

54 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

decision.' I replied that I was still of the same
opinion and that nothing would induce me to marry
my cousin. My aunt went deathly white and stood
rigid with anger for at least a couple of minutes,
then her hand shot out and pointed to the chair
opposite to the one in which she always sits at the
writing-table. 'Sit down!' she cried, threateningly.
Thinking that it was useless to make her more
furious over a trifle, I obeyed and she went across
to the safe, which is in a corner of the room. She
unlocked it and came back with two legal-looking
documents.

" 'This is my will,' she said as she sat down,
facing me. Then she went on to explain that there
were two wills, one of which was executed and the
other ready for her signature to be appended at any
time. She unfolded the first and spread it out on
the table before her. She said that it had been signed
last summer and that by its terms I was to inherit
Merryfields; her estate in England, and something
like £50,000; and that she was leaving a similar sum
and the villa to her niece, Miss Trent. She went on
to explain that a previous will had left everything
to me. She had made that at a time when she did
not know that 'darling Coral was going to be left
practically destitute' — I have used my aunt's exact
words. Then she took up the second, unsigned
will and said: 'This will be signed to-morrow unless
you give me a solemn undertaking that you will
marry Coral next week. In it I leave everything to

" LE MEURTRIER" 55

her, absolutely. Your name does not appear in
it.' "

"I tried hard to propitiate my aunt. I asked her
how she could expect me suddenly to throw Alison
over and marry a girl for whom I didn't care tuppence.
She laughed, a hard, cynical laugh, and said that
Miss Beamish did not concern her. I asked her
why she wished me to marry my cousin, and she
replied that she was not in the habit of giving her
reasons for her wishes to anyone. Then, in spite of
what she had just said, she told me that she intended
her money and her property to remain associated
with the name Maguire, of which she had always
been very proud, and that she was determined that
her niece should inherit both, either alone, or with
the man she married, and that she was equally
determined to protect her from falling into the hands
of fortune-hunters.

"I then began to speak in a less conciliatory tone,
and said that I wasn't going to wreck my life just
to protect Coral and to satisfy her own whim, and
that I should have thought her sense of decency,
to say nothing of common justice, would have
prevented her from trying to force two people into
a marriage against their wishes."

"Did you know at all in what light Miss Trent
regarded you?" asked Crow. Michael Maguire
shrugged his shoulders.

"I really hadn't thought about it. I suppose she
was quite indifferent to me. She had never shown

56 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

any signs of being in any way attracted by me, but,
of course, I hardly knew her."

"Quite. Please proceed."

"At my last remark my aunt completely lost her
temper. She banged her fist upon the table and upset
an inkpot; she called me selfish, ungrateful and
utterly inconsiderate, and then began to write a
letter to her London bank to tell them to discontinue
making payments for my monthly allowance. I'm
afraid I let fly at that point and told her just what
I thought of her. She pretended not to be listening,
and just went on writing her letter. That infuriated
me still more and I took up a silver candlestick and
banged it down on the desk. That seemed really
to startle her. She looked up and tried to speak, but
half a minute or more elapsed before she uttered
a sound. 'Go,' she said, pointing towards the door,
' and be out of this villa before I am up in the morning.
I never want to see you, or hear from you again. I've
done with you, you ungrateful wretch.' '

Michael paused and leant back in his chair as if
he were exhausted. Martin Crow asked the Com-
missaire if he might be given a drink of water, and
after a few minutes an attendant brought some in
a glass.

"I'm sorry to have to make you go over all this
again," Crow said, "but it is most necessary that we
should know exactly what happened."

Michael made an attempt to smile and then went
on,

"LE MEURTRIER 57

"I went up to my room and "

"Forgive me for interrupting, but can you tell
us how you went out, calmly or ?"

"I suppose I threw my weight about a bit. I

was feeling like h as if I didn't care a damn for

anything or anybody. When I got upstairs I sat
on my bed for — oh, I don't know how long it was,
perhaps twenty minutes or half an hour, and tried
to think things out. Without my aunt's allowance
I was going to be penniless, and would be unable
to take my final. My future seemed to be hopeless
and I couldn't see what I was going to do. Eventually
I decided that whatever happened later I wouldn't
remain in the villa any longer and, with the intention
of going down to the Pension I packed my bag.
As I was on the point of letting myself out by the
front door I thought I would like to tell my aunt
that she could sleep without having the unpleasant
thought that I was under the same roof. I left my
bag in the hall and went into the library. As I
opened the door I saw my aunt leaning back in her
chair with blood streaming from her forehead. She
was dead."

"How did you know that?" asked Crow.

"From her attitude, and then I went up to her and
found that there was no pulse."

"Did you move the body at all?"

"No, I only touched the wrist with the tips of
my fingers."

"Yes, and what did you do then?"

58 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"It was while I was feeling for the pulse that
Boughton, the butler, came into the room and
exclaimed: 'My God! What's happened ?' or some-
thing like that. Then he rushed across to the windows
and said: 'But who could have done it? They're
both fastened.' He looked at me in a curious way
and I guessed that he suspected me. He suggested
that the murderer must have forced some other
window and asked me to search the drawing-room
and dining-room while he went round the servants'
quarters. He said he had locked up everything before
he went to bed, and we both found everything
fastened. Then he went into the hall and telephoned
to the police."

"Were the library windows shut when you were
quarrelling with your aunt?"

"I couldn't say. I didn't notice."

"Or when you went back and discovered that she
had been murdered?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't notice the windows at any
time."

"When you were upstairs, in your room, did
you hear anything which might have been a
cry?"

"No. I heard nothing. I had too much to think
about to pay any attention to noises."

"And did you tell the Commissaire what you have
just told us."

"Yes, as nearly as possible."

"But you did not give all that information to

" LE MEURTRIER" 59

the police who were first summoned to the
villa?"

"I said that I had quarrelled with my aunt over
some business matter."

"You did not mention the wills then?"

"No."

"Why didn't you?"

"I did not think that such details concerned the
police."

"You know that someone destroyed the wills in
the fire?"

"Yes, the Commissaire told me."

"Did you realise that they had been burnt when
you discovered the crime?"

"No, I knew nothing about their destruction
until the Commissaire questioned me about
them."

"M. Peille complains that he had the greatest
difficulty in getting anything out of you."

Michael sighed as if he were utterly weary.

"When you are tired, and have had a sudden
shock, and then have dozens of questions fired at
you through an interpreter, it is not easy to give
your answers clearly and readily."

"Yes, I quite understand that," said Crow,
sympathetically. "Then you can assure me that
you had nothing to do with the destruction of the
wills?"

"Of course I didn't," replied Michael, almost
angrily."

60 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Has she any relatives living, besides yourself and
Miss Trent?"

"Not so far as I know."

"Very well, we will leave it at that. I am sorry
that I have been obliged to press you, but I wanted
to make sure of your own views of the situation.
I am afraid I must ask you a few more questions.
How much money had you in your possession when
you sat talking to your aunt last night?"

"About two hundred francs and a pound
note."

"M. Peille tells me that five mille notes were
found stuffed into your suit-case. Can you account
for their presence there?"

"I can't. Someone must have put them there.
I didn't."

"Do you suspect anyone of having done that?"

"I cannot imagine who would have done such a
thing."

"When did Miss Trent first appear after you
discovered the crime?"

"I saw her coming downstairs after I had been
round the drawing-room and dining-room."

"Did she know what had happened?"

"No, she asked me what all the commotion was
about and I broke the news to her."

"What did she say?"

"Not a word. She seemed to be dazed and stood
perfectly still for half a minute or so. Then she
moved as if she were about to go into the library,

" LE MEURTRIER" 61

but I stopped her and led her into the dining-
room."

"Have you any theories as to the identity of your
aunt's assailant?"

"None whatever. To me it is an inexplicable
mystery."

"Was the front door fastened when you opened
it?"

"I think it was, but I wouldn't swear to it. I was
pretty well worked up at the time. I believe Boughton
has told the police that he bolted it when he was
shutting up the house."

"Now, just one more question, Mr. Maguire,
do you suspect, even in the smallest degree, any
member of your aunt's household?"

"I have already told you, Mr. Crow, that I suspect
no one."

Martin Crow stood up.

"Thank you," he said. "I am sorry that I have
had to trouble you so much, but I assure you that
I did so in your own interests. I am afraid that you
must resign yourself to being detained for some
considerable time, but you can rely upon Maitre
Corbin and myself doing everything in our power
to secure your early release."

"It is very good of you, but I hope you remember
that I have no money with which to pay for my
defence."

"That is a matter over which you need not worry,
my dear fellow." Then turning to the Commissaire,

62 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

Crow asked, "Have Mile. Maguire's lawyers in
England been communicated with?"

"Mile. Trent has given me an address and it was
my intention to visit the British Consulate directly
I returned from Roquebrune to ask M. le Consul
to deal with such formalities as come within his
jurisdiction."

"If you will give me the name and address of the
lawyer, M. Peille, I will telegraph to him at once,"
the Consul said.

The Commissaire searched amongst a sheaf of
papers and found the one he wanted.

"I shall be obliged if you will do what is necessary,
M. le Consul," he said. "And now, gentlemen, do
you wish to ask the accused any further questions?"

Crow and Maitre Corbin consulted for a few
moments.

"Not for the present," the former said, "but I
should be glad of an opportunity to view the body
as soon as possible; and I should like to inspect the
Villa Gloria, particularly the room where the crime
was committed."

"But yes; I will write a little order to my colleague
at the Commissariat at Menton and he will conduct
you to the mortuary at any time," replied M. Peille
as he sat down in the chair which Gerry had been
occupying. "As for the villa, M. Crow, you are
at liberty to go there at any time, and I will give
instructions to the gendarme on duty to admit you
to the library, but perhaps you would like me to

"LEMEURTRIER" 63

meet you there so that I can explain to you just how
the body was found?"

Martin Crow accepted this invitation, and after
Alison had taken leave of Michael they departed.
Crow and the two girls drove back to Roquebrune
where the latter were dropped, while the former went
on to Menton, where he paid a visit to the mortuary.

CHAPTER VII

THE VILLA GLORIA

WHEN Martin Crow returned from Menton
he was silent and preoccupied and Gerry
warned Alison that it would not be judicious to
question him while he was in that mood. They
dined together and sat in the garden until it was
time to go to bed.

"Sleep well, my dear," Crow said as he stood up
and held Alison's hand; "and try not to worry too
much."

"You don't think for one minute that he did it,
do you?" she asked anxiously.

"My dear Miss . . . but why should we be so
formal? Gerry, I notice, calls you Alison, so why
shouldn't I?"

"Of course, Mr. Crow. I asked her to. I some-
how feel as if I had known you both for ages. But
you don't think ?"

"No, I do not; in fact I feel very certain that
your Michael is the victim of a tangle of evidence
which, at first sight, may go to the making of a
formidable case against him; and my experience
tells me that we must not belittle one single shred
of that evidence. We must respect it and strive to

64

THE VILLA GLORIA 65

break it down, shred by shred. Already I can detect
several flaws in the case which the police are trying
to build up, and I am hoping that our visit to the
Villa Gloria to-morrow will reveal more weak spots.
I wonder if you would like to do a little investigating
on your own account in the morning?"

Alison opened her eyes very wide.

"But what can I do, Mr. Crow?"

"Try to find out anything about Miss Maguire.
You speak French?"

"A little, of sorts."

"It is probably sufficient. When I returned from
Menton this evening I noticed that there are several
small shops on the main road; an epicerie, a small
estate agent's office, and the English tea-rooms.
I suggest that you occupy your time buying one
or two little things and chatting with the people.
You might learn quite a lot over a cup of coffee
at the Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds. Will you
try?"

"Of course. I was rather dreading having to hang
about all the morning doing nothing."

"That will be splendid, my dear, and I am sure
that you can be of the greatest help."

The next morning the Commissaire telephoned to
say that he would be detained in Nice for a little
while and might not get over to Roquebrune much
before eleven o'clock.

"But please do not wait for me," he said to Crow.
" If you go on to the Villa you can, perhaps, have a

66 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

little talk with Mile. Trent. It is possible that you
may learn something of interest from her."

"Does that mean that he isn't feeling too sure of
his case?" Alison asked when she heard what
M. Peille had said.

"It is possible," Crow replied, "but I rather
fancy that he is trying to push some of the responsi-
bility on to my shoulders. These French police are
compelled, in such cases, to take action against
English people, but they don't like doing it. If they
make a blunder there is too much fuss made, for their
liking. Well, my dear, Gerry and I will be off and
we will leave you to get to work in your own way."

The Villa Gloria stood on the right of the old
tram route to Cap Martin, and its green shuttered
windows looked straight across the bay to Monte
Carlo. It was a large, white villa with a roof of
green glazed tiles, and most of the west front was
covered by a large bougainvillaea which was in full
bloom. It was approached from the road by a
short flight of steps which went down to the front
door. The garden was large and well shaded with
mimosa, pepper, olive and eucalyptus trees, and
sloped steeply down to the railway line a hundred
feet below. The door was opened by the butler,
a tall, good-looking man of about fifty.

"I am meeting M. Peille, the Commissaire, here
very shortly," Crow told him. "Will you please give
my card to Miss Trent and ask her if she would be
good enough to spare me a few minutes?"

THE VILLA GLORIA 67

The butler stood back and invited them to enter,
and they found themselves in a large, white-walled
hall from which a broad stone staircase, with wrought
iron balusters, led with three turns to the floor
above.

"If you will come into the drawing-room, sir,
I will ask Miss Trent if she can see you ; but may I
first presume to ask if you are a friend of Mr.
Michael?"

"Your surmise is correct," Crow replied, with his
genial smile.

"I am glad, sir," the man said, earnestly, and then
threw open the two glass doors which gave access
to the salon. " It is a terrible predicament for a young
gentleman to find himself in and I trust that you will
be able to help him." He stood aside to allow them
to enter the room. "If you will sit down, sir, I will
see if Miss Trent is in the garden."

He closed the doors and stepped through one of
the long windows on to the terrace.

The salon was a large room with an indifferently
painted ceiling which did not seem to be in keeping
with the excellent reproductions of Louis XIV
chairs and settees and cabinets. Bowls and vases
of flowers were everywhere, and in the fireplace
there were massed a dozen or more brilliantly
coloured cinerarias in pots. In addition to the doors
by which they had entered the room there were
glazed doors at each end, leading on one side to the
dining-room, and to the library on the other. A

68 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

heavy curtain was drawn across the latter doors.
After a few minutes the butler appeared at the
window.

"Will you come this way, please?" he said.

Martin Crow and Gerry followed the man along
the terrace and down a winding path between mimosa
trees and oleander bushes to another terrace shaded
by orange trees which were heavily laden with their
golden fruit. A low balustrade ran the whole length
of the terrace and was entwined with the trailing
branches of several wistarias. At the far end two
people, a young woman and a young man, were
sitting beneath an old and gnarled olive tree. The
former got up as Crow and Gerry approached, and
advanced a few paces to meet them. She was a
strange looking little person, little more than five feet
in height, small limbed and round shouldered; she
moved awkwardly and appeared to be intensely
nervous. In spite of large and beautiful eyes she
was undeniably plain.

"Good morning, Miss Trent," Martin Crow said
as he raised his hat. " I am a friend of your cousin,
Mr. Michael Maguire. M. Peille, the Commissaire
at Nice, who is meeting me here this morning,
suggested that I should come and have a little talk
with you. This is my daughter, Miss Crow."

Coral Trent stared sullenly at Gerry for a moment
and then thrust out her hand stiffly.

"I really don't know what I can tell you," she
said, speaking with a slight colonial accent, and

THE VILLA GLORIA 69

fixing her large, dark eyes upon some distant object.
"Won't you come and sit down?" She led the way
along the terrace where the warm air was heavy with
the perfume of the wistaria and the mimosa. "This
is Mr. Berwick, a great friend of my poor aunt. Alan,
this is Mr. Martin Crow and Miss Crow."

The young man stood up and bowed languidly.
He was tall, handsome in an effeminate way, and
was dressed with exaggerated care. His speech, like
his movements, was slow, as if he were too tired to
talk more quickly.

" Rotten business this, isn't it?" he drawled as they
all sat down on the wicker arm chairs which were
arranged in a semi-circle round a small garden table.
He took a gold cigarette case from his hip pocket
and handed it round. Only Coral accepted a cigarette.

"It is most unfortunate and very sad," Martin
Crow said, addressing his remark to Coral Trent.
"I offer you my sincere sympathies. It must have
been a terrible shock to you."

"Yes, it was a terrible shock," the girl replied.
Her eyes were now fixed upon a small green lizard
which was sunning itself on the top of the balustrade,
a few feet away. "I should never have thought that
Michael Maguire would have been capable of doing
such a thing."

"You really think that he did do it, Miss Trent?"
Gerry asked.

For a moment Coral looked straight at her ques-
tioner and then turned her eyes quickly away.

70 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Can there be any doubt?" she asked. Her voice
was hard, and made Gerry shudder.

"I think that there is very grave doubt," said
Crow, speaking slowly and deliberately, "and I
shall not rest until I have proved conclusively that
he is either innocent or guilty."

"I say, are you a detective?" asked the young
man, bluntly.

Crow looked at him for a moment without
speaking.

"I am Michael Maguire's friend," he replied at
length; then he turned sharply to Coral. "I under-
stand, Miss Trent, that your aunt wished you to
marry your cousin?"

A second's hesitation, then,

"Yes, she did."

As she replied she again permitted herself to look
straight at her interrogator, then she turned her
gaze back to the lizard which had come down the
side of the balustrade. During the brief moment
when their eyes met Crow fancied that he saw
fear in hers.

"Was it your wish that you and he should marry?"
he asked.

"Oh no."

"Then why did your aunt wish it?"

Coral did not reply. She had turned her attention
to a train which was going round the sharp curve
towards the station of Cap-Martin-Roquebrune.

"Just some odd fancy on the part of Miss Maguire,

THE VILLA GLORIA 71

I imagine," Alan Berwick volunteered. "She was
full of queer ideas which nobody could under-
stand."

"You knew her intimately?" Crow asked. There
was a perceptible pause before the young man
replied.

"Oh, rather. Known her ever since I was a kid,"
he said. "She and my mater are neighbours in
England."

"Would you describe her as a normal woman?"

Alan closed his eyes and puffed at his cigarette as
he considered the question.

"That isn't exactly an easy question to answer,
Mr. Crow," he replied at last. "This business of
her wanting her nephew and niece to marry doesn't
strike one as being exactly normal because there
didn't seem to be any sense in it. But Miss Maguire
was a woman who got an idea into her head and there
it stuck, and no amount of arguing would shift it;
in fact any opposition seemed to make her all the
more determined. She always went off the deep
end if anyone opposed her."

"Did you always get on well with her, Mr.
Berwick?"

Alan gave Crow a suspicious glance.

"Oh rather. Like a house on fire," he said with
a meaningless laugh as he threw away his cigarette
end and dived into his pocket for his case.

"As he told you just now, Mr. Berwick has known
my aunt ever since he was a child," Coral put in.

72 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"And when did you first know that she wanted
you to marry your cousin?" Crow asked.

"About ten days ago."

"Did she tell you or did you find out?"

"She told me."

"What did she say?"

"She said that she had decided that he and I
should marry and that I was to go over to the
British Consulate at Nice with her and give notice
to the Consul. And she said that Michael would
be coming down very shortly."

"Were you surprised, Miss Trent?"

"Very surprised."

"What reply did you make?"

"I think I said 'Oh yes,' or something like that."

"But were you prepared to marry him?" asked
Crow with marked surprise in his tone. There was
a long silence. They were all looking at Coral expect-
antly. She was watching the train which had left
the station and was winding its way along the twisting
stretch of line towards Monte Carlo. It was Alan
Berwick who broke the silence.

"I don't think you ever thought that there was
any possibility of the marriage coming off, did you?"
he asked.

"No, I suppose I didn't," the girl answered after
another pause. "I knew that he wanted to marry
Miss Beamish."

"Can you tell me why Miss Maguire suddenly
changed her attitude towards Miss Beamish ? "

THE VILLA GLORIA 73

"No, I cannot tell you."

"I understand that your aunt was very devoted
to you?"

"Yes, I suppose she was."

"And were you fond of her, Miss Trent?"

"She was very good to me."

"You have only been living with her for a com-
paratively short time?"

"A little more than a year."

"Had you seen much of her before that?"

"I had never seen her until she came out to

Australia in " Coral hesitated and appeared

to be making a mental calculation. "I suppose it
was in 1927."

"What did she go to Australia for?"

"To visit us. My mother and she were sisters.
My father was alive then and we had a big sheep
farm about five hundred miles from Sydney."

"And she stayed with you?" Crow asked.

"Yes, for about two months."

"And then returned to England?"

"Not immediately. She travelled about for
several weeks."

"Did you see her again after she left you?"

"No."

"And what made you come and live with her?"

Another pause, and again the young man supplied
the information.

"Miss Trent's mother died suddenly."

"Now let us assume, Miss Trent, that your cousin

74 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

had nothing whatever to do with your aunt's death,
is there anyone whom you suspect, even in the
smallest degree, of having any reason to wish for her
death?"

"There is no one that I can think of," Coral
replied.

"And you, Mr. Berwick, is there anyone you can
suggest who might have thought that he, or she,
would benefit by Miss Maguire's death?"

The young man shook his head several times
before he answered.

"I can't think of anyone," he said.

"Did she know many people here?"

"She has made no friends in Roquebrune," said
Coral.

"Has Mr. Berwick been the only visitor to the
villa?"

Crow noticed that the girl and Alan exchanged
glances before the latter replied;

"Yes, I suppose I was," he said.

"And I understand, Miss Trent, that you and your
cousin were Miss Maguire's only relatives?"

"That is what she always told me," Coral replied.

"She " The girl broke off as she saw the butler

coming along the terrace followed by M. Peille who
was mopping his bald head with a large, coloured
handkerchief.

CHAPTER VIII

THE LIBRARY

Commissaire bowed and shook hands with
A Coral Trent, who introduced him awkwardly
to Alan Berwick. After making a few remarks about
the "enchanting garden," the "superb view," and
the "magnificent weather," he asked Martin Crow
if he would like to inspect the library.

"And who is the young friend of Mademoiselle?"
he asked as they walked up to the villa.

"He was presented to us as an old friend of Mile.
Maguire," Crow told him.

The Frenchman smiled. "Ah, perhaps we have
a little romance there, no?" he asked.

"I think we will hear what my daughter has to
say on that point, M. Peille. She has a remarkable
capacity for sensing things; in fact I find myself
relying more and more upon her judgment. Well,
Gerry, what is your opinion?"

"I should say that she is rather attracted by him,"
answered the girl in French, "but I very much doubt
if her feelings are reciprocated."

"Apparently he does not mind spending a lovely
morning in her company when he might be sunning

75

76 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

himself on the Casino terraces, or watching the tennis
at the Country Club," replied Crow.

"You seem to forget that she is an heiress."

M. Peille laughed.

"Ah, Mademoiselle is shrewd," he exclaimed as
they entered the hall of the villa. "Eh bien, it is of
no consequence to us." He knocked upon the door
immediately on the right of the entrance and after
a couple of seconds it was thrown open by a gendarme.
"We shall be in here for some time," the Com-
missaire told the man. "You can wait in the
vestibule."

"Bien, Monsieur."

"This," said M. Peille with a sweep of his hand
as they entered the room, "is the library where the
crime was committed."

It was a large, luxuriously furnished room.
Immediately opposite the door there were two long
windows which opened on to the terrace. Through
these could be seen the rose entwined pergola
columns and the wide sweep of the bay beyond, with
Monte Carlo cowering beneath the huge mass of the
Tete du Chien in the distance. To the left were the
glass doors which gave direct access to the salon;
and to the right was the fireplace surmounted by a
large overmantel. In the centre of the room was a
large writing-table with high-backed arm chairs
on either side of it, one facing the door, the other
facing the windows. A little to the right of the latter
chair there was a large standard electric lamp.

THELIBRARY 77

A single silver candlestick stood on the left side of
the writing-table which was of mahogany and richly
inlaid with brass.

Martin Crow paused by the door and allowed his
eyes to wander slowly round the room. After
a few moments they came to rest for a few seconds
upon a mass of charred paper which was scattered
over the hearth, then they moved on to the tall
bookcases filled with elegantly bound volumes,
to the windows which were hung with heavy curtains,
and then to the safe which stood on a small stand
in a corner of the room, on the left of the door.

"Mile. Maguire was found sitting in that chair,
facing the windows," M. Peille explained as he
stepped up to the writing-table, "and the accused
was standing at her left side when Boughton entered
the room. The candlestick with which the blow was
struck, was lying on the floor a few centimetres from
his left foot. Over there you will see all that remains
of Mademoiselle's testamentary documents, and there,
on your left is the safe from which, according to the
accused, they were taken by Mademoiselle herself."

"How was she sitting in the chair?" Crow asked.

M. Peille took a large envelope from his overcoat
pocket and from it he extracted three enlarged
photographs.

"These were taken during the night of the murder,
by flashlight," he said. "One from the front and one
from each side. They show exactly how the unfortun-
ate woman was found."

78 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

Martin Crow took the photographs and examined
them closely by the window. They depicted a tall,
slim, hard-featured woman of about sixty, leaning
back in the chair with her head thrown forward
upon her chest and tilted a little towards the left
shoulder. She was sitting square with the edge of
the writing-table and her hands had fallen over the
arms of the chair. On the right temple there was a
wound from which, it could be clearly seen, the blood
had flowed freely down the side of her face and on
to the bodice of her dress.

"I fear they do not tell us very much," remarked
the Commissaire as Crow went back to the table and
stood for a few seconds in each of the three positions
which the camera must have occupied. "I always
make a point of photographing the body as soon as
possible, especially when I have good reason for
supposing that it has not been moved."

"You do not think it was moved in this case?"
asked Crow, looking up.

"We have the assurance of both the accused and
Boughton that the body was not moved. The
former, as you know, said that he put his ringers
on the wrist and felt for the pulse, but he was
emphatic that the position had not been altered;
and I think that he was speaking the truth. The
position of the body is, exactly, as I should have
expected to find it under the circumstances."

"There is no question of the Brigadier, or any of
his men having moved it?"

THELIBRARY 79

"Of that I am certain, Monsieur. You consider
the point of importance?"

"Of the greatest importance, M. Peille. I wonder
if you could let me have copies of these photo-
graphs?"

"Most certainly. You may keep those. I have
two other sets in my bureau. They interest you?"

"Yes, they confirm a theory which I formed yester-
day after I had viewed the body."

"May I ask what your theory is, M. Crow?"

"For the moment, M. Peille, I would prefer not
to answer that question because I may be entirely
wrong. To-morrow, perhaps, I shall have something
definite to tell you."

"But of course, it is as you wish," replied the
Commissaire, with a touch of disappointment in
his tone. "You observe that there is only one candle-
stick on the table. We have the other, which is
identical, at the Commissariat. We have photo-
graphed that also."

"Ah! I should very much like to see those
photographs."

"Assuredly. Any time that you may call at my
office I shall be most happy to show them to you. I
meant to have brought them with me, but I departed
in such a hurry that I forgot them."

Martin Crow bent down and examined the polished
surface of the table with his magnifying glass.

"I see that there are several finger-prints here,"
he observed.

80 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Yes, and we found others on the back of the chair
in which Mademoiselle was sitting. They were all
made by the accused, as the photographs conclusively
prove."

"Did you find any others anywhere else in the
room?"

"Only on the candlestick."

"And the safe, M. Peille, did that disclose anything
of interest?"

"A few private letters written to Mademoiselle;
her cheque-book, her bank pass-book; and a few
letters and documents relating to her investments
and property in England. Would it interest you to
look through them?"

"Yes, it would," replied Crow.

The Commissaire went across to the safe and
Martin Crow joined his daughter who was examining
the fastening of one of the windows.

"What is interesting you, my dear?" he asked.

Gerry looked up and smiled.

"Nothing special," she told him. "I was just
looking to see how these worked. They seem to be
quite ordinary. I'll prowl round while you amuse
yourself going through those papers."

"Very well. I don't suppose I shall be very long,
then we'll look at the rooms upstairs," Crow said as
he went back to the writing-table where the Com-
missaire was arranging the contents of the safe.

"These," M. Peille said, indicating a neat little
bundle of papers which were held together by an

THE LIBRARY 8l

elastic band, "all relate to Mile. Maguire's invest-
ments." He handed them to Crow who glanced
at each one separately and then laid them aside
without making any comment. "Now here," went
on the Commissaire, "is a letter addressed to
Mademoiselle by her defunct sister. It does not
appear to be of any particular interest."

Crow took the letter and read it. It had been
written eighteen months previously at a time when
Coral's mother appeared to have known that she
was about to die. She begged her sister to look after
Coral who, she said, would be left with only
sufficient money to provide the barest necessities.
She said that her husband had met with a long run
of bad luck and had died leaving her — Mrs. Trent —
with a small annuity which would cease at her death.
Mrs. Trent anxiously suggested that Miss Maguire
should have the parentless Coral to live with her
and pointed out that the girl could fulfil the duties
of secretary-companion.

"And this is Mademoiselle's cheque-book," M.
Peille said as soon as Crow had finished reading the
letter. "You will see by the last counterfoil that she
drew a cheque for six thousand francs on Tuesday
last, the day that she met her death. As I told you
yesterday, Mile. Trent informed us that her aunt
changed one of the mille notes while she was shopping
in Monte Carlo on Tuesday morning. We have
searched this room, Mile. Maguire's bedroom,
in fact the whole villa has been searched and we

82 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

found no money except a few odd notes of ten and
one hundred francs, apart from the five mille in the
valise of the accused, of course. This morning I
interviewed the bank manager at Monte Carlo,
and with the assistance of the cashier we discovered
that those five notes had certainly been paid out
on Tuesday morning. We could not prove that those
actual ones had been handed to Mile. Maguire,
but I think that you will agree that it would be a
remarkable fact if they had been paid to anyone
else. You question that, M. Crow?"

"Not at all, M. Peille, but to tell you the truth I
am not greatly interested in the point. I do not
think that it is of much importance."

"But if those actual notes were handed to Mile.
Maguire it is very strong evidence against the
accused."

"Well, you may be right," admitted Crow,
somewhat disinterestedly. "Ah! Is this the pass-
book?" Crow sat down and gave it his careful
attention for several minutes while the Commissaire
returned the papers which they had already examined
to the safe.

"You find something of importance?" he asked as
he observed Crow making notes in his pocket-book.

"I cannot say at the moment, but it may be
quite important. I "

"Father, could you spare a moment to look at
something over here?" Gerry called out. She had
gone on to the terrace and was examining something

THE LIBRARY 83

on the extreme edge of one of the windows. Crow
got up and went out to her. "I wonder if M. Peille
has seen that?" she said, indicating a faint finger-
print on the glass.

Crow knelt down and scrutinised it closely.
After a few moments he called to the Commissaire
who came out and looked a little disconcerted when he
was shown the mark.

"No, I admit that it escaped our notice," he said.
" It is probably of no consequence, but I will telephone
to Menton at once for the photographer to come and
take it. You excuse me a little minute?"

M. Peille went into the hall.

"Have you come across anything important,
Father?" Gerry asked.

"I'm not quite sure, my dear. Perhaps I have.
I am going to have a look at that charred paper in
there," he said as he went into the room. He knelt
down in front of the fireplace and, with the greatest
care turned the black flakes over with the point of
a pencil. He lifted some of them and laid them on
the palm of his hand but they were broken too small
for any writing to be discernible, even with the aid of
his magnifying glass. All that he could tell was that
the paper had probably been heavy, of the type that
lawyers use for engrossing documents. Presently
M. Peille returned.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, as he saw what Crow was
doing. "I fear that you will not learn much from
that."

84 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"No, I'm afraid not. May we trouble you to let
us see the upstair rooms?"

"By all means."

They went upstairs and Martin Crow made a
rough sketch in his note-book showing the position
of the principal rooms. Miss Maguire had occupied
the one immediately over the library; Coral's was
next door, opposite the top of the stairs; Michael
had had the room at the end of the corridor, next
to his cousin's and opposite Boughton's. There
was another guest room and two other servant's
rooms, but these did not greatly interest Crow,
who presently thanked M. Peille and said that he
would not detain him any longer.

"You have seen anything which may help you?"
the Commissaire asked as they went downstairs.

" A good deal, M. Peille."

"And you have arrived at any conclusions?"

"I am more than ever convinced that Michael
Maguire did not kill his aunt," Crow replied.

"And yet you will admit that the evidence against
him is strong?"

"Strong, but far from conclusive, M. Peille."

"He was in an unfortunate position," persisted
the Commissaire. "He had everything to gain by
his aunt's death and everything to lose if she lived.
In fact his position was desperate."

"That is correct," Crow admitted, "but it is not
proof, M. Peille, and I demand proof."

CHAPTER IX

THEORIES

S Martin Crow and Gerry went out of the front
door they were met by Coral Trent.

" I was hoping that I should catch you before you
left," she said with a little less restraint and nervous-
ness than she had displayed when they had been
talking in the garden. "Can you tell me what is
going to happen here, Mr. Crow?"

"In what way, Miss Trent?"

"To me, the villa, and the servants," she replied,
shortly.

"The British Consul at Nice has communicated
with you raunt's lawyers in London," Crow told her,
"and I am afraid you will have to wait until he arrives
before you can know what your position is going to be."

"I see." Coral was silent for half a minute during
which time she stood gazing up at the campanile of
the village church, a hundred and fifty feet up the
mountainside. The angelus was being rung. "M.
Peille said something about my aunt's will having
been destroyed," she added.

"Yes, it appears that someone destroyed it on the
evening of the . . . when the crime was com-
mitted."

85

86 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Aunt Jennifer told me several times that she
was leaving this villa and half her fortune to me,"
the girl said.

"Yes, I believe she told your cousin the same,"
replied Crow.

"Then won't I get it now that the will has been
burnt?"

" That is a question which I cannot possibly answer;
and to be perfectly candid, Miss Trent," Crow
went on in a sharper tone, "it is a question which
does not concern me at all. For the moment I am
only interested in proving that your cousin did not
kill your aunt."

"You do not think he did it?"

"No, I am certain he did not. And now, Miss
Trent, we will wish you good morning."

They left Coral standing in the doorway, a strange
little figure, somehow pathetic in spite of her seeming
callousness, and unconcern except so far as the
situation affected herself. Martin Crow walked up
the steps to the road in silence and Gerry refrained
from asking him any questions. As they turned out
of the gate they came face to face with Alan
Berwick who appeared to be surprised at meeting
them.

"Oh, I thought you'd pushed off long ago," he
said amiably. "Going down the hill?" he asked.

"We are returning to the Pension Mireille," said
Crow, who was convinced that he had been waiting
about in the road for them to come out of the villa.

THEORIES 87

"I'm going that way too. Well, did you have any
luck in there?"

"Luck?"

"Make any discoveries, and all that sort of thing?"

" I made several discoveries which interested me
greatly," Crow answered, giving the young man a
sideways glance. "But it remains to be seen whether
they will prove helpful. You are staying in Roque-
brune, Mr. Berwick?"

"Yes, rather; at the Pension des Bambous. You
know, just beyond your place, on the bend of the
road. I've been rather seedy lately and the doctor
turned me out of England for the winter and sent
me down here for a rest and a bit of sunshine.
Topping spot, don't you think?"

