Complete Works of Bram Stoker (191 page)

‘I did not lose a moment in summoning aid, for I feared he might bleed to death. I rang the bell, and then went out and called for help as loudly as I could. In what must have been a very short time  —  though it seemed an incredibly long one to me  —  some of the servants came running up; and then others, till the room seemed full of staring eyes, and dishevelled hair, and night clothes of all sorts.

‘We lifted Father on a sofa; and the housekeeper, Mrs. Grant, who seemed to have her wits about her more than any of us, began to look where the flow of blood came from. In a few seconds it became apparent that it came from the arm which was bare. There was a deep wound  —  not clean-cut as with a knife, but like a jagged rent or tear  —  close to the wrist, which seemed to have cut into the vein. Mrs. Grant tied a handkerchief round the cut, and screwed it up tight with a silver paper-cutter; and the flow of blood seemed to be checked at once. By this time I had come to my senses  —  or such of them as remained; and I sent off one man for the doctor and another for the police. When they had gone, I felt that, except for the servants, I was all alone in the house, and that I knew nothing  —  of my Father or anything else; and a great longing came to me to have someone with me who could help me. Then I thought of you and your kind offer in the boat under the willow-tree; and, without waiting to think, I told the men to get a carriage ready at once, and I scribbled a note and sent it on to you.’

She paused. I did not like to say just then anything of how I felt. I looked at her, I think she understood, for her eyes were raised to mine for a moment and then fell, leaving her cheeks as red as peony roses. With a manifest effort she went on with her story.

‘The Doctor was with us in an incredibly short time. The groom had met him letting himself into his house with his latchkey, and he came to the house running. He made a proper tourniquet for poor Father’s arm, and then went home to get some appliances. I dare say he will be back here almost immediately. Then a policeman came, and he sent a message to the station; and very soon the Superintendent was here. Then you came.’

There was a long pause, and I ventured to take her hand for an instant. Without a word more we opened the door, and joined the Superintendent in the hall. He hurried up to us, saying as he came:

‘I have been examining everything myself, and have sent off a message to Scotland Yard. You see, Mr. Ross, there seemed so much that was odd about the case that I thought we had better have the best man of the Criminal Investigation Department that we could get. So I sent a note asking to have Sergeant Daw sent at once. You remember him, sir, in that American Poisoning case at Hoxton.’

‘Oh yes,’ I said, ‘I remember him well; in that and other cases, for I have benefited several times by his skill and acumen. He has a mind that works as truly as any that I know. When I have been for the defence, and believed my man was innocent, I was glad to have him against us!’

‘That is high praise, sir!’ said the Superintendent gratified: ‘I am glad you approve of my choice; that I did well in sending for him.’

I answered heartily:

‘Could not be better. I do not doubt that between you we shall get at the facts  —  and what lies behind them!’

We ascended to Mr. Trelawny’s room, where we found everything exactly as his daughter had described.

There came a ring at the house bell, and a minute later a man was shown into the room. A young man with aquiline features, keen grey eyes, and a forehead that stood out square and broad as that of a thinker. In his hand he had a black bag which he at once opened. Miss Trelawny introduced us: ‘Doctor Winchester, Mr. Ross, Superintendent Dolan.’ We bowed mutually, and he, without a moment’s delay, began his work. We all waited, and eagerly watched him as he proceeded to dress the wound. As he went on he turned now and again to call the Superintendent’s attention to some point about the wound, the latter proceeding to enter the fact at once in his notebook.

‘See! Several parallel cuts or scratches beginning on the left side of the wrist and in some places endangering the Radial artery.

“These small wounds here, deep and jagged, seem as if made with a blunt instrument. This in particular would seem as if made with some kind of sharp wedge; the flesh round it seems torn as if with lateral pressure.’

