"Oh, bosh!" cried Miss Greeby, with boyish vigor. "You love her and she loves you, so why not marry?"
"I"m not worth paying two million for, Clara."
"You are, if she loves you."
"She does and would marry me to-morrow if I would let her. The hesitation is on my part."
"More fool you. If I were in her position I"d soon overcome your scruples."
"I think not," said Lambert delicately.
"Oh, I think so," she retorted. "A woman always gets her own way."
"And sometimes wrecks continents to get it."
"I"d wreck this one, anyhow," said Miss Greeby dryly. "However, we"re pals, and if there"s anything I can do--"
"Yes, there is," said Lambert abruptly, and making up his mind to trust her, since she showed plainly that there was no chance of love on her part destroying friendship. "I"m sick here and can"t move. Let me engage you to act on my behalf."
"As what, if you don"t mind my asking, Lambert?"
"As what you are for the moment, a detective."
"Ho!" said Miss Greeby in a guttural manner. "What"s that?"
"I want you to learn on my behalf, and as my deputy, who murdered Pine."
"So that you can marry Agnes?"
"No. The will has stopped my chances in that direction. Her two million forms quite an insurmountable barrier between us now, as the fact of her being Pine"s wife did formerly. Now you understand the situation, and that I am prevented by honor from making her my wife, don"t let us talk any more on that especial subject."
"Right you are," a.s.sented Miss Greeby affably. "Only I"ll say this, that you are too scrupulous, and if I can help you to marry Agnes I shall do so."
"Why?" demanded Lambert bluntly.
"Because I"m your pal and wish to see you happy. You won"t be happy, like the Pears soap advertis.e.m.e.nt, until you get it. Agnes is the "it.""
"Well, then, leave the matter alone, Clara," said Lambert, taking the privilege of an invalid and becoming peevish. "As things stand, I can see no chance of marrying Agnes without violating my idea of honor."
"Then why do you wish me to help you?" demanded Miss Greeby sharply.
"How do I wish you to help me, you mean."
"Not at all. I know what you wish me to do; act as detective; I know about it, my dear boy."
"You don"t," retorted Lambert, again fractious. "But if you listen I"ll tell you exactly what I mean."
Miss Greeby made herself comfortable with a fresh cigarette, and nodded in an easy manner, "I"m all attention, old boy. Fire away!"
"You must regard my confidence as sacred."
"There"s my hand on it. But I should like to know why you desire to learn who murdered Pine."
"Because if you don"t track down the a.s.sa.s.sin, Agnes will get into trouble."
"Ho!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Miss Greeby, guttural again. "Go on."
Lambert wasted no further time in preliminary explanations, but plunged into the middle of things. In a quarter of an hour his auditor was acquainted with the facts of a highly unpleasant case, but exhibited no surprise when she heard what her secretary had to do with the matter. In fact, she rather appeared to admire his acuteness in turning such shady knowledge to his own advantage. At the same time, she considered that Agnes had behaved in a decidedly weak manner. "If I"d been in her shoes I"d have fired the beast out in double-quick time," said Miss Greeby grimly. "And I"d have belted him over the head in addition."
"Then he would have gone straight to the police."
"Oh, no he wouldn"t. One thousand reward against twenty-five thousand blackmail isn"t good enough."
"He won"t get his blackmail," said Lambert, tightening his lips.
"You bet he won"t now that I"ve come into the matter. But there"s no denying he"s got the whip-hand so far."
"Agnes never wrote the letter," said Lambert quickly.
"Oh, that goes without the saying, my dear fellow. Agnes knew that if she became a rich widow, your uneasy sense of honor would never let you marry her. She had no reason to get rid of Pine on that score."
"Or on any score, you may add."
Miss Greeby nodded. "Certainly! You and Agnes should have got married and let Garvington get out of his troubles as best he could. That"s what I should have done, as I"m not an aristocrat, and can"t see the use of becoming the sacrifice for a musty, fusty old family. However, Agnes made her bargain and kept to it. She"s all right, although other people may be not of that opinion."
"There isn"t a man or woman who dare say a word against Agnes."
"A good many will say lots of words, should what you have told me get into print," rejoined Miss Greeby dryly.
"I agree with you. Therefore do I ask for your a.s.sistance. What is best to be done, Clara?"
"We must get the letter from Silver and learn who forged it. Once that is made plain, the truth will come to light, since the individual who forged and sent that letter must have fired the second shot."
"Quite so. But Silver won"t give up the letter."
"Oh, yes, he will. He"s my secretary, and I"ll make him."
"Even as your secretary he won"t," said Lambert, dubiously.
"We"ll see about that, old boy. I"ll heckle and harry and worry Silver on to the gallows if he doesn"t do what he"s told."
"The gallows. You don"t think--"
"Oh, I think nothing. It was to Silver"s interest that Pine should live, so I don"t fancy he set the trap. It was to Chaldea"s interest that Pine should not live, since she loves you, and I don"t think she is to blame.
Garvington couldn"t have done it, as he has lost a good friend in Pine, and--and--go on Lambert, suggest some one else."
"I can"t. And two out of three you mention were inside The Manor when the second shot was fired, so can prove an alibi."