"You are fortunate to be able to take a holiday,"
Crow said, ignoring the question.

"Yes. I suppose I am really. Luckily it isn't
an absolute necessity for me to keep my nose to
the grindstone, but this sort of thing, of course,
makes a bit of a mess of one's career. I say, you'll
excuse my asking, won't you, but are you the Martin
Crow, K.C., by any chance?"

"I am."

"By Jove, that's great! I've heard of you scores
of times, of course. I'm a barrister, but I haven't
really had a chance to get going properly, what with
this rotten old chest of mine, and one thing
and another."

"You have been staying here for some time?"

88 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Practically all the winter."

"Then I suppose you have been seeing a good deal
of Miss Maguire and Miss Trent?"

There was a slight hesitation before the young
man answered.

"Oh yes, I've been in and out of the villa all the
time, you know."

"Tell me, Mr. Berwick, what do you really think
about this case? Have you ever met Michael
Maguire?"

"Two or three times in England. I think I told
you that his aunt was a neighbour of my mother's.
I saw him now and again when he went to
Merryfields for week-ends."

"And do you think that he killed his aunt?"

Alan Berwick was lighting a cigarette and did not
answer for several moments.

"Well, that's a bit of a poser, Mr. Crow," he said
at length. "From what I hear he seems to have been
a pretty hot tempered sort of fellow, and I understand
that Miss Maguire was trying to force him into a
marriage against his will, but I don't know if that is
sufficient evidence on which to condemn him. What
do you think?"

"It is not, Mr. Berwick. And have you known
Miss Trent for some time?"

"Only since last summer when she and Miss
Maguire returned from the Continent and spent
a few weeks at Merryfields."

"You saw a good deal of her in England?"

THEORIES 89

"Oh yes, quite a lot."

"And it is your wish to marry her?" asked Crow
in a casual tone. The question appeared to sur-
prise the young man, who stood still and looked
perplexed.

"Good Lord! Whatever made you think that I
wanted to marry her?" he asked, with an awkward
laugh.

"I apologise if I have given offence in any way,
but I thought "

"You haven't offended me," Berwick said genially,
as he fell into step again, "it just struck me as being
deuced odd that you should have thought that I
wanted to. No, sir, Miss Trent is a very decent
sort, and all that, but she's hardly my type, you
know."

"Did she get on with Miss Maguire?"

"Oh, I suppose she did in a way, but the old girl
must have been the very devil to live with."

"In what way?"

"Well, she was full of cranky ideas and used to
get terribly rattled if anyone opposed her."

"Was that your own experience of her?"

"No. I always took jolly good care to agree with
what she said. I don't see the object of getting the
wrong side of people if you can keep on the right
side. Do you?"

"No, I suppose you are right." They had reached
the point where the path to the station led away
from the road by the side of the electrician's shop.

90 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"We will leave you here," Crow said. "No doubt
we shall meet again."

"Rather. Give me a ring, Mr. Crow, if you think
I can help you in any way. Pension des Bambous,
you know."

Martin Crow thanked him and then followed Gerry
into the garden, where they [found Alison struggling
to make herself understood by Mile. Antoinette.

"You have news of M. Maguire?" the latter asked.

"We have not seen him to-day."

"But you have been up to the villa?"

Crow laughed.

"I suppose I never stir but what I am watched
by some curious person," he said. "Yes, we have
been to the villa, Mademoiselle, but I am afraid
I have no news."

The girl went indoors, disappointed. A few
moments later she came out to say that M. Crow
was wanted on the telephone. It was the British
Consul speaking. He had just received a telegram
from Mr. Stephen Chart, Miss Maguire's lawyer,
to say that he would be arriving the next day by
the Blue Train. After a short discussion it was
arranged that Crow should meet him at Monte Carlo
— the train does not stop at Roquebrune — and that
everyone concerned with the case should meet at
the Villa Gloria at half past two.

"Well, my dear Alison, and what luck have you
had this morning?" Crow asked as he joined the two
girls at the luncheon table in the little arbour.

THEORIES QI

"Not very much, I'm afraid," Alison replied,
rather disappointedly. "The local people, who seem
to be mostly Italians speaking a queer sort of French,
have practically nothing to say about Miss Maguire
beyond the fact that she was not what they call
sympathique. At the Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds
I learnt a little more, but not a great deal. Miss
Maguire was in the habit of buying all her cakes
there, and occasionally went in for tea, or morning
coffee, with Miss Trent. They say that she was always
very stiff, and gave them the impression of being
a regular martinet. They talked of the girl as always
looking crushed, as if she were perpetually afraid
of her aunt."

"Any information about the servants at the villa?"
asked Crow.

"No, except that the butler sometimes went for
the cakes which Miss Maguire had ordered and that
he struck them as being a typical example of the
perfect, discreet manservant. I'm afraid that is all,
Mr. Crow."

"Well, my dear, I don't know that we have dis-
covered very much more, but I am hoping that we
may learn something really helpful from the lawyer
when he comes to-morrow. I think you did admirably.
Slight impressions like that often prove to be of the
greatest importance."

As soon as they had finished their meal Crow said
that he was going to rest for an hour and suggested
that the two girls should go over to Menton for tea

92 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

later on. As they got up from the table he made a
sign to Gerry who, after a few minutes, followed
him up to his room.

"I thought that we might compare notes and see
how we stand," Crow said as his daughter came into
the room. "Alison doesn't seem to be too
despondent."

"She has terrific faith in us, Father. I don't
know what she would have done if we hadn't been
here."

"Poor girl. She makes a brave effort to appear
cheerful under most difficult circumstances. Well,
my dear, what are your impressions after our visit
to the villa?"

Gerry lighted a cigarette and remained silent for
some minutes. She was standing by the open window
watching a high-speed motor-boat as it approached
the shore in front of the Case del Mare.

"I'm afraid my impressions are rather muddled
at present," she said after a while. "I found Miss
Trent hopelessly baffling, and I can't decide whether
she is quite undeveloped and childish, or a good
deal sharper than she appears to be."

"Yes, she is a strange little creature," said Crow,
meditatively.

"In some ways," Gerry went on, "she seems to
be utterly callous, and yet I don't believe that she
is really so hard as she might lead one to suppose.
This morning there were times when I thought she
was a simpleton who could not grasp the seriousness

THEORIES 93

of the situation; and there were moments when I
thought that she was deep and was trying to mislead
us. How did she strike you, Father?"

"She is not a simpleton, Gerry."

"But was she concealing something from us?"

"That is very probable. And what did you make
of the young man?"

"Oh, he is of a different colour altogether,"
declared Gerry. "I took an instant dislike to him.
He was far too affable and too plausible. As I said
in the garden, when we were walking up to the villa
with M. Peille, I imagine that she is very much in
love with him, but I don't think that he is with her."

"You put him down as a fortune hunter?"

"Yes, that probably describes him pretty accur-
ately. I should say that he has sufficient means to
enable him to scrape along, but he is of the type that
needs pots and pots of money. As for what he said
about being down here for his health, and his feeble
whine about his career suffering, I didn't believe
a word of it. Careers don't stand for anything with
the Alan Berwicks of this world. All he wants is
to get a good kick out of life without having to
work for it."

Martin Crow chuckled.

"Your language is certainly expressive, my dear,"
he said, "but aren't we feeling a little vindictive?"

"Perhaps we are. He got my back up. Do you
agree with me about him, Father, or did it go down
with you?"

94 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"No, my dear, it did not go down, and I am
inclined to agree with what you have said about
both of them, but I am not sure that his undesirable
character — as we imagine it — affects our case very
much."

"Unless he had a hand, either directly, or in-
directly, in Miss Maguire's death," said Gerry,
sharply.

"Ah! So that is how your mind is working. Well,
I admit that it is a possibility which I had not over-
looked. As for Miss Trent, I must say that neither
her manner nor her conversation inspired me with
confidence in her, especially when we were coming
away and she talked so anxiously about her aunt's
will, and what her own position was going to be.
She is manifestly very little affected by the actual
loss of her aunt, but how far her manner is genuine,
and how much is pose — put on for some specific
purpose — I am not prepared to say. She is, indeed,
a strange personality and, as far as I am concerned,
an unattractive one."

"They were both waiting about to catch us as we
left," Gerry declared.

"Yes, I fancy that we aroused the curiosity of
them both when we were sitting in the garden.
Then do you conclude that he committed the crime
and that she was an accessory?"

"I think that both are possibilities which we
should consider very carefully."

"And what do you suggest as their motive?"

THEORIES 95

"Isn't it more than likely that she and Berwick
wanted to marry, in spite of his denial, that they met
with strong opposition from Miss Maguire and could
not afford to defy her?"

"Yes, that is quite likely. And what part do you
think she may have played?"

"Assuming that they had plotted to kill Miss
Maguire I suspect that she may have admitted
Berwick, perhaps before dinner, and concealed him
somewhere; possibly in the salon from where he
could have overheard the quarrel between aunt
and nephew. Then there is the possibility that the
butler might have assisted them."

"Yes, that has already occurred to me," Crow
said. "I think that we must have a little talk with
that fellow. I thought of doing so this morning, and
then decided that I would wait a little and tackle
him casually some time. I thought that his interest
in Michael Maguire sounded rather forced. Didn't
you?"

"I didn't notice. Then if he and Coral Trent
were in the plot either of them could have slipped
those notes into Maguire's suit-case."

"Quite easily, I should imagine," Crow agreed.
"Of course they could not have foreseen that Maguire
would come downstairs with the suit-case, and leave
it so conveniently in the hall. They probably planned
to stuff the notes into one of the drawers in his room,
or into one of his pockets. Now we come to the
destruction of the wills, and that seems to present

96 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

a difficulty if we are going to suspect Berwick and
Coral Trent. With the executed document in
existence they stood to get a large fortune, so what
object could they have had in burning it?"

Gerry considered the question for some moments
before she answered.

"I don't know," she said, presently, "unless they
hoped that Michael would be convicted of the
murder and executed, in which case Coral, I suppose,
would inherit the whole fortune."

"A little too far fetched, I think," said Crow,
shaking his head. "You seem to have overlooked
the fact that by doing that they would have been
running a very grave and unwarranted risk, the risk
of Michael getting off and then inheriting everything
as his aunt's next-of-kin. No, I cannot see them
destroying a document which gave them any-
thing between £50,000 and £100,000, on the off
chance — a very thin chance — of getting double that
amount."

"I suppose you are satisfied that Michael is
innocent?"

"Absolutely, my dear. In my opinion the burning
of those wills is a point in his favour. If he had killed
his aunt I am certain that he would not have wasted
time throwing those wills into the fire and breaking
up the charred paper. If he had waited to do anything
he would surely have taken steps to remove any
finger-prints from the candlestick and furniture.
Moreover, I think he would have opened one of the

THEORIES 97

salon windows, when he went in there, if he had been
guilty."

"Wouldn't that argument apply to anyone?"
asked Gerry.

"To some extent, and therefore I am convinced
that the destruction of the wills was of enormous
importance to the murderer; as important as Miss
Maguire's death."

"And what does that lead to?"

"The assumption that the murderer was some
person who knew that he, or she, would receive
nothing at all while the executed will was in existence,
but regarded himself as Miss Maguire's next-of-kin
and therefore reckoned on inheriting everything if
no will could be found."

"But Michael and Coral Trent appear to be Miss
Maguire's only relatives?" Gerry objected.

"Yes, so far as our information goes at present,"
replied Crow, "but that is a point which we have got
to go into very carefully with the lawyer. And there
is something else that I want to ask him. In Miss
Maguire's pass-book I came across four entries,
extending over the last twelve months, showing
that on each of the last quarter days her account
in London has been debited with the sum of £125.
Those four sums were transferred to an English
bank in Nice."

"Oh, is that what you were making notes about
in the library this morning?"

"Yes. Of course they may have been in respect

98 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

of a pension to some old servant, but Miss Maguire
does not seem to have been very generous, and I
don't think that she would make an allowance of
£500 a year to anyone of that kind. It is just possible
that the payments were made to some distant relative
of whom Michael had never heard; a brother, or
perhaps, another nephew."

"This is interesting, Father."

"It is decidedly interesting, my dear. I had
intended going over to Nice this afternoon to make
enquiries at the bank, but I think I shall wait until
we have had a talk with Mr. Stephen Chart. More-
over, I have something rather important to do
this afternoon."

"What is that?"

"I am going to consult Dr. Aristide Journet."

"Who on earth is he?"

"A noted pathologist who, I am hoping, may be
able to give me some assistance," said Crow as he
got up and took his hat from the chest of drawers.
"You are going to take Alison to tea at Menton,
aren't you? I don't suppose I shall be back much
before dinner time."

CHAPTER X

DR. ARISTIDE JOURNET'S OPINION

BUT yes, my dear M. Crow, I shall be delighted
to assist you," Dr. Aristide Journet said over
the telephone when Martin Crow had recalled their
meeting, five years previously, over the affaire
Jehnan, "What is it that I can do for you?"

"I want you to examine a body and give me your
valuable opinion."

"I am at your service."

"I must make it clear, Dr. Journet, that I am
consulting you professionally, in the strictest sense.
When could you spare a couple of hours to come
over to Menton?"

"One moment, please .... I can be at
Menton at five o'clock this evening."

"That is splendid. May I suggest that we meet
at the mortuary? I will be waiting outside for
you."

"Understood, M. Crow. I shall be there."

It was not yet three o'clock, Martin Crow
walked leisurely along the old tram route towards
Cap Martin and went down through the olive
groves which lead to Carnoles, and from there made
his way along the Promenade to Menton where

99

100 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

he visited the police official who had accompanied
him to the mortuary on the previous day.

Punctually at five Dr. Journet, a dark, spectacled
little man, with a fussy, effusive manner, drove up
to the mortuary entrance and greeted Martin Crow
as if they were life-long friends.

"Mon Dieu!" he exclaimed. "Is it really five
years since we met over that extraordinary case ? But
it only seems like a few weeks since the Cote d'Azur
was all agog over the disappearance of that extra-
ordinary man. Well, my friend, and what is it that
occupies your attention now; the affaire of the
Villa Gloria?"

"Yes, you have guessed correctly, Doctor," replied
Crow. "Shall we go in so that I can explain what
it is I want to know? Afterwards I am going to ask
you to be good enough to come along to the villa,
so we will not waste any time."

The police officer unlocked the door and they
passed into a small, cold vestibule and then went
down a short passage and into a large, whitewashed
chamber. In the centre of this room the body of
Miss Jennifer Maguire lay upon a marble slab,
covered with a heavy black cloth which the official
pulled back so that it revealed the head.

"I want you to examine that wound, Dr. Journet,"
said Crow, "and then tell me if you can form any
opinion as to the manner in which it was inflicted."

"I understand from the newspapers that she was
struck with a heavy silver candlestick."

DR. JOURNET'S OPINION 101

"Yes, that, I think is, unquestionably, correct,
but there are many different ways of handling a
candlestick, and that is where I want your opinion."

The doctor walked round to the right side of the
body and examined the wound closely, touching the
flesh of the forehead lightly with the tips of his
fingers. Presently he stood erect.

"I should say that the candlestick was of fair
size, perhaps thirty centimetres in length, and
weighing at least a kilo, with a round and rather
flat base," he said.

"From what do you assume all that, doctor?"

"From the depth of the wound, chiefly. Am I
correct?"

"I have neither measured nor weighed the candle-
stick but I do not think that your figures are far
out," Crow replied. "As regards the base it is, as
you say, round and flat, with rather a sharp edge.
Now, before we go to the villa I shall be glad if
you will take very careful note of the angle at which
the blow was struck. You will see that the groove
made by the rim of the candlestick is approximately
parallel to a line drawn between the corner of the
right eye and the point where the top of the ear is
attached; and is about one centimetre above that
line."

"Yes, yes, that is correct. The skull is, of course,
fractured at that point."

"As I suspected; but I do not think that the
fracture itself interests me very much. It is the

102 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

direction of the blow which may make all the differ-
ence to my case."

"I understand, Monsieur, and I have made a
careful note of it."

"Then let us get away to the Villa Gloria,"
Crow said, and a quarter of an hour later they
were being admitted to the library by the gendarme
who was still on duty and had received orders from
the Commissaire to allow Crow to enter the room
at any time.

"It happened here?" asked Dr. Aristide Journet,
as he glanced round the room.

"Yes, Mile. Maguire was sitting in that chair,
with her back to the door, and the blow was struck
with a candlestick which forms a pair with the one
you see standing on the table. Now, here I have
three photographs which were taken by the police
two or three hours after the murder was committed,
and the Commissaire is satisfied that they show
the exact position into which the body fell after
the blow was struck. He is assured that the body
was not moved by anyone, but whether that is
correct I am not prepared to say. However, I shall
be glad if you will look at these photographs, recall
to mind the exact shape, size and position of the
wound, and then tell me if anything occurs to you."

Dr. Journet studied the prints carefully for several
minutes.

"No, I cannot say that they suggest anything
unusual to my mind," he said at length. "I assume

DR. JOURNET'S OPINION 103

from them that the murderer was standing here,
on this side of the table, facing his victim; and that
the blow was struck across the table."

"Exactly, exactly!" exclaimed Crow excitedly.
He believed that Dr. Journet was going to give him
the opinion for which he hoped. "But will you
please show me, with that candlestick, how, in
your view, the blow was struck?"

The doctor took up the candlestick, raised it
above his right shoulder and then swung it slowly
downwards so that it would have hit anyone sitting
in the chair.

"Of course the murderer did it quickly, and used
great force," he observed.

"Yes, of that there is no doubt," said Crow, "but
I do not think he did it quite like that."

"How did he do it?"

Crow took the candlestick from the doctor and
demonstrated with it.

"Is not that what I did?" asked Dr. Journet.

"You used your right hand and I used my left,"
replied Crow.

"But I do not understand."

"Please look again at the photograph which was
taken from across the table," said Crow. "Now,
Doctor, I am assuming, as you did, that the mur-
derer stood here, facing Mile. Maguire. Had he
been standing to the right of the table he could
not have struck that blow which fell on the further
side of the head; and that standard lamp prevented

IO4 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

him from striking the blow from the left side of
the table. Moreover, unless the position of that
candlestick was afterwards changed, he picked up
the one on his left, an unlikely thing for a right-
handed man to do. And it is my opinion, M. le
Docteur, that a man using his right hand would
naturally have struck at the left temple of his victim ;
and conversely, a man using his left hand would
have aimed at the right temple."

"Yes, yes, there is reason in what you say."

"Then there is another interesting point," Crow
went on, "Look at the angle which the wound makes.
It is almost horizontal and I should have expected
it to be very nearly perpendicular if it had been
caused by a right-handed swing across to the right
side of the head. Don't you agree with me?"

"What you say sounds reasonable enough," the
doctor admitted, "but I should not like to swear on
oath that the unfortunate woman was struck by a
left-handed man; and that, I presume is what you
are trying to establish?"

"I am. Then you do agree that the evidence
before us indicates a left-handed rather than a
right-handed blow."

"Yes, but I should not like to see a man go to
the guillotine on that evidence alone."

"Neither should I," admitted Crow. "But I
am not concerned with sending anyone to the
guillotine; my task is to prove the innocence of a
young man who has been charged with the crime."

DR. JOURNETS OPINION 105

"Which hand does he use naturally?"

"I cannot say, but I shall very soon find
out."

"From the newspapers I understand that his
fingerprints were found on the candlestick?"

"His explanation is that he was handling it while
he sat here arguing with his aunt."

"No other finger-prints were found on it?"

"I believe not."

"You have examined the candlestick, M. Crow?"

"Not yet. When you return to Nice I will ask
you to be so kind as to let me accompany you.
M. Peille, the Commissaire has photographs of it
and I am certainly hoping that I may learn something
from them."

"By all means, I shall be delighted to have your
company, M. Crow."

"Then before we go would you mind recording
your conclusions in writing; that is to say that you
consider, from the evidence, that the candlestick
was wielded by a left handed person."

"But I cannot definitely commit myself to that
extent," said the doctor.

"I understand that, but will you set it forth as
an opinion?"

Dr. Journet sat down at the writing table and
began writing. He considered every sentence care-
fully before he wrote it, and a quarter of an
hour elapsed before he handed the paper to
Crow.

106 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

" I have this day examined the body of Mile. Maguire
at the mortuary at Menton. I paid special attention to
the depth, shape and exact position of the wound.
Subsequently I visited the Villa Gloria and was shown
police photographs of the body as it was found, also the
chair in which the defunct woman was sitting when she
met her death.

" From my observations I am of the opinion that the
murderer struck Mile. Maguire while he was standing
immediately opposite to her, across the writing table,
and there are several indications that the weapon was
held in the left hand. While I am not prepared to state
as a certainty that a left-handed blow was struck, I base
my conclusions upon the following: —
"Position of wound.

"Angle at which the wound lies upon the forehead.
"The fact that I should have expected a right-handed
man to take up the candlestick which was nearest to
that hand.

"ARISTIDE JOURNET."

"I am much indebted to you, M. le Docteur,"
said Crow when he read it through. "And now,
if I may, I will accompany you to Nice.

During the drive along the Moyenne Corniche
the two men did not refer to the crime but talked of
the Riviera scenery, the winter sports resorts in the
mountains, and the hard struggle which the hotel-
keepers were having to fight against the crise mondiale.
When they reached Nice the car was stopped on
the Quai des Etats Unis and Martin Crow walked
through the narrow streets which lie immediately
behind the promenade. At the Commissariate he

DR. JOURNET'S OPINION 107

was told that M. Peille was out and would not be
back for two hours. Crow said he would return, but
when he presented himself again at the office at
nine o'clock he was informed that the Commissaire
had been detained at Draguignan where he was
enquiring into the murder of a cultivateur, and would
not be back until the following morning.

Very tired, and a little disappointed, Martin Crow
returned to Roquebrune, and caused his daughter
considerable annoyance by refusing to tell her what
he had been doing.

"I can't understand what fun you get out of
keeping things to yourself," she said, irritably.

Her father patted her hand and smiled.

"I don't get any fun out of it, my dear," he
replied. "You may not have noticed it but I am,
at heart, a very cautious man, and I dislike putting
forward theories until I am reasonably sure of my
ground. I am rather tired, so I think I will go to
bed."

CHAPTER XI

MISS MAGUIRE'S WILL

GROANING and snorting like some gigantic
monster, a bull-nosed engine hauled the Blue
Train slowly round the bend and came to a standstill
in the covered station at Monte Carlo. Not more
than half a dozen people alighted, and a quick
glance along the platform sufficed to tell Martin Crow
which of the travellers was Miss Maguire's lawyer.

"Mr. Chart?" he asked as he approached a neatly
dressed little man who wore a dark moustache and
horn-rimmed glasses.

"Yes, sir, that is my name. You are, I presume,

the I beg your pardon, but am I not addressing

Mr. Martin Crow?"

Crow smiled.

"That is quite correct."

Mr. Stephen Chart shook hands.

"This is a great pleasure, I can assure you," he
said. "I do not think that we ever actually met,
but I have seen you many times in the courts. Dear
me! I suppose I was expecting to be met by the
British Consul who informed me of my late client's
death. You were acquainted with Miss Maguire?"

"No, but I seem to have got myself mixed up
108

MISS MAGUIRE'S WILL 109

in the case. However, I will explain all that to you
later on. Where are you staying?"

"I really don't know. Where would you advise
me to go?"

"That depends upon the type of hotel that you
want. There is the Paris just opposite the Casino,
and the Metropole half way up the hill. Both hotels,
I am told, leave nothing to be desired as regards
comfort and food, but it is between two and three
miles from here to Roquebrune, so you may prefer
to be somewhere nearer. My daughter and I are
staying over there at a small but excellent Pension,
and we are within a few hundred yards of Miss
Maguire's villa."

" Then why shouldn't I go there, Mr. Crow ? "

"There is no reason why you shouldn't, pro-
vided you do not wish to sit upon gilded chairs and
be served by white-coated waiters. I asked Mme.
Ribaud, before I came out, if she had a room vacant
and she showed me one next to mine."

"Then I will come there, if you have no objec-
tion."

They passed out to the station approach and in
a few minutes were being driven up the hill past the
Metropole on one side and the gardens on the other.

"You know, I suppose, what has taken place at
the Villa Gloria?" Martin Crow asked as the car
turned into the Boulevard des Moulins.

"The Consul briefly stated in his wire that my
client had met with a violent death and that her

110 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

nephew had been arrested. Yesterday the morning
papers were full of the affair and I obtained some
details, but how far they were correct I do not know.
Tell me, Mr. Crow, how you come to be connected
with the case."

"Entirely by chance. On Monday last Mr.
Michael Maguire arrived at the Pension Mireille,
where my daughter and I are staying, accompanied
by a young lady, Miss Alison Beamish, and "

"Ah, so she is here!"

"You know her, Mr. Chart?"

"Only by name. I apologise for interrupting.
Please proceed."

"We saw them during luncheon, and from their
earnest conversation and anxious expressions, we
gathered that they were in some trouble. At dinner
that night Miss Beamish was alone. She looked
very unhappy and worried. The next morning my
daughter passed the time of day with her and in the
evening we invited her to take her coffee with us.
She was painfully restrained, but after a while I
managed to draw her out and she seemed glad to have
someone to talk to. Before very long she was confiding
her troubles to us. She said that she was engaged to
Mr. Maguire and that his aunt was trying to force
him to marry his cousin, a young woman named
Coral Trent, of whom you have, no doubt, heard."

"Yes, I have met her," said Mr. Chart. " I suppose
Miss Maguire threatened to disinherit her nephew
and cut off his allowance?"

MISS MAGUIRE'S WILL in

"Yes, the matter was discussed on Monday night
and she declined to accept his refusal to fall in with
her plans. She told him to consider carefully the
consequences and come to a definite decision the
next night. The following morning, that was on
Wednesday, Miss Beamish received a note from her
fiance saying that he had been arrested and charged
with the murder of his aunt. Did the London papers
give any details of the evidence upon which the
charge was made?"

"They said very little beyond the fact that the
butler had heard Miss Maguire and her nephew
quarrelling violently, and had found the young man
standing over her dead body. Perhaps you would
be good enough to give me the essential points?"

Martin Crow briefly outlined the case.

"On the surface it appears to be pretty black
for young Maguire," he continued, "but from what
I have seen of him, and from certain deductions
which I have made, I am convinced that he is
innocent. You know him, I suppose?"

"I met him several times when he was a school-
boy and used to spend his holidays at Merryfields,
Miss Maguire's property in England. But I do not
suppose that I should know him if I met him in
the street."

"From what I have heard I gather that Miss
Maguire was a woman with a forceful personality?"
Crow said questioningly.

The car had left the main road and was descending

112 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

a steep hill at the bottom of which it crossed a deep
ravine.

" In many ways she was a very remarkable woman,"
the lawyer said after a short pause. " She had very
little regard for what other people thought of her
and she had the courage of her own convictions."

"Hers was a hard nature, I imagine?" Crow
remarked. Again there was a note of interrogation
in his voice.

"Perhaps it was," replied Mr. Chart, succinctly
as the car drew up at the gate of the Pension Mireille
where he was introduced to Gerry and Alison, who
were returning from a walk.

During luncheon the lawyer avoided making any
reference to Miss Maguire's death or to the charge
against Michael. He talked of the cold, wet weather
which they had been experiencing in England, of
the scenery along the coast between St. Raphael
and Monte Carlo; and he recalled several of the
famous trials in which Martin Crow had figured as
leading counsel for the defence. It was nearly
half past two when they all went up to the Villa
Gloria where they found the Consul and M.
Peille waiting for them in the library. Mr. Chart's
attention was at once called to the charred paper
in the fireplace and Crow explained that it was,
presumably, the remains of two wills which Miss
Maguire had taken from the safe when she was
talking to her nephew.

"Their destruction is of no importance," said

MISS MAGUIRE'S WILL 113

the lawyer, "thanks to Miss Maguire's precautions
which have often occasioned me a great deal
of extra work. Fortunately I have here duplicates
of both documents with me."

"What, an executed will?" exclaimed Crow,
who, glancing across the room, noticed that Coral
Trent had suddenly become interested.

"One is and one isn't," the lawyer replied as he
took a long envelope from his pocket and sat down
at the writing-table. "This," he went on as he took
two documents from the envelope and spread them
out before him, "was executed by Miss Maguire
at my office in London last June. The other "

Mr. Chart broke off suddenly for Martin Crow had
gone quickly across the room on tiptoe and was opening
the doors leading into the salon. He entered that room
and a couple of minutes elapsed before he returned.

"I apologise, Mr. Chart," he said, as he fastened
the glass doors, "but I thought I heard someone
moving about in there. I happen to have an unusually
sensitive ear. I have taken the precaution of locking
the door which leads into the hall. I hope you will
pardon the liberty, Miss Trent."

The girl did not reply, but looked nervously
across the room.

"You think that the servants might be inquisi-
tive?" asked the Consul.

"I know by experience that the best trained
servants are seldom able to overcome that innate
curiosity which is in us all to a very great extent."

114 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Did Miss Maguire have English servants with
her here?" asked the lawyer.

"I understand that only the butler and her own
personal maid are English," Crow explained. "The
others are French or Italian."

Mr. Chart nodded.

"I was going to explain," he said, "that Miss
Maguire was a remarkably keen business woman
who managed her own affairs with very little assist-
ance. She sometimes consulted me, but seldom
took my advice, unless what I told her happened
to agree with her own ideas; and I believe that it
was the same when she had occasion to invest
money. She obtained advice from her brokers and
usually did something contrary to what they had
said. Now, it was last summer that she wrote to
me concerning the draft for a new will. She wrote
from Aix-les-Bains telling me exactly how she
wished to leave her property and her money, and
said that she would call at my office in the course
of two or three weeks, and would execute it. She
said that she wished to have two copies, and that
she would take one away with her."

"Was she in the habit of having things in dupli-
cate?" asked Martin Crow.

"No, she had never made such a request before,
and I naturally thought it a little strange. How-
ever, when she called to sign the will she casually
remarked that she felt she would like to have a
copy to which she could refer at any time. It was

MISS MAGUIRE'S WILL 115

quite a short document, as you see, although it
disposes of capital investments amounting to some-
thing like £200,000, in addition to her property in
England, this villa, and a quantity of old family
jewellery. It commences by appointing myself as
her sole executor and then provides for several
bequests to charities. I need not trouble you with
these at the moment; they only amount to some
£5,000. Then she leaves Merryfields, the property
near Church Mortimer, and one half of the residue,
absolutely to her nephew, Michael Maguire; and
this villa and the other half of the residue to her
niece, Coral Trent."

"Then this is all mine?" cried Coral, half rising
from her chair. Stephen Chart stared at her in
blank amazement for a moment, and then said,

"Yes, in the absence of any other will which may
have been executed subsequent to June i5th of
last year."

"But there isn't another one, is there?" asked
the girl, anxiously.

"As far as I am aware there is no other," replied
the lawyer, "but your aunt had, in her possession,
another will which she was going to sign under
certain circumstances."

Coral had sat down again and was staring at her
clasped hands. Martin Crow was explaining the
terms of the will to M. Peille, who did not appear
to be greatly interested. When Crow had concluded
he turned to Chart.

Il6 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"How much do you imagine the residue would
amount to?" he asked.

"That will greatly depend upon the present
value of Miss Maguire's investments, but at a rough
guess, and after allowing for the death duties, I
should say that the residue would be somewhere
about £100,000."

"Miss Maguire was a wealthy woman," remarked
the Consul. "Did she inherit the whole of the
fortune from her father?"

"No, not more than about two-thirds of it," said
Chart. "To my certain knowledge Miss Maguire
has been saving a very considerable proportion of
her annual income for the last eight years, and she
has been investing all that she has saved. Although
she spent a good deal of money on providing herself
with a comfortable home, both here and in England,
Miss Maguire could never have been justly accused
of being extravagant. In this will she expresses the
wish that she will be buried as inexpensively as
possible, and that no one should make any outward
display of mourning."

"Which means, I suppose, that she will be buried
here?" the Consul questioned.

"I imagine so," replied the lawyer, who laid
aside the will which he had been discussing and
took up the other document. "Now this," he said,
"is, of course, valueless because it is unsigned, but
I think that I should reveal its conditions, because
they may have some close bearing upon the murder.

MISS MAGUIRE'S WILL 117

I received instructions from Miss Maguire last
September, just before she returned to France. A
week or so later a draft was posted to this villa and
after an interval of several weeks it came back^with
two or three pencilled corrections. In due course I
sent Miss Maguire an engrossed copy and, appar-
ently, she was quite satisfied, and told me that if,
and when, she signed them she would return one
to me and keep the other. Under the terms of this
will Michael Maguire would have received nothing
whatever unless he had consented to marry his
cousin, Coral Trent. If he were married to her he
would, as by the terms of the previous will, share
equally the residue with his cousin; Merryfields
would be his personal property, and this villa would
be his wife's. In the event of his refusing to marry
his cousin Miss Trent was to inherit both properties
and the whole of the residue provided" — the lawyer
paused and glanced across at Coral whose eyes had
been fixed intently upon him while he had been
speaking — "provided she was not already married
to Alan Berwick, or to any other man of whom I
did not entirely approve."

"But I never wanted to marry Mr. Berwick!"
cried Coral, glancing furtively at Martin Crow.

"But Mr. Berwick wished to marry you, Miss
Trent," said Stephen Chart.

"It's the first that I've heard of it," the girl
declared, sullenly.

"Very well," said the lawyer, curtly, "I am not

Il8 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

here to discuss that question which has no impor-
tance unless an executed copy of this will can be
found. That is not quite all, however. In the event
of Miss Trent marrying Alan Berwick, or anyone
of whom I did not approve, at any time, she was
to forfeit the whole of her inheritance; this villa
was to be sold, and Merryfields was to be endowed
as a retreat for aged gentlewomen in reduced cir-
cumstances."

"Were you aware that your aunt had made that
condition, Miss Trent?" Crow asked.

"Certainly not."

"Had there ever been any discussion between
Miss Maguire and yourself concerning the possi-
bility of your marrying Mr. Berwick?"

"No, never."

"Then can you suggest any reason for your aunt
making such provisions, or rather contemplating
making them?"

"No, I cannot."

"You did not wish to marry him?"

"I have already told Mr. Chart that I didn't."

"That, ladies and gentlemen, is all that I can
tell you concerning Miss Maguire's testamentary
intentions," said Stephen Chart. "Is it absolutely
certain, Mr. Crow, beyond all possible doubt, that
Miss Maguire did not execute this second will,
and that her copies of both have been destroyed?"

"I can only tell you that Michael Maguire in-
formed the police, and subsequently the Consul

MISS MAGUIRE'S WILL 119

and myself, that she told him that the second one was
not signed on Tuesday night, and that M. Peille
and his men have been unable to find any trace of
either will apart from the charred remains which
you see over there in the fireplace."

Crow translated the lawyer's question, and his
own reply, to the Commissaire who nodded his
head and pointed to the fireplace.

"Then for the moment we must assume that this
will, which was signed at my office in June of last
year, is the last will and testament of my late client,"
said the lawyer as he folded the two documents
and returned them to their envelope.

"You did not witness the signature to the other
copy?" asked Martin Crow.

"No, she informed me that she had signed it
before two witnesses, but did not say when or where
that took place. Now there is the question of the
funeral to consider," Mr. Chart went on, addressing
his remark to the Consul.

"How soon can the interment take place, M.
Peille?" the latter asked the Commissaire.