Turning to Miss Trelawny he said presently:

‘Do you think we might remove this bangle? It is not absolutely necessary, as it will fall lower on the wrist where it can hang loosely; but it might add to the patient’s comfort later on.’ The poor girl flushed deeply as she answered in a low voice:

‘I do not know. I  —  I have only recently come to live with my Father; and I know so little of his life or his ideas that I fear I can hardly judge in such a matter.’ The Doctor, after a keen glance at her, said in a very kindly way:

‘Forgive me! I did not know. But in any case you need not be distressed. It is not required at present to move it. Were it so I should do so at once on my own responsibility. If it be necessary later on, we can easily remove it with a file. Your Father doubtless has some object in keeping it as it is. See! there is a tiny key attached to it....’ As he was speaking he stopped and bent lower, taking from my hand the candle which I held and lowering it till his light fell on the bangle. Then motioning me to hold the candle in the same position, he took from his pocket a magnifying-glass which he adjusted. When he had made a careful examination he stood up and handed the magnifying-glass to Dolan, saying as he did so:

‘You had better examine it yourself. That is no ordinary bangle. The gold is wrought over triple steel links; see where it is worn away. It is manifestly not meant to be removed lightly; and it would need more than an ordinary file to do it.’

The Superintendent bent his great body; but not getting close enough that way knelt down by the sofa as the Doctor had done. He examined the bangle minutely, turning it slowly round so that no particle of it escaped observation. Then he stood up and handed the magnifying-glass to me. ‘When you have examined it yourself,’ he said, ‘let the lady look at it if she will,’ and he commenced to write at length in his notebook.

I made a simple alteration in his suggestion. I held out the glass toward Miss Trelawny saying:

‘Had you not better examine it first?’ She drew back, raising slightly her hand in disclaimer, as she said impulsively:

‘Oh no! Father would doubtless have shown it to me had he wished me to see it. I would not like to without his consent.’ Then she added, doubtless fearing lest her delicacy of view should give offence to the rest of us:

‘Of course it is right that you should see it. You have to examine and consider everything; and indeed  —  indeed I am grateful to you....’

She turned away; I could see that she was crying quietly. It was evident to me that even in the midst of her trouble and anxiety there was a chagrin that she knew so little of her father; and that her ignorance had to be shown at such a time and amongst so many strangers. That they were all men did not make the shame more easy to bear, though there was a certain relief in it. Trying to interpret her feelings I could not but think that she must have been glad that no woman’s eyes  —  of understanding greater than man’s  —  were upon her in that hour.

When I stood up from my examination, which verified to me that of the Doctor, the latter resumed his place beside the couch and went on with his ministrations. Superintendent Dolan said to me in a whisper:

‘I think we are fortunate in our doctor!’ I nodded, and was about to add something in praise of his acumen, when there came a low tapping at the door.

Chapter II.   Strange Instructions

SUPERINTENDENT DOLAN WENT QUIETLY TO THE DOOR; by a sort of natural understanding he had taken possession of affairs in the room. The rest of us waited. He opened the door a little way, and then with a gesture of manifest relief threw it wide, and a young man stepped in. A young man clean-shaven, tall and slight; with an eagle face and bright, quick eyes that seemed to take in everything around him at a glance. As he came in, the Superintendent held out his hand; the two men shook hands warmly.

‘I came at once, sir, the moment I got your message. I am glad I still have your confidence.’

‘That you’ll always have,’ said the Superintendent heartily. ‘I have not forgotten our old Bow Street days, and I never shall!’ Then, without a word of preliminary, he began to tell everything he knew up to the moment of the newcomer’s entry. Sergeant Daw asked a few questions  —  a very few  —  when it was necessary for his understanding of circumstances or the relative positions of persons; but as a rule Dolan, who knew his work thoroughly, forestalled every query, and explained all necessary matters as he went on. Sergeant Daw threw occasionally swift glances round him; now at one of us; now at the room or some part of it; now at the wounded man lying senseless on the sofa.

When the Superintendent had finished, the Sergeant turned to me and said:

‘Perhaps you remember me, sir. I was with you in that Hoxton case.’

‘I remember you very well,’ I said as I held out my hand. The Superintendent spoke again:

‘You understand, Sergeant Daw, that you are put in full charge of this case.’

