The Secret Adversary
half a mile out of their direction. It was past seven o’clock when a
small boy told them that “t’ Moat House” was just past the next corner.
A rusty iron gate swinging dismally on its hinges! An overgrown drive
thick with leaves. There was something about the place that struck a
chill to both their hearts. They went up the deserted drive. The leaves
deadened their footsteps. The daylight was almost gone. It was like
walking in a world of ghosts. Overhead the branches flapped and creaked
with a mournful note. Occasionally a sodden leaf drifted silently down,
startling them with its cold touch on their cheek.
A turn of the drive brought them in sight of the house. That, too,
seemed empty and deserted. The shutters were closed, the steps up to
the door overgrown with moss. Was it indeed to this desolate spot
that Tuppence had been decoyed? It seemed hard to believe that a human
footstep had passed this way for months.
Julius jerked the rusty bell handle. A jangling peal rang discordantly,
echoing through the emptiness within. No one came. They rang again and
again--but there was no sign of life. Then they walked completely round
the house. Everywhere silence, and shuttered windows. If they could
believe the evidence of their eyes the place was empty.
“Nothing doing,” said Julius.
They retraced their steps slowly to the gate.
“There must be a village handy,” continued the young American. “We’d
better make inquiries there. They’ll know something about the place, and
whether there’s been anyone there lately.”
“Yes, that’s not a bad idea.”
Proceeding up the road, they soon came to a little hamlet. On the
outskirts of it, they met a workman swinging his bag of tools, and Tommy
stopped him with a question.
“The Moat House? It’s empty. Been empty for years. Mrs. Sweeny’s got the
key if you want to go over it--next to the post office.”
Tommy thanked him. They soon found the post office, which was also a
sweet and general fancy shop, and knocked at the door of the cottage
next to it. A clean, wholesome-looking woman opened it. She readily
produced the key of the Moat House.
“Though I doubt if it’s the kind of place to suit you, sir. In a
terrible state of repair. Ceilings leaking and all. ‘Twould need a lot
of money spent on it.”
“Thanks,” said Tommy cheerily. “I dare say it’ll be a washout, but
houses are scarce nowadays.”
“That they are,” declared the woman heartily. “My daughter and
son-in-law have been looking for a decent cottage for I don’t know how
long. It’s all the war. Upset things terribly, it has. But excuse me,
sir, it’ll be too dark for you to see much of the house. Hadn’t you
better wait until to-morrow?”
“That’s all right. We’ll have a look around this evening, anyway. We’d
have been here before only we lost our way. What’s the best place to
stay at for the night round here?”
Mrs. Sweeny looked doubtful.
“There’s the _Yorkshire Arms_, but it’s not much of a place for
gentlemen like you.”
“Oh, it will do very well. Thanks. By the way, you’ve not had a young
lady here asking for this key to-day?”
The woman shook her head.
“No one’s been over the place for a long time.”
“Thanks very much.”
They retraced their steps to the Moat House. As the front door swung
back on its hinges, protesting loudly, Julius struck a match and
examined the floor carefully. Then he shook his head.
“I’d swear no one’s passed this way. Look at the dust. Thick. Not a sign
of a footmark.”
They wandered round the deserted house. Everywhere the same tale. Thick
layers of dust apparently undisturbed.
“This gets me,” said Julius. “I don’t believe Tuppence was ever in this
house.”
“She must have been.”
Julius shook his head without replying.
“We’ll go over it again to-morrow,” said Tommy. “Perhaps we’ll see more
in the daylight.”
On the morrow they took up the search once more, and were reluctantly
forced to the conclusion that the house had not been invaded for some
considerable time. They might have left the village altogether but for
a fortunate discovery of Tommy’s. As they were retracing their steps to
the gate, he gave a sudden cry, and stooping, picked something up from
among the leaves, and held it out to Julius. It was a small gold brooch.
“That’s Tuppence’s!”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. I’ve often seen her wear it.”
Julius drew a deep breath.
“I guess that settles it. She came as far as here, anyway. We’ll make
that pub our head-quarters, and raise hell round here until we find her.
Somebody _must_ have seen her.”
Forthwith the campaign began. Tommy and Julius worked separately and
together, but the result was the same. Nobody answering to Tuppence’s
description had been seen in the vicinity. They were baffled--but not
discouraged. Finally they altered their tactics. Tuppence had certainly
not remained long in the neighbourhood of the Moat House. That pointed
to her having been overcome and carried away in a car. They renewed
inquiries. Had anyone seen a car standing somewhere near the Moat House
that day? Again they met with no success.
Julius wired to town for his own car, and they scoured the neighbourhood
daily with unflagging zeal. A grey limousine on which they had set high
hopes was traced to Harrogate, and turned out to be the property of a
highly respectable maiden lady!
Each day saw them set out on a new quest. Julius was like a hound on
the leash. He followed up the slenderest clue. Every car that had passed
through the village on the fateful day was tracked down. He forced his
way into country properties and submitted the owners of the motors to
a searching cross-examination. His apologies were as thorough as his
methods, and seldom failed in disarming the indignation of his victims;
but, as day succeeded day, they were no nearer to discovering Tuppence’s
whereabouts. So well had the abduction been planned that the girl seemed
literally to have vanished into thin air.
And another preoccupation was weighing on Tommy’s mind.
“Do you know how long we’ve been here?” he asked one morning as they
sat facing each other at breakfast. “A week! We’re no nearer to finding
Tuppence, _and next Sunday is the_ 29_th!_”
“Shucks!” said Julius thoughtfully. “I’d almost forgotten about the
29th. I’ve been thinking of nothing but Tuppence.”
“So have I. At least, I hadn’t forgotten about the 29th, but it didn’t
seem to matter a damn in comparison to finding Tuppence. But to-day’s
the 23rd, and time’s getting short. If we’re ever going to get hold of
her at all, we must do it before the 29th--her life won’t be worth an
hour’s purchase afterwards. The hostage game will be played out by then.
I’m beginning to feel that we’ve made a big mistake in the way we’ve set
about this. We’ve wasted time and we’re no forrader.”
“I’m with you there. We’ve been a couple of mutts, who’ve bitten off a
bigger bit than they can chew. I’m going to quit fooling right away!”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll tell you. I’m going to do what we ought to have done a week ago.
I’m going right back to London to put the case in the hands of your
British police. We fancied ourselves as sleuths. Sleuths! It was a piece
of damn-fool foolishness! I’m through! I’ve had enough of it. Scotland
Yard for me!”
“You’re right,” said Tommy slowly. “I wish to God we’d gone there right
away.”
“Better late than never. We’ve been like a couple of babes playing ‘Here
we go round the Mulberry Bush.’ Now I’m going right along to Scotland
Yard to ask them to take me by the hand and show me the way I should go.
I guess the professional always scores over the amateur in the end. Are
you coming along with me?”
Tommy shook his head.
“What’s the good? One of us is enough. I might as well stay here and
nose round a bit longer. Something _might_ turn up. One never knows.”
“Sure thing. Well, so long. I’ll be back in a couple of shakes with a
few inspectors along. I shall tell them to pick out their brightest and
best.”
But the course of events was not to follow the plan Julius had laid
down. Later in the day Tommy received a wire:
“Join me Manchester Midland Hotel. Important news--JULIUS.”
At 7.30 that night Tommy alighted from a slow cross-country train.
Julius was on the platform.
“Thought you’d come by this train if you weren’t out when my wire
arrived.”
Tommy grasped him by the arm.
“What is it? Is Tuppence found?”
Julius shook his head.
“No. But I found this waiting in London. Just arrived.”
He handed the telegraph form to the other. Tommy’s eyes opened as he
read:
“Jane Finn found. Come Manchester Midland Hotel immediately--PEEL
EDGERTON.”
Julius took the form back and folded it up.
“Queer,” he said thoughtfully. “I thought that lawyer chap had quit!”
CHAPTER XIX. JANE FINN
“MY train got in half an hour ago,” explained Julius, as he led the way
out of the station. “I reckoned you’d come by this before I left London,
and wired accordingly to Sir James. He’s booked rooms for us, and will
be round to dine at eight.”
“What made you think he’d ceased to take any interest in the case?”
asked Tommy curiously.
“What he said,” replied Julius dryly. “The old bird’s as close as an
oyster! Like all the darned lot of them, he wasn’t going to commit
himself till he was sure he could deliver the goods.”
“I wonder,” said Tommy thoughtfully.
Julius turned on him.
“You wonder what?”
“Whether that was his real reason.”
“Sure. You bet your life it was.”
Tommy shook his head unconvinced.
Sir James arrived punctually at eight o’clock, and Julius introduced
Tommy. Sir James shook hands with him warmly.
“I am delighted to make your acquaintance, Mr. Beresford. I have heard
so much about you from Miss Tuppence”--he smiled involuntarily--“that it
really seems as though I already know you quite well.”
“Thank you, sir,” said Tommy with his cheerful grin. He scanned the
great lawyer eagerly. Like Tuppence, he felt the magnetism of the
other’s personality. He was reminded of Mr. Carter. The two men, totally
unlike so far as physical resemblance went, produced a similar effect.
Beneath the weary manner of the one and the professional reserve of the
other, lay the same quality of mind, keen-edged like a rapier.
In the meantime he was conscious of Sir James’s close scrutiny. When the
lawyer dropped his eyes the young man had the feeling that the other had
read him through and through like an open book. He could not but wonder
what the final judgment was, but there was little chance of learning
that. Sir James took in everything, but gave out only what he chose. A
proof of that occurred almost at once.
Immediately the first greetings were over Julius broke out into a flood
of eager questions. How had Sir James managed to track the girl? Why had
he not let them know that he was still working on the case? And so on.
Sir James stroked his chin and smiled. At last he said:
“Just so, just so. Well, she’s found. And that’s the great thing, isn’t
it? Eh! Come now, that’s the great thing?”
“Sure it is. But just how did you strike her trail? Miss Tuppence and I
thought you’d quit for good and all.”
“Ah!” The lawyer shot a lightning glance at him, then resumed operations
on his chin. “You thought that, did you? Did you really? H’m, dear me.”
“But I guess I can take it we were wrong,” pursued Julius.
“Well, I don’t know that I should go so far as to say that. But it’s
certainly fortunate for all parties that we’ve managed to find the young
lady.”
“But where is she?” demanded Julius, his thoughts flying off on another
tack. “I thought you’d be sure to bring her along?”
“That would hardly be possible,” said Sir James gravely.
“Why?”
“Because the young lady was knocked down in a street accident, and has