"As soon as you can make the necessary arrange-
ments, M. le Consul. The autopsy has been com-
pleted and we are satisfied that the unfortunate lady
died through receiving a blow on the head from a
heavy candlestick. There are no other injuries
and all her organs were sound; and it is out of
the question that the wound could have been self-
inflicted."

120 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

While the Consul and Stephen Chart were dis-
cussing the funeral arrangements Martin Crow
took the Commissaire on to the terrace.

"Have you discovered anything from the photo-
graph of that finger-print which we found on the
window?" he asked.

"We have compared it with the prints taken
from everyone in the villa, the servants, the chauffeur,
the gardeners, Mile. Trent and even Mile. Maguire
herself, but it does not correspond with any of them."

"Then who made it, do you imagine?"

The Commissaire shrugged his shoulders.

"There are many mauvais gens who pass along
this road from the frontier to Nice," he said, "and
it is possible that one of those good-for-nothing
fellows wandered round the villa one night and
looked through the window."

"Well, perhaps you are right, M. Peille," said
Crow, "but I am hoping that that finger-print will
prove to be of some importance. By the way, I
called at your office yesterday evening to see the
photographs of the candlestick, but they told me
that you were being detained in Draguignan."

"A thousand pardons, Monsieur. Yes, I was
kept there until this morning. You could make it
convenient to come over to-morrow?"

"At what time?"

"Shall we say eleven o'clock?" " I shall be
waiting to show you the photographs, M. Crow."

They returned to the library and found Stephen

MISS MAGUIRE'S WILL 121

Chart talking to Coral Trent who, apparently, had
asked him how she was to obtain money for the
upkeep of the villa.

"I shall make all arrangements for that to-morrow,
Miss Trent," the lawyer was saying. " For the
present I shall be responsible for everything here."

"But how long will it be before I get my money?"
persisted the girl.

"That will greatly depend upon what happens
to your cousin. In any case it will not be for several
months."

"Several months! But if the money is mine why
shouldn't I have it at once?"

"My dear young lady," said Stephen Chart in a
tone which, he hoped, would have a calming effect,
"when a person dies a great many legal formalities
have to be complied with before beneficiaries under
a will can have their inheritances. But you need
not worry. As I said just now, I shall be responsible
for everything here until matters are finally settled.
Now, Mr. Crow, are you waiting for me?"

CHAPTER XII

THE BUTLER

MARTIN CROW suggested that they should
have tea at the Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds
where they sat in the window from which there
is an uninterrupted view of the whole bay and the
wooded slopes of Mont Agel.

"Does the existence of another will make any
difference to Michael's position?" Alison asked
anxiously, in a whisper.

"No, I do not think that it will affect him either
way," Crow replied, leaning across the table and
lowering his voice. "But I think we will reserve any
discussion until we have greater privacy, my dear.
Try not to worry more than you can help. Every hour,
almost, I am finding out things which, unless I am
sadly mistaken, are very much in Michael's favour."

Alison smiled, and the case was not referred to
again until they had had their tea and were standing
outside in the road.

"I wonder if you would care to come back to the
villa with me, Mr. Chart?" Crow asked the lawyer.
"I should like to have a little talk with that butler,
and it would be interesting to have your opinion
of him afterwards."

122

THE BUTLER 123

"By all means."

"Then we shall see you two girls later," Crow
remarked, and the two men retraced their steps
towards the Villa Gloria.

"Do you imagine that the butler may have had
something to do with the crime?" Stephen Chart
asked.

"At the moment I really have very little reason
for suspecting anything of the kind," Crow replied,
"but I should like to have an opportunity to study
him closely and asking him a few questions.
Since you are arranging for the upkeep of the villa
I thought you might pretend to require information
concerning the wages and housekeeping costs. I
don't want him to think that we have come back on
purpose to pump him."

"No, that is certainly to be avoided. Perhaps I
should say a few words to Miss Trent first, since
she is virtually mistress there. What do you think?"

"I suppose it would be the civil thing to do,
although I don't know that her attitude this after-
noon called for any special consideration in return.
However, it might be tactful to ask for her and
explain what you want, I should prefer to question
the man alone."

"I think we ought to be able to arrange that,"
said Chart as he rang the bell.

Boughton admitted them and showed them into
the salon. After a few minutes Coral Trent came
into the room and the lawyer explained that he

124 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

wished to find out how much money would be re-
quired each week.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you," replied the girl in
a less sullen tone. "I never had anything to do with
the housekeeping."

"Do you think that the butler would be able to
tell me anything?"

"I expect he could tell you how much the wages
amount to, and perhaps how the food is paid for.
My aunt always saw to everything herself. But
why can't you give me a weekly sum, Mr. Chart,
and leave everything to me? This villa belongs to
me, doesn't it?"

"I am not permitted to hand over any money
to anyone until the will has been proved and various
other formalities have been complied with, Miss
Trent. Will you permit me to ring for the butler?"

Coral Trent sat down.

"By all means."

" I think that Mr. Crow would like to ask Boughton
one or two questions concerning your cousin and
would prefer to see him alone."

"You wish me to go?"

"Your presence in the room might have the
effect of making him nervous and restrained, Miss
Trent."

Coral got up and walked slowly through the
open window on to the terrace. Boughton entered
the room almost at the same moment and stood in
the centre of the room while the lawyer explained

THE BUTLER 125

his own position and the necessity for knowing
roughly how much money would be required each
week. Boughton knew, to within a hundred francs,
how much the household expenses amounted to.

"I suppose this means that I shall have to look
for another situation, sir?" he said when he had
given Stephen Chart all the information that was
required.

"That is not for me to say," the lawyer replied.

"But won't the villa and Merryfields be sold
up, sir?"

"At the moment I see no reason why they should
be. What put that idea into your head?"

"I understood from what the French police told
Miss Trent, that Miss Maguire's will has been
destroyed, and I gathered that there would be some
difficulties in consequence."

"A great deal will depend upon what happens
to Mr. Maguire," Martin Crow said, speaking for
the first time since Boughton entered the room.

"Do you think that he will get off, sir?" The
butler sounded genuinely concerned.

"That is rather a difficult question to answer,"
said the lawyer. "What is your opinion, Mr. Crow?"

"I should not like to make any prediction,"
replied Martin. "It is possible, Boughton, that
you might be able to throw some light upon this
unfortunate business. You knew Mr. Maguire
fairly well, didn't you?"

"Hardly that sir. During the two years that I

126 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

have been in his aunt's service I don't suppose I
have seen him more than half a dozen times, when
he came to Merryfields for occasional week-ends."

"Well, have you been able to form any opinion
since . . . since the tragedy?"

"In what way, sir?"

"Do you think that he killed his aunt?"

Boughton shook his head.

"I find it very difficult to look upon him as a pos-
sible murderer, sir; and yet " He hesitated.

"Yes, Boughton?"

"I really don't see how anyone else could have
done it."

"You mean that no one could have entered the
villa?"

"No, sir."

"Might not someone have entered earlier in the
evening, perhaps during dinner, or even before that,
and have concealed himself somewhere?"

"I think it is most unlikely, sir; besides, how could
he have got away. Everything was fastened and
locked."

"I think you told the police that the front door
was open when you came downstairs?"

"But Mr. Maguire himself admitted opening
that."

"I know," said Crow, "but let us suppose that
someone had been hiding in the salon, he might have
gone back there when he heard Mr. Maguire coming
down the stairs, and seen him opening the front door,

THE BUTLER I2y

and then going into the library. Now couldn't
he have slipped out then?"

"No, sir. The drawing-room door was bolted
on the outside," replied Boughton without a moment's
hesitation.

"And the dining-room door?"

"That was bolted also, sir."

"Now tell me, Boughton, when Mr. Maguire
went to Merryfields for those week-ends that you
spoke of, did he appear to be on affectionate terms
with his aunt?"

"I should hardly use the word affectionate, sir."

"Amicable?"

"Yes, sir."

"And when he came here last Monday?"

"They were quite friendly, sir, and I noticed
nothing unusual until . . . well, sir, after dinner
that night."

"What happened then?"

"They were having a serious disagreement in the
library."

"Did you hear what they were saying?"

"Oh no, sir, but I heard them talking antagon-
istically."

"And what were they like with each other the next
day?"

"Quite ordinary, sir. They all went out in the
car in the morning, and I think that Mr. Michael
and Miss Trent went out again in the afternoon;
yes, of course they did. After dinner they played

128 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

cards again and then, as I was going up to bed I
heard their voices raised in anger as I had done the
previous night."

"Was Miss Trent in the library with them?"

"No, sir, she was going up to bed the same time
as I was."

"I understand that you weren't feeling very
well?"

"No, sir, I wasn't feeling quite myself."

"Could you hear what either of them was
saying?"

"I heard him say 'I'll be damned if I do'; that
was all I overheard, sir. But it was more his tone
than what he actually said that attracted my
attention."

"And you went straight to bed?"

"Yes, sir."

"And what did you hear next?"

"I heard Mr. Maguire bounding up the stairs
and going into his room. Then, for twenty minutes
or perhaps it was half an hour, everything was
quiet, then I heard him banging about in his room
which was just opposite mine across the landing."

"What did you think he was doing?"

"I thought he'd fairly lost his temper and was
flinging his things about."

"I believe he told the police that he was packing
his suit-case?"

"Yes, sir."

"And what happened after that?"

THE BUTLER

"I heard him opening his door and going
downstairs."

"And you followed him?"

"Yes, sir."

"How soon?"

"After about ten minutes."

"You are sure it was as long as that?"

"Not far off ten, sir. I was in bed and I got up
and put on my trousers and an overcoat."

"It took you ten minutes to do that?"

"No, sir, I didn't get up at once. I lay there for
a few minutes wondering if I ought to go down and
see that everything was all right."

"What made you anxious?"

"He seemed to be in such a terrible state, sir,
judging by the way he came up the stairs, banged
his door, and then started racketing about."

" Did it occur to you that he might do Miss Maguire
any bodily harm?"

"Not actually that, sir, but I thought he might
be worrying her."

"If you were feeling anxious I do not understand
why you did not go down at once, instead of lying
in bed."

"Well, sir, a man in my position hesitates to
interfere with private affairs in the house. At first
I thought that he might have gone down to fetch
something that he had forgotten, but when he
didn't return I decided to go and see what was
happening."

130 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Yes, Boughton, that is a reasonable explanation.
I appreciate your point of view. And what did you
discover when you got downstairs?"

"I first noticed that the front door was open and
that Mr. Michael's suit-case was standing beside it.
Then I saw that the library door was open and I
heard a movement in the room."

"Yes?"

"I went in and saw Miss Maguire slumped down
in her chair with a terrible wound on the side of her
head, and Mr. Michael standing over her, and one
of the silver candlesticks lying on the floor a few
inches from his feet."

"What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything for some moments, sir, I
was too overcome. Suddenly he looked round and I
noticed that there was blood on his hand and the
sleeve of his coat. I think I said ' what's happened ? ',
and he replied that someone had got in and murdered
his aunt."

"What did you say to that?"

"Nothing, sir. I went across to the windows to
see if they were fastened and found that they were."

"Did you come to any conclusion?"

"Well, sir, it flashed through my mind that Mr.
Michael must have done it, but I hoped that there
would be some other explanation. I asked him to
look at the windows in the drawing-room and dining-
room while I went round the servants' quarters.
I had seen to the locking up before I went to bed,

THE BUTLER 131

but I thought that someone might have forced their
way in. We both found every window and door
securely fastened. I then telephoned to the
police."

"You speak French, Boughton?"

"Just a few words that I've picked up during the
two winters that I've been here with Miss Maguire.
I just managed to make them understand that some-
one had been killed."

"What was your opinion at the time that you
telephoned?"

"I couldn't very well help thinking that Mr.
Michael must have done it, seeing that no one could
have got into the villa."

"Where was Miss Trent all this time?"

"Upstairs in her room, sir."

"When did she first come upon the scenes?"

"She came downstairs while I was telephoning,
sir."

"Was she very much upset?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary, sir. She seemed to
be more dazed than upset, and after a few minutes
wanted to go into the library, but Mr. Michael
stopped her and asked me to call Miss Maguire's
maid."

"When was the front door closed?"

"I shut it, sir, before I went round the servants'
quarters."

"Where was Mr. Maguire when you shut it?"

Boughton hesitated for a second.

132 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"I really couldn't say for certain. I think he had
gone into the drawing-room."

"And what happened to his suit-case?"

"It was left standing in the hall, sir, where he had
put it down."

"That all seems to be very clear and concise,
Boughton," said Crow. "You are an admirable
witness. Now, let us assume that Mr. Maguire
had nothing whatever to do with his aunt's death,
can you offer any suggestions as to who could have
murdered her; or how anyone might have got into
the villa and then made his escape?"

"I can't sir. It is a complete mystery to me if
Mr. Michael didn't do it."

" Had Miss Maguire many friends in Roquebrune ? ' '

"None who came to the villa, sir. Miss Maguire
kept very much to herself, both here and in England."

"Mr. Berwick was a visitor here, of course?"

"Mr. Berwick, sir? He has never been to the villa
to my knowledge until ... he never came before
Miss Maguire's death."

"Did he visit Miss Maguire at Merryfields?"

"I saw him there once or twice the year before
last, and two or three times last summer when Miss
Maguire and Miss Trent first returned from France."

"I thought that he and your mistress were great
friends?"

"His mother owns the property adjoining Merry-
fields, sir, but I don't think that Miss Maguire
altogether approved of the young gentleman."

THE BUTLER 133

"Oh. What makes you think that, Boughton?"

"Last summer, sir, she gave orders to me to say
that both she and Miss Trent were not at home if
he called."

"Do you know why she did not approve of him?"

"I can't say, sir. It was none of my business."

"Quite. Well, Boughton, I think that is all I want
to ask you," said Crow, as he stood up. "Do you
want to ask any more questions, Mr. Chart?"

"There is just one point about which I am not
clear," said the lawyer. "When you went across to
the library windows, Boughton, did you expect to
find them closed and fastened?"

"As it was a fairly warm evening, sir, I rather
expected to find one of them open, but I wasn't
surprised when I found them shut. Miss Maguire
liked the room to be very warm."

"Were they open when they went into the room
after dinner?" asked Stephen Chart.

"Yes. I believe that Mr. Michael and Miss Trent
have both said that neither of them closed the
windows, so I imagine that Miss Maguire did it
herself, after her nephew went out of the room."

"Was she in the habit of sitting up late?"

"Yes, sir, she used to sit up to all hours playing
patience or doing jig-saw puzzles."

"I think that is all, Mr. Crow. I dare say I shall
have occasion to come and see Miss Trent again
to-morrow."

The two men were shown to the front door by

134 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

Boughton, who expressed the hope that his answers
to their questions might be of some use in establishing
Michael's Maguire's innocence.

"I think that it may be of the greatest assistance,"
Crow replied. As they reached the road he said to
his companion: "What do you make of that fellow,
Mr. Chart?"

"A typical, well-trained manservant of the old-
fashioned, honest type, I should say. Is that how he
strikes you?"

"Yes, I suppose that just about sums him up,"
Crow answered, as they turned down the road
which led to the Pension Mireille, and the station
beyond.

CHAPTER XIII

CHARLES CARTHEW?

'\7'ES, let us sit in the garden, by all means,"

1 said Stephen Chart, as they finished their dinner,
"and I will tell you as much of the lady's history
as I know."

As they went out Gerry held her father back while
Alison and the lawyer went on a little way.

"What have you discovered this evening, Father?"
Gerry asked, eagerly.

"Nothing in particular, my dear."

Gerry jerked her shoulders impatiently.

"I hate you when you talk like that," she said.
"I could tell directly you came down to dinner that
you had made some important discovery and were
pleased. You might tell me what it is."

Martin Crow smiled and shook his head.

"Directly I know anything definite I will tell
you, my child," he replied as he began to follow
the others. "At the moment I am in what you might
call a fog of speculation, and while I am in that state
it is best that I should keep my mouth shut."

"I think you are perfectly horrid," pouted his
daughter in a hurt tone. Crow tweaked her ear
playfully and told her not to be a spoilt child.

135

136 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"I congratulate you, Mr. Crow, on your choice
of your quarters," said the lawyer as they all sat down
in the little arbour. "What a wonderful night for
this time of year; the last week in March."

"Father is an expert at finding beauty spots,"
said Gerry as she offered Stephen Chart her cigarette
case.

"Thank you, Miss Crow, but I'll have my pipe
if no one objects. I see that there is a liner anchored
off Monaco. I wonder what it is ? "

"A Cunarder, by the colour of her funnels,"
replied Crow. "They usually make Monaco one of
their ports of call when they are cruising in the
Mediterranean. Dear me! Just look at those
reflections! I've never seen the sea so calm. There
isn't a ripple anywhere. Well, Mr. Chart, what
have you to tell us about Miss Maguire. As many
details as you can muster, please. Details are usually
so much more important than the great big facts
that shout at you."

Stephen Chart lighted his pipe.

"Miss Jennifer Maguire," he began, "must have
been close upon sixty years of age. If hers was a
hard, unsympathetic, domineering nature, it was
by no means without its good qualities. She was a
woman who took sudden and violent likes and
dislikes to people.

"I told you something about Miss Maguire this
morning, but I doubt if you were able to form an
idea of what she was really like. I first met her

CHARLES CARTHEW? 137

when I became my father's partner, nearly forty
years ago. My father was a close friend of old Mathew
Maguire, and I spent many a week-end at Merry-
fields, where I made the acquaintance of his daughters,
Jennifer and Annie. Annie was the younger and was,
in many ways, a very attractive young woman. She
had many admirers, but they were all sent about
their business by the father."

"Why was that?" asked Martin Crow.

"I believe it was entirely due to his domineering
spirit; his love of keeping people completely under
his will. Even in those days Miss Jennifer was cold
and reserved; very different from her sister, who
was a normal, light-hearted girl, and must have been
very unhappy, shut up in that large house and under
the tyrannical jurisdiction of her father. She endured
it until she was twenty-seven, or eight, and then she
fell deeply in love with a man named Edward Trent.
As with her previous admirers, old Maguire tried
to dismiss him, but Trent was of stouter stuff than
the others; and Annie was more deeply in love than
she had been before. There was a terrible scene
when the girl refused to give up her lover, and the
father turned her out of the house and said that he
never wanted to see her again. She went; married
Edward Trent, and together they left England for
Australia where, I understand, he was at one time
a prosperous sheep farmer.

"You may think that this has nothing to do with
Miss Jennifer Maguire," the lawyer continued,

138 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"but I think that it is all pertinent to the present
case. Mathew Maguire dismissed his younger
daughter from his mind; held no communication
whatever with her, and forbade his elder daughter
to correspond with her. Miss Jennifer, however,
wrote secretly to her sister, once or twice a year,
and received letters in reply through some friend.
The old man never knew that this was going on until
he was on his death-bed and relented somewhat
for his harsh treatment of Annie. Miss Jennifer,
I understand, then confessed that they had been
corresponding and, not only was the old man eager
for news of his younger daughter, but he made
Jennifer promise that she would go out to Australia
and visit her sister as soon as he was dead. Mathew
Maguire passed away — that was about eight years
ago, leaving everything to his elder daughter, who
paid the promised visit to Australia and found her
sister in very comfortable circumstances.

"Miss Jennifer was absent from England for about
six months and when she returned she bought the
Villa Gloria where she has spent every winter since
that time. Two or three years after her return from
Australia she heard that her brother-in-law had
died and that her sister was carrying on the farm with
the assistance of her husband's head man. About
eighteen months ago Miss Jennifer received a
cable saying that her sister had died, leaving the
daughter, Coral, practically penniless. Miss Maguire
at once cabled the girl's passage money and instructed

CHARLES CARTHEW ? 139

her to come to Marseilles, where she would be
met."

"The Commissaire showed me a letter from
Mrs. Trent to her sister," said Martin Crow. " She
said that things had turned out very badly for them
and that she did not expect to live long as she was
suffering from some malignant disease. She hoped
that her sister would look after the girl."

"Ah, Miss Maguire did not tell me about that
letter," said Stephen Chart. "However, Coral
Trent arrived early last year and Miss Maguire
apparently, took a great liking to her. After leaving
here in the spring they seem to have travelled about
a good deal and did not arrive in England until
the middle of June. That was when she called at
my office and executed the will which we had pre-
pared for her. They only remained in London for
two or three days and then went to Merryfields. It
was while they were there that Alan Berwick, the
son of a neighbour, began paying attentions to Miss
Trent. This caused Miss Maguire a great deal of
annoyance, and history once more repeated itself.
Alan Berwick was given a broad hint, but he did not
take it ; in fact he told Miss Maguire that he was not
going to allow her to stand in the way of his and
Coral Trent's happiness, and that if she persisted
in trying to keep them apart he would take matters
into his own hands. Apparently Miss Maguire's
position was made more difficult by the fact that
Coral Trent reciprocated the young man's affections,

140 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

and Miss Maguire began to doubt her ability to deal
with the situation."

"Why did she object to the attachment?" asked
Crow.

"I was coming to that," replied Stephen Chart.
"Miss Maguire sent for me and told me that Alan
Berwick was a most undesirable young man. The
only thing that she seemed to have against him was
that he made no serious attempt to work, and was
content to lounge about on an income of three or
four hundred a year which had been left to him by
his father. I fancy that Miss Maguire imagined
Berwick to be attracted, not by the girl herself,
but by the money which she would some day
inherit."

"I suppose she may have been right on that
point?" Crow suggested.

"Very likely. I had the greatest respect for Miss
Maguire's judgment. She had an uncanny way
of detecting any kind of fraud. She referred to Alan
Berwick as 'a waster,' but I really do not know that
such an appellation was in any way justified. However,
she was determined that they should not marry,
and told me that she was going to make it quite
impossible for such a thing to happen. She informed
me that she had decided that her niece should marry
Michael Maguire. Now I knew that Michael was
already engaged to Miss Beamish, with his aunt's
full approval, and I ventured to point this out to her,
but she brushed my observation aside with a laugh

CHARLES CARTHEW? 14!

and a wave of her hand. She said that she was not
going to allow Miss Beamish, or any other girl, to
upset the plan which she had made. It was then that
she instructed me to draft the will which has never
been executed. She said that there was no urgent
hurry for it as Michael was working hard for an
examination which he would be taking in February,
and she did not wish to upset him before it was over.
As soon as he had sat for it she would ask him to
spend his holiday at the Villa Gloria and would
then tell him that she wished him to marry his cousin."
"What an extraordinary creature she must have
been!" exclaimed Gerry.

"She was, in many ways most extraordinary,"
Stephen Chart agreed. "I could never understand
if Michael's exam was her real reason for not trying
to force the marriage at once. I am almost inclined
to believe that she took a delight in keeping Coral
Trent and Alan Berwick apart while marriage between
them was still possible."

"Something similar to the cat and mouse game,"
said Gerry.

"I'm afraid it was, Miss Crow. When I pointed
out to Miss Maguire that she would meet with
considerable opposition from Michael she only
smiled and said that since he was entirely dependent
upon her she would easily overcome his objections.
When I realised that she was determined I urged her
to deal with the matter at once, thinking that it would
be kinder to everyone concerned, rather than to

142 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

let it drag on, but she would not hear of it. She
said that she intended managing her affairs in her
own way and did not require advice except when she
asked for it. She was leaving almost at once for
Roquebrune so as to get Coral Trent away from
Alan Berwick. It did not seem to occur to her that
the young man might also spend the winter on the
Riviera, and I did not suggest that he might do
that. I took my instructions and departed, thankful,
I must admit, to get away from the house. Now, I
wonder if I have omitted anything which might
have an important bearing upon the case."

"Can you say for a certainty that Miss Maguire
had no living relatives apart from Michael and Miss
Trent?" asked Crow.

"It is possible, of course, that there may be some
distant cousins somewhere scattered about the world,
but I have never heard of any, and I am positive
that she has no near relations."

"In which case we can take it as certain that
Michael Maguire is her next-of-kin; and after him,
Miss Trent?"

"Undoubtedly. But may I ask why you have
raised that question, Mr. Crow?"

"It was raised the other day by M. Peille, the
Commissaire. I told him that it was inconceivable
that Michael should have destroyed a will by which
he was going to benefit to such a large extent, and
M. Peille pointed out that if he were next-of-kin
he would inherit everything if no will was produced."

CHARLES CARTHEW? 143

"Rather a far-fetched theory, wasn't it?" asked
the lawyer.

"Very far-fetched, I thought, but there it is, a
point of view taken by the French police."

"You don't think that Michael did kill his aunt,
do you, Mr. Chart?" asked Alison during a lull in
the talk.

The lawyer was a little taken aback by her
question.

"No, Miss Beamish, I do not, but I cannot over-
look the fact that the most unlikely people have been
goaded into committing crimes of which they would
ordinarily be incapable. Miss Maguire was the type
of woman who would, I think, be capable of ex-
asperating a saint. However, you must not let any-
thing that I say worry you. I know so little about
the case. Your friend here, who was once one of
the greatest criminal lawyers practising at the
English Bar, is, I know, confident that your fiance
is innocent."

"I would stake anything I possess upon his
innocence," declared Martin Crow, vehemently.
"I admit that we are up against a strong case, but it
is not so strong that I will not be able to break it
down. Now, Mr. Chart, I have rather an important
question to put to you. When I was looking through
Miss Maguire's pass-book yesterday I saw that
during the last twelve months she has been making
quarterly payments of £125 to someone. Her bank
in London has passed the money to the English

144 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

bank in Nice. Can you suggest anyone to whom
she might be making an allowance."

"I can't, Mr. Crow. Have you made enquiries
at the Nice bank?"

"Not yet. I thought I would talk to you first
about it."

"I fear I cannot help you. It is certainly rather
significant. £500 a year?"

"Yes."

"You might take the matter up with the bank;
in fact it is a matter which perhaps demands my
attention."

"Then you may feel disposed to come over to
Nice with me in the morning?" asked Crow.

"By all means. I shall have to go over there in
any case to see the Consul about the funeral arrange-
ments. It might be wise to arm ourselves with a
formal request to the bank, from him, that they
supply us with all information relating to Miss
Maguire's account."

"I think that would be very wise," said Crow.
"I have an appointment with the Commissaire at
eleven and would like to be able to tell him about
anything which we may learn at the bank. Do you
mind starting early?"

"At what time do the English banks open in this
country?"

"Nine."

"I will be ready to start at any time you care to
mention," said the lawyer.

CHARLES CARTHEW? 145

"There is a train at half past eight. Shall we
get that?"

"I shall be ready. And now, if you will excuse me,
I think I will retire. I did not sleep very well in the
train last night."

The next morning Martin Crow and Stephen
Chart presented themselves at the English bank.
The manager read the short note which the Consul
had written and then left them for a few minutes.
When he returned he was accompanied by a clerk
who carried a ledger.

"We find that the four payments which interest
you were paid into the account of Charles Carthew,"
the manager informed them.

"Does that name convey anything to you, Mr.
Chart?" Crow asked.

"Nothing whatever," replied the lawyer. "Can
you tell us anything about this client of yours?"
he asked the manager.

"He opened his account on the second of January
of last year. What was he like, Harding, you saw
him when he came in, didn't you?"

The clerk considered the question for several
seconds before he answered.

" I should say that he was a man of fifty, or possibly
fifty-five," he said at length. "He has reddish hair
and rather a brusque manner."

"Tall, short, or of medium height?" asked
Crow.

146 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Medium, thick-set, and he wears a close-cropped
moustache."

"When did you see him last?" enquired Chart.

"He was in the bank last Saturday when he
cashed a cheque for two thousand francs."

"Had you seen him recently before that?"

"Yes, he drew a cheque for fifteen hundred about
three weeks ago, on March 8th to be exact."

"Did he say where he was staying?"

"No, he gave no address."

"I suppose he gave one when he opened the
account?" Stephen Chart asked. The clerk referred
to the ledger.

"Yes, he was staying at the Hotel Balzac, here
in Nice."

"Has he been in and out of the bank at regular
intervals since that time?"

"No. Between last March and January of this
year he drew cheques from time to time through
our Paris office and our branches at Deauville,
Le Touquet and Vichy."

"Would you please tell us how his account stands
at the moment?" the lawyer asked.

"There is a credit balance of £27 IDS. 4d."

"May I suggest," said Chart, addressing the
manager, "that if this man should come into the
bank again you inform the British Consulate and
detain him on some pretext."

"Is he suspected of being concerned with this
case which the Consul mentions in his letter?"

CHARLES CARTHEW? 147

"I think that it is important that the police should
have an opportunity to question him," said Martin
Crow. "I am going to see the Commissaire now, and
perhaps you would like me to ask him to make a
formal request that you detain him."

"Yes, I think that would be a good plan,
gentlemen."

Martin Crow and Stephen Chart thanked the
manager and took their departure. They turned
towards the Promenade des Anglais and paused at
the corner where they stood for a few minutes
watching the crowds of people lounging in the
deck chairs on the other side of the roadway. It was
a warm, summer-like morning, with a cloudless sky
and a light breeze blowing gently from the south-west.

"Well, Mr. Crow, how much of that information
is going to help you," asked the lawyer.

"I don't know," replied Crow, "but I fancy that
it may prove to be the key to our problem. You are
going back to the Consulate, aren't you? I shall
pay a visit to the Hotel Balzac and see if I can learn
anything there; then I shall go to see the Com-
missaire. Will you give me the pleasure of your
company at luncheon at, say, one o'clock?"

"I shall be delighted. Where shall we meet?"

"Shall we say in the lounge of the Hotel Ruhl?"

"Where is that?"

"You are standing with your back to the entrance of
the hotel at this moment," replied Martin Crow
with a smile.

CHAPTER XIV

MARTIN CROW EXPERIMENTS

THE Hotel Balzac is situated in one of those
pleasant little streets which lead out of the
Avenue Victor Hugo. It was a small, unpretentious
hotel where full pension terms were offered for the
equivalent of about eight shillings a day. Martin
Crow asked the concierge if Mr. Charles Carthew
was in, and was told, as he expected, that no one
of that name was staying there. In answer to further
questions, the man in the desk referred to the
register and found that Mr. Carthew had arrived
at the hotel, from Paris, on March ist, and had left
again two days later, saying that he was going into
Italy. No, he had left no address to which letters
could be forwarded.

"I think that he was also staying here last year,"
Crow said. "In January." The concierge consulted
the register again. " He may have arrived before that."

"Yes, Monsieur, he came from Marseilles on
December zoth, and left on January 5th."

"Do you know where he went on that occasion?"

"No, sir, I was not here then, and there is no note
in the book."

Martin Crow thanked the man, and made his way
along the Avenue de la Victoire, where he entered

148

MARTIN CROW EXPERIMENTS 149

a small shop and bought a tennis ball. He then
walked along to the Prefecture and asked for M. Peille.
The Commissaire received him almost immediately.

"Good morning, M. Crow, you have come to
see the photographs of the candlestick, no?"

"Yes, but before you show them to me I should
very much like to see M. Maguire in your presence
for a few minutes. You have no objection?"

"Of course not."

M. Peille rang a bell, which was answered by a
clerk, who was ordered to give instructions for
M. Maguire to be brought up to the Commissaire's
room at once.

"I am going to ask him to do several things,
M. Peille," said Crow as soon as the clerk had gone
out of the room, "and I shall be obliged if you will
kindly notice very carefully how he does them.
This is a matter of considerable importance."

"This sounds interesting and a little mysterious,
M. Crow," said the police chief with a smile. "Will
you not tell me a little more of what is in your
mind?"

"For the moment, with your permission, I will
say no more," replied Crow. "Afterwards, when
we are alone again I shall have a great deal to say."

They discussed the weather, the number of people
on the Riviera, and were commenting upon the
political situation in Europe when Michael entered
the room followed by a gendarme. He smiled
cheerfully as he saw Martin Crow.

150 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Have you discovered anything yet?" he asked
eagerly.

"I have discovered many things since I last
saw you and "

"What? How soon are you going to get me out
of this beastly hole?"

"My dear fellow, no one appreciates your feelings
more than I do, and while I can assure you that I
am very well satisfied with the results of my enquiries,
I cannot hold out any hope that you will be liberated
just yet. You have seen Maitre Corbin recently?"

"He was here for an hour yesterday, but I haven't
much faith in him. It is on you that I am counting,
Mr. Crow."

"I am touched by your faith in me, Maguire, and
I hope that you will not have cause to be disappointed
in me. I do not think you will. Now, I am going
to ask you to do several things which you may
consider a little strange under the circumstances,
but I wish you to do them without question, and as
naturally as possible. First of all will you please
sign your name on this piece of paper? You have
a pen?"

Michael took a fountain pen from his pocket and
wrote his name.

"Now write it with your left hand," said Crow,
who at once translated his order into French.

"Good Lord! But I don't think I can."

"Try, my dear fellow, and do your very best,
because much may depend upon how you do it."

MARTIN CROW EXPERIMENTS 151

Michael made the effort, with a result which
was not very satisfactory.

"Now take this pencil and try to draw a square,
first with your right and then with your left hand."

M. Peille was watching with the keenest interest,
and smiled when Michael turned out a strange
figure when he transferred the pencil to his left
hand.

"That's pretty ghastly," the young man said.

"Never mind. Now will you go over there and
stand by the door?" Crow said. "I have here a
ball. I am going to throw it to you, and I want you
to catch it and throw it back."

Michael looked very perplexed, but did as he was
told without asking any questions.

"And now," said Crow, handing him his walking
stick, "I want you to imagine that this is either a
cricket bat or a golf club. Show me how you would
play a stroke." This was translated for M. Peille' s
benefit.

Michael smiled and took up a stance as if he were
about to drive a ball from a tee, and then swung
the stick.

"Only one more experiment," said Crow. "Take
this ball and try to pitch it with your left hand so
that it falls at my feet. I will stand as far away from
you as possible."

Michael threw the ball, but it shot across the room
and did not land within three or four yards of Crow's
feet.

152 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Thank you. You have helped me very much."

"But how? What's the game?" Michael asked.

"For the present I must ask you to restrain
your very natural curiosity. I will tell you this,
however, these little tests which I have been giving
you have proved a theory and should go a long way
towards establishing your innocence. How are you
getting on? Is it terribly uncomfortable?"

"Not too bad. The food's a bit rough."

"M. Peille, is there any reason why M. Maguire
should not have one meal sent in each day from a
restaurant?" Crow asked.

The Commissaire shrugged his shoulders, and
made a grimace which was intended to express his
regrets.

"I am sorry, M. Crow, but it is not permitted in
cases of such importance."

"The Commissaire says that it is not allowed,"
Crow told Michael, "but I have something of
considerable importance to say to him and it is
possible that I may persuade him to reconsider
his decision. If he does I will see that you get a
decent meal sent in each day."

"That is awfully good of you, Mr. Crow."

"You have any books?"

"No, a French paper is all that I see."

"You have no objection to his having papers
and books, M. Peille?"

"But no, provided they are inspected first, of
course."

MARTIN CROW EXPERIMENTS 153

"That is understood. All right, Maguire. Don't
despair. I am afraid it may be three or four weeks
before we get you out of this, but I am confident
that it is only a matter of time. As soon as I can
come along with pretty strong evidence against
someone else you won't remain here much longer."

"But if you don't?"

"I have sworn to myself that I shall," replied
Martin Crow, with perfect confidence, "so keep your
spirits up."

"I'm frightfully grateful to you, sir. How's
Alison?"

"Splendid. You need not worry about her. We
are taking the greatest care of her. I will ask M. Peille
if I may bring her to see you to-morrow."

The Commissaire gave his consent, and when
Michael had gone out of the room he turned to Crow
and said,

"Well, and may I ask why you play a game of
ball with the accused?"

"You were watching?"

"But yes. All the time."

"And did you notice anything special about the
way in which he did everything?"

"No, I cannot say I noticed anything special.
Why?"

"He used his right hand, M. Peille, and when I
asked him to do things with his left he was like a
child. You could not read his name; the square
which I asked him to draw looked like some queer

154 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

insect; and the ball, instead of dropping at my feet,
went behind your desk."

"But I do not understand, M. Crow. That was
only natural. I should have been surprised if he had
used his left hand."

"Exactly, but you see, I am convinced that Mile.
Maguire was struck by a left-handed person."

The Commissaire stared at Crow and opened his
mouth wide.

"But . . . but how can you possibly think
that?"

Martin Crow sat down and faced M. Peille across
the desk.

" I want you to consider those photographs of the
body," he said, "and to take special note of the exact
position of the wound."

The Commissaire opened a drawer, found the
three photographs and laid them out before him.

"Voila!" he exclaimed. Then he shook his head.
"But I do not understand what is in your mind,
M. Crow."

"I will explain. Your case is that Michael Maguire
entered the room, half an hour or more after his
quarrel with his aunt, picked up the candlestick
and struck her a violent blow on the right side of
the head."

"Yes, yes, that is so."

"Now, as he entered the room she was sitting with
her back to him?"

"Yes."

MARTIN CROW EXPERIMENTS 155

"And he must have been facing her, across the
writing-table, before he could have inflicted that
wound?"

"Yes, that is reasonable. The police surgeon gave
the opinion that the blow was struck from the front
and not from behind."

"Now I assume that he passed round on Mile.
Maguire's left because that would have been the
easiest way to go from the door. The standard
lamp would have been a little in his way if he had
gone to her right."

"What you say is possibly correct, but I do not
think that it matters whether he went to the right
or the left."

"With due deference to your opinion, M. Peille,
I think that it may matter a great deal. However
for the moment we will leave that point. Now,
imagine him arrived at the other side of the desk
and facing his aunt ; according to your case he wished
to kill her and decided that he would hit her over
the temple, the weakest part of the skull. Now
wouldn't you have expected a right-handed man
to have seized the candlestick on his right?"

The point interested the Commissaire, and he
considered it for a minute before replying.

"In the excitement of the moment, and with his
brain deranged by the contemplation of the terrible
deed he was about to commit, I think that he might
have taken up either candlestick."

"I must disagree with you entirely, M. Peille,"

156 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

cried Martin Crow, excitedly. "If he was slightly
unbalanced at the moment as you suggest, I submit
that that was all the more reason why he would have
done the easiest thing ; that is he would, instinctively,
have taken up the candlestick which was nearest
to his right hand."

"I am sorry, M. Crow, but I cannot allow that.
I repeat that I think he might have taken up either
candlestick."

"Very well, M. Peille, we will leave that for the
moment and suppose that he seized the left hand
candlestick with his right hand. Now the blow
which must, inevitably, have been struck would
have been an oblique one, and I should have expected
the rim of the candlestick to have made an almost
vertical wound. But it did not do that. You can
see it in the photograph. It is almost horizontal,
which is consistent with the blow having been
dealt with the left hand."

M. Peille rubbed his chin thoughtfully and gazed
at the photograph.

"That is a very fine point, M. Crow," he said after
a few moments.

"Upon which a young man's life, or at any rate
his whole career, may depend."

There was a short silence, and then the Com-
missaire looked up and said,

"I admit that there is reason in what you said
about the angle at which the wound lies, but I do
not admit that such a wound could not have been

MARTIN CROW EXPERIMENTS 157

made by a right-handed blow. Suppose that Mile.
Maguire had suddenly turned her head to the left,
at the moment when the blow was struck; that
would have made all the difference to the angle of
the wound."

"Possibly, M. Peille, quite possibly; but can you
honestly imagine her head being turned to the left?
Even if she had turned it momentarily, to look at
something at the side of the table, or in one of the
drawers ; she must have become aware of impending
danger. She would have heard a sudden and quick
movement; or have seen a hand raised and grasping
the candlestick; and she would have turned her
head back and faced her assailant. However, the
day before yesterday I consulted Dr. Aristide
Journet who, you will probably agree, is a man whose
opinion cannot be lightly dismissed."

"We have the greatest respect for the opinions of
Dr. Journet," agreed the Commissaire. "And what
did he say, M. Crow?"

Martin Crow took the doctor's report from his
pocket and handed it to M. Peille.

"May I trouble you to read what he has written?"
he said.

The Commissaire's eyebrows contracted as he
read the report.

"Yes, yes, my dear M. Crow; I admit that your
theory has reason," he said with a smile, "but as a
celebrated lawyer, with many years of experience
with criminal cases, you will understand that we

158 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

must accept such things with caution. Dr. Journet,
you observe, is not prepared to state definitely that
a left-handed blow was struck."

"No one could do that unless he had been an
eye-witness."

"Well, I am prepared to bear your theory in
mind, M. Crow. May I ask what, in your opinion,
actually took place in that room on the night of the
murder?"

"Before I trouble you, M. Peille, with any more
of my theories may I see the photographs of the
candlestick?"

"But yes; I was forgetting; and I was unfortunately
out when you called yesterday, or was it the day
before, yes, to be sure, the day before." The Com-
missaire had taken a large envelope from one of the
drawers of his desk. "Here you are, four of them
taken from different positions."

Martin Crow took the photographs eagerly and
after a few seconds a look of keen disappointment
came into his eyes. He had hoped that the position
of the marks might have shown clearly whether a
right or left hand had been used; but there was
such a confusion of marks that only two stood out
clearly, and they were not in the least helpful."

"Thank you," he said, as he handed back the
photographs. "It is obvious that it was handled
more than was necessary for striking the blow."

The Commissaire nodded and returned the
envelope to his drawer.

MARTIN CROW EXPERIMENTS 159

"Now, M. Crow, perhaps you will tell me what,
in your opinion, happened."

"Either the murderer concealed himself in the
salon early in the evening, and entered by the glass
doors separating the library from the salon, or he
came through the window from the terrace."

"But the windows were fastened."

"How do you know that, M. Peille?"

"We have the testimony of both the accused and
Boughton."

"Not the accused, M. le Commissaire."

"But he told us that Boughton went across to the
windows and found them fastened."

"No, Monsieur; he told us that the butler said
that they were fastened. That is entirely different."

"You accuse Boughton of having lied?"

"I say that we have no proof that the windows
were closed and fastened when the murder was
committed."

"Then why should Boughton have said that they
were?"

"That is a question which I cannot answer at
the moment, but I am going to make it my business
to discover if he was telling the truth or lying."

"You suspect him of having murdered Mile.
Maguire?"

"Frankly I don't; but I shall be greatly surprised
if I am not able to prove that he knows a great deal
more about the crime than he has told us."

"You have talked to him?"

j6o CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Yes, with M. Chart yesterday afternoon."

"And you were not satisfied with his replies to
your questions?"

"His replies were remarkably clear and ready,
but I gained the impression that he was not telling
us everything. However, we will leave him for the
moment. I have a favour to ask."

"I am at your service, M. Crow."

"I want you to help me to get in touch with a
man named Charles Carthew."

"Charles Carthew. Who is he?"

"That is what I want to know. If you can find
him I believe that we shall very soon know who
killed Mile. Maguire."

The Commissaire paused in the act of lighting a
cigarette and looked at Martin Crow over the flaming
match.

"You think that he may be the murderer?" he
asked.

"It is possible, but I believe that he could, at any
rate, tell us something."

M. Peille swore as the match burnt his fingers.
He struck another and when he had lighted the
cigarette, leant forward with his elbows resting upon
the desk.

"You must understand, M. Crow," he said,
speaking firmly, but in a friendly tone, "that it is
most unusual for us to occupy ourselves with the
theories and suggestions which are put forward by
the friends of accused persons. If we did that we

MARTIN CROW EXPERIMENTS l6l

should never get through our work. This case,
however, is a little different from most with which
we have to deal. In the first place an Englishman
of good family is concerned, and we are most anxious
to avoid doing anything which might cause any
ill-feeling between the two countries. Then your
own interest in the case lends considerable weight
to the theory that M. Maguire had been the unfortun-
ate victim of circumstances."

"You honour me, M. Peille."

"I have the greatest respect for your judgment,
M. Crow, and I know that you would not ask me to
do anything unless you had very good reasons for
doing so. On the other hand your little demonstra-
tion with the ball and the stick, and the pen and pencil
has by no means convinced me that M. Maguire was
not concerned with the death of his aunt. I cannot
overlook the fact that he was faced with destitution
unless he complied with his aunt's wishes. He had
every reason for desiring her death, and if he was
not responsible for it, it is a most extraordinary
coincidence that it should have taken place when it
did, at the very moment, almost, when it would
solve all his difficulties for him. You will, I am
sure, admit that we know of no one else who benefited
in any way by her death."

"At the moment we do not know that, M.
Peille."

"Ah, you think that you may discover someone
who might have benefited?"

162 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"That is one reason why I wish to find Charles
Carthew."

"But who is he."

"Someone to whom Mile. Maguire has been
making quarterly payments of £125 during the
past year."

"M. Chart can tell you nothing about him?"

"Nothing."

The Commissaire remained silent for half a minute.

"Is there any reason why there should be any
connection between those payments and the crime?"
he asked.

"No, but there is always the possibility that there
is, and it is a point which I wish to investigate."

"He may be an old servant?" suggested the
Commissaire.

"I do not think that Mile. Maguire would have
been so generous to an old servant. Moreover, I
should not have expected such a person to receive
the money through the English bank here, at
Nice."

"Ah, it was paid to the bank here?"

Martin Crow related all that he had been told by
the bank officials and by the concierge at the Hotel
Balzac.

"It is interesting, yes, it is interesting, I admit,"
said M. Peille. "You think, then, that Charles
Carthew may have visited the Villa Gloria on the
night of the murder?"

"Quite possibly."

MARTIN CROW EXPERIMENTS 163

"In which case the finger-print on the window
might be his?"

"That is more than likely."

"There is nothing to indicate where we might
start making enquiries for him?"

"I'm afraid not. I suggest that with the assistance
of your colleagues along the coast, you comb out all
the small hotels and Pensions."

"It shall be done, M. Crow," said the Commissaire
as Martin got up to go. "I have here the description
of him."

"I thank you. And now one more question, will
you permit me to bring M. Maguire's fiancee over
to see him to-morrow for a few minutes?"

"By all means! If I am not here I will leave
instructions that they can meet; in the presence of
a gendarme, of course."

"That is understood," said Crow, as he offered
the Commissaire his hand.

CHAPTER XV

AN EAVESDROPPER

THE day had been unusually warm for the time
of year, and with the change to summer-time
dinner was being served in the garden at the Pension
Mireille. From one of the mimosa trees there came
the incessant song of a cigale, as if in accompaniment
to the chorus of the frogs giving their evening
concert from the concrete water tanks on the neigh-
bouring terraces. The cloudless sky was deepening
to a rich purple and a full moon was rising over
the Mediterranean, a little to the right of Cap
Martin.

"Yes, my dear Alison, I saw your Michael this
morning and I have arranged with M. Peille for you
to see him to-morrow." .

"Was he looking well, and was he fairly cheer-
ful?"

"He was remarkably cheerful and seemed to be
in the best of health," Crow answered. "I am
afraid I rather mystified him by making a little
experiment; but I will tell you about that later on.
I want to hear first what the Commissaire said to
you two girls. Where and when did you meet
him?"

164

AN EAVESDROPPER 165

"As we were returning from Mentone after tea,"
Gerry replied. "He was coming out of the Villa
Gloria, and seemed to be very worried about some-
thing. He rather surprised us by asking if we had
any theories."

"And what did you tell him, my dear?"

"I said that I had none except that I was certain
that Michael was innocent," replied Alison. "Gerry
startled him by asking if he had taken Alan Berwick's
finger-prints. He wanted to know what he had to
do with the case."

Martin Crow smiled.

"I fear that the estimable M. Peille lacks imagina-
tion and vision," he said. "Of course the trouble
is that he and the examining magistrate are so certain
that Michael is the murderer that they are blind to
all else. What did you tell him, Gerry?"

"I suggested that he should compare Alan's
finger-prints with the one that I found on the library
window at the villa."

Both Martin Crow and Stephen Chart looked
surprised.

"Does that mean that you suspect Berwick of
having committed the crime?" asked the lawyer,
addressing Gerry.

"I think that he is as likely to have done it as
anyone else, more likely, perhaps," she replied. "I
wonder if it has occurred to anyone to find out what
he was doing on Tuesday night?"

"I admit that his movements have not interested

l66 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

me, so far," said Crow. "And I don't suppose for
one moment that the Commissaire has thought of
interrogating him."

"I think that you should question him, Father,"
said Gerry.

"Perhaps I should, but to tell you the truth I am
far more interested in an individual named Charles
Carthew, and I have been devoting my energies to
making enquiries about him, and getting expert
opinion on my theory that the fatal blow was struck
by a left-handed man."

"You really have grounds for supposing that?"
asked Stephen Chart.

"I have, unquestionably," replied Crow, "but I
have not yet been able to convince M. Peille."

"What evidence have you?"

"I base my conclusions on the shape and position
of the wound, and the position in which the body
was found. I am positive that the murderer was
standing on the other side of the writing-table,
facing Miss Maguire, and that he took up the candle-
stick on his left with his left hand, and dealt a straight
blow. Apart from the fact that I do not think a right-
handed man would have stretched across to the left
side of the table for the candlestick, a blow struck
with the right h^nd would have fallen at a different
angle. I "

Their talk was interrupted by Mile. Antoinette,
who came out to say that M. Berwick wished to see
M. Crow at once. They had almost finished their

AN EAVESDROPPER 167

meal and Crow asked the girl to bring the visitor
out. A few moments later Alan, looking white and
agitated, came quickly across to the arbour. He gave
them each a swift glance and then said,

"Could I speak to you privately, Mr. Crow?"

Martin Crow looked round the garden which was
now deserted except for themselves.

"By all means," he said, getting up. "Let us go
across to those chairs at the other end of the
terrace." Alan followed him. He remained standing
when Crow had seated himself.

"I have come to ask your advice," he said, ner-
vously, and glancing about him as if he feared that
he might be overheard. "A couple of hours ago the
Inspector, or whatever he calls himself, from the
Gendarmerie along the road, came and asked to
take my finger-prints."

"Well?"

"What the devil's the game?"

"Suppose you sit down, my dear fellow, and try
to calm yourself," said Crow as he indicated a chair
opposite to his own. Alan sat down.

"Calm myself!" he exclaimed. "That's all very
well, but I'm not used to this sort of thing. Why
should they want my finger-prints?"

"Having been a great friend of Miss Maguire;
and having been in and out of her villa, I think that
we may regard it as a matter of routine work on the
part of the Commissaire," said Crow. "He of course

l68 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

took the finger-prints of Miss Trent and all the
servants."

"Does he imagine that he's going to find evidence
that I handled that candlestick?"

"I think not. The marks found on the candlestick
were, unquestionably, made by Michael Maguire,
who admits that he was fingering it while he was
talking to his aunt."

"I suppose it's pretty certain that he did kill
her?"

"On the contrary, as far as I am concerned, it is
certain that he did not."

"Who did, then?"

"Ah! That is what I should very much like to
know."

"Do you suspect anyone?"

"Yes, I do."

"Who?"

"The person who left a finger-print on the outside
of the library window," said Martin Crow, speaking
very slowly and keeping his eyes fixed upon Alan's
face. He saw the young man start. The movement
was only slight and in a moment he had completely
recovered his composure. "Tell me, Berwick, how
much have you seen of Miss Maguire during the last
month or six weeks?"

"What's that got to do with the case?"

"Look here," said Crow, speaking sharply, "you
said just now that you had come to ask my advice."

"Yes, I did."

AN EAVESDROPPER 169

"Then let me tell you that there is one person in
Roquebrime who does not consider you to be alto-
gether above suspicion."

"What? Suspects me of having killed Miss
Maguire?" Alan cried.

"My dear fellow, do please try to keep calm."

"Calm, when you are told that you are suspected
of being a murderer."

"I did not say that. As far as I know no one
suspects you of having killed Miss Maguire, and I,
for one, do not think that you have the courage to
kill anything, but you are certainly suspected of being
in some way concerned with her death."

"My God! You think that?"

"To be candid, I don't; but as I have told you,
I know someone who does."

"Who? The Commissaire over at Nice?"

"I shall mention no names, but I should like to
warn you that if you have nothing to conceal it will
probably be in your interests to answer my questions
frankly. If, on the other hand, there is something
which you wish to keep dark, I advise you to get up
and go. I say that because I am not going to rest
until I have proved that Michael Maguire did not
murder his aunt; and in doing that I shall probably
prove who did."

Alan Berwick remained silent. He sat with his
eyes fixed upon the broad path of the moon's reflec-
tion which stretched from the shore almost to the
horizon. Crow could see that his lips were quivering.

170 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

He was clasping and unclasping his hands in-
cessantly.

"I wonder if you would like to tell me what is the
exact position between Coral Trent and yourself?"
Crow asked presently.

"We are friends," Alan replied without moving.

"Nothing more?"

"No."

"Then why did Miss Maguire make it a condition
in her will that Coral would inherit nothing if she
married you?"

Alan turned and looked at Crow defiantly.

"I am not prepared to answer for what Miss
Maguire did," he replied.

"How long did you say you'd been staying
here?"

"About a couple of months."

"The other day you said all the winter. Which
is correct?"

"I arrived just after Christmas."

"And Miss Maguire was an old friend of yours?"

"I've known her ever since I can remember."

"Isn't it strange, then, that you never visited the
Villa Gloria until she was dead."

"What the devil d'you mean?"

"I mean, young man, that for some reason you
have made up your mind to lie to me as hard as you
can. Come now, what is it that you are trying to
conceal?"

"I'm not trying to conceal anything."

AN EAVESDROPPER iyi

"Then don't lie to me. I did not spend twenty
years of my life at the criminal bar, cross-examining
witnesses and defending criminals of all kinds
without learning to discriminate between the truth
and lies."

"I had my own reasons for not visiting Miss
Maguire," Alan replied, sulkily.

"Wasn't it because you knew that you would not
be admitted; in the same way that you were not
admitted to her house in England last summer?"

"You seem to know a hell of a lot!"

" It is my job to know a hell of a lot."

There followed a minute's silence. Alan Berwick
stared into the distance again.

"Miss Maguire and I had a bit of a row about
something last summer," he said.

"About what?"

"Oh, a family affair."

"You mean about Coral Trent?"

"All right."

"Come, come, my dear fellow," said Crow. "You
are making me think that there may really be some-
thing in the accusing suggestions which have been
put forward concerning you. If your conduct has
been straight why can't you confide in me? Why
make me drag every word from you? Or why don't
you get up and go, if you don't want to be ques-
tioned?" Alan did not move. "Why did Miss
Maguire object when you began to pay attention
to Miss Trent?"

172 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Who told you she did?"

"No one, but it is obvious that she did, and I
naturally wonder what reason she had for objecting.
Did she think that you were a bit wild?"

"Probably."

"You might just as well tell me instead of beating
about the bush, because it is more than likely that
my investigations will take me to England in the
course of a day or two, and if I go there I shall cer-
tainly revisit the county of Shropshire, and make a
few enquiries in the neighbourhood of Church
Mortimer."

Another silence.

"Oh, well, I suppose I may as well tell you," Alan
said after a while. "She got to know, at least I imagine
she did, about a bit of scandal concerning myself and
a village girl; and I know for a fact that she had the
blasted cheek to tell my mater that I ought to be
working instead of spending so much of my time at
home."

"Of course it was all lies that you told me the other
day about being sent to the South of France for your
health?"

"I'm not particularly robust."

"Don't talk nonsense, Berwick. You came down
here in the hope of being able to see something of
Miss Trent. Why did you make up that stupid story
about having a weak chest?"

"To tell you the absolute truth I knew at once,
that morning when you and your daughter came

AN EAVESDROPPER 173

into the villa garden, that you were nosing round,
and I didn't see why I should answer all your
questions."

Martin Crow smiled.

"Had I questioned you I might have expected
you to resent my curiosity, but I would remind you
that both you and Miss Trent began by giving me a
whole lot of information for which I did not ask,
and which I have since discovered was most mis-
leading."

"I knew jolly well that you'd start pumping us
sooner or later, so I thought I'd get in first."

"With lies which were bound to be found out.
Tell me, Berwick, did you succeed in meeting Miss
Trent previous to her aunt's death?"

"Once or twice, for a few minutes."

"Where?"

"On one of the lower terraces, down by the railway
line."

"And you asked her to marry you?"

"I suppose I'd better admit that I did."

"You will gain nothing by lying to me, my
dear fellow. And did she accept your proposal of
marriage?"

"More or less. She wanted to marry me, but she
knew that it would mean a hell of a row with her
aunt if we did. We decided to leave it for a bit,
and in the meantime Coral was to try and make her
aunt regard me more favourably."

"Now, Berwick, I'm going to ask you a very

174 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

important question and I want either a truthful
answer or no answer at all. You can choose which
it shall be. What were you doing between nine-
thirty and ten-thirty last Tuesday evening?"

"Yes, I knew that was coming."

Alan's voice was scarcely audible.

" In all probability you will be asked that question
by the Commissaire. Well?"

"I was in Mentone."

"Whereabouts in Mentone?"

"Walking along the front."

" Did you spend the whole evening doing that? "

"I " Alan broke off as he saw Gerry coming

towards them.

"Father, M. Peille wants to speak to you on the
phone."

"Very well, my dear. Stay here and entertain
Mr. Berwick until I come back," Crow said as he
got up. He went across the terrace and into the
Pension.

"M. Crow? Ah! I apologise if I derange you,"
said the Commissaire, "but I thought that you would
like to know that, at your daughter's suggestion, we
took the finger-prints of M. Berwick this evening
and find that one of them corresponds with the print
which Mademoiselle found on the library window at
the Villa Gloria."

" That is most interesting, M. Peille," said Martin
Crow. "I happen to have been conversing with
that gentleman for the last twenty minutes in the

AN EAVESDROPPER 175

garden. May I venture to ask what you make of
your discovery?"

"For the moment I make nothing. I think that
he may be able to explain the presence of his finger-
print on the window. Having been a visitor at the
Villa he "

"That is where you are supposing too much,
M. Peille," said Crow. "He was not a visitor there
until after the tragedy."

"But ?"

"I know. I have been discussing it with him.
He was not approved of by Mile. Maguire."

"Mon Dieu! But this becomes interesting. I
shall ask him to call at my office in the morning
and I shall put a few questions to him. I shall
want an account of his movements last Tuesday
evening."

"As a matter of fact I have just been asking him
what he was doing then."

"And his answer was satisfactory?"

"Quite satisfactory if he was telling the truth."

"He has left you?"

"No, he is still in the garden, talking to my
daughter."

"Ah, your daughter! She is sharp. She seems to
suspect that young man. Do you agree with her in
that respect, M. Crow?"

"At the moment I am not prepared to answer
that question, M. Peille. "In half an hour's time
I might be able to do so."

176 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Perhaps you will let me know to-morrow what
you decide?"

"I will come and see you some time during the
day."

Martin Crow returned to the garden and found
Gerry and Alan looking over the garden hedge
beyond which the ground sloped precipitously down
to the station.

"We have been trying to hit that Agave tree
with these pebbles," Gerry announced as her father
joined them.

"And who won?" asked Crow.

"Neither of us succeeded in hitting it at all,"
Gerry confessed. "Are you going on talking now
or are you coming over to us, Father?" she asked.

"We will come in a few minutes, my dear. There
is something that I wish to ask Mr. Berwick." Crow
waited until Gerry had joined Alison and Stephen
Chart in the arbour, then he turned to Alan. "I
have just been talking to the Commissaire on the
telephone," he said, "and he tells me that your
finger-print corresponds with one which was found
on the library window at the Villa Gloria."

"Oh my God!"

For several minutes neither of them spoke. Alan
Berwick dropped into a chair and sat gazing at his
hands which were tightly clasped between his knees.
Crow watched him for some while and then said,

"Well? Is there any explanation that you'd like
to give me. The Commissaire will be sending for

AN EAVESDROPPER 177

you to-morrow. I think perhaps you will find it
easier to talk to me than to him."

A couple of minutes passed before Alan Berwick
sat upright and looked straight at Crow.

"All right, I'll tell you, and I'm sorry I didn't
do so before you got that message about the finger-
print. I don't suppose you'll believe a damned thing
that I say now; but that can't be helped. All the
same, I swear that what I'm going to tell you is
true. You were quite right, Mr. Crow. I came down
here to see Coral and discuss the possibilities of
marrying. She was ready enough, but I haven't the
means to keep a wife, at least not in any sort of style,
and I knew jolly well that it would be just madness
to run off with her and get nothing out of the aunt."

"To be perfectly frank, Berwick, you wanted to
marry Coral Trent provided she could bring you a
comfortable income, and not otherwise?"

"I wasn't going to marry her if it meant keeping
her on my present income. Now, when I came down
here first, I knew that it would only be asking for
trouble if I showed myself to Miss Maguire, so we
hit upon the plan of meeting occasionally on the
lower terrace. On Sunday night Coral told me that
Michael Maguire was coming the next day and
that he was going to be told that he was to marry
her. The next night, instead of waiting about
for Coral down by the railway line I went up to the
villa and peered in through the library window."

"Why did you do that?"

178 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Coral had said that her aunt would be tackling
Michael about the marriage, and I wanted to hear
what they were saying. I thought I might hear
something that would help my own case. The window
was open and they were fairly going for each other,
and I heard Miss Maguire say that he must think
it over and come to a final decision by the following
evening. So I turned up again at the same time on
Tuesday. I had meant to get there a bit earlier, but
a fellow kept me talking at the place where I'm
staying. It must have been about half past ten when
I looked through the open window and got the
shock of my life. I saw Miss Maguire leaning back
in her chair with a ghastly wound on the side of her
head. Michael was standing at her side and the
butler was just coming in at the door. "I heard him
say 'My God, what's happened?', and then he came
across to the window where I was standing. Of
course I cleared off as fast as I could."

"What did you imagine had happened?".

"Why, that Maguire had killed his aunt, of
course."

"You volunteered no information to the police?"

"No, I thought it best to keep quiet."

"Did you see anyone in the garden as you came
up to the villa?"

"No. I met a man on the path which runs parallel
with the railway line."

"What sort of man?"

"I couldn't see. It was pretty dark."

AN EAVESDROPPER 179

"Which way was he going?"

" In the direction from which I had come. Towards
the station."

"Did you imagine that he had come out of the
villa garden?"

"I didn't think anything about him at the time."

"But afterwards, when you knew what had
happened?"

"No, I didn't give him another thought until
just now."

"You said the window was open, on Tuesday
night, when you were looking into the room?"

"Yes."

"Are you absolutely certain about that?"

"Of course I am. I don't suppose I should have
heard what the butler said if it had been closed."

"Do you know how much it was open?"

"Not more than a couple of inches."

"Were the curtains drawn?"

"Yes, but not right across. There was just a small
space through which I could see. Miss Maguire,
Michael and the door, where the butler was standing,
were almost dead in line. I swear that's the truth,
every damned word of it. D'you believe it?"

"Something that you have just said certainly
confirms one of my theories pretty neatly," replied
Crow, thoughtfully.

"But can you make the Commissaire believe it?"
Alan seemed to take it for granted that his story was
believed by Crow.

l8o CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"I cannot answer for what he may think. It is
quite likely that he will send for you in the morning
and will ask you if you are right or left-handed. If
he does I advise you to answer truthfully."

"What are you getting at?" Alan had become
suddenly apprehensive.

"When I saw him this morning I told him that,
in my opinion, Miss Maguire was struck down by
a left-handed man."

"My God!"

For several seconds Alan sat with his face covered
by his hands, then he sprang to his feet.

"I believe you've been setting that blasted Com-
missaire on to me, just because you want to get
Maguire free, you old devil!" he cried. "How the
hell did you know that I was left-handed." His
tone was threatening.

"I saw you just now trying to hit that Agave
with a pebble."

"God! So that's why your daughter made herself
so damned pleasant while you were telephoning,
and suggested trying to hit the blasted thing. It
was a plot! Yes, a dirty, mean plot to catch me.
What a cursed fool I was to think that you might
help me, you snivelling old spy. To hell with you!"

The three people sitting in the arbour heard the
last remark and saw Alan Berwick rush across the
garden and go out by the side gate.

"What's been happening?" Gerry asked as her
father joined them. Martin Crow sat down.

AN EAVESDROPPER l8l

"Our young friend was rather upset when he
realised that you had laid a little trap in order to
discover which hand he used habitually."

"Yes, I suspected it, and was determined to make
sure. Now, perhaps, you can persuade M. Peille
to arrest him and set Michael free."

"Arrest him on a charge of murdering Miss
Maguire?"

"Of course."

"I'm afraid you are being rather precipitate, my
dear," Crow replied. "I admit that your suspicions
about him may be considerably strengthened, but
he is not the only person who demands our close
attention."

"Yes, I know, Father, you can't help thinking
that Boughton had a hand in it, but what could he
have possibly gained by "

Once more their conversation was interrupted;
by Mile. Antoinette, who came into the garden from
the path leading up from the station.

"Bon soir, messieurs, bon soir, mademoiselles,"
she said as she approached. After an exchange of
a few commonplace remarks about the warm evening,
the moon and the starlit sky, the French girl went
up to Martin Crow and, lowering her voice to a
whisper, said,

"As I came up from posting a letter down there
I saw someone crouching down against the wall.
I think he must have been trying to hear what you
were talking about."

182 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

Crow got up.

"Thank you, Mademoiselle," he said, speaking
French. "I will go upstairs and see if I can find it
for you." Then he whispered in Gerry's ear, "Talk
about our visitor and Peille. I shall be back in a few
minutes."

Gerry started to talk about Alan Berwick's visit,
and of her meeting with the Commissaire that
evening. Presently they heard scurrying footsteps
on the path below, and a few moments later Martin
Crow entered the garden by the same gate which
Mile. Antoinette had come in by a short while
previously.

"Did you see anyone, Mr. Crow?" Alison asked,
eagerly.

"Yes, as Mademoiselle told us, a man."

"Who was it?" Gerry asked.

"I went through the house, out by the top gate
and down the upper path. I saw him quite distinctly
as I turned the corner, but he bolted directly he
spotted me. Unless I was very much mistaken it
was our friend, Boughton."

CHAPTER XVI

DANGER FOR MARTIN CROW

MARTIN CROW was in a taciturn mood after
his discovery of the butler from the Villa
Gloria on the path outside the Pension garden and
would answer none of the questions which were so
eagerly asked.

"If I appear to be unsociable and uncommunica-
tive I must crave your indulgence," he said with
his genial smile. "I think that I shall take a little
stroll alone if you will all excuse me. No doubt you
will have gone to bed by the time that I return, so
I will say good night."

Gerry watched her father as he walked across the
garden with his hands clasped behind his back, and
his head lowered.

"He thinks that he has made an important dis-
covery," she said, as soon as he had disappeared.
"I know that silent mood of his so well."

"Do you think that he is going up to the villa to
tackle the butler?" Stephen Chart asked.

"Possibly, but it is more likely that he is going
for a walk. He always does that when he wants to con-
centrate upon some point. I think that Alan Berwick
has given him a good deal to think about."

183

184 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

Martin Crow paused when he reached the road
by the electrician's shop and looked at his old-
fashioned watch. It was half past nine. Where
should he go first? To the little Bar-Restaurant
next to the English tea-rooms, or to Mme. Imbert's,
down by the station? At which would he be most
likely to learn something about Miss Maguire's
butler? After a few moments he decided to visit
the former first, and ten minutes later he entered
the bar and asked for a glass of vin du pays.

Three or four working men were standing round
the counter discussing a Boule match which their
club was playing on the following Sunday. They
were talking Italian, or rather a mixture of Italian,
Monegasque and French, and Crow had some
difficulty in understanding them. For some while
he listened in silence and then, after making one or
two casual observations on the game, asked them all
to drink with him.

The invitation was readily accepted, and before
very long Crow succeeded in steering the conversa-
tion to the affaire of the Villa Gloria. Yes, indeed,
it was a sad business, they all agreed. Mile. Maguire
had always kept very much to herself, but she had
been a wealthy woman and had patronised the
local shops and had employed the people of the
quartier : in fact one of the men worked for her in
the garden and was now wondering what would
happen to his job.

Martin Crow talked round the subject and tried

DANGER FOR MARTIN CROW 185

to avoid asking direct questions. The gardener,
owing to his position at the villa, was regarded by
his friends as a person of considerable importance;
an authority on the crime, and he greatly assisted
Crow by replying readily, and at considerable length,
to any question which was put to him. No, he had
never set eyes on the accused, but had heard through
the cook that the young man had obviously killed
his aunt in order that he might become possessed
of her money and property. It was said that the
defunct woman's fortune amounted to nearly three
million francs. Well, that was a great temptation.
Yes, the servants were all terribly upset by the
tragedy, particularly the butler, who had been in
the service of Mademoiselle for several years. Of
course that was why he had not been seen in the bar
since the crime had been committed. Poor fellow;
he was too upset to come out and talk to people.
No, he talked very little French, but he could make
himself understood and was, indeed, an agreeable
acquaintance.

It did not seem to Martin Crow that the Bar du
Soleil would help him very much more, and after
standing the company another round of drinks he
bade them all good night and descended the hill
which passes the Pension Mireille and goes on to
the station. He crossed the Place Marius Otto and
went down the path to the Bar Imbert which was
deserted except for Mme. Imbert who sat at one of
the small tables writing a letter. Crow asked for a

l86 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

Cinzano a I'eau, seated himself at another table,
and made some obvious remark about the slackness
of the winter season on the Riviera. Mme. Imbert,
a plump, good-looking woman, shrugged her broad
shoulders and sighed.

"It is always the same now since the exchanges
have been so bad," she declared, plaintively. "The
Americans and the English no longer come to the Cote
d'Azur as they used to. They cannot afford it. It
is most unfortunate for those who depend upon the
winter visitors."

"It affects you, Madame?" Crow asked.

The woman shrugged again.

"Not so much as some," she admitted. "My
clients are chiefly people of the quartier, but owing
to the crise they naturally have less money to spend,
so it certainly makes a difference. You are not
English, Monsieur?"

"Do I appear to be English, Madame?"

She smiled and looked at Crow critically.

"I think you do, and yet from your speech you
must be French," she said.

"My mother was English," Crow told her truth-
fully. "I have many English friends, that is why
I am so interested in the terrible crime at the Villa
Gloria."

Mme. Imbert rolled her eyes heavenwards and
made a gesture with her plump hands which was
intended to express her horror.

"It is indeed terrible, as you say, Monsieur

DANGER FOR MARTIN CROW 187

Mademoiselle was rich and employed may of the
local people."

"What is the latest news of the case, Madame?"

"I have heard nothing to-day except what one
can read in the £claireur. I was expecting
Mademoiselle's butler to come in, but he has not
been for several days."

"He comes here often, Madame?" Crow asked,
trying to subdue his increasing interest.