‘Under you I hope, sir,’ he interrupted. The other shook his head and smiled as he said:

‘It seems to me that this is a case that will take all a man’s time and his brains. I have other work to do; but I shall be more than interested, and if I can help in any possible way I shall be glad to do so!’

‘All right, sir,’ said the other, accepting his responsibility with a sort of modified salute; straightway he began his investigation.

First he came over to the Doctor and, having learned his name and address, asked him to write a full report which he could use, and which he could refer to headquarters if necessary- Doctor Winchester bowed gravely as he promised. Then the Sergeant approached me and said
sotto voce:

‘I like the look of your doctor. I think we can work together!’ Turning to Miss Trelawny he asked:

Please let me know what you can of your Father. His ways of life, his history  —  in fact of anything of whatsoever kind which interests him, or in which he may be concerned.’ I was about to interrupt to tell him what she had already said of her ignorance in all matters of her father and his ways, but her warning hand was raised to me pointedly and she spoke herself.

‘Alas! I know little or nothing. Superintendent Dolan and Mr. Ross know already all I can say.’

‘Well, ma’am, we must be content to do what we can,’ said the officer genially. ‘I’ll begin by making a minute examination. You say that you were outside the door when you heard the noise?’

‘I was in my room when I heard the queer sound  —  indeed it must have been the early part of whatever it was which woke me. I came out of my room at once. Father’s door was shut, and I could see the whole landing and the upper slopes of the staircase. No one could have left by the door unknown to me, if that is what you mean!’

‘That is just what I do mean, miss. If everyone who knows anything will tell me as well as that, we shall soon get to the bottom of this. Then I may take it that whoever made the attack is still in the room?’ He said this half interrogatively, but no one answered. He knew as much as we did on that point.

He then went over to the bed; looked at it carefully, and asked:

‘Has the bed been touched?’

‘Not to my knowledge,’ said Miss Trelawny, ‘but I shall ask Mrs. Grant  —  the housekeeper’ she added as she rang the bell. Mrs. Grant answered it in person. ‘Come in,’ said Miss Trelawny. ‘These gentlemen want to know, Mrs. Grant, if the bed has been touched.’

‘Not by me, ma’am.’

‘Then,’ said Miss Trelawny, turning to Sergeant Daw, ‘it cannot have been touched by anyone. Either Mrs. Grant or I myself was here all the time, and I do not think any of the servants who came when I gave the alarm were near the bed at all. You see, Father lay here just under the great safe, and everyone crowded round him. We sent them all away in a very short time.’ Daw, with a motion of his hand, asked us all to stay at the other side of the room whilst with a magnifying-glass he examined the bed, taking care as he moved each fold of the bedclothes to replace it in exact position. Then he examined with his magnifying-glass the floor beside it, taking especial pains where the blood had trickled over the side of the bed, which was of heavy red wood handsomely carved. Inch by inch, down on his knees, carefully avoiding any touch with the stains on the floor, he followed the blood-marks over to the spot, close under the great safe, where the body had lain. All around and about this spot he went for a radius of some yards; but seemingly did not meet with anything to arrest special attention. Then he examined the front of the safe; round the lock, and along the bottom and top of the double- doors, more especially at the places of their touching in front.

Next he went to the windows, which were fastened down with the hasps.

‘Were the shutters closed?’ he asked Miss Trelawny in a casual way as though he expected the negative answer, which came.

All this time Doctor Winchester was attending to his patient; now dressing the wounds in the wrist or making minute examination all over the head and throat, and over the heart. More than once he put his nose to the mouth of the senseless man and sniffed. Each time he did so he finished up by unconsciously looking round the room, as though in search of something.

Then we heard the deep strong voice of the Detective:

‘So far as I can see, the object was to bring that key to the lock of the safe. There seems to be some secret in the mechanism that I am unable to guess at, though I served a year in Chubb’s before I joined the police. It is a combination lock of seven letters; but there seems to be a way of locking even the combination. It is one of Chatwood’s; I shall call at their place and find out something about it.’ Then turning to the Doctor, as though his own work were for the present done, he said: