"I"ve brought Sir Jasper along," said Sir John Dene. "You"ve heard about the murder of his friend Professor McMurray. He didn"t want to come; but I told him you"d be tickled to death, and that you"d get it all figured out for him in two wags of a chipmunk"s tail."
Malcolm Sage looked across at the eminent philanthropist, whose whole attention seemed absorbed in the filling of his well-worn briar.
Sir Jasper"s wise charities and great humanitarianism were world-famous. It was Will Blink, the Labour demagogue, who had said that of all the honours conferred during the century, Sir Jasper Chambers" O.M. had alone been earned, the others had been either bought or w.a.n.gled.
The McMurray Murder was the sensation of the hour. The newspapers had "stunted" it, and the public, always eager for gruesome sensation, had welcomed it as if it had been a Mary Pickford film.
Four days "previously, Professor James McMurray of Gorling, in Ess.e.x, had been found dead in his laboratory, his head fearfully battered in by some blunt instrument.
It was the professor"s custom, when engaged upon important research work, to retire, sometimes for days at a time, to a laboratory he had built in his own grounds.
Meals were pa.s.sed through a small wicket, specially constructed for that purpose in the laboratory wall, and the professor"s servants had the most explicit instructions on no account to disturb him.
A fortnight previously Professor McMurray had retired to his laboratory to carry out an important series of experiments. He informed his butler that Sir Jasper Chambers, his life-long friend, would visit him on the third day, and that dinner for two was to be supplied in the usual way, through the wicket.
On the evening in question, Sir Jasper Chambers had arrived and stayed until a little past nine. He then left the laboratory and proceeded to the house, where he told the butler that his master was quite well, and that in all probability his researches would occupy him another week.
Eight days later, when the butler took the professor"s luncheon down to the laboratory, he noticed that the breakfast-tray had not been removed from the shelf just inside the wicket. Convinced that the professor had been so absorbed in his researches that he had forgotten the meal, the butler placed the luncheon-tray beside that containing the breakfast, thinking it better to leave the earlier meal as a reminder to the professor of his forgetfulness.
At dinner-time the butler was greatly surprised to find that both breakfast and luncheon had remained as he had left them; still, remembering how definite and insistent the professor had been that he was not to be disturbed, the butler had, after consulting with the housekeeper, decided to do nothing for the moment, and contented himself with ringing several times the electric-bell that was the signal of another meal.
An hour later he went once more to the wicket, only to discover that nothing had been touched. Hurrying back to the house with all speed he had conferred with Mrs. Graham, the housekeeper, and, on her insistence, he had telephoned to the police.
Sergeant Crudden of the Ess.e.x County Constabulary immediately bicycled over to "The Hollows," Professor McMurray"s residence, and, after hearing the butler"s story, he had decided to force the door; there are no windows, the laboratory being lighted from above, in order to secure entire privacy.
To the officer"s surprise the door yielded readily, having apparently been previously forced. Entering the laboratory he was horrified to discover the body of the professor lying in the centre of the floor, his head literally smashed by a terrible blow that had obviously been delivered from behind.
Acting on the instructions of the police-sergeant, the butler had telephoned the news to the police-station at Strinton, with the result that shortly afterwards Inspector Brewitt arrived with a doctor.
The police had made no statement; but there were some extraordinary rumours current in the neighbourhood. One was to the effect that it was not Professor McMurray"s body that had been discovered; but that of a much younger man who bore a striking resemblance to him.
"You have seen the accounts of my friend"s terrible end?" enquired Sir Jasper, as he took the box of matches Malcolm Sage handed him and proceeded to light his pipe.
Malcolm Sage nodded. His gaze was fixed upon Sir Jasper"s grey worsted socks, which concertinaed up his legs above a pair of strangely-fashioned black shoes.
"He was about to enter upon a series of experiments with a serum he had discovered, his object being to lengthen human life."
Sir Jasper spoke in a gentle, well-modulated voice, in which was a deep note of sadness. He and Professor McMurray had been life-long friends, their intimacy appearing to become strengthened by the pa.s.sage of years.
"You were the last to see him alive, I understand." Malcolm Sage picked up his fountain-pen and began an elaborate stipple design of a serpent upon the blotting-pad.
"Eight days before he was found I dined with him," said Sir Jasper, his voice a little unsteady.
"What happened?" Malcolm Sage enquired without looking up.
"I arrived at seven o"clock," continued Sir Jasper. "From then until half-past we talked upon things of general interest, after which we dined. Later he told me he was about to enter upon a final series of experiments, the result of which would, in all probability, either be fatal to himself, or mean the lengthening of human life."
He paused, gazing straight in front of him, ejecting smoke from his lips in staccatoed puffs. Then he continued:
"He said that he had recently made a will, which was lying with his solicitor, and he gave me certain additional instructions as to the disposal of his property."
"Did he seem quite normal?" enquired Malcolm Sage, adding a pair of formidable fangs to his reptile.
"He was calm and confident. At parting he told me I should be the first to know the result."
"Have you any reason to believe that Professor McMurray had enemies?" Malcolm Sage enquired.
"None," was the reply, uttered in a tone of deep conviction, accompanied by a deliberate wagging of the head.
"He was confident of the success of his experiments?"
"Absolutely."
"And you?"
"I had no means of knowing," was the reply.
"You were his greatest friend and his only confidant?" suggested Malcolm Sage, adding the sixth pair of legs to his creation.
"Yes."
"And you were to be the first to be told of the result of the experiments?"
"Those were his last words to me."
There was a suggestion of emotion in Sir Jasper"s otherwise even voice.
"Can you remember his actual words?"
"Yes; I remember them," he replied sadly. "As we shook hands he said, "Well, Chambers, you will be the first to know the result.""
Again there was silence, broken at length by Malcolm Sage, who stroked the back of his head with his left hand. His eyes had returned to Sir Jasper"s socks.
"Do you think the professor had been successful in his experiments?"
he enquired.
"I cannot say." Again Sir Jasper shook his head slowly and deliberately.
"Did you see the body?"
"I did."
"Is there any truth in the rumours that he looked much younger?"
"There was certainly a marked change, a startling change," was the reply.
"But death plays odd tricks with years," suggested Malcolm Sage, who was now feeling the lobe of his left ear as if to a.s.sure himself of its presence.
"True," said Sir Jasper, nodding his head as if pondering the matter deeply. "True."