"I cannot say that he comes often, but he was
here with a friend several times last week."

"It would certainly be instructive to hear his views
on the affaire. What sort of a man is he? English?"

"Yes, and I should say that he was a proficient
maitre d'hotel. But I have not said more than a
few words to him. He did not understand much
French, and was always a good deal occupied with
talking to his friend."

"He was also English, I suppose?"

"They always spoke English together. The crime
interests Monsieur?"

"Such things always interest me, Madame. I
am an author and write les romans policiers."

"Ah, you write! Of course, you make a study of
character."

"Exactly. And what do you think really happened,
Madame? Do you think, with the police, that the
nephew killed his aunt?"

"How can one tell, Monsieur? I understand that
the young man was found standing over the dead

l88 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

woman with a blood-stained candle-stick in his hand,
and his clothes smothered with blood. And I have
heard it said that his pockets were crammed with
money which he had stolen from Mademoiselle's safe."

"Is that so?" asked Crow, ingenuously. "The
evidence appears to be conclusive."

"Of course he will not have to pay the penalty
with his life."

"You think not?"

"But no. He will employ a clever avocat who
will show that the aunt goaded him into killing her.
Our laws are reasonable and humane, Monsieur."

"And you have not seen the butler since it
happened?"

"No, he has not been here since . . . now
when was it? Yes, it was on Monday night that
his friend came in at half past nine and ordered an
omelette and a bottle of wine, and at ten, or a little
after, he was joined by the butler. They were
sitting at that table where you are now and did not
depart until nearly midnight."

"They had much to talk about," suggested Crow.

"Yes, they were much occupied about something,
but of course I could not understand what they were
saying. I heard them mention the villa several times,
and before they left the butler came across to the
counter and asked me if I could let him see a time-
table for the trains. You do not think, Monsieur,
that they had anything to do with the crime?"
asked Mme. Imbert with a look of horror.

DANGER FOR MARTIN CROW 189

"I am a stranger here, Madame, and know nothing
of the case," Crow answered. "From what you
tell me it seems that the police have plenty of evidence
against the nephew; so why should these fellows
have been concerned."

"I just wondered."

"What was the butler's friend like?"

"A man of fifty, or perhaps fifty-five. He had
reddish hair and was well-dressed."

"And his manner, Madame?" asked Crow, not
caring if he appeared to be eager for information.

"That is not easy to say, Monsieur, for he scarcely
spoke to me, except to order his dinner and his
drink."

"You could not judge by his conversation with
his friend, the butler?"

"But no, Monsieur. I understand no English.
They both seemed to be greatly concerned about
something, and I remarked that it was the butler
who did most of the talking. The other appeared
to be worried. It is possible that he was being
persuaded to do something. When they were con-
sulting the time-table I heard them mention Marseille ;
and there was another name which I did not under-
stand. What do you say for La Corse, in English?"

"Corsica."

"Yes, that was it. I heard that name several
times."

"You think that the friend was going there,
Madame?"

CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"How can I say. I heard the name, but I could
not understand what they were talking about."

"Well, well, it is a sad business for the young
man, especially if there is any reason for the sug-
gestion that his aunt irritated him, and made him
in such a fury that he did not know what he was doing."

"Indeed it is very sad," agreed Mme. Imbert,
shaking her head, mournfully. "Monsieur will
excuse me a little moment?"

She got up and went across to the counter to serve
a working man who had slouched into the bar and
demanded a vin rouge. Martin Crow drained his
glass and, as soon as the newcomer had been served,
paid for his drink and departed. He walked down
the hill and, crossing over the railway bridge, walked
as far as the entrance to the Case del Mare where he
stood for some while, leaning over the wall and
staring across the bay towards the Cap.

If anyone could have seen him it might have been
noticed that a faint smile played round the corners
of his mouth. He was well satisfied with his evening's
work, for he had obtained a quantity of corroborative
evidence which was likely to be of the greatest import-
ance. At last he had several facts upon which he could
work and which, he hoped, would impress M. Peille.

After a quarter of an hour's meditation Martin
Crow turned away from his contemplation of the
Mediterranean and began to ascend the hill. He
had reached the Place Marius Otto and was about
to enter the Pension garden when something whistled

DANGER FOR MARTIN CROW 191

past his ear and struck one of the pepper trees at
his side. Being human, and valuing his life, he did
not turn in the direction from which the shot
had, supposedly, been fired — as most detectives in
fiction are supposed to do — but bent down and hurried
down the drive. A second shot was aimed at him
before he reached the shelter of the porch unharmed.

In the hall of the Pension Crow encountered
Mme. Ribaud.

"Ah, it is M. Crow. You have news from the
Villa Gloria?" she asked.

"I regret to say that I have none," he replied, still
a little out of breath from his run down the drive.

"The young man is still at Nice, Monsieur?"

"Yes, and I am afraid that he may be there for
some while."

"But you will surely prove his innocence?"

"Of that I have no doubt, Madame, but it must,
of necessity take time."

"I believe, Monsieur "

Mme. Ribaud got no further for at that moment
the front door opened and Alison entered, followed
by Gerry and Stephen Chart.

"Was that you who walked up the hill in front of
us?" Alison asked.

"I expect it was, my dear, I have only just come
in. Why?"

"We whistled to you," Gerry explained, "but
you wouldn't have anything to do with us. We
didn't see why we should be chivied off to bed like

192 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

a lot of naughty children, so we went for a walk down
to the further plage. What have you been doing?"

Martin Crow took his daughter's arm and smiled.

"I have been talking to some of the local
inhabitants," he told her. "Did you see anyone
while you were out?"

"We saw Alan Berwick scuttling across the Place
as we came up the hill. Didn't he pass you?"

"Alan Berwick?" Crow repeated in a questioning
tone. "No, I didn't see him."

" He must have been just by the gate as you came in,"

"Well, I suppose I was too much occupied with
my thoughts to notice anyone," Crow said. "Good
night, Alison, my dear. I have learnt quite a lot
to-day, you will be glad to know, and I feel that
we have made headway. I really think that it will
not be very long before I shall be able to persuade
M. Peille to liberate your Michael, at least on parole,
if not unconditionally."

"You really think so, Mr. Crow? How soon?"

"I cannot possibly tell you how soon. I am
contemplating paying a visit to London, leaving here
to-morrow. I shall probably be away five or six days,
but I sincerely hope that when I return I shall be
in a position to demand Michael's release."

"Five or six days!" exclaimed Alison, almost in
tears. "Do you mean to say that there is no chance
of his getting out before then?"

Martin Crow went up to her and patted her hand
in his old-fashioned, fatherly manner.

DANGER FOR MARTIN CROW 193

"It must seem a terribly long time to you, my
dear," he said, "and you must be prepared for it
being even longer than that. I shall be seeing M.
Peille early in the morning and I will try to arrange
for you and Gerry to go over each day, or every other
day, to see Michael. You are going to-morrow in
any case."

" I'm sorry if I seem to be very stupid, but minutes
seem like hours, and hours like days."

"I know. I can sympathise with you. However,
you may rest well assured that I shall not stay away
one moment longer than is necessary, and all the
time I shall be working for his release."

"Perhaps you would give me a call at my office
and let me know how you are progressing, or ring
me up?" suggested Stephen Chart.

"Of course I will. When do you expect to be back
in London?" Crow asked.

"The funeral is on Monday morning and I shall
try to get away in the afternoon."

"Then you may see me on Wednesday. And now
I think it is time for bed." When they were upstairs
Martin Crow called Gerry into his room. "Sit down,
my dear," he said. "I have a good deal to say to
you. This case has some very remarkable aspects.
You and I have been working on different lines, and
if we laid our views on the table, so to speak, I think
it is probable that there might not be much to choose
between them when the weight of evidence was
carefully considered."

194 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"You mean that my case is against Alan Berwick
and yours against the butler?" asked Gerry.

"Precisely. Now, the two cases stand, briefly,
as follows. Alan and Coral wanted to marry and
were opposed by Miss Maguire; therefore they both
had a reason for desiring her death. Whether the
fellow has any real affection for Miss Trent, or is
merely after the money which she will inherit, I
cannot say; and it does not materially affect us.
On his own admission he was in the villa garden at
about the time when the murder was committed;
and being left-handed my theory of a left-handed
blow is supported, if we regard him as the possible
murderer. His lies about being ordered to the South
of France for his health might be taken negatively,
or as evidence against him. There remain two
outstanding questions: Why should he have des-
troyed the wills; and who planted the five mille
notes in Michael Maguire's suit-case ? If we suspect
Alan I think that we must also suspect Coral, at
least of being an accessory."

"But why?"

"I do not feel that he would have committed such
a crime on his own initiative, if at all. But he might
have been coerced into doing it. However, the points
about the wills and the notes are really of minor
consideration. The wills might have been destroyed
in order to create confusion; and as we agreed before
about the notes, Coral may have intended hiding
them somewhere in Michael's room."

DANGER FOR MARTIN CROW 195

"That sounds straightforward enough," Gerry
admitted.

"Now let us consider Boughton," Crow went
on. "In my opinion our evidence is really stronger
against him than against Alan, although I admit
that for the present we are without a motive. But let
us forget that for a moment and consider the evidence
which we have against him. He declared that the
library windows were closed and fastened when he
looked at them immediately after the murder, and
Alan Berwick says that one was open. Now, either
might have been lying, but it was in Alan's interest
to say that it was closed and fastened. Then
there was a little incident which was scarcely noticed
at the time, just before Mr. Chart announced the
terms of the will. I was convinced that someone
was listening in the next room; and our experience
this evening with the eavesdropper whom Mile.
Antoinette and I both saw, confirms my suspicion
that it was Boughton whom I heard in the salon
that afternoon. Again, when I was coming in at
the gate just now someone fired a shot at me from a
silenced gun and "

"Father! Why didn't you tell me that be-
fore?"

Martin Crow smiled.

"It was certainly a little disconcerting at the
moment, but I am hoping that the rather foolish
attempt on my life may prove helpful to us. The
bullet struck one of the pepper trees and I am

196 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

hoping to extract it in the morning. It may be
most useful evidence to M. Peille."

"You think it was Boughton who fired the shot?"

"You, of course, suspect Alan Berwick."

"He must have been just there when you entered."

" Well, you may be right. It ought not to be difficult

for M. Peille to find out if either of them possesses

a gun which fired that bullet. That brings me to

another point. I am not altogether happy about

leaving you two girls, but I shall take the precaution

of demanding protection from the police. They will

watch both Boughton and Berwick during my

absence, and I shall ask the Commissaire to put

someone on to guard you and Alison. I did not

say anything about my little adventure before Alison

because I did not wish to alarm her."

"And why are you going to London to-morrow,
Father?"

"To see what I can discover about the past history
of Boughton. I start with the useful knowledge
that he and Charles Carthew are acquainted."

" How did you learn that ? " Crow told his daughter
about his conversation with Mme. Imbert. "Father,
I believe you may be right about the butler after
all. Do you think now that Boughton, Carthew and
Alan may have all been in it?"

"I don't know, my dear. Perhaps they were.
Now I will say good night. I want to be up early
in the morning."

CHAPTER XVII

SURPRISES FOR M. PEILLE

ON jour, M. Crow, I trust that you find yourself
well this morning," said the Commissaire,
warmly, as his visitor was shown into the room. "I
do not think you have met M. Robin, the Examining
Magistrate, who is investigating the Villa Gloria
case."

Martin Crow shook hands with both men and
seated himself in a chair which the Commissaire
had drawn up for him.

"I am glad to say that I find myself very well,
M. Peille, thanks to the uncertain aim of a would-be
assassin."

"But what is this you say?" exclaimed the Com-
missaire. "You do not mean to tell us that someone
has made an attempt against your life."

"That is exactly what I do mean," replied Crow
as he held out his left hand, revealing a small, round
object lying in the palm. "And if you can find the
gun from which that bullet was fired you will be
very near to finding Mile. Maguire's murderer."

The Commissaire and the Examining Magistrate
exchanged perplexed glances. The former took the
bullet from Crow's hand and scrutinised it closely.
197

198 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"But this is incredible," he said. "When did this
happen?"

"Last night."

"Where?"

"At the gate of the Pension Mireille on the
Place Marius Otto." Crow described exactly what
had taken place.

"You do not know who fired the shot?"

"I have my suspicions, M. Peille, but before I
tell you anything more about that I shall be grateful
if you would be so kind as to do something for me,
something which is rather urgent."

The Commissaire was not feeling at all happy
about his case against Michael Maguire. He was
beginning to realise that there was more in it than he
had at first imagined, and he had no wish to run the
risk of continuing along the wrong path if Crow could
set him right.

"I and my colleagues are entirely at your service,"
he said, avoiding the disapproving look from the
Examining Magistrate who greatly resented Crow's
interference in what he considered to be a perfectly
obvious and straightforward case. M. Robin was
a weedy, shabby little man, with an unhealthy,
yellow skin, and teeth and fingers which were deeply
stained with nicotine.

"I am leaving for London to-day by the Blue
Train," Crow explained, "and I should like to take
with me a photograph of Ernest Boughton's finger-
prints, also his passport."

SURPRISES FOR M. PEILLE 199

"Ah, you suspect that fellow of being concerned
with the murder of Mile. Maguire?" demanded the
Magistrate, challengingly.

Martin Crow smiled complacently at the little
man.

"I wish to discover all I can of that man's history,"
he replied. "You have his passport here, M. Peille?"

"No, but I will ring up the Brigadier and ask
him to demand it," replied the Commissaire as he
took up the telephone receiver.

"One moment, please, M. Peille," said Crow.
"I consider it to be of the greatest importance that
Boughton should not be given further cause for
thinking that he is suspected, and "

"He thinks that already?"

"I believe so — I will explain all that later —
may I suggest, therefore, that the Brigadier goes to
the Villa Gloria and asks Mile. Trent to hand him
the papers of everyone there."

"Yes, yes, he can do that," agreed the
Commissaire.

"And may I further suggest, M. Peille, that both
Boughton and Alan Berwick are kept under close
observation, and that you take steps to ensure
the safety of my daughter, Mile. Beamish and
M. Chart?"

"Mon Dieu! You think that they are in danger?"

"I think that it is most necessary that you should
take every precaution, M. Peille. If someone had
been a better marksman you would possibly have

200 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

been investigating my assassination this morning.
You do not want to run the risk of another attempt
upon someone else?"

"But no. I realise that this is serious," replied
the Commissaire. He gave a number and during
the next few minutes carried on a rapid conversation
with the Brigadier at Roquebrune. "The papers
of Boughton will be delivered here by midday,"
he said when he had finished, "and men are being
detailed to protect the two ladies and M. Chart;
and others will watch Boughton and Berwick.
But now, M. Crow, we are anxious to hear all your
news. Please tell us exactly what is in your mind.
Whom do you suspect?"

"There are two people, M. Peille, who might have
wished to put me quietly out of the way. One is
Boughton whom I had caught, an hour previous to
the shooting incident, trying to overhear our con-
versation in the Pension garden; and the other is
Alan Berwick who, I discovered last night, is left-
handed."

"Ah yes, M. Berwick! Of course, he was visiting
you when we conversed on the telephone. You
asked him to explain why his finger-print had been
found on the library window?"

Crow related briefly all that Alan Berwick had
said when he had been questioned. "You notice
something of special significance there," he concluded.

' ' You mean that according to him the library window
was open, and according to the butler it was closed ?"

SURPRISES FOR M. PEILLE 2O1

"Exactly."

"Have you any reason for believing him more
than you believe Boughton?" asked the Magistrate
as he began to roll a cigarette.

"Yes, I have," Crow replied. "It would have
been in Berwick's interest if he had said that the
window was closed."

"Then why should Boughton have said it was
closed and fastened if it was, in fact, open?" asked
the Commissaire.

"I assume that he had some good reason for
wishing to make it appear that no one could have
entered the room from the terrace, and that he
closed the window when he went across the room a
few seconds after he had entered."

"Tell me, frankly, M. Crow, is it in your mind
that that man committed the murder?"

"No, M. Peille, it is not. As I have already told
you, I am convinced that the blow was struck by
a man who used his left hand — a straight, perfectly
judged blow which fell in exactly the right spot —
and I have good reason for supposing that Boughton
is right-handed and does things clumsily with his
left."

"You think it possible that the actual blow was
struck by Berwick, and that he was assisted by
Boughton?" asked M. Peille.

"That is a view which my daughter is inclined
to take," Crow replied, "and at the moment I am
not prepared to offer an opinion on that point.

202 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

Berwick is, without question, left-handed, but I
do not think that he would have the nerve to take a
hook from the gullet of a struggling fish."

The Examining Magistrate coughed, as if to call
attention to the fact that he was present.

"I think, M. le Commissaire," he said, "that our
friend here is confusing this simple case by intro-
ducing his far-fetched theory about the left-handed
blow. Personally I do not think that anyone could
possibly decide that point, either way. The report
of Dr. Journet, which you showed me this morning,
practically confirms my view."

M. Peille drummed his fingers on the edge of
his desk.

"I must admit that I agree with you on that point,
M. Robin," he said after a short pause, "but we
must not forget that M. Crow has brought to light
several facts which cannot be ignored; therefore,
in spite of my own opinion, and yours, I do not feel
disposed to dismiss, altogether, his left-handed
blow theory. It may be right. You do not think
that it was Berwick who fired the shot at you, M.
Crow?"

"Frankly I do not, although my daughter saw him
near the Pension gate a few seconds after the shot
was fired."

"And yet you are inclined to think that it was the
butler?"

"Yes."

"You must have some good reason for suspecting

SURPRISES FOR M. PEILLE 203

him," said the Examining Magistrate, whose lighted
cigarette was adding to the rich bronze colour of his
first and second fingers.

"Yes, M. Robin, I have very good reasons indeed,"
Crow replied, sharply. "Everything that I hear
about Ernest Boughton increases my suspicions
against him. Last night I visited two of the Cafe-
Bars in the quartier and at one of them learnt that
he had been there two or three times last week, and
as recently as last Monday night, in the company
of an Englishman whose description suggests to
me that he was the individual whom I asked the
Commissaire to trace, Charles Carthew."

"But this is interesting, M. Crow!" exclaimed
M. Peille.

"You have heard nothing from your enquiries
about Carthew?"

"Nothing, M. Crow. In so short a time it has
hardly been possible to visit all the small hotels and
pensions where he may have been staying."

"Now you will understand why I am anxious to
know more about the butler."

"But yes, you have reason, M. Crow. I compre-
hend the line you are taking."

"Then while I am in England, M. Peille, perhaps
you will continue your efforts to trace that man
Carthew. He and Boughton were, apparently,
greatly concerned about something when they were
talking together in the Bar Imbert on Monday
night. Before they left Boughton asked Madame for

204 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

a railway time-table which must have been required
for Charles Carthew, and I am hoping that enquiries
made at the railway stations along the coast may
result in your discovering his whereabouts. It is
more than likely that he took the last train that night
to Marseilles, and from there crossed over to Corsica."

"Corsica!" exclaimed the Commissaire. "But
why should he have gone there?"

"I cannot tell you, but the island was mentioned
several times in the hearing of Mme. Imbert."

"Well, it is just possible that he may be able
to tell us something, M. Crow, and, in deference to
your wishes, I will see what can be done. We will
start by making enquiries at the railway stations in
this region and then we will ask the police at
Marseilles and Ventimiglia to assist us."

Martin Crow stood up.

"Thank you, M. Peille," he said. "Then I shall
return at midday for the papers and the photographs.
May I remind you that Mile. Beamish will be
coming to see M. Maguire this afternoon?"

"Yes, yes, of course. I have not forgotten. Until
midday, then."

CHAPTER XVIII

MARTIN CROW MAKES DISCOVERIES

WITHIN an hour of his arrival in London
Martin Crow was being shown into the com-
fortably furnished room of his old friend, Sir Edward
Berring, the Assistant Commissioner at Scotland
Yard.

"What, back from the sunny south already?"
exclaimed Sir Edward as they shook hands. He was
a tall, straight man, with a short grey moustache,
keen, blue eyes, and a light-hearted manner. He wore
a monocle.

"For a few days only," replied Crow, as he dropped
into an easy chair and stretched out his long legs
towards the blazing fire. It was a cold, boisterous
day, and heavy sleet was driving across the Embank-
ment, almost entirely obliterating the view of the
river. "I want your assistance, my dear fellow."

"A case?" Martin Crow nodded. "I thought
you were taking a month's holiday by Gerry's orders,
and under her supervision?"

Crow chuckled.

"I thought so, too, but we tumbled right on top
of a murder which simply defied us to stand by and
do nothing, so my holiday came to an abrupt end,

205

206 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

as you can well imagine. I dare say you have seen
something about it in the papers; the 'affaire of
the Villa Gloria'?"

"Yes, I was reading about it last night: an
elderly English woman done to death by a nephew,
or something of the sort, wasn't it?"

"Let us say — 'supposed by the French police to
have been murdered by the nephew' — and then
you've got it," said Crow.

"From which I can conclude that you are working
for the young man?" Crow nodded again. "Well,
Martin, how can we help you here?"

Crow outlined the case, and then took a large
envelope from his pocket.

"I want you to look through your files and see if
you can place these," he said, handing the photo-
graphs of Boughton's finger-prints to his friend.
"I must tell you that I have no reason for supposing
that the fellow's been through your hands, but there's
the chance that he has, and if you have a record
of him it may go a very long way towards helping
me to secure the speedy release of the accused."

"Whose are these?" asked the Assistant Com-
missioner, as he looked at the photographs.

"The butler's at the Villa Gloria. A man named
Ernest Boughton."

Sir Edward touched a bell on his desk and after
a few moments it was answered by a girl.

"I want you to take these at once to Chief-
Inspector Epping," he said, handing her the envelope.

CROW MAKES DISCOVERIES 2OJ

"Please ask him to search the files and let me have a
report as soon as possible."

"Very good, Sir Edward."

The girl went noiselessly from the room.

" I suppose you are in a hurry for the information ? "
Sir Edward asked as he lighted a cigarette and leant
back in his swivel chair.

"As far as I, personally, am concerned, there
is no immediate hurry," Crow replied, "but I should
like to get young Maguire free as soon as possible.
I don't imagine that it is particularly pleasant being
shut up in a prison cell at Nice. It's beginning to
get warm down there."

"Perpetual sunshine, I suppose," said Sir Edward
as he glanced towards the window.

"More or less."

"You're a lucky devil, Martin. I'd give anything
to be able to drop down to the Riviera for two or
three weeks. We've had nothing but rain and sleet
for the last month, and it's been damnably cold."

Martin Crow smiled.

"And it wouldn't trouble me at all if I knew that I
wasn't going back," he said. "It's all very delightful
in its way; flowers, sunshine, and meals cooked with
imagination, but there's a good deal to be said for
the comforts of one's own home, whatever the weather
may be outside. And as you know, I'm never happier
than when I'm working hard."

"You'd better come and try my job, if you want
hard work."

208 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Get along with you, you old fraud," laughed
Crow, "I believe you've got one of the softest jobs
in London. Are they keeping you on the run?"

"There's always someone ready to worry us. At
the moment we are chiefly concerned with a couple
of front page murders, and a gang of International
jewel thieves who are making a damned nuisance
of themselves. I "

The telephone on Sir Edward's desk buzzed
and as he began to converse with someone Crow
stood up.

"When are you likely to have any news for me?"
the latter asked as the Assistant Commissioner put
down the receiver.

" I think if you come along sometime in the morning
we ought to have something for you. When are you
returning to Roquebrune?"

"As soon as I have learnt all there is to know
about this man Boughton, and made a few enquiries
about another fellow in the Midlands."

"How about dining with us one evening?"

"There is nothing that I'd like better, my dear
Edward, but I'd sooner not tie myself just at the
moment. I might be anywhere in the British Isles
at this hour to-morrow."

"Let us leave it open and you can ring me up if
you see a free evening ahead of you," said Sir Edward
as they parted at the door.

When Martin Crow reached the street he turned
up his coat collar and thrust his hands into his pockets

CROW MAKES DISCOVERIES 2OQ

— he never carried an umbrella — and walked across
Parliament Square to the Passport Office where he
showed Boughton's passport to an official, with
whom he had had previous dealings, and asked if
he might be supplied with all particulars relating
to its issue. He told the man that he would call
again the next day, and then faced the wind and the
sleet once more. Outside the Abbey he hailed a
taxi and drove to his home in King's Bench
Walk.

Crow and his daughter lived on the top floor of
a house at the lower end of the row, and the floor
below was given up to their offices which they
occupied with Miss Lane, Crow's secretary, and
two girl typists. One of the rooms on this floor
was known as "the library" and, besides containing
many bound volumes dealing with crime, it housed
a record, in the form of carefully indexed newspaper
reports, of all the principal trials which had taken
place during the last twenty-five years. Many of
these reports had been cut from Continental papers
and related to crimes committed in almost every
part of the world. Crow was very proud of his
collection.

"Mr. Lomax is waiting to see you, Mr. Crow,"
said Miss Lane as her employer entered the office.
She was an efficient, prim little person who had a
deep affection for Crow and had already given him
a warm welcome when he had first arrived from
the train a couple of hours previously.

CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

" It doesn't take you long to do a job, my dear,"
Crow remarked, as he passed into his own room.

Miss Lane did not permit herself to show her
appreciation of his compliment.

"He did not happen to be far away," she replied.

"At the Boar's Head, I suppose?"

"Yes. Will you see him at once?"

"Please."

Crow went across the room and stood looking out
of the window until he heard a voice behind him.

"Afternoon, Mr. Crow," said a seedy, cross-eyed
little man who was running his hand nervously over
his close-cropped head. "Miss Lane seems to think
you may have a job for me."

"Quite right, Lomax, I have. Sit down and light
up if you want to. Can you get away for two or three
days?"

"For as long as you like, Mr. Crow," replied
Henry Lomax as he sat down and began to fill his
pipe from a battered old tin. "Things are a bit
slack just now."

"I'm sorry to hear that for your sake," said Crow,
"and yet it happens to suit me very well just at the
moment. I want you to go to Church Mortimer
and see what you can learn about a young man named
Alan Berwick. You will probably find that his mother
is a person of some little importance in the district,
and himself a young man of some notoriety.
I suggest that you nose round the village and
pick up scraps of information from the villagers.

CROW MAKES DISCOVERIES 211

Try the local pub. Here's a fiver for you. I would
like you to get off to-night. As soon as you get hold
of anything go to some neighbouring village and,
without making mention of any names, except your
own, report to Miss Lane over the telephone. Perhaps
you had better ring her up to-morrow night in any
case. She may have some instructions for you."

"I understand, Mr. Crow. Do you want me to
work on the Q-T?"

"I don't much care how you work so long as you
learn something about Alan Berwick. You can ask
Miss Lane to look up the trains for you as you go out."

"Thank you, sir. Trust me. I'll find out anything
there is to be found out."

"I believe you will, Lomax. Well, good luck."

The seedy little man went out of the room and
Martin Crow took up a pencil and began to make
sketches on his blotter. It was Miss Lane's only
complaint against her employer that he ruined every
fresh sheet of blotting paper by drawing little men
and women, cats and dogs, horses and birds all over
them, both in pencil and ink. It was his usual
practice to do this when he was concentrating upon
some problem.

Yes, old Lomax would certainly not miss much,
Crow reflected. He was a keen fellow who had fallen
upon evil times. Once he had been a solicitor's
trusted head clerk, and would have been one to-day
if an unfortunate lapse had not landed him in jail
for five years. Now he eked out a precarious living

212 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

by doing such jobs as Crow had just given him.
Many an unfortunate respondent and co-respondent
in the Divorce Court had to thank Henry Lomax
for the position in which he found himself.

Martin Crow had thrown down his pencil and
was staring abstractedly at his drawings when there
came a knock at the door and Miss Lane entered.

"I have just received this report from Smithers,"
she said looking at her shorthand note-book. "Alan
Berwick was born in 1907, was educated at Winchester
and Oxford, read with Hugh Maters, was called in
'32, but does not appear to have made any attempt to
practise."

" Hm, much as I thought," murmured Crow. "Any
indication of where he lives?"

"He doesn't seem to have any permanent address
apart from his mother's place near Church Stretton."

"Also as I expected. Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Thank you. No doubt Lomax will discover
something more interesting. I told him to ring you
up directly he has anything to report."

"Very well, Mr. Crow."

The next morning Londoners revelled in bright
sunshine and Martin Crow enjoyed a walk along the
Embankment to Scotland Yard. The Assistant
Commissioner was engaged and Crow was compelled
to wait for half an hour before he was asked to go
along to Sir Edward's room.

CROW MAKES DISCOVERIES 213

"You've come just at the right moment, my dear
Martin," said Sir Edward who sat at his desk with
a typewritten report before him. "Sit down and
. . . oh no, I always forget that you don't smoke.
Well, I've just received this screed from Chief-
Inspector Epping and it seems that your man,
Boughton, is fairly well known here. His real
name appears to be Ernest Rayner. He was born
in London in 1885, and first came under our notice
in 1910 when he got five years for fraud. He served
in France during the war and made his next appear-
ance in our records in '27. For three years he had
been running a Bucket Shop of the most disreputable
kind with his brother, Charles, who disappeared
a week or two before warrants were issued for their
arrest. Ernest was put in the dock and got seven
years. He gained his full remission marks and has
not troubled us again. That seems to be all that
we know about him."

"Enough," said Crow, with satisfaction. "I seem
to have a faint recollection of the case which, if I
remember correctly, lasted for several days. You
have no idea of what happened to the brother."

" None. It is assumed that he got out of the country
and has remained out. I suppose you will be counting
on his being your other man, Charles . . . ?"

"Carthew. That is certainly what I am hoping,
although I have nothing more to go on but the name,"
Crow replied. " I take it that he is liable to be arrested
at any time if he shows up in England?"

214 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Undoubtedly."

"Can you give me the date when the trial
commenced?"

Sir Edward referred to the report.

"May 1 5th, 1927."

"Dear me, that is all vastly interesting, and I
am very much obliged to you, my dear Edward,"
said Crow as he got up. "I think I'll get back and
hunt up my Times reports. It is sure to be amongst
them."

"Yes, you should get plenty of useful details
from them," said the Assistant Commissioner.
"And don't forget that if there is anything more
you want to know we are at your disposal. Don't
be afraid to ask."

"I think it is more than likely that I may want
to worry you again before very long," Crow said,
as he took up his broad brimmed hat and squashed
it down on the top of his great head. "What a thing
it is to be well in with the mighty ones."

Sir Edward smiled.

"I might return the compliment, my dear Martin,"
he said. "I don't mind admitting that you have
saved our faces on more than one occasion. What a
thing it is to have a friendly ghost with brains at
one's shoulder."

"Rot, Edward. Rot! My brains are no brighter
than any others," replied Crow in his modest way.
"I frankly admit that I'm a lucky devil. Most of
my successes are due to a generous slice of luck."

CROW MAKES DISCOVERIES 215

"A lot depends upon knowing where to look for
the slice," replied the Assistant Commissioner,
as they parted.

Miss Lane produced the Times reports on the
trial of Ernest Rayner. As Crow thought, it had
occupied several days at the Old Bailey and the
prisoner had conducted his own defence. He had,
apparently, taken up an aggrieved attitude which
had at once created an adverse impression upon
both the judge and the jury. The two brothers,
Ernest and Charles, had been trading under the name
of E. & C. Lancing & Co., and had occupied offices
in Gray's Inn Road. From there they had circularised
a large number of people of small means and had
tempted them to part with their money by promising
quick and handsome profits, and absolute security
of capital. They had commenced their operations
by confining them to American Railways and similar
fluctuating securities; but as the business expanded
they were tempted to advise their clients to invest
their money in companies which did not exist. No
proper account had been kept and it was difficult
to estimate the extent of the fraud, but the prosecu-
tion declared that the Rayners, who had been poor
men when they were demobilised, had, for some
time, each been living at the rate of £1,000 or
£1,500 a year. Ernest had a house at Maidenhead
and Charles occupied a flat in South Kensington.

When he went into the witness-box Ernest Rayner

2l6 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

took full responsibility for the conduct of the business,
and said that his brother had been little more than
a sleeping partner, visiting the offices once or twice
a week. Under pressure, however, Ernest admitted
that Charles's attendances might sometimes have
amounted to three or four during a week. It was
obvious that he was trying to shield his brother.
Every effort was made to discover the whereabouts
of Charles, but counsel for the prosecution could
get nothing out of Ernest, on that point, beyond
a declaration that his brother had suddenly dis-
appeared and that he had not heard from him since.

When he had finished reading the reports Martin
Crow, entirely forgetful of the time, put on his hat
and walked along to the passport office, where he
was told that Ernest Boughton's passport appeared
to be in order; that it had been applied for through
one of the leading travel agencies; and that a Dr
Mason, of Church Mortimer, had vouched for the
identity of the applicant.

As he regained the street Crow stood for some
minutes watching the passing traffic and wondering
what he should do next. It was long past his usual
luncheon hour, but he did not think of that. He was
a little disappointed, having vaguely hoped that he
would have been told that the passport had been
forged. Such a discovery would, undoubtedly, have
impressed M. Peille and have induced him, perhaps,
to liberate Michael Maguire. Well, he could not have
it all his own way. The name of the doctor at Church

CROW MAKES DISCOVERIES

Mortimer was worth having. He would have to
make a journey to Shropshire, but he also wanted to
pay a visit to Maidenhead. Which demanded his
attention first? After a while he decided that he
would go to Maidenhead without delay, and, hailing
a taxi, he drove to Paddington where he found that
he would have to wait half an hour for a train.
Becoming conscious of an empty feeling he filled
in the time by visiting the refreshment room, where
he ate a couple of ham sandwiches and drank a
glass of milk.

CHAPTER XIX

MARTIN CROW VISITS MAIDENHEAD

A^ hour later Martin Crow was making enquiries
at Maidenhead for Ditton Lodge and was
directed to a medium-sized house standing in a
pleasant garden on the Windsor Road. A postman
who happened to be passing was questioned.

"Can you tell me if any of the people in these
houses were living here in 1926?" Crow asked the
man who lifted his hat and scratched his head,
meditatively.

"Living here in 1926," he repeated, dully.
"That's a goodish time ago."

"Eight years, to be exact. Was that before your
time here?"

"Lord bless you no. I've been doing this round
for the last eighteen years. Now, just let me think."

The postman scratched his head again and then
rubbed his chin.

"Yes," he said at length. "Unless I'm very much
mistaken, Mr. and Mrs. Potts was here then; in
fact they was one of the first to come here when those
houses was built."

"Where do they live?"

"The Laurels, just opposite. She breeds Pekes."
218

CROW VISITS MAIDENHEAD 219

"Breeds what?" asked Crow.

"Pekes. You know, them small dogs with curly
tails and faces what look as if they've been stood
on."

"I understand. Did you by any chance know Mr.
Rayner who used to live at Ditton Lodge?"

"What, the bloke what got run in for fraud?
Lord, yes, I knew him and a nice gentleman he
always seemed to be. Always gave me a bigger
Christmas box than anyone else. But you can
never tell, can you?"

"No, I suppose not," Crow agreed. "Thank you,
I am much obliged," and he slipped a shilling into
the man's hand.

The Laurels was a similar house to Ditton Lodge
and the two gardens were separated by a high laurel
hedge. Martin Crow walked up the drive and rang
the bell. Immediately there was an excited chorus
of yelping dogs, and when the door was opened half
a dozen of them swarmed round his legs.

"Good afternoon," he said to the plump, smiling
little man who wore a shabby plus-four suit and
gazed enquiringly at the visitor. "Are you Mr.
Potts?"

"Yes. Good afternoon." Crow imagined that he
was probably taken for a prospective Peke buyer.

"I must apologise for troubling you but I was
informed that you had been living here for a good
many years, and I am anxious to learn all I can about
a man named Ernest Rayner who "

220 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"What, old Ernie Rayner, of Ditton Lodge?
Well I'll be blowed. Fancy anyone wanting to know
anything about him now. I thought he was forgotten
and done with long ago. Come inside Mr. ?"

"My name is Crow."

"Come in, Mr. Crow, and we'll see what we can
tell you," said Mr. Potts as he held the door open.

Martin Crow entered a stuffy, heavily-furnished
hall and was shown into the dining-room. The six
pekinese scrambled in front of him and at once took
possession of all the comfortable chairs.

" Sit down, Mr. Crow, and make yourself at home.
What can I offer you to drink?"

"Nothing, thank you; I have only just had my
lunch."

"But you must have something. I'm going to
have a whisky and soda myself. Or would you
sooner have a glass of sherry?"

Martin Crow had no desire to drink anything, but
he knew Mr. Pott's type; matey and loquacious
when humoured.

"A very small glass of sherry, then, if you please."

"Ah, that's better," said the host as he went
across to the sideboard and began to pour out the
drinks. "Why, bless you, we was reel pally with old
Ernie Rayner during the two years that he had
Ditton Lodge; and never a suspicion did we have
that anything was wrong until we heard that he'd
been arrested. He always made out to us that he
was a member of the Stock Exchange, and we never

CROW VISITS MAIDENHEAD 221

had any reason for disbelieving him." Mr. Potts
came back to the table in the centre of the room
and handed Crow his glass of sherry. "Cheerio!
Now what is it that you want to know about
him?"

Crow raised his glass, sipped his wine and then
leant back in the very uncomfortable arm chair
which he had been compelled to take because the
dogs were occupying all the others.

"I am investigating a case in which the same
Ernest Rayner is probably concerned and "

"Are you a detective?"

"No, I am not," Crow replied. "I am an ordinary
private individual who happens to have become
connected with this case in which your former
neighbour may have taken a part; and it occurred to
me that you might be in a position to tell me some-
thing about him."

"You bet I can tell you plenty," exclaimed Mr.
Potts with relish. He was going to experience all
those old thrills again. How well he remembered
being questioned by people while the trial was
taking place; being asked if he had ever suspected
Rayner of being a swindler; and whether he had
been persuaded to part with any of his money.
Neither he nor Mrs. Potts ever admitted to anyone
that they had never seen a single penny of £200 which
they had once handed to Ernest Rayner.

"I should like to tell you that the result of my
enquiries may mean life or death to a young man who

222 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

is now charged with a crime which, I am confident,
he never committed."

Mr. Potts put down his glass and let out a long
whistle.

"Murder?" he asked, eagerly.

"That is the charge," replied Crow, feeling
certain that Potts would be unlikely to make any
attempt to warn Ernest Boughton, even if it were
in his power to do so.

"And you think that Rayner did it?"

" I am of the opinion that he could give me informa-
tion which would exonerate the young man whom
I have mentioned. I do not think that he actually
committed the crime, but it is quite likely that he
was an accessory."

"Well I'm jiggered! Live and learn; that's what
I'm always telling my wife. But of course, when a
fellow makes one side-slip he usually goes from
bad to worse, sooner or later. As I told you
just now, we never suspected a thing. He always
seemed to be such a decent sort; hospitable,
liberal with his money, and nice mannered. He
used to subscribe to all the local charities.
Ha! Damned queer! I suppose the blighter
could afford to be generous with other people's
money."

"For how long did you know him, Mr. Potts?"

"Why, we had him next door for about two years.
Many's the time that he's had a meal with us in this
very room; and we was in and out of his place,

CROW VISITS MAIDENHEAD 223

dining and playing Bridge, all the time, as you might
say. Have you met him?"

"I believe I have."

"Then you'll probably understand how people
might be taken in by his pleasant manners. On the
surface he appeared to be the reel gentleman; civil
and the acme of hospitality itself. Not that he ever
splashed his money about ostentatiously, but he
knew how to do things well; gave you a damned
good dinner, and knew how to choose his wine.
Never gave you a drop of second rate stuff. Every-
thing of the best, always."

"What sort of an establishment did he keep up?"

"A cook-housekeeper and a couple of maids.
Nothing showy, you know, but everything done
just so."

"Did you ever meet any of his relatives or
friends?"

" Friends, yes, people from round about we was
meeting all the time, of course; and then there was
his brother, a red-haired chap who used to come
down for week-ends sometimes; and there was his
sister who was staying with him when he was
run in."

"You met both brother and sister?"

"Oh yes; he always made a point of asking us in
when he had anyone staying with him."

"Now what can you tell me about the brother,
Mr. Potts?"

"Not a great deal, I'm afraid. He wasn't unlike

224 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

Ernie, except for his red hair. He was the younger
of the two by three or fours years, I should say.
Quite a nice chap in his way, but a bit quiet and
reserved. It was Ernie who had the brain, of course."
"Had the brother any peculiarities that you
noticed?"

"None that I can call to mind. He was quite
a normal sort of fellow; not anything like so matey
as Ernie."

"And the sister, what was she like?"
"A nice little woman in a quiet way. Not so
stylish as the two men, you know. A bit dowdy,
in fact; straight-laced and rather churchy. My wife
and she hit it off pretty well together, used to go
shopping and to the pictures."
"What was her name?"

"Lancing, Annie Lancing. She was a widow."
"Do you happen to know where she lived?"
"Ah, now you've done me, Mr. Crow. I couldn't
say; in fact I doubt if I ever knew, but I dare say
my wife could tell you. If you don't mind waiting
half a jiffy I'll go and ask her."

Mr. Potts slid off the corner of the table upon
which he had been sitting and went out of the
room. Martin Crow heard him talking to someone
upstairs and then, after a short interval the door
opened and the little man entered followed by a
tall, thin woman who was nervously smoothing
out the front of her frock which she had obviously
put on in a great hurry.

CROW VISITS MAIDENHEAD 225

"This is my wife," said Potts, in his breezy
manner. "Now, Millie, you tell Mr. Crow what
you know about that Mrs. Lancing."

Mrs. Potts sat down on the edge of an occasional
chair and blinked her faded eyes.

"A nice little woman I thought she was, Mr.
Crow; and I'm sure that she never knew what those
two brothers of hers were up to. We both felt
terribly sorry for her when it all came out, didn't we,
Leslie?"

"You bet we did."

"Do you happen to know where she lived, Mrs.
Potts?"

"Well, when we knew her first she had a little
house at Hampstead, but when she came and stayed
with her brother just before his arrest, she told
me that she'd gone to live at Bournemouth. I
can't remember now what the address was because
it's so long since I wrote to her, but I know it was
somewhere quite close to the cemetery. She said
her husband was buried there and she wanted to
be handy so that she could look after his grave."

"Have you seen her since her brother's trial?"

"No, nor have I heard from her. After it was
all over I wrote to tell her how sorry we was, and
that if there was anything we could do for her
she was to be sure to let us know, but she never
replied. Poor thing. I dare say she felt so ashamed
that she wanted to cut herself off from everyone
who had been connected with that swindling brother

226 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

of hers. So he's been up to something worse than
fraud, Leslie tells me?"

"I would not commit myself so far as to say that
he has been up to anything," Crow replied, "but
he happens to be connected with a very serious
case which I am investigating."

"Well, if you happen to see him you can tell him
from me that we are a bit more careful nowadays
who we make friends with," said Mrs. Potts.

Crow dismissed the request with a smile.

"I wonder if either of you ever heard him mention
the name Maguire?" he asked.

"Maguire, Maguire," repeated Mr. Potts. "I
never heard it; did you, Millie?"

"Not that I can remember."

"It happens to be rather an important point and
I should be obliged if you would make an effort
to recollect."

"Maguire, Maguire," Mr. Potts muttered half
aloud as he wandered round the room. "Name seems
to be a bit familiar to me and yet I can't place it
in connection with either of the Rayners, or Mrs.
Lancing."

"No, no more can I," said his wife, shaking her
head regretfully.

"Then I do not think that I need trouble you
any further," said Crow, getting up. "I am very
much obliged to you both for what you have told me."

"Don't mention it, my dear fellow," said Potts
with a hearty laugh which seemed to be rather out

CROW VISITS MAIDENHEAD 227

of place. "Only too glad to be of any assistance to
you. And if there's anything else we can tell you
don't be afraid to come and ask."

"I shall not fail to take advantage of your kind
offer," replied Crow, taking up his hat. "And
now I will wish you good day."

"Here, have another drink before you go?"
"Thank you, I will have nothing more."
"Won't you have a cup of tea, Mr. Crow," asked
Mrs. Potts. "It's half past four and I expect it's
all ready."

"If you will not think me ungracious I will get
back to town. I have a great deal to do. Another
day, perhaps, if I should find it necessary to worry
you again."

"Then just give us a ring to say you're coming,"
said Potts as he gripped his visitor's hand. " Maiden-
head 01986, and make it lunch. We shall be glad
to have another little talk about old Ernie Rayner."

CHAPTER XX

MRS. LANCING

MARTIN CROW was more than satisfied with
his day's work, and as he travelled up to
Paddington he occupied his time by mentally arrang-
ing all the information which he had collected since
his arrival in London the previous day. He took
it for granted that Charles Rayner and Charles
Carthew were the same person and that, with his
brother, he had lived by his wits until events made it
expedient for him to reside out of England. Some-
how he had become acquainted with Miss Maguire,
and for some reason she had been induced to make
him an allowance of £500 a year. Now why had
she done that? Had this man some legitimate
claim upon her; or had he been blackmailing her?
Martin Crow was inclined to accept the former
supposition. Regular quarterly payments of £125
by a wealthy woman did not savour of blackmail.
Then how had this man's brother, Ernest, come
into Miss Maguire's service? Had that happened
by chance or by design? By design, surely, Crow
argued to himself. He had entered her service a year
or more before the quarterly payments had com-
menced; but that did not indicate anything definite.

228

MRS. LANCING 22Q

It was at once obvious to Martin Crow that he
would have to pay a visit to Bournemouth and
try to get into touch with the sister, Mrs. Lancing,
whose name the two men had used for their Bucket
Shop business. She would have to be dealt with
most tactfully, and perhaps it would be advisable
to see her before journeying to Church Mortimer
to see the doctor who had sponsored Ernest Boughton
when his passport was applied for.

When Crow reached his home he found that
Miss Lane had just been talking to Henry Lomax
on the phone. The latter had reported that Alan
Berwick was the shining light amongst those who
foregathered each evening in the saloon bar of the
Mortimer Arms. He had not been seen in the
village for several weeks, but had spent the whole
of last summer, and the autumn at his mother's
house. He was described as a "rare good sport
who was always good for three or four rounds of
drinks any evening of the week." Six months ago
the local magistrates had made an affiliation order
against him, and this had caused a considerable
stir amongst the gentry of the district, but had
not affected his popularity in the bar of the
Mortimer Arms. Henry Lomax did not think that
there was much more to be found out about the
young man, and a wire was dispatched ordering
him to return to London the next day.

That evening, as Martin Crow was eating his
simple meal, the post brought him a letter from

230 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

Gerry. She said that M. Peille had paid them
several visits and was much agitated because Alan
Berwick had disappeared. He had left the Pension
des Bambous early on the morning following his
visit to the Pension Mireille. The police had satisfied
themselves that he had travelled by a train to Venti-
miglia, but after that they had lost all trace of him.
Coral Trent had been questioned, but could not,
or would not, give any information which might
lead to the discovery of Alan's whereabouts. Both
Boughton and Coral were now being closely watched,
and it seemed to be the Commissaire's opinion that
both of them and Alan and Michael had been
concerned with Miss Maguire's death.

Martin Crow put the letter down and went on
with his meal. That Michael Maguire was com-
pletely innocent he was certain, but Alan puzzled
him. He still held to his conviction that the latter
was too "weak-kneed" to commit murder, but he
realised that he might have played a minor part
under the direction of Boughton. The news of
Alan's disappearance was certainly interesting, and
might prove significant later on, but for the present
he did not consider that it seriously affected
the situation.

The next morning Crow took an early train to
Bournemouth where he at once drove to the cemetery
and then began to make enquiries at the shops in the
neighbourhood for Mrs. Annie Lancing. At the
third shop which he visited, a greengrocer's, he

MRS. LANCING 231

learnt that Mrs. Lancing lived at No. 204 Belvedere
Road but to his disappointment he found the house
shut up. He called at the houses on either side
and although the occupants were, in each case,
acquainted with Mrs. Lancing they could not say
where she was to be found. She had gone away
about a week ago. It was suggested, however,
that a Mrs. Frant, who lived at No. 203, opposite,
and was a great friend of Mrs. Lancing, might be
able to say where she was.

Martin Crow knocked at the door of No. 203
and was told that Mrs. Frant was out and would
not be returning until tea-time. He said that he would
call again, and, making his way down to the town,
walked through the gardens and went on to the
Pier. At four o'clock he returned to Belvedere Road
and found that Mrs. Frant had just come in. She
was an elderly, white-haired woman who eyed
Crow suspiciously.

"What can I do for you?" she demanded, curtly.

"I am a lawyer," Crow replied, "and I am
anxious to find Mrs. Annie Lancing as soon as
possible."

"You do not bring her bad news, I hope?"
asked Mrs. Frant, anxiously.

"I wish to obtain some important information
from her."

"I am glad. I was afraid " Mrs. Frant

paused abruptly and gave her visitor a faint smile.
"It does not matter. I am expecting Mrs. Lancing

232 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

to return to-morrow morning. She has been taking
a week's holiday at Weymouth."

"Weymouth! That is not very far from here.
Perhaps I could see her there this evening if I motored
over."

"Is it as urgent as all .that?"

Crow considered the question for a moment.
While he wished to return to Roquebrune as soon
as possible there was really no desperate hurry.
Perhaps it would be more satisfactory to wait and
interview Mrs. Lancing in her own home.

"No, I suppose it isn't," he said. "When do
you think I could see her to-morrow?"

Mrs. Frant went across to a writing bureau and
after a few moments returned with a post card.

"I received this from her last night," she said.
"She will be arriving at the West Station at eleven.
Perhaps if you called at about half past two that
would be the most convenient time."

"Thank you. I will do as you suggest," Crow
said, and took his leave.

Crow had taken the precaution to bring a small
suitcase which he had left at the station. As soon as
he had collected it from the cloak-room he walked
on to the East Cliff and took a room at one of the
small hotels which stand in pine-shaded gardens
and overlook the bay. The following afternoon
he paid a third visit to Belvedere Road and was
admitted to Mrs. Lancing's house by a neatly-
dressed maid. He was shown into a comfortably

MRS. LANCING 233

furnished sitting-room and after a few minutes a
faded little woman entered, and hesitated when
she saw him, as if his great size frightened her
a little.

"I must apologise for intruding upon you, Mrs.
Lancing," Crow said in his gentlest tone. "I am a
lawyer and have reason to believe that you can
assist me."

Mrs. Lancing advanced and sat down with her
hands clasped in her lap. It was patent to Martin
Crow that she was apprehensive about something.
She appeared to be too nervous to speak. He felt
deeply sorry for her and wished that he need not
trouble her.

"I understand that you have two brothers, Mrs.
Lancing?"

The little woman stiffened slightly and met
Crow's eyes bravely, but with obvious fear.

"Yes, I have two brothers, that is if they are still
alive," she answered in a low voice.

"You have seen neither of them lately?"

"I have not heard of either of them for several
years." She answered in a voice which she could
scarcely control. "Has anything happened to either
of them?"

"That is a question which I am unable to answer.
Please understand, Mrs. Lancing, that only the
greatest necessity would have induced me to come
to you like this. I am investigating a case which
may be the ruin of an innocent young man. Under

234 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

those circumstances I think you will appreciate my
difficult position."

"I thought you said you were a lawyer?"

"That is my calling, Madam."

"You spoke as if you were a police officer."

"I am sorry."

"How did you find me here?"

"Yesterday I was making certain enquiries at
Maidenhead and a Mrs. Potts told me that she
made your acquaintance some years ago."

"Mrs. Potts. Yes, I knew her a long time ago."
A pause during which Mrs. Lancing allowed her
eyes to wander round the walls which were hung
with Marcus Stone reproductions. "It is foolish of
me to shrink from it. Tell me what brings you here,
Mr. Crow. Of course one of them is in trouble
again?"

"I cannot answer that question with any certainty.
Have you ever heard of anyone named Boughton?"

"Boughton. That was my mother's maiden name.
Why do you ask?"

"Because that is the name by which your brother,
Ernest, is now known. You did not know that he
had taken that name?"

"No."

"May I ask when you saw him last?"

Mrs. Lancing looked down at the carpet and her
lips moved as if she were making a calculation.

"It must have been about three years ago, in
December."

MRS. LANCING 235

"That would have been at about the time of his
. . . release?"

"Yes," almost in a whisper.

"He came to see you?"

"He wrote to me first, through my bank, and
asked if he might come."

"And you said he might?"

"Yes."

"I suppose he wanted help?"

"He hadn't a penny."

"Did he tell you what he proposed doing?"

Mrs. Lancing hesitated. Crow imagined that she
was trying to decide how much she should tell him.
At last she sighed, as if she felt that nothing really
mattered.

"I think he said that he might join his brother in
Australia."

"Australia! Your brother Charles went there?"

Mrs. Lancing lowered her eyes quickly and began
to pull distractedly at a small lace handkerchief
which lay in her lap. Martin Crow watched her in
silence. He had anticipated and dreaded such a
scene as this. His kind hearted nature revolted
against having to do anything which might cause
pain, and yet he so often found himself compelled
to do so. But there was too much at stake for him
to consider the feelings of this poor woman.

After a few moments Mrs. Lancing looked up;
their eyes met and in his she saw determination.
She gave a short involuntary cry, and burying her

236 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

face in her hands allowed herself to weep unres-
trainedly. Martin Crow did not say anything, but
got up and walked over to the window. Presently
Mrs. Lancing checked her tears.

"Please forgive me," she said, brokenly. "I
went through so much at the time and it seems as
if I may have to endure it all over again. Even
though they are my own flesh and blood I cannot
try to defend their past conduct. Ernest got all he
deserved and Charlie ..." she paused and made
a slight gesture . . . "for all I know he may be
dead. I have not seen him since before that terrible
time."

"You have my sympathy, Mrs. Lancing," said
Crow as he returned to his chair. "I have very
good reason for supposing that your brother, Charles
is still alive. Did you say that he went to Australia?"

"I shouldn't have told you that."

"Did your brother, Ernest, tell you to keep
Charles's whereabouts a secret?" Mrs. Lancing
nodded her head. "Do you imagine that he went
there in the spring of 1927?"

"Yes, that would have been the year; a few weeks
before all that trouble began. Ernest made him

go."

"Was Charles easily influenced by his brother?"

"Yes, always. He was by far the weaker. I am

certain that it was Ernest who thought of that

wretched stocks and shares business, and persuaded

Charles to go in with him. Oh yes, Ernest was always

MRS. LANCING 237

the leader. As little chaps, I can remember many
a childish escapade which Ernest always thought
of, and Charles, being passionately devoted to his
brother, invariably followed."

"Do you imagine that that devotion has endured ?"
"I cannot speak about the present moment, but
it was certainly as strong as ever when Charles
went away. Ernest realised that he was responsible
and insisted upon his brother keeping out of the
trouble. I know that Charles was willing to stay
and face it, but Ernest simply made him go."

"Are they alike in appearance, Mrs. Lancing?"
"No. Ernest is dark, I dare say he is grey now,
like myself. Charles had a florid complexion and
reddish hair."

"Have you any relations named Maguire?"
"Maguire? No, not that I am aware of."
"Have you ever heard either of your brothers
mention that name?"

"The name certainly seems familiar, but I can't
connect it with either Charles or Ernest." Sud-
denly Mrs. Lancing's face became the colour of
white linen and her lips quivered with half repressed
agitation. "Haven't I read something in the papers
recently about a woman of that name being murdered
on the Riviera?"

"It is quite possible that you did."
"You . . . you don't . . . you don't mean to
say that either of them had anything to do with it.
Oh, for dear God's sake don't say that!"

238 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"The young man for whom I am working has
been charged with murdering that woman," Crow
answered evasively.

" But Charles and Ernest ? They . . . they . . .
oh, why are you making all these enquiries about
them? Were they connected with it?"

"I can only tell you that your brother, Ernest,
has been employed for the last two years, as butler,
by the murdered woman."

"Ernest a butler! I ... I can't believe it!
There must be some mistake. Of course it could
not be he. He's never done such work in his life.
Mrs. Lancing appeared to be less anxious now.
When he left school he went into a bank. He's
always been interested in that sort of thing; banking
and stocks and shares. Why, I doubt if he would
know how to lay a table properly. No, no, you must
be mistaken. It must be someone else of the same
name."

"I am afraid, Mrs. Lancing, there can be no doubt.
Records at Scotland Yard have established the fact
that Ernest Boughton, Miss Maguire's butler, and
Ernest Rayner are the same person." Martin Crow
took up his hat. "I am greatly obliged to you for
permitting me to question you. There is just one
other thing that I should like to know; is your
brother, Charles, left-handed by any chance?"

She looked at him sharply. Her lips moved as if
she were on the point of answering, but she re-
mained silent.

MRS. LANCING 239

"The question is an important one, Mrs. Lancing,
and your answer may make all the difference to
the young man who has been accused of committing
a crime of which, I am certain, he is innocent."

There came a long silence. Mrs. Lancing had stood
up and was clasping and unclasping her hands, and
her tear stained eyes were roving restlessly round the
room.

"He was left-handed. Does that help him or
make matters worse?"

"According to the opinion of the French police it
makes no difference whatever to him," said Martin
Crow. To his relief Mrs. Lancing accepted the
assurance.

CHAPTER XXI

CROW VISITS CHURCH MORTIMER

HALF way down Richmond Hill Martin Crow
turned into a side street and entered the post
office where he spent nearly half an hour composing
a telegram to Gerry. He asked her to find out from
Coral Trent, as soon as possible, the exact date
when Miss Maguire arrived in Australia in 1927;
the port at which she had disembarked, if she had
been alone; and whether Coral had ever heard of
anyone named Charles Carthew or Charles Rayner.
Having dispatched the wire Crow returned to his hotel,
packed his bag and caught the first train to Waterloo.
Gerry's reply did not arrive until the following
afternoon. Miss Maguire, she said, had landed at
Sydney some time during the first week of April:
she had not been accompanied by anyone but, after
greeting her relatives on the quay she had waved
to a middle-aged man on the ship and had called
out something about meeting him in Melbourne
during the summer. Coral did not recollect having
heard of anyone named Charles Rayner or Charles
Carthew. She was under the impression that her
aunt had gone out by the Australian Line, but could
not remember the name of the boat.

240

CROW VISITS CHURCH MORTIMER 241

Martin Crow read Gerry's reply a second time and
then went out. He walked along the Embankment,
up Northumberland Avenue and entered the offices of
the Australian Line in Cockspur Street, where he gave
his card and asked to see the manager. After waiting
for a few minutes he was shown into an inner office.

"I am going to make rather an unusual request,"
he said when he had been asked to sit down, "but
when I tell you that I am acting in the interests of
a young Englishman who is being held by the
French police on a charge of having murdered his
aunt, I think that you may be disposed to assist me."

"The Crime at the Villa Gloria?" questioned the
manager, quoting from the popular newspaper
headings.

"Correct. In my opinion there is no doubt
whatever as to Michael Maguire's innocence, and I
have set myself the task of finding the murderer
since the French police do not seem disposed to
make any wider investigations."

"Then what can I do for you, Mr. Crow?"

"I happen to know that Miss Maguire, the
murdered woman, went out to Australia and landed
at Sydney at the beginning of April, 1927; and my
informant thinks that she travelled on one of your
boats. Now, can you let me see the passenger list
of the liner which would have arrived at Sydney
at that time?"

"I'll see what can be done," the manager replied
as he rang a bell on his desk. A moment later a

242 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

young man entered the room and was told to look
up the list. Five minutes later he came back with
two large volumes which he put down on the man-
ager's desk and indicated the pages which gave the
information Crow required.

"The Victoria arrived at Sydney on April ist,
1927; and the Queensland on the 8th," the manager
said. "Perhaps you would like to look down the
two lists, Mr. Crow?"

Martin Crow spent ten minutes going carefully
down each column of names.

"I am sorry to have troubled you," he said as
he looked up with a disappointed expression. "The
two names which I hoped to find are not there."

"Perhaps they sailed on one of the 'Oriental'
boats," the manager suggested.

"That is a possibility. I came to you first because
there was an indication that Miss Maguire patronised
your line. I am obliged to you for the trouble you
have taken."

"It is nothing, Mr. Crow. Good day."

Martin Crow went out and a few yards along the
street he entered the offices of the Oriental Steam-
ship Company and again asked for the manager.
This time he did not give trouble in vain. Miss
Jennifer Maguire had booked a first class return
passage to Sydney and had left England on the
Emperor of Australia, from which she had landed
on the 5th of April. Crow also discovered that a
man named Charles Carthew had joined the boat

CROW VISITS CHURCH MORTIMER 243

at Marseilles, having booked a single first class
passage from that port to Melbourne.

Crow thanked the manager warmly and hurried
away in the direction of Scotland Yard. On arrival
there he asked for his friend the Assistant Com-
missioner.

"You're looking tired, Martin. You are over-
doing it," Sir Edward said.

Crow lowered his massive form into an arm-
chair and smiled.

"You are talking abject nonsense," he replied.
"However, I did not come here to discuss my state
of health, which was never better, I came to ask
if you were ready to do me another service?"

"We are always ready to do anything to help
you, my dear Martin, provided it is reasonable.
What is it this time?"

"I want a few enquiries made in Sydney and
Melbourne."

The Assistant Commissioner let forth a low whistle.

"You always did like painting your pictures on a
large canvas, didn't you?" he said as he lighted a
cigarette. "The last case in which we helped you
embraced half a dozen European and one South
American country, if I remember correctly."

"Ah, the Ambassador's missing daughter! Yes,

by Jove, that was a lively affair, bubbling over with

exotic romance. I'm afraid this case is entirely

commonplace, but it's ten times more important."

"Well, who's been getting into trouble down under ? "

244 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"No one, so far as I know. Now, to begin with,
my dear Edward, I have established, beyond all
reasonable doubt, that your Charles Rayner and
my Charles Carthew are the same person; and I
have just discovered that an individual using the
latter name, and Miss Jennifer Maguire — the mur-
dered woman in my case — both travelled to Australia
on the Emperor of Australia in 1927. She landed at
Sydney on April 5th, and he, apparently, went on
to Melbourne; having booked a single passage from
Marseilles. Miss Maguire went to stay with relatives
a few hundred miles inland from Sydney but I
have good reason for supposing that she and Charles
Carthew met again sometime during the summer in
Melbourne. Now, I want any information that
you can get concerning either of them."

"It should not be difficult to get at least a verifi-
cation of what you have just told me," said Sir
Edward who had been making notes on a pad,
" but it is possible that their movements after their
landing at their respective ports were such that
nothing will be known of them."

"I am quite prepared for that," said Crow, "and
I really have no particular reason for supposing
that anything will be known about them; but there
is always a chance that something will turn up.
Of course it is the man who interests me most.
All that I can tell you about him is that he probably
left Australia not later than eighteen months ago.
It might be of considerable assistance if I could

CROW VISITS CHURCH MORTIMER 245

discover the exact date when he left, by what boat
he sailed, and where he landed."

"Well, we'll see what we can do, Martin. It may
take time, of course."

"Yes, it is possible that you will hear nothing
before I return to Roquebrune, in which case I will
ask you to wire me whatever information you receive."

"When are you likely to go back?"

"I should like to get away the day after to-morrow,
but I am going to Church Mortimer this evening
and I don't know how long I may be kept there.
In the meantime, Edward, I wonder if you would
mind making out an official report on those finger-
prints, and your records relating to the two Rayners.
If I can produce something of that sort, bearing
your office stamp, I think I may be able to induce
the Commissaire at Nice to set young Maguire free."

"You shall have a report to-morrow. I will send
it round to King's Bench Walk."

"You are a good friend, Edward," said Crow as
he got up, "and I am eternally grateful to you.
Some day I hope that I may have an opportunity
of doing something in re "

"Get along with you, Martin and don't blither,"
laughed the Assistant Commissioner as he pushed
his friend towards the door. "I suppose there isn't
much chance of your dining with us."

"I'm not so sure about that. If you have no
engagement to-morrow night, and I manage to get
back in time, I should like to look you up."

246 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Splendid! Marion and I will be doing nothing,
so we shall just expect you to turn up if you can."

"You don't mind leaving it like that?"

"Of course not."

"Then I shall hope to be with you to-morrow,"
said Crow as he took his departure.

That evening Martin Crow arrived at Church
Mortimer where he engaged a room at the Mortimer
Arms. As he entered the dining-room, rather late,
he saw Stephen Chart who had nearly finished his
meal. He went across and sat at the same table.

"I was half expecting you to look in at my office
on Wednesday," the solicitor said.

"Yes, I said I might, didn't I?" Crow replied.
"Unfortunately I was detained at Bournemouth that
day. I rang up your office just before I left town this
afternoon and was told that I should probably find
you here."

"You have come here specially to see me?" asked
Chart, a little surprised.

"No, I was coming in any case, but I am very
glad of the opportunity to have a talk with you.
It is possible that you may be able to help me.
Have you ever heard of anyone named Rayner in
connection with Miss Maguire?"

"Rayner. I have a client of that name, a Mrs.
Audrey Rayner, but she and Miss Maguire were not
acquainted, so far as I am aware."

Martin Crow shook his head.

CROW VISITS CHURCH MORTIMER 247

"The name is not uncommon, of course," he
observed. "No, I do not think that your Mrs.
Rayner interests me at all. I am concerned with
two men; Charles and Ernest Rayner."

"Ernest Rayner!" exclaimed Chart. "Wasn't
that the fellow who got seven years in connection
with some Bucket Shop frauds a few years back?"

"That is the man."

"But what has he to do with Miss Maguire?"

"That is what I am trying to find out," answered
Crow. "You see, Ernest Rayner and Ernest Bough-
ton, Miss Maguire's butler, are the same person."

"You don't say so."

"And Charles Carthew, to whom your late client
was making quarterly payments, is his brother."

"Well I'm damned!"

"That is what I feel like exclaiming, Mr. Chart,
because I am certain that the relationship between that
man and Miss Maguire holds the key to the mystery
of the murder at the Villa Gloria; and at present I
cannot see what the relationship could have been."

"You think that it was he who murdered her?"
asked Chart.

Crow shrugged.

"If I allowed myself to jump to conclusions I
should probably say that he did, but in the absense
of a clear motive I prefer to withhold judgment
until I am in possession of more information. Would
it bore you very much to hear what I have been
discovering since I got back to England?"

248 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Good heavens, no. I should be most interested."

As Crow dined — Stephen Chart had already
reached the coffee stage — he told his companion
about Boughton's fingerprints, of his visits to Mr.
and Mrs. Potts at Maidenhead; of his talk with
Mrs. Lancing; the telegram from Gerry, and all
about the information which he had obtained from
the offices of the Oriental Line.

"Hm it seems to point pretty clearly to either
Ernest or Charles Rayner, don't you think?" asked
the solicitor.

"Very clearly," replied Crow. "But don't you see
my difficulty at the moment? On the face of what
I have discovered I suspect Ernest of having planned
the murder and Charles of having committed it."

" What are you going on, your left-handed theory ? "

"Partly."

"You are still convinced on that point?"

"Absolutely."

"You didn't convince the Commissaire at Nice,
did you?"

"No, I didn't, but you must remember that he,
and especially the Examining Magistrate, have got
it firmly fixed in their heads that Michael Maguire
is their man. But I was going to say, my difficulty
is that I cannot see why either Ernest or Charles
Rayner should have wished for Miss Maguire's
death."

"You don't think that that fellow, Berwick, came
in to it somehow?"

CROW VISITS CHURCH MORTIMER 249

"I am pretty certain that he did not commit the
crime. I don't believe that he has an ounce of
courage. He wouldn't have the nerve to do such a
thing. Everything that the sister told me points
to Ernest having planned the thing and other things
indicate that Charles did the foul deed ; but I always
find myself up against the same question — motive."

For some moments there was silence between the
two men. Stephen Chart had lighted a cigarette
and was watching the smoke curling lazily upwards.

"Has it occurred to you," he said, at length,
"that Berwick may have been in it, passively?"

"How?"

"He admitted to you that he wanted to marry
the girl, Coral Trent?"

"Yes."

"And it is probable that he only wanted to marry
her for the money which she was going to inherit
from her aunt?"

"Agreed."

"A matter of some £50,000."

"Yes."

"Now, isn't it most likely that the butler knew
that the girl was to inherit the fortune and made a
proposal to Berwick to the effect that if Miss Maguire
were disposed of, so that he and Coral could marry
and get the money, that a proportion of it should
be made over to him, Boughton?"

Crow considered this suggestion for some
moments.

250 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"It is possible, but not likely, I think. Don't
forget that it is the girl, not Berwick, who inherits."

"I know, I know, but I don't think that that
point is important. Coral Trent, as anyone can see
with half an eye, has no knowledge of business
matters. In many ways she is like a child of fourteen.
It would not be very difficult for a man like Ernest
Rayner to get control of that money if he had come
to some arrangement with Berwick."

Another silence.

"What you suggest may be a possible explanation,"
Crow admitted, "but it strikes me as being rather
involved. I think that if Boughton, or Rayner,
whichever we call him, had designs on that money
he would have worked to get it direct, not through
Berwick."

"Well, that was possibly his intention. I am
convinced that something of that kind happened,
or was planned by the butler. In what other way
could those two men have hoped to benefit by my
late client's death?"

"Yes, I admit that there is something to be said
for your argument," Crow conceded, but in his
heart he felt that Stephen Chart was wrong.

"What I suggest is consistent with .Berwick's
behaviour," the solicitor persisted. "From the
moment when you first met him he has tried to
deceive you on every possible occasion. By the way,
I suppose you heard that he has disappeared?"

"Yes, my daughter wrote and told me."

CROW VISITS CHURCH MORTIMER 251

"Everything that he has said and done has suggested,
to my mind at any rate, that he is guilty, in some way."

"And you think that he struck the fatal blow?"
Crow asked.

"When you first sat down here I should have
replied in the affirmative," answered Chart, "but
now I am ready to admit that your discoveries
about Ernest and Charles Rayner make a difference.
Berwick may only have been an accessory. What
are you hoping to find out here?"

"I hardly know. I am going to see Dr. Mason
who, I imagine, was Miss Maguire's medical attend-
ant, and sponsored Ernest Boughton's application
for his passport. I may see if I can learn anything
from the Chief Constable."

"When are you returning to Roquebrune?"

"The day after to-morrow, I hope."

"It is possible that you may hear something from
Australia before then?"

"I doubt it, but I think that I may have sufficient
evidence without that to enable me to secure Michael
Maguire's release. How long are you staying here?"

" I shall be leaving by an early train in the morning.
I had to come to arrange with the housekeeper at
Merryfields for the payment of the monthly wages,
and the general upkeep of the place. You are going
to see the doctor to-night?"

Crow looked at his watch.

"It is not yet nine, I think I will see if he is in.
It might not be easy to catch him in the morning."

CHAPTER XXII
THE RECTOR'S SECRET

DR. MASON was an elderly man who had
ministered to the ailments, real and imaginary,
of the "county" for nearly half a century. He had
been unusually busy all day and was enjoying a
much-needed rest when the maid handed him
Crow's card and said that she had shown the visitor
into the next room.

"Martin Crow, K.C. What does he want?"

"I don't know, sir, he didn't say. He's a very
tall man and doesn't look as if there was much the
matter with him."

The doctor drew himself out of his chair with an
effort and laid aside his pipe, which was only half
smoked. He went into the adjoining room and was
unable to conceal his annoyance at being disturbed
at an hour when he hoped that his work was done
for that day.

"Good evening, sir," he said, speaking brusquely.
"What is it you wish to see me about?"

"I am not a patient, Dr. Mason, and I must
apologise for troubling you so late," replied Crow
in his most charming manner. "Am I correct in

252

THE RECTOR'S SECRET 253

assuming that you were the late Miss Maguire's
medical attendant?"

"Yes, indeed I was," said the doctor, less curtly.
"Won't you sit down. You must forgive me if I
appeared to be a little short as I came in. I have
had a particularly tiring day and Miss Maguire's
tragic death has upset us all a great deal. You were
acquainted with her, Mr. Crow?"

Martin Crow explained briefly his connection
with the case.

"Yes, we read in the paper that Michael had
been arrested. It is inconceivable that he should have
done such a thing."

"Do you know him well, Dr. Mason?"

"I have known him ever since his parents died,
when he was quite a child. But what object could
he possibly have had in killing his aunt, who was
doing so much for him? You know, of course, that
Miss Maguire was responsible for his education and
was making it possible for him to become a doctor?"

"Yes, I know that," Crow replied, and then he
outlined the case against Michael from the point of
view of the French police.

Dr. Mason remained silent for some moments.

"That sounds very serious," he said, presently.
"But even so I cannot imagine him doing such a
thing. There must be some mistake, Mr. Crow."

"I know there is, and that is why I am interesting
myself on his behalf, and why I have come to Church
Mortimer to see you."

254 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"But how can I be of any assistance, except,
perhaps, by telling you what I know of him?"

"As a matter of fact I do not wish to know anything
about him, it is information concerning someone
else that I want. Will you permit me to ask you
several questions? I will not detain you a moment
longer than is absolutely necessary."

"Please do not hurry yourself, Mr. Crow. This
is a very grave matter, and I shall be only too pleased
if I can do anything, or say anything, that will help
Michael. When I was told that you wanted to see
me I imagined that it was someone who wished me
to prescribe for a stomach ache, or a sick headache.
People worry one on the least provocation and it
generally ends in my giving them a dose of salts
which they could easily have obtained from the
chemist. Now, what is it that you want to know?"
"How long have you known Miss Maguire?"
"Ever since I came here, forty-five years ago."
"How would you describe her, in character?"
"That is something of a poser, Mr. Crow," replied
the doctor after a moment's pause. "Miss Maguire
was, in many ways, a remarkable woman; an auto-
crat; high-principled, generous where needy people
and institutions were concerned; very business-like;
she never owed a penny in her life; she was a
thoroughly good woman but, I must admit, she had
her peculiarities."
"In what way?"
"She had clearly defined ideas about things, and

THE RECTOR'S SECRET 255

expected everyone about her to conform to those
ideas."

"Can you account for her severe treatment of
her nephew regarding her wish that he should marry
his cousin?"

"I cannot, Mr. Crow, and yet I am not altogether
surprised that she should have adopted that attitude.
I have no doubt that she considered it was for his
and the girl's good. Very likely she allowed the
idea to get on her brain."

"In that particular respect she hardly seemed to
be human."

"Granted. I cannot defend it, but I happen to
know that she was actuated by a problem which was
causing her considerable uneasiness."

"You refer to the attentions which were being
paid to her niece by a certain young man?" Crow
asked.

"Ah, you know all about that?"

"I got it from Alan Berwick himself."

"Then I suppose there is no need for me to
remain silent upon that point. Yes, Miss Maguire
strongly disapproved of him and forbade him to
enter her house, but he was, I understand, persistent,
and made every effort to meet the young lady secretly.
Miss Maguire had reasons, probably very good
reasons, for supposing that the attraction was, not
the young lady herself, but the money which she
would some day inherit; and she naturally wished
to put a stop to that state of affairs."

256 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"I am going to be frank, Dr. Mason. The evidence
in this case does not preclude Alan Berwick from
being suspected of either having committed the
crime, or of having been in some way concerned with
it. Would you be surprised if you learnt that he had
murdered Miss Maguire?"

"Yes, I should," replied the doctor.

"May I ask why?"

"In many ways Alan Berwick is still a child, and
I do not think that he has the brain to plan anything
of that kind; or the courage, unless, of course, he
were roused to a sudden heat of uncontrolled rage."

"You know him well?"

"No, not very well, but I have known him all his
life. As a matter of fact I brought him into the world."

"Would you describe him as a degenerate?"

Dr. Mason looked at Crow with surprise.

"That is rather a strong term to use, isn't it?"

"Too strong?"

"Yes, I think it is, although I can guess what is
in your mind. He is morally weak, that cannot be
denied. Do you, personally, suspect him of having
committed this crime?"

"No, I am inclined to agree with you that he
would not have sufficient courage to do a thing like
that in cold blood; and there is no question of his
having been roused to a sudden passion of anger.
I questioned you about him because I was seeking
for support to my own views. He has been behaving
in a very extraordinary manner since Miss Maguire's

THE RECTOR'S SECRET 257

death; in fact the last that I heard of him was that
he had suddenly disappeared."

"Took fright, probably," said the doctor. "That
is just what I should have expected him to do if he
imagined that he was under suspicion. Alan never
did have any backbone, even as a schoolboy. He
always took what he considered to be the easiest
path, and never appeared to have any ambition.
That, no doubt, is why he failed to take his degree
at Oxford and made no attempt to practise after he
had been called to the Bar. His father left him an
income of three or four hundred a year and he saw no
reason why he should bother to work for his living."

"He had extravagant tastes, I imagine?" ques-
tioned Crow.

"Yes. His mother has been obliged to pay his
debts, pretty heavy debts, more than once since he
came of age. I am telling you all this, Mr. Crow,
because it is known to everyone. You have only to
ask any of the people who live here and they would
tell you the same."

"I understand. Now, Dr. Mason, there is one
other point about which I wish to consult you. I
am told that you vouched for the identity of Miss
Maguire's butler when he applied for a passport
about two years ago?"

"Yes, for Boughton."

"You knew the man?"

"I had attended him once or twice, professionally,
and I always saw him whenever I went to the house."

258 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"I suppose you signed his application form at
Miss Maguire's request?"

"Yes, but may I ask you why you are interested
in his passport?"

"Because his name is not Boughton but Rayner."

"Rayner! But . . . but this is rather a serious
matter, isn't it?"

"You acted in good faith and at the request of
his employer."

"But even so I "

"You could hardly be blamed, Dr. Mason.
Boughton, or rather Rayner, is known to the police.
He was serving a term of imprisonment not long
before he entered Miss Maguire's service."

"Good Heavens! I always took him for a man-
servant of the good, old-fashioned type. Are you
quite sure of your facts, Mr. Crow ? "

"I am going entirely upon information supplied
to me by the Assistant Commissioner of Police at
Scotland Yard."

"Does Boughton come into this case?"

"That is what I am trying to find out; the reason,
in fact, for my visit to Church Mortimer. I am
'pretty certain that he does, but I have no proof."

"Dear me! How very careful one ought to be
over matters of that sort. I trust that there will not
be any trouble: over the passport, I mean."

"I do not think that is likely, Doctor," said
Crow as he stood up. "I am very much obliged to
you."

THE RECTOR'S SECRET 259

"I am glad if I have been of any assistance to you.
Do you know what will be happening to Merry-
fields?"

"Miss Maguire's lawyer is here now, making
arrangements for the property to be kept in order. I
understand that Michael Maguire inherits the place."

"You do not doubt his ability to prove his inno-
cence, I hope."

"I think that is only a matter of time; in fact I
am hoping that I may obtain sufficient evidence to
secure his release as soon as I return to the South
of France."

"I am glad, Mr. Crow. Michael Maguire was
always a favourite of mine; in fact there was an
understanding between us that he should come to
me as soon as he qualified, as an assistant, with a
view to a partnership after a year or two. Perhaps
you would be good enough to drop me a line to
say how matters are progressing, as far as he is
concerned?"

"I will most certainly let you know directly I
have any news," Crow replied.

Major Armytage, the Chief Constable, was a
bluff, red-faced little man who had an exaggerated
notion of his own importance, and never having
heard of Martin Crow, he seemed to regard his
visitor as an interloper.

"I am sorry, sir," he said in a curt tone, "but my
position forbids me to give information unofficially. If

260 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

Scotland Yard takes the matter up and communicates
with me I shall, of course, answer their questions."

Crow was disappointed but not surprised. During
the ten years which he had devoted to the investiga-
tion of crime he had become so well known to Chief
Constables and police officers in all parts of the
country that he usually had little difficulty in obtain-
ing their help; but there were occasions, like the
present one, when he came up against someone who
had never heard of his existence and refused all
assistance.

As Crow walked away from Major Armytage's
office it seemed to him that there was now no object
in spending any more time at Church Mortimer
and he decided that he would send a wire to Sir
Edward to say that he would dine with him and Lady
Berring that evening. As he was dispatching the
telegram an idea occurred to him and he put through
a telephone call to Merryfields. He asked for the
housekeeper, who informed him that Miss Maguire
had always been in the habit of attending church at
the village of Arleford, a couple of miles from Church
Mortimer, and that the rector's name was the
Reverend William Mold. Crow at once hired a car
and drove to the Rectory, where he handed his
card to the maid and asked if she would take it to
her master. After waiting for two or three minutes
he was shown into the study, a large, pleasant room
which looked on to a broad stretch of well-kept
lawn. The Reverend William Mold was standing

THE RECTOR'S SECRET 261

behind his writing-desk. He was a shy, middle-
aged man who extended a warm, moist hand and
invited the visitor to take a chair.

"Of course I know your name very well, Mr.
Crow," he said as he sat down and straightened one
or two things on the desk. "And what may I . . .
er . . . have the pleasure of . . . er . . .
doing for you?"

"I am hoping that you may be good enough to
tell me something about the late Miss Maguire who,
I understand, was one of your parishioners. You
have heard, of course?"

The Rector assumed a grave expression.

"I have been laid up with influenza for the past
fortnight," he said, "and my wife only told me the
sad news this morning. It came as a very great
shock to me."

"I can well believe that, Mr. Mold."

"Miss Maguire was a most generous supporter
of my church and she will be greatly missed? You
knew her?"

"No. I happened to be staying near her villa
in the South of France and became acquainted with
the young lady to whom her nephew was engaged to
be married."

"Ah, Michael!" exclaimed the Reverend William.
"Is it really true, Mr. Crow, that he had been
arrested and charged with murder?"

"Quite true, and it is because of his unfortunate
position that I have come to England to make

262 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

certain enquiries on his behalf. You may know that
since I gave up my practice I have devoted myself
to criminal investigation."

"I was not aware of that fact, Mr. Crow, but I
can well imagine that your vast knowledge would
be of the greatest assistance to you in dealing with
cases of this kind. You do not think that he killed
his aunt?"

"No, I am certain that he did not, and I am glad
to say that I think I am well on the road to tracing
the person who did commit the crime. At the
moment, however, my chain of information is
incomplete, and I am hoping that you may be instru-
mental in rilling in the gaps for me."

There was a moment's silence during which the
rector moved some more of the things on his desk.

"How can I do that?" he asked at length, without
looking up.

"You have known Miss Maguire for some time?"
Crow asked.

"For nearly twenty years."

"Can you tell me how many near relatives she
had?"

The Reverend William Mold gave Crow a quick
glance, and then turned his eyes towards the open
window.

"When I knew Miss Maguire first," he said,
reverting to his visitor, "her father was alive and her
sister, Annie, was at home. They are both dead
and, as far as I know, her nephew Michael Maguire,

THE RECTOR'S SECRET 263

and her niece, Miss Trent, are now her only living
relatives."

"She had no brothers?"

"No."

"And Mrs. Trent was her only sister?"

"Yes."

"You have never heard of any uncles or aunts,
or cousins?"

"No, in fact it was only last summer that Miss
Maguire told me that Michael and Miss Trent
were her only relations."

"Since you have known her, Mr. Mold, have you
ever met anyone, or heard of anyone, named Rayner?"

"No one in any way connected with Miss
Maguire."

"Or Carthew?"

Crow noticed that the Rector started, almost
imperceptibly, and then lowered his eyes to the manu-
script of a sermon which lay on the desk before him.

" I have never met anyone of that name," he replied
in a voice which was not controlled.

"But you have heard the name mentioned by Miss
Maguire?" Crow asked, eagerly. He was watching
the rector expectantly. Was he about to learn some-
thing which would give him the key to his problem ?

"Yes, I am compelled to admit that I have heard
Miss Maguire mention it," the Reverend William
Mold said after a long pause.

"In what connection?"

The Rector passed his hand across his eyes and

264 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

leant back in his chair. A full minute passed before
he spoke.

"I am sorry, Mr. Crow, but I am not at liberty
to answer that question. About seven years ago I
was entrusted with a secret and at the same time
I was asked to do something in the event of Miss
Maguire's death. I was asked to give certain informa-
tion to her lawyer, a Mr. Stephen Chart. Barely half
an hour ago I gave a letter, containing that inform-
ation to the maid and told her to post it at once."

"It concerns someone named Carthew?" asked
Crow.

"Forgive me, but I would sooner not answer any
further questions. May I suggest that you communi-
cate with Mr. Stephen Chart who will, perhaps, if
he thinks fit, pass on to you the information con-
tained in my letter to him. You have his address?"

"Yes, I have it. As a matter of fact Mr. Chart was
staying at Church Mortimer last night and is now
on his way back to London."

"Indeed. It is possible that my communication
to him may be of some assistance to you. ... I
take it that there is no doubt about Michael's ability
to clear himself?"

"I do not think there is any doubt, Mr. Mold."

"I am thankful to hear you say that. He is a good
fellow, I am sure. Forgive me if I do not come to
the door with you," the Rector went on as he rang
the bell. "I am still trying to take care of myself as
I wish to be able to take my services next Sunday."

CHAPTER XXIII

THE KEY TO THE PROBLEM

WHEN Martin Crow returned to his home from
Church Mortimer he found a letter from Gerry
waiting for him.

" We have just had another visit from M. Peille," she
wrote. "I really feel quite sorry for the little man;
he seems to have got into such a hopeless muddle over
the case. He is obviously deeply impressed by the work
which you have already done, and, in spite of what he,
himself, may be inclined to think, can't help hoping that
you may be on the right track. Against this he has to
contend with the Juge d' Instruction, who is annoyed with
him for letting you butt in. If it weren't for the Juge
and the Prefet I believe that M. Peille would be willing
to release Michael on parole. As it is, I fear that you will
have to come along with some pretty conclusive evidence
against someone else, before he will consent to do
that.

"M. Peille has made an exhaustive search for the
revolver which fired that shot at you. He says that
it is not at the villa and he is sure that Boughton is not
carrying it about with him. In view of Alan Berwick's
sudden and mysterious disappearance, he is convinced
that it was he who wanted to get rid of you.

"M. Peille has caused enquiries to be made all along
the coast for Charles Carthew, and it has been found
that a man answering his description took a ticket at

265

266 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

Monte Carlo, for Marseilles, on the night of the murder.
The Marseilles police are now trying to find him there,
and enquiries are also being made at Ajaccio.

"We have been over to Nice every other day and
Alison has seen Michael for a few minutes each time.
She has just heard from her employer who has told her
not to think about returning until the affair is settled,
and he is paying her in full during her absence.

"We are wondering when you will be back and are
most anxious to hear if you have met with any real
success in England. I hope the information which I
obtained from Coral Trent and telegraphed was of some
value.

"Love from

" GERRY."

Martin Crow put the letter in his pocket and went
into his room to dress for his dinner with the
Berrings. When he arrived at the house in Palace
Gate he was relieved to find that he was the only
guest, for he was tired after his day's exertions and
did not feel in the mood for being formal. Having
him to themselves he knew that Sir Edward would
want to know all about his visit to Church Mortimer,
and replying to his friend would not worry him. On
the contrary, Crow welcomed the opportunity to
discuss the case. He always found that it helped him
when he was able to express his ideas aloud ; provided
the ideas were sufficiently formulated.

"I felt that I was on the point of solving the whole
problem when that parson admitted that he had
heard the name Carthew mentioned in connection
with Miss Maguire," Crow said after they had left

THE KEY TO THE PROBLEM 267

the dining-room and were sitting in the lounge
drinking their coffee.

"And he would tell you no more?" asked Sir
Edward.

"No, he advised me to communicate with the
lawyer to whom he had passed on this secret informa-
tion."

"Have you any idea at all as to its nature?"

"None. My theory has always been that the person
who killed Miss Maguire was someone who imagined
that, in the absence of any will, he, or she, would
inherit the fortune as her next-of-kin," Crow
answered.

"What made you come to that conclusion?"

"It was the only way in which I could account
for the destruction of the wills. The only other
way of looking at it was to assume that the nephew
was guilty; had been consumed by avarice and had
hoped to inherit the whole fortune instead of half.
That, I considered, was out of the question."

"Tell me, Martin, how you set to work on a case
of that sort," Sir Edward asked, as he cut a cigar.
"You see, you and I look at cases from totally
different angles, at least I suppose we do. Roughly
speaking we collect all the available evidence and if
it points to a particular individual we arrest him.
Now, in this case of yours that, presumably, is
precisely what the French police did — one could
hardly expect them to do otherwise — but your
position is entirely different. You, I imagine, ignored

268 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

all the evidence which appeared to incriminate the
nephew and began searching for something which
might enable you to drop on to someone else. Now
in such cases — and most of yours must be the same —
what makes you assume that the suspected person
is innocent? That, I suppose is what you have to
start by doing?"

"You have more or less answered the question
yourself," Crow replied. "Necessity made me
assume that Michael Maguire was innocent and that
the evidence upon which the police had based their
charge was capable of being interpreted differently.
In all such cases where I am called upon to help
the accused, I have to have a starting point, and the
only possible one is the assumption of innocence."

"Did you work on the same principle when you
were pleading for accused people?" asked Lady
Berring.

"Invariably."

"But weren't there occasions when you felt pretty
certain that the accused was guilty?"

"Admittedly there were."

"That is a point which has always interested me,"
said his hostess. "It seems so strange to me that a
lawyer can stand up and plead for a man whom he
thinks is guilty."

"It is not really strange, Marion, if you consider
the question broadly," Crow replied. "You must
remember this, no one can be certain of a man's guilt
unless he has actually seen the man committing the

THE KEY TO THE PROBLEM 269

crime; and even then there may be extenuating
circumstances which have to be taken into considera-
tion. After all, you have a very similar, but reversed,
position with a prosecuting counsel who is demanding
a man's life, when he knows that his evidence is not
infallible."

"Yes, I always feel that that is an interesting point.
Ah! The telephone. Excuse me," Sir Edward said
as he got up and went across to the instrument
which stood on a table at the far end of the room.
"Hullo . . . yes, Sir Edward Berring speaking.
. . . Ah! is that you, Inspector? Splendid. . . .
Anything interesting? . . . Good. Send a messen-
ger round with it at once, will you? Good night." Sir
Edward put down the receiver and went back to his
chair. "News for you from Australia, Martin," he said.

"Already! What is it?"

"I fancy that you are going to receive a pleasant
surprise," the Assistant Commissioner said as he
sat down. "Your fellow, Charles Carthew, was
arrested in Melbourne in September, 1927, on a
charge of robbery with violence and was sentenced
to five years' penal. His arrest took place a few
hours after he had married Miss Jennifer Maguire."

"Good Heavens!" exclaimed Crow. "What a
consummate fool I've been!"

"But why this self-condemnation, my dear
Martin?" asked Lady Berring.

"Because it is so obvious now that one knows it;
but it ought to have been obvious all along. There

270 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

is the key to the whole thing. As her husband he
would inherit all her money, provided no will could
be found."

"I don't see how you could have been expected
to guess that a severe, middle-aged spinster, pre-
sumably eminently repectable, had secretly married
a scoundrel like that," said Sir Edward. "It was
about the least likely thing to have happened."

"Edward!" said Crow severely, " I am surprised
to hear a man of your experience and position
talking like that. Don't you know that it is these
unexpected things which do happen, and if I hadn't
been a blind fool I should have tumbled to it. Are
they sending the cable round?"

"Yes, it should be here at any minute. But to
go back to your censure of myself, Martin," Sir
Edward said with a smile, "I accept it from you,
but I don't agree with you. No mind can legislate
for every possibility."

Crow ran his fingers through his short, stubbly
hair.

"Perhaps you are right," he said with a sigh, "but
I can't help feeling that I ought to have thought of
it, for the simple reason that it supplies the only
possible explanation for the destruction of the will.
Moreover ' '

At that moment a man-servant entered the room
with an envelope on a salver. Sir Edward tore it
open and glanced at the enclosure which he at once
handed to Crow.

THE KEY TO THE PROBLEM 271

"Read it to us, Martin," he said. "It is, of course,
a decoded transcription."

Martin Crow moved across to another chair where
there was a better light. The sheet which he held in
his hand bore the official heading of Scotland Yard
and typed across the top was the inscription: "Copy
of cable received from the Deputy Commissioner
of Police, Melbourne, Australia: dated April 4th,

193-

" ' In reply to enquiries re Miss Jennifer Maguire who
landed at Sydney from Emperor of Australia, 5th of
April, 1927, and Charles Carthew who landed from the
same boat at Melbourne, 8th of April, 1927. The latter
came under our notice during August of that year when
a warrant was issued for his arrest on a charge of robbery
with violence. His arrest was affected on September
loth following, as he was about to embark for England.
A few hours previously Carthew had married Miss
Jennifer Maguire. He was tried and sentenced to five
years' penal servitude at Melbourne, and was released
in October, 1931. His wife attended the trial and walked
out of court directly the verdict was given. She sailed
a week later for England.' "

When he had finished reading the cable Martin
Crow sat with his brows knit and his eyes fixed
upon the pattern of the carpet.

"What is troubling you now?" Sir Edward
asked.

Crow looked up with a start.

"What was that? I'm sorry. I had lost myself
for a moment. I was wondering why he was embark-
ing for England when he was arrested,"

272 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

" You mean that he should have known that England
was not going to welcome him with open arms?"

"Yes."

"I should think it is very likely that he did not
intend coming here. Perhaps they had arranged to
step off at Marseilles, and spend the winter on the
Riviera. Or, who knows but what he may have
planned murdering her as far back as that, on the
boat, or in France, when they landed."

"Yes, that is possible," Crow agreed. "May I
keep this cable?"

"Of course. You may have the original if it is
likely to be of any use to you."

"Yes, I think I'd better have them both. I will
call for it in the morning."

"When are you leaving?"

"Some time to-morrow. I must see Stephen
Chart, Miss Maguire's lawyer, before I go. I think
I may fly to Paris and catch the Blue Train there.
And now, Marion, my dear, I think I shall say good
night. I see that I am going to have another very
busy day to-morrow."

"You need not trouble to come round for that
cable, Martin, I'll send it to you so that you get it
by half past ten. Will that be soon enough?" asked
Sir Edward.

"Good gracious yes. I shan't get off until after
lunch."

"Now is there anything else that the Yard can do
for you?"

THE KEY TO THE PROBLEM 273

"The Yard has already excelled itself on my
behalf," Crow replied as he shook hands with his
hostess, "and I hope I shall not want to trouble it
again, just yet. I don't know what you said to those
Australian people to get their reply so quickly,
Edward."

"Ah, we have our methods, Martin, for putting
them on their mettle," the Assistant Commissioner
replied.

Shortly after ten o'clock the following morning
Martin Crow was shown into Mr. Stephen Chart's
room at the offices of Chart, Blagrove & Chart, in
Lincoln's Inn Fields.

"You are the very man I want to see," the lawyer
exclaimed. "I have just been reading a most extra-
ordinary letter from "

"The Reverend William Mold," Crow broke in,
"and he informs you that the lady who recently
met her death at the Villa Gloria, Roquebrune-
Cap-Martin, was Mrs. Charles Carthew."

"How on earth did you know that?" demanded
the amazed lawyer. "This parson says that he and
his wife were the only people who knew anything
about it."

"Mr. Mold seems to have forgotten the existence
of the registrar of marriages in Melbourne."

"You ferreted that out from Australia?" Chart
asked.

Crow took the cable from his pocket and handed

274 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

it across the desk. Chart read it through and then
looked up.

"But how did you know that this Rector had
written to me about it?" Crow described his visit
to the Reverend William Mold. "Ah, I understand,"
Chart said. "Well, I think you had better see his
letter."

Crow took it and read it.

"DEAR SIR,

"I must explain that I first became acquainted
with Miss Jennifer Maquire nearly twenty years ago,
when I was appointed to this benefice. Since the death of
her father she has been one of my staunchest supporters.
About seven years ago Miss Maguire went to Australia
to visit her married sister and when she returned, eight
or nine months later, my wife and I noticed a marked
change in her. It was obvious to us both that something
had happened to cause her great distress, and we both
made efforts to induce her to unburden herself to us.
We were entirely unsuccessful and gave up the attempt.

"Last summer, however, Miss Maguire came to see
us and after making us both take a solemn oath of the
strictest secrecy, told us that she wished us to assist
her. Without displaying the slightest sign of any emotion
she briefly told us that while she was in Australia she
had married a man named Charles Carthew whom she
had met on the boat going out. A few hours after the
marriage ceremony this man was arrested as they were
about to embark for England. He was tried on a very
serious charge — she did not tell us what it was — he was
convicted and sentenced to five years' penal servitude.

" Miss Maguire — as I must call her; I could never
think of her by any other name — went on to tell us that
as she voyaged back to England she became more and

THE KEY TO THE PROBLEM 275

more appalled by the thought of the extreme folly of
which she had been guilty, and decided to retain her
maiden name and tell no one of her unfortunate marriage.
She heard nothing of her husband, it appears, until
about fifteen months ago when, in some mysterious way,
he discovered that she was living in the South of France
and called at her villa. The result of the visit was that Miss
Maguire agreed to make this man a liberal yearly allow-
ance as long as she lived, provided that he did not go
near her, communicate with her in any way, or make it
known to anyone that he was her lawful husband. If
he did not strictly comply with those conditions the
allowance would cease and she would seek police pro-
tection.

"It appears that shortly after this man's visit Miss
Maguire became anxious over the possibility that diffi-
culties might arise at her death owing to the fact that her
name was really Carthew. For some reason she seemed
to regard my wife and myself as the only people whom
she could trust with her secret, and she asked us if we
would witness her signature to a new will which she was
making. She explained that she had caused it to be drawn
up in duplicate and had already signed one copy at your
office with the name Maguire. The copy which we were
to witness she would keep amongst her private papers.
In due course my wife and I witnessed her signature to
the new will and Miss Maguire then instructed me
to write this letter to you in the event of her death.
"I am, yours faithfully,

"WILLIAM MOLD."

"A very remarkable letter," observed Crow as
he handed it back to the lawyer.

"Very remarkable. I fancy that it may clear the
ground somewhat for you?"

"The news that Charles Carthew, or Charles

276 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

Rayner, was her husband certainly explains many
things," Crow replied. "With this evidence," he
went on, tapping the cable with his finger, "and a
report on the two brothers, which the Assistant
Commissioner has made out for me, I hope to have
young Maguire free almost as soon as I get back to
Roquebrune."

"I do not see how they can possibly hold him
when you have laid all the facts before them," Chart
said.

"No, I think not, but those French police are a
pig-headed lot. By the way, what is the position
now as regards the will. Does it hold?"

"That is a debatable point, I think," replied
Chart. "It is obvious that she was not Jennifer
Maguire, but Jennifer Carthew — or perhaps Rayner
— when she signed it; but I should say that a judge
would uphold it if it were contested. It is obvious
that it expresses the woman's wishes, whatever her
legal name may have been at the time."

"Quite. I don't think, however, that there will
be any quarrelling about it. Michael Maguire, I am
sure, will consent to Coral Trent having her share."

CHAPTER XXIV

CROW LAYS DOWN HIS CARDS

BEFORE leaving Paris by the Blue Train, Martin
Crow sent a telegram to M. Peille saying that
he was returning with much important evidence
and would be calling at the Prefecture the following
morning, as soon as he arrived in Nice. Both the
Commissaire and M. Robin, the Juge d' Instruction,
were waiting for him. The former greeted Crow
with his usual, genial manner, but the latter was
gloomy, and preserved his resentful attitude.

"I trust that you have made a good journey, my
dear M. Crow?" said the Commissaire as he shook
hands. "You have met M. Robin before, I believe."
Crow and the Juge d' Instruction did not shake
hands but bowed formally. "Well, you have news
for us?" M. Peille asked when they were all
seated.

"I have some remarkable news for you, M. Peille,
and when you have heard it I think you will agree
with me that Michael Maguire should no longer
be detained."

"You have conclusive proof that someone else
committed the crime?" asked M. Robin, who was
lounging back in his chair with his bowler cocked

277

278 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

on one side of his head and a hand-made cigarette
dangling from the corner of his mouth.

"I consider that I have sufficient evidence to
warrant his release," Crow replied, coldly. He dis-
liked the self-assured little juge, who, he knew, did
not want to see his labours of the past fortnight
swept aside, and the prospect of having to start
his investigations afresh.

"Perhaps you will be good enough to give us an
account of your enquiries in England?" suggested
the Commissaire in a conciliatory tone.

"It is for that purpose that I alighted from my
train at Nice and came here without delay," Crow
replied. "You are aware, I think, that I have always
suspected Boughton of having had something to do
with the crime?"

"A man who could have had no possible interest
in Mademoiselle's death," interposed M. Robin.
Martin Crow ignored the interruption and made all
his observations pointedly to M. Peille.

"Directly I arrived in London, M. le Commissaire,
I visited Scotland Yard where I asked the Assistant
Commissioner to find out if Boughton's finger-
prints appeared amongst their collection. I have
here a signed report which I will leave with you. In
the meantime perhaps you would like me to translate
it to you?"

"Please, M. Crow."

"It is headed 'Assistant Commissioner's Office,
New Scotland Yard, London,' and is dated April

CROW LAYS DOWN HIS CARDS 279

2nd. It says: 'The finger-print photographs bearing
the stamp of the Commissariat of Police at Nice,
France, and marked "Ernest Boughton" have been
found to correspond with the prints of Ernest
Rayner, who was born in London in 1885 and was
sentenced in 1910 to five years' imprisonment. In
1927 this man was tried and sentenced to seven
years' penal servitude at the Old Bailey for extensive
frauds in connection with a share-pushing business.
A warrant had been issued for the arrest of his
brother, Charles Rayner, but this man had dis-
appeared and has not been traced. It is probable
that he left the country.' "

" But what has that to do with the crime at the Villa
Gloria?" demanded the Juge d' Instruction, with a
note of triumph in his harsh voice. Again Martin Crow
ignored him and confined his attention to M. Peille.

"The newspaper reports of the trial of Ernest
Rayner enabled me to get into touch with a sister of
the two men and from her I learnt that her brother,
Charles, had gone to Australia and, moreover, that
he has red hair."

"Ah! Charles Carthew, for whom we have been
making enquiries," exclaimed the Commissaire.
"But this is interesting, M. Crow. When did he
go to Australia?"

"In 1927, the same year that Mile. Maguire went
there to visit her sister," replied Crow, who judged
it more effective to bring out the various points of his
information by slow stages, rather than all at once.

280 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"You think that they were known to each other?"
asked M. Peille.

"From the London offices of the Oriental Line
I learnt that Mile. Maguire and Charles Carthew
travelled to Australia on the same boat, but I could
not say if they had met in England. She landed
at Sydney and he went on to Melbourne. When
I discovered this I asked Scotland Yard to make
enquiries about these two people from the Australian
police, and this cable was received in London the
day before yesterday. It states that Charles Carthew
was arrested in Melbourne on September loth,
1927, as he was about to embark for England with
his wife, otherwise Miss Jennifer Maguire, whom
he had married a few hours previously."

"Mile. Maguire married!" cried the Commissaire.
"But this is formidable! You never suspected it,
M.Crow?"

"No, I am afraid I have been very slow. Her
being married explains everything."

"And what happened to this Charles Carthew?"

"The cable says that he was sentenced to five
years' penal servitude for robbery with violence.
His wife attended the trial and walked out of the
court directly she heard the verdict. She sailed for
England a few days later."

"And how does the marriage explain everything,
M. Crow?" asked M. Robin in a less aggressive tone.

"It gives us a reason for destroying the wills and
provides a motive. It has always been the absence

CROW LAYS DOWN HIS CARDS 281

of a motive which has perplexed me when I have been
considering Boughton as the murderer, or as an
accessory. Curiously enough, M. Peille, the case
now centres round a point which you yourself raised
in this room when I first came to see you, with the
Consul and Maitre Corbin. Perhaps you remember
that you suggested that Michael Maguire had
destroyed the wills so that, as next-of-kin, he would
inherit the whole of his aunt's fortune. They were
destroyed so that the next-of-kin should inherit;
but that person was the lady's lawful husband,
Charles Carthew, or Charles Rayner."

"Yes, yes, that is all clear," admitted M. Peille.
"Then what part do you think Ernest Boughton
played?" he asked.

"I have very good reasons for supposing that he
thought the whole thing out. The sister told me
that the two brothers had always been devoted to
each other and that Ernest had always been the
leader; the one who planned everything and per-
suaded Charles to join him in any enterprise. I can
hardly believe that Ernest became Mile. Maguire's
butler by chance. When he heard that his brother
was in prison in Australia, and had married a wealthy
English woman, he probably schemed to get into her
service. Whether Mile. Maguire ever knew that
her butler was her brother-in-law, or was in any
way connected with Charles, I cannot say. It is
possible that the two men may have tried to black-
mail her, but I imagine that she was a woman who

282 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

would not have been easily intimidated. It appears
to me, from other evidence which I have obtained,
that Charles visited his wife and tried to induce her
to make him a substantial allowance, but all that he
could get was £500 a year, a sum which could hardly
have satisfied himself or Ernest. It is probable that
Ernest overheard his mistress discussing the terms
of her will with Mile. Trent, and also heard that
Michael Maguire was going to be ordered to marry
his cousin. Ernest would have foreseen that there
would be trouble between aunt and nephew, and
realised that his presence at the villa would give
them an opportunity to commit a crime for which
he, Maguire, would very likely be suspected. You
may recollect, M. Peille, that I suspected one of
the servants of trying to overhear what was being said
when M. Chart was telling us the terms of the will ? "

"Yes, yes, I remember."

"Boughton, I imagine, is an accomplished eaves-
dropper. I can see him, in my mind, listening in
the salon on that Monday night when Mile. Maguire
first told her nephew that he was to marry his cousin ;
and it is reasonable to suppose that when M. Maguire
had gone up to his room, and Mademoiselle was
settled with her patience cards, Ernest Boughton
went down to the Bar Imbert, told his brother of
what he had overheard, and then planned the
murder, the manufacture of evidence which would
incriminate Maguire; and Charles's subsequent
escape."

CROW LAYS DOWN HIS CARDS 283

"Your opinion is that Charles actually killed the
woman?" asked the Commissaire.

"Yes."

"Did you happen to find out if he was right or
left-handed," asked the Juge d' Instruction, with a
generous touch of sarcasm in his voice.

"He is left-handed, M. Robin."

"Do you think that Ernest did anything after he
had planned the thing?" asked M. Peille.

"I cannot possibly say," Crow replied. "I think
it is probable that he went into the library as soon
as the murder was committed, and he may have
burnt the wills while Charles was making his escape.
No doubt he intended closing and fastening the
windows when he had completed his work at the
fire and was probably prevented from doing so by
hearing Michael Maguire coming down the stairs.
He could have hidden behind the curtain over the
library door."

"You are assuming that he crept downstairs after
he had been seen going to his room by Mile. Trent."

"Yes."

"And the mille notes which were found in
M. Maguire's valise, you think that Boughton put
them there in order to make suspicion against the
young man?"

"Undoubtedly."

"Then what have you to say about M. Berwick.
Do you think that he had anything to do with the
crime?"

CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"No, I don't."

"But his sudden disappearance, M. Crowe?"

"He probably did not think that Mile. Maguire's
thousands were worth risking his neck," Crow replied.

The Commissaire rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Mon Dieu! It is an extraordinary case," he
murmured.

"Have you any fresh news about Charles
Carthew?" asked Crow. "My daughter wrote to
tell me that you had traced him as far as Marseilles."

M. Peille searched amongst some papers on his
desk and eventually selected one of them.

"Yes, this came in this morning," he said. "It
is from my distinguished colleague at Marseilles.
He says: 'Man with red hair, supposed to be English,
crossed over to Ajaccio on Napoleon Bonapart, on
Wednesday, March 28th. Ajaccio police confirm
his arrival there, and are investigating. It is known
that he departed from the town in great haste
immediately he arrived."

Crow nodded his head contentedly.

"It should not be long before he is found," he
said. "And now, M. Peille, I suppose there is no
need for you to detain Michael Maguire any longer?"

"Good heavens! But you have not established his
innocence or proved that anyone else took part in the
crime," exclaimed M. Robin, indignantly. "I admit
that your news points to Boughton and the other man
being concerned, but your evidence is only circum-
stantial."

CROW LAYS DOWN HIS CARDS 285

"There is reason in what M. Robin says," the
Commissaire remarked, soothingly. "If I had any
proof at all that Ernest Boughton had made a contra-
vention in any way, I might arrest him and then,
with the Prefet's approval, release young Maguire
on parole. But at the moment, that is impossible.
We must find this Charles Carthew, or Rayner,
and question him closely. And we must talk to
Boughton again. If they were concerned with the
woman's death it will not be long before we get
some admission out of them which will enable us
to arrest them."

"Would you release Maguire if I could prove to
you that Boughton was warning his brother that
enquiries were being made in Corsica for him, and
if you caught Boughton trying to get rid of me again ?"
Crow asked.

"Under those circumstances I would recommend
his release to the Preiet," replied M. Peille.

"Then I will endeavour to supply you with that
information without delay. Could you let me have
the assistance of two armed men this evening?"

"But what is it that you will do, M. Crow?"
demanded the Commissaire.

"I will tell you, M. Peille." And Martin Crow
outlined a plan which met with the Commissaire's
approval, and half an hour later he was leaving the
Prefecture. He did not go over to Roquebrune but
walked along to the Avenue de la Victoire where
he entered a restaurant and ordered lunch. While

286 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

he was waiting for it he went into the telephone
cabin and put through a call to the Pension
Mireille. Mile. Antoinette answered, and he asked
if he could talk to his daughter.

"Good morning, my dear, and how are you all?"

"Very well, but where are you speaking from,
Father?"

"A restaurant in Nice. I have some important
instructions for you, Gerry. As soon as I have had
lunch I am going to the Villa Gloria and I am going
to tell Coral Trent that my room at the Pension
is let, and ask if she will put me up for the night."

"But ?"

"Don't ask any questions, my dear. It is hardly
likely that anyone will go and ask Mme. Ribaud or
Mile. Antoinette any questions, but if they should, I
would like them to bear me out about my room being
occupied. I think you can warn them tactfully."

"Very well. Anything else ?"

"I don't think so, my dear, except that I hope to
be able to take breakfast with you and Alison in the
garden to-morrow at nine o'clock."

"You sound terribly mysterious, Father."

Martin Crow chuckled.

" Do I ? Well, I must go or my lunch will be getting
cold. Good-bye till to-morrow, and my love to Alison."

Before going over to Roquebrune Martin Crow
bought a small suit-case in which he packed three
other purchases which he made in various parts of
Nice.

CHAPTER XXV

CORAL TRENT CONFIDES

MARTIN CROW hired a car and drove over
to Roquebrune where he was admitted to
the Villa Gloria by Boughton.

"Is Miss Trent at home?"

"I think she is in the garden, sir. Will you come
into the drawing-room?"

"I am wondering if Miss Trent could possibly
put me up for the night," Crow said as he followed
the butler across the hall. "I have only just returned
from London and I find that my room at the Pension
Mireille has been let, and as I am going across to
Corsica to-morrow I did not want the inconvenience
of having to go to another hotel."

Crow had been watching the man closely and noticed
the slight movement, and almost imperceptible
stiffening of his muscles, as the name of the island
was mentioned.

"I am sure Miss Trent will be only too pleased,"
he said, quickly recovering his composure. "Will
you sit down, sir, and I will tell Miss Trent that you
are here." He was about to go out of the room when
he paused and turned. "May I venture to ask if
you have any news of Mr. Michael, sir?" he asked.

287

288 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"I have not seen him for more than a week, but
I understand that he is in good health and as cheerful
as could be expected under his trying conditions."

"Can you say when the trial is likely to take
place?"

"His trial?"

"Yes, sir."

"It is most unlikely that he will have to appear
before a court," replied Crow. "At least, I hope
he won't."

"Indeed. May I ask if the police have got on to
the track of someone else?"

"They haven't. They are still convinced that
Mr. Maguire murdered his aunt, but I have very
good reasons for thinking that an Australian by the
name of Carthew was concerned with the crime.
Have you ever heard of anyone of that name since
you have been in Miss Maguire's service?"

"Carthew, did you say, sir?"

"Yes, Charles Carthew."

Boughton shook his head.

"I have never heard the name before, as far as
I can recollect."

"You don't remember Miss Maguire ever receiv-
ing a visitor of that name, either here or in England ? "

"The name is quite unknown to me, sir. Do you
happen to know what the man is like, sir?"

"I know nothing about him except that he is
supposed to be an Australian and went across to
Corsica the day after Miss Maguire met her death.

CORAL TRENT CONFIDES 289

That is why I am going over there to-morrow, so
that I can verify all my information and then lay
the facts before the Commissaire. At present he
does not know anything about this man, Carthew."

"Do you think you will be able to track him down,
sir?"

"It will not take me very long to discover his
whereabouts when once I am over there," Crow
replied with confidence.

There was a moment's silence, then Boughton
said,

"It is a most extraordinary affair, sir, and I can
only hope that you will be successful in finding the
murderer and bring him to justice. I will go and
tell Miss Trent that you wish to see her, sir."

"One moment. I particularly wish to talk with
her privately, and I should be obliged if I could see
her here, not in the garden."

"I will tell her what you say, sir."

Martin Crow paced slowly up and down the room
for several minutes with his hands clasped behind
his back. He was smiling faintly. Presently he
went across to one of the windows and was standing
there, watching a number of small sailing boats
racing off Monte Carlo, when he heard someone
entering the room.

"You wish to see me, Mr. Crow?" Coral Trent
asked. She was restrained and nervous, as she had
been when he first saw her, the morning he called
with Gerry.

CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Yes, I have come to ask a favour, Miss Trent.
Perhaps Boughton told you what it is?"

She went forward and sat down on one of the
Louis XIV chairs.

"He said something about your wishing to stay
here for the night," she answered, avoiding his
eyes.

Martin Crow thought that he heard a slight
movement in the dining-room and it was with
difficulty that he restrained himself from looking in
that direction.

"I have just returned from London, where I
have been making extensive enquiries relative to
your aunt's death," he said, raising his voice a
little. "When I got back to the Pension I found
that my room had been let during my absence and
that it won't be free for two or three days. I have
rather a horror of going to hotels which I do not
know, and I thought that as it is only for one night
you might be good enough to put me up."

" I shall be only too pleased, Mr. Crow. Boughton
suggested that you should have the room over the
front door.

"That is very good of you. I don't mind what
sort of a room it is. I shall be leaving quite early
in the morning. I am hoping to discover the where-
abouts of the individual who murdered Miss
Maguire."

"You are still of the opinion that my cousin is
innocent?"

CORAL TRENT CONFIDES 291

"I am certain he is, Miss Trent."

"You know who did do it?"

"I do not know for certain, but I have very strong
suspicions. Did you ever hear your aunt talk of a
man named Charles Carthew?"

"Charles Carthew? I have never heard the name
before."

" During the time that you lived with Miss Maguire
did she, to your knowledge, ever receive a visit
from a man who was probably an Australian?"

"Never. Why do you ask, Mr. Crow?"

"Because if I find an Australian named Charles
Carthew I believe that I shall have found your aunt's
murderer."

"Then you don't suspect Alan?" asked Coral
in a changed tone. She suddenly appeared to be
more at her ease and less apprehensive.

"Alan Berwick? But why should I suspect him,
Miss Trent?"

A sound in the adjoining room caused Coral
to turn sharply and Crow noticed that in an instant
her bearing had become tense again. She stood
up and went towards the window.

"Shall we go into the garden?" she asked. "It
. . . it is so hot in here."

Having achieved his purpose in talking to her for
a few minutes in the drawing-room, Crow readily
consented.

" By all means," he said, and followed her on to
the terrace.

CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Let us go along to those chairs under the um-
brella," Coral said, leading him to a bay in the
terrace wall where three wicker chairs were arranged
round a table. They sat down and the girl fixed her
eyes upon the little sailing boats which were now
running before the wind towards the entrance to
Monaco harbour. She did not speak, but her lips
moved as if she were forming words and could not
make up her mind to utter them.

"Won't you tell me all about it?" Crow said in
his most persuasive tone.

"Tell you what?" asked Coral, looking at him
keenly.

"About that which is troubling you."

Her eyes went back to the little sailing boats and
a minute or more elapsed before she spoke.

"He terrifies me," she said at length.

"Who does?"

"Boughton."

"How?"

"I can hardly explain. I didn't mean to tell
anyone, but just now ... I ... I knew that
he was in the dining-room listening to what we were
saying."

"But why does he terrify you?"

"He seems " She broke off and shuddered.

"What does he seem?"

Coral glanced furtively round and when she spoke
again she lowered her voice.

"He is like a great cat walking about the house

CORAL TRENT CONFIDES 293

so silently, as if he was always spying. I didn't
notice it when I first came to stay here. It has been
recently. It began a few days, perhaps a week, before
the . . . before my aunt died. Whenever she and
I were together in one of the rooms I always felt
that he was somewhere near, listening and watching."

"Did your aunt notice anything?"

"No. I once told her that I thought he was trying
to overhear what we were saying, but she only
laughed and said that I was imagining things.
But you haven't answered my question about Alan,
Mr. Crow."

"Why should you have thought that I suspected
him of having had anything to do with your aunt's
death?"

"He said he thought you did, and that your
daughter certainly suspected him."

"When did he tell you that?"

"I don't think I can remember which day it
was; but one evening he went down to your Pension
to tell you that the police had taken his finger-
prints."

"Yes, he did."

"And you told him that you were certain my
aunt's murderer was a left-handed man."

"That is quite right."

"He is left-handed, and he said you knew he
was."

"As a matter of fact, my dear Miss Trent, I did
not know which hand he used habitually until "

294 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Yes, yes, I know; you went to speak to the
Commissaire on the 'phone and your daughter found
out by making him throw stones at a tree. He
thought he had been tricked, and I believe he lost
his temper and insulted you. Alan is really little
more than a child, Mr. Crow, and absurdly nervous.
He was in a dreadful state that night, and came up
here to tell me all about it. He said he was certain
that he would be arrested, and that everyone was
against him. He said he was going to get away
before they could get hold of him. I tried to per-
suade him to stay, but he wouldn't. You surely
suspected him that night, Mr. Crow?"

"To be perfectly frank I suspected that he might
possibly have had something to do with the crime,
but I never thought that he struck the blow
which resulted in Miss Maguire's death," Crow
replied.

"But why? Just because he had admitted being
in the Villa garden that night?"

"Not only because of those two facts, Miss Trent.
You see, for some reason both you and he had
been trying to mislead my daughter and myself.
That morning, for example, when we first made
your acquaintance, down there on one of the
lower terraces, you led us to suppose that Alan
Berwick was on the friendliest terms with your
aunt; in fact that he was her friend rather than
yours. And then afterwards he told me several
things which were quite untrue; that he had been

CORAL TRENT CONFIDES 295

sent down here for his health and that he had never
wished to marry you."

"Yes, I suppose we were both very silly," Coral
said. Since they had been sitting in the garden she
had been displaying a naturalness which Crow had
never seen in her before.

"Why did you do it, Miss Trent?"

Coral did not reply immediately. She sat with
her chin resting upon her hand and her elbow sup-
ported on her knee. After a few moments she sat
upright and looked unhesitatingly at Crow.

"We were terribly afraid," she said. "You must
try to understand that the fifteen months during
which I had been living with my aunt were the
unhappiest months of my life. To strangers she
may have appeared to be a normal, pleasant woman;
but she was a tyrant who was never happy unless
she was imposing her will upon someone. It was
not so bad when we were here last year, or after-
wards when we were travelling about. But when
we were staying at Merryfields and Alan and I fell
in love with each other she made my life unbearable.
And from that time onwards it became worse and
worse. She made me spend hours every day learning
French which I hated. The climax came when she
conceived the mad idea of forcing Michael and
me to marry. I knew that she would threaten to
make him penniless, and I knew that she would
treat me in the same way if I defied her about
Alan."

296 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"Are you going to marry Mr. Berwick when all
this business has been cleared up?"

There was a long pause during which Coral gazed
into the far distance.

"Yes, I am," she replied suddenly. Another
pause. " I see that you do not approve, Mr. Crow."

"Am I so transparent as that?" he answered, a
little surprised by the quickness of her perception.

"I know that you have rather a poor opinion
of Alan."

"I scarcely know him. I have only met him
twice."

"I imagine that it does not take you very long to
sum people up. Of course you think that Alan only
wants me for the money which he hopes I shall
inherit. Perhaps you are right."

"And you will marry him on those terms?"

"Certainly. Alan may be weak and irresponsible,
but he can be led."

"You failed to persuade him to stay here?"
said Crow.

"Because I did not press the point. He was in
such a nervous, almost hysterical state, that I thought
it might be better if he went. He wanted me to go,
too, but I knew that that would be very unwise."

"You know where he is?"

"In Rome."

"I appreciate your confidence in me, Miss Trent."

Coral shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

"I realise now that you do not suspect him at

CORAL TRENT CONFIDES 297

all. I expect you think, as I do, that he would not
have the courage to commit a crime like that."

"It was because I originally formed that opinion
of him that I never really thought that he had
murdered your aunt, but I did think that he might
have been persuaded by someone to take a passive
part, in some way."

"It is because of his weakness of character that
I am resolved to marry him, Mr. Crow. Alan needs
a guiding hand."

"I can only wish you every happiness, Miss
Trent."

"We make our own happiness when once we have
learnt our lesson, don't we, Mr. Crow?"

A gong sounded in the villa and half an hour
later they dined on the terrace outside the dining-
room.

"I should like to be called early," Crow said as
they got up from the table.

"At what time, sir?" Boughton asked.

"Half past six, if that is not too early for you."

"I am always up at that hour, sir. Will you
take a cup of tea then, sir?"

"If I might have a cup of coffee and a roll I shall
not require anything more. I am rather a heavy
sleeper so you may have to come in and shake me."

"I will see that you are roused, sir," said Boughton
as he began to remove the things from the table.

Soon after ten o'clock Martin Crow said good
night and went upstairs.

CHAPTER XXVI

BOUGHTON FAILS AGAIN

WHEN Martin Crow entered his room he
walked across to the windows and threw
back the green shutters. For several minutes he
stood there, looking across the garden, towards
the village, perched high up on the mountain-
side. The path leading up to it was clearly
marked by a zig-zagging row of brilliant electric
lights.

After a while Crow turned and took stock of the
arrangement of the furniture in the room. The
bed was facing the window, with its head against
the wall. The door was on the right of the bed, as
he looked at it; and a large, built-in wardrobe was
on the left. A dressing-table, with flounces, stood on
one side of the window, and a large easy chair
on the other. Crow went across to the wardrobe
and looked inside. It was spacious and would have
permitted a person of normal height to stand up-
right in the hanging compartment. He appeared
to be well pleased with his investigation for he was
smiling to himself as he went across to the other
side of the room and began to unpack the suit-case
which he had bought in Nice that afternoon. Its

298

BOUGHTON FAILS AGAIN 299

contents consisted of a white wig, two small cushions
and a ball of thick string. He laid these things on
the bed.

For several seconds Martin Crow stood looking
thoughtfully at his recent purchases; then he glanced
round at the door. There was a small bolt on a line
with the handle and he tried to shoot it across;
but it only moved a fraction of an inch. There was
no key. Neither of these discoveries caused him any
surprise and after a moment's consideration he hung
his handkerchief over the bolt so that it covered the
keyhole. He then turned his attention to the things
on the bed once more.

During the next half hour Crow worked deftly
and silently. He turned back the bed-clothes and
then manipulated the two cushions, one of the
pillows, and the white wig until he had built up a
form which, when the clothes were replaced, re-
sembled a white-haired man sleeping on his right
side, with his back to the door. He took the greatest
care to make his dummy realistic, and when he was
entirely satisfied with the result he returned to the
window and stood there, framed against the lighted
room, until he saw a faint flicker in the shrubbery
below. He glanced at his watch. It was a quarter
to eleven. During the next fifteen minutes he moved
about the room and splashed water in the wash-
basin, as if he was preparing for bed. At the end
of that time he picked up the ball of string from the
bed, switched out the light and returned to the

300 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

window once more. Unwinding the string he
allowed one end to fall over the outer sill and drop
on to the path below. As soon as he felt a slight
jerk he began pulling the string in until a rope
ladder came into sight. It was fitted with two
stout hooks which he fastened round the inner sill.
After a short interval a bowler hat appeared and the
next moment Crow was helping M. Peille to climb
into the room. Both men then gave their assistance
to the Brigadier who, being a large man, found it
more difficult to climb over the sill.

Not a word was spoken and scarcely a sound
made as Crow took his companions over to the
bed, and, by the light of his electric torch, showed
them the dummy. The Commissaire nodded his
head approvingly and taking a slip of paper from his
pocket handed it to Crow who looked at it at once.
It was a telegraph form which bore the stamp of
the Beausoleil post office and was timed for 5.30
p.m. of that day. The following address and mes-
sage were in the hand-writing of the sender:

"Charles Carthew, Cafe Bellacosia, Pentica, Corse.
Leave for Italy at once or be prepared for unwelcome
visitor. E."

Crow smiled and handed the form back to the
Commissaire. He then showed them the wardrobe,
indicating that he would hide himself inside it,
and he pointed to the chair and dressing-table.
M. Peille understood and motioned to the Brigadier

BOUGHTON FAILS AGAIN 301

to conceal himself behind the latter while he took
up a position behind the chair.

Martin Crow stepped into the wardrobe and
arranged the door so that it was almost closed but
permitted him to see the further side of the bed
and the door of the room. With a revolver in one
hand, and his torch in the other, he made himself
as comfortable as the restricted space would permit.
The time passed with wearying slowness, but Crow
was prepared for this. He was well aware that his
plan might fail altogether, but even if it succeeded
he knew that they might have to wait until the hour
before dawn.

Owing to his abnormal height Crow was not
able to stand upright and he knelt down, first
on one knee and then on the other, but always
with his attention upon the other side of the
room. He heard the village clock strike twelve,
one, and two, and then a long time elapsed before
the three men stiffened themselves and listened
intently. Their eyes were fixed upon the door of
the room and after a few seconds they saw it being
opened slowly. Suddenly a faint light filled the
room and they saw the figure of a man moving
stealthily across to the bed. He held a torch in one
hand and was directing the light on to the floor,
as if he were afraid lest the glare might wake the man
who, he supposed, was sleeping. They could only
guess what he held in the other hand.

Crow was watching every movement that the

302 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

man made. He saw him pause as he reached the
side of the bed; he saw his right hand go up, and he
heard a sharp click.

"Put your hands up, Boughton, or I fire," Crow
cried.

Boughton wheeled round and found the beams of
three torches trained upon him. His hand went
up again, but the click as his trigger fell was drowned
by the report of the Brigadier's weapon. There was
a muttered oath and Boughton staggered back
against the wall and slithered to the ground.

"Be careful!" cried the Commissaire as the
Brigadier sprang forward and switched on the light.
But Boughton was not feinting. He was wearing
an overcoat over his pyjamas and a red stain on the
light-coloured jacket showed that he had been hit
in the chest. The Commissaire knelt down beside
him and examined the wound.

"Your aim is too good, Brigadier," he said.
" I doubt if we shall get anything out of him. I must
go and telephone for a doctor."

From across the landing there came the frightened
cries of Coral Trent, asking what had happened.
Crow went to her door and as he knocked he heard
excited voices coming from the servants' sleeping
quarters on the far side of the villa.

"It is Martin Crow," he said at Coral's door.
"There is no need to be alarmed."

"Oh, what has happened? I'm so terrified,"
came back the girl's hysterical voice.

BOUGHTON FAILS AGAIN 303

"Please do not be alarmed, Miss Trent. M.
Peille and his men are here. You are quite safe."

Crow heard footsteps in the room and then the
door was opened a few inches. Coral was trembling
violently and could scarcely speak.

"But what has happened?" she managed to say.

"Boughton tried to kill me again, and he has
been shot."

"He is dead?" she asked eagerly.

"I don't know."

"But why did he try to kill you?"

"He knew that I had discovered that he planned
your aunt's death."

"He killed her?"

"I don't think so, but he planned it all."

Coral covered her face with her hands and sat
down on a chair by the door.

"Thank God that man won't be able to terrify
me any more," she murmured.

While they waited for the doctor to come Crow
knelt down by Boughton's side and translated the
questions which the Commissaire asked, but the man
was dying and did not appear to hear. He lay motion-
less, and as he groaned blood oozed from his lips.

"Ask him straight out what Charles Carthew had
to do with the crime," demanded M. Peille, sharply.

At the mention of his brother's name Boughton
tried to rouse himself and looked up at Crow.

"He didn't do it," he murmured, feebly. "I . . .

304 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

It was I who killed her ... for his sake ... I
... I owed it to him."

Then he lapsed into silence once more. When
the doctor arrived with the ambulance he shook
his head gravely and expressed the doubt that
Boughton would survive the journey to the hospital.

"Well, M. Crow," said the Commissaire, a little
later, "I offer you my homage. As in the affaire
Jehnan you were right from the beginning. His
revolver, I see, is a -45 centimetres as you suspected."

"Yes, I never had any doubt about that, M. Peille."

"And do you think he spoke the truth when he
said that he killed Mile. Maguire?"

"No, I am more than ever convinced that it was
his brother. Boughton, of course, knew that he was
dying; but apart from that I should have expected
him to confess to the crime. He was devoted to
Charles and did the same thing in London when
he knew that there was going to be trouble. He
sent his brother out of the country and himself
remained to face the consequences. Scoundrel that
he was, he had his good qualities."

The Commissaire shrugged.

"Eh bien!" he said. "It will not be long before I
know for certain."

"You are going to Corsica?"

"I have ordered a sea-plane to be ready to leave
Nice harbour for Ajaccio in an hour's time."

"You think it will be easy to find him?"

"Yes, with the aid of the Corsican gendarmerie.

BOUGHTON FAILS AGAIN 305

I am taking an interpreter with me and hope to get
a full confession out of Charles Carthew. And now,
M. Crow, you are naturally thinking about your
young friend over at Nice. He will, of course, be
released at once. You will be coming over?"

Martin Crow looked at his watch.

"It is only just four o'clock," he replied. "I shall
lie down for two or three hours and then, no doubt,
Mile. Trent will order the car to take me over. I
will be at the Prefecture at about eight. I should like
to bring him back to his fiancee."

"Eight o'clock. By that time I hope to be on my
way to Corsica, but M. Maguire will be waiting
for you in my office. I shall let you know as soon as
I have any news. You will be remaining in Roque-
brune for some time?"

Martin Crow smiled.

"I came here for a holiday, M. Peille, but I have
been working very hard during the last fortnight.
It is probable that my daughter will insist upon
my remaining for another week or ten days."

"Ah, Mademoiselle! She takes care of her father,
no?"

"Yes. I am afraid that she is too fond of getting
her own way where I am concerned; and she gets
it far too often," Crow answered.

It was going to be warm again. A light haze hung
over Monte Carlo and the Tete du Chien. The
Pension garden was filled with the murmur of the

306 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

bees as they sucked honey from the orange flowers,
and on the stone wall by the gate three or four
green lizards were lazily sunning themselves. Gerry
and Alison were sitting in the little arbour, waiting
for Martin Crow. It was nearly ten o'clock.

"I wonder what is keeping him," Gerry said,
after a long silence.

"Do you think that he discovered something
about Coral Trent when he was in England?"

"I don't know. I couldn't get a word out of him
yesterday when he rang up. I get so furious with him
when he is in one of those silent, mysterious moods."

At that moment Mile. Antoinette came running
out of the house.

"Mam'selle! Have you heard what has happened
up at the Villa Gloria?" she cried, beside herself
with excitement.

"What?" in anxious tones from both Gerry and
Alison.

"The butler has been shot and taken to the
hospital at Nice."

"Boughton! Who shot him?" questioned Gerry.

"I don't know, but I have just been talking to M.
Bandol, who delivers the telegrams, and he says that
the Commissaire telephoned from the villa at three
o'clock this morning for the doctor and an ambulance.
M. Bandol got it from the cook at the villa half an hour
ago and she said the butler was in a grave condition."

"Did she say anything about my father?" Gerry
asked anxiously.

BOUGHTON FAILS AGAIN 307

"No, Mam'selle, she "

"Michael!"

Alison had jumped up and was running across
the garden towards Michael and Crow who had
just entered by the upper gate. Crow left the two
young people to themselves and joined his daughter.

"I am sorry that we are so late, my dear," he
said as he kissed her, "but it was quite impossible
for us to get here any sooner. That young man
insisted upon going to a shop and buying a complete
outfit before he showed himself here. He certainly
was looking rather shabby."

"But did you know that you would be bringing
him when you rang up yesterday?"

Mile. Antoinette had rushed into the house to
tell her mother that M. Maguire had returned and
that everyone was happy once more. Michael and
Alison were still talking at the far end of the terrace.

"I wasn't certain, my dear," Crow answered,
"but I was counting on it. That is why I suggested
having petit dejeuner out here at nine. I thought
it would be a fitting setting for a happy reunion."

"What is this we have just heard about Boughton
being shot, Father?"

"It is quite true, and it makes a long story which
I will relate as soon as we have had something to
eat. Poor fellow. He won't trouble this world any
more."

"He is dead?"

"He died on the way to the hospital."

CHAPTER XXVII

M. PEILLE APOLOGISES

IT doesn't really matter to me whether a court
would uphold the will or not," Michael was
saying two mornings later when they were all sitting
in the Pension garden. "Coral must have her half
share and the villa."

"That, of course, is reasonable," said Martin
Crow as he ran his fingers through the white stubble
on his head, "but I felt that I ought to tell you that
a judge might not accept the maiden-name signature.
As a matter of fact I do not think that Coral will
say thank you for the villa."

"And I don't think that Michael and I would
feel like going there," said Alison.

"I can understand your feelings, my dear," said
Crow, "although I should not mind having it as a
retreat when the winters in England are particularly
objectionable. I "

"Pardon, M. Crow, but M. Peille is here and
wishes to see you and M. Maguire."

It was Mademoiselle Antoinette who had just
come out from the house.

"M. Peille! Back already! Will you ask him to
come out, Mademoiselle?"

308

M. PEILLE APOLOGISES 309

A few moments later the Commissaire, looking
very tired and hot, came across to the arbour. He
appeared to be a little nervous as he made a low
bow.

"I arrived back from Corsica two hours ago and
I have come here to offer to you all my sincere
apologies," he said, speaking French. Then, turning
to Michael he bowed again and said, in English,
"M. Maguire, I am so sorree; so sorree that I cannot
tell you."

Michael smiled and offered his hand which the
Commissaire gripped.

"It has all been a terrible mistake of which I am
profoundly ashamed," the latter said, reverting to
his native language. "I felt that I owed it to you all
to bring you the news of the denouement."

"You found him?" asked Crow.

"Yes." A pause. "And now he, too, is dead."

"What? Charles Carthew?" Crow exclaimed.
"Please sit down and tell us all about it."

"Yesterday," M. Peille began, when they were
all seated, "a little after midday, I and M. Sigean,
the interpreter, arrived at the Cafe Bellacosia and
asked the patron for M. Carthew. There were
several people in the restaurant taking their dejeuner
at the time and I had scarcely mentioned the name
when there was a report, and a man sitting at a
small table in a corner fell sideways on to the floor."

"He shot himself?" asked Michael. Crow trans-
lated the question.

310 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

"That is so, Monsieur. Afterwards the patron
told me that his English guest had seemed like a
hunted animal ever since his arrival nearly a fort-
night ago. However, we rushed across to him.
There was no doubt. He had the red hair and the
figure that you, M. Crow, described. There, at
Pentica, there is no doctor near and two hours
passed before one arrived from Bocognano, and by
that time he had given up his last breath. We picked
him up from the floor and carried him upstairs
and laid him on a bed and there I began to question
him, but could get no answer until I told him that
if he would speak he might save his brother from
the guillotine. He "

"You told him that?" asked Crow, in a dis-
approving tone.

"But yes. I was determined that I should know
the truth, and I suspected that he could not live
for long. As with Boughton, the bullet must have
entered the lung. Then, with difficulty, and with
many pauses, he made a partial confession. He
began by declaring that his brother was innocent
and that it was he who had killed Mile. Maguire.
He spoke of his crime in Australia. He was destitute,
he said and scarcely realised what he was doing.
When he came out of prison he wrote to Ernest,
in England, and told him that he had married a
very wealthy English woman, giving her maiden
name, also the name of her home. He said that
he would like to get into touch with her, but did

M. PEILLE APOLOGISES 31!

not dare to come to England because he knew that
he might be arrested. After several weeks Ernest
replied. He said that things had been going very
badly for him; he had only been able to get occa-
sional employment but now, after encountering
great difficulties, he had succeeded in entering
Mile. Maguire's employment as her maitre d'hotel.
He had worked hard for this because he thought
that they might, between them, get a good sum of
money out of Mademoiselle. Ernest said that his
mistress spent each winter on the Cote d'Azur and
he advised Charles to work his way to Marseilles
and then visit his wife. He took that advice, pre-
sented himself to Mile. Maguire and induced her
to make him an allowance of five hundred livres
sterling a year, on the conditions which you related
to me. A few weeks ago, finding himself heavily
in debt, he decided that he must take drastic steps
to get more money. At first he decided that he would
try to blackmail her, and then the idea occurred to
him that if he could only destroy her will — which,
according to his brother, was kept in the safe at
the villa — and then murder her he would inherit
the whole fortune."

"You did not tell him that Ernest had confessed
to having committed the crime?" Crow asked.

"No. I tried to induce him to tell me what part
his brother had played, but he would say nothing
until I told him that Ernest had made two unsuc-
cessful attempts to kill you, that he had been shot

312 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

dead whilst making the second effort, and that
M. Maguire was being charged with having mur-
dered his aunt."

"You were determined to know everything, M.
Peille," said Crow, who did not quite approve of
the Commissaire's methods.

"But naturally. It was for that reason, as well
as to arrest him, that I went to Corsica. And I was
successful. He told me all I wished to know. He
admitted that it was Ernest who told him that there
was certain to be a violent quarrel between Mile.
Maguire and her nephew and that it would be an
opportunity for murdering the woman. Ernest, as
you suspected, planned it all. On Tuesday night
he complained to the other servants of feeling
indisposed and went up to bed early, taking care that
Mile. Trent saw him going into his bedroom. He
stayed there for only a few minutes and then lowered
himself out of the window by a rope, joining Charles
in the garden.

"Together they listened at the library window.
As soon as M. Maguire left the room Ernest entered
the salon by the window and went into the hall
where he kept watch. He heard the blow being
struck with the candlestick and then entered the
library. Charles toldjiim that he was going to destroy
the two wills, which he had found on the writing
table, and would then search the safe. Charles
found the five mille notes and Ernest suggested that
they should be hidden amongst M. Maguire's

M. PEILLE APOLOGISES 313

clothes in his room. At that moment Ernest heard
a door being opened upstairs and he told Charles
to make his escape by the window. Charles did
so and walked over to Monte Carlo where he caught
the last train to Marseilles.

"For the rest we can only imagine that Ernest
did not have time to close and fasten the library
window, as he had probably arranged to do, but
slipped into the salon and saw M. Maguire coming
down the stairs through the glass doors."

"Almost word for word as you said, Father,"
Gerry exclaimed.

"Yes, I wasn't very far out, was I, my dear?"
Crow said, and then translated the Commissaire's
story for the benefit of Alison and Michael, who
had only understood fragments of it."

"And Mile. Trent, she is still at the villa?" asked
M. Peille.

"No, she did not feel like remaining there,"
Gerry replied. "She is staying at the Chateau
Diodato."

"But of course; that is reasonable. She has any
news of M. Berwick?"

"She is expecting him to return to-day."

"Ah! She knew where he was?"

"Yes. She has explained everything to me. The
young man took fright when you asked him to give
you his finger-prints. I understand that they will
be married quite soon."

"Ah! So it was a little romance after all?" smiled

314 CRIME AT THE VILLA GLORIA

the Commissaire. "And may I ask if there will be
another wedding before very long?"

"As soon as we get back to England," Crow
replied.

M. Peille stood up and made a solemn bow to
Alison and Michael.

"Mile. Beamish, M. Maguire," he said, impres-
sively, "I ask your pardon for my inability to speak
your language, but my respected colleague here will
tell you what I am saying. From the depths of my
heart I again express to you my most profound
regrets for all that you have both suffered, and I can
only say that I shall feel deeply honoured if you
will show your forgiveness by sending me an invita-
tion to your wedding. It will not be possible for me
to accept it, but I shall treasure it."

"Not only will we send you an invitation," said
Alison when Crow had translated the Commis-
saire's speech, "but you shall have a large slice of
wedding cake."

"Mademoiselle, you are too good," replied M.
Peille as he stood up and shook hands. Something
glinted in the corner of his eye. He brushed it
brusquely away with his handkerchief, and wished
them all good day.

JAN 1 7 1938