"Of course the president of the bank had access to the vaults," he said. "But, as you know, Mr. Courtleigh Fleming, the late president, was buried last Monday."
Miss Cornelia had seen her niece"s face light up oddly at the beginning of the Doctor"s statement--to relapse into la.s.situde again at its conclusion. Bailey--Bailey--she was sure she remembered that name--on Dale"s lips.
"Dale, dear, did you know this young Bailey?" she asked point-blank.
The girl had started to light a cigarette. The flame wavered in her fingers, the match went out.
"Yes--slightly," she said. She bent to strike another match, averting her face. Miss Cornelia did not press her.
"What with bank robberies and communism and the income tax," she said, turning the subject, "the only way to keep your money these days is to spend it."
"Or not to have any--like myself!" the Doctor agreed.
"It seems strange," Miss Cornelia went on, "living in Courtleigh Fleming"s house. A month ago I"d never even heard of Mr.
Fleming--though I suppose I should have--and now--why, I"m as interested in the failure of his bank as if I were a depositor!"
The Doctor regarded the end of his cigarette.
"As a matter of fact," he said pleasantly, "d.i.c.k Fleming had no right to rent you the property before the estate was settled. He must have done it the moment he received my telegram announcing his uncle"s death."
"Were you with him when he died?"
"Yes--in Colorado. He had angina pectoris and took me with him for that reason. But with care he might have lived a considerable time.
The trouble was that he wouldn"t use ordinary care. He ate and drank more than he should, and so--"
"I suppose," pursued Miss Cornelia, watching Dale out of the corner of her eye, "that there is no suspicion that Courtleigh Fleming robbed his own bank?"
"Well, if he did," said the Doctor amicably, "I can testify that he didn"t have the loot with him." His tone grew more serious. "No! He had his faults--but not that."
Miss Cornelia made up her mind. She had resolved before not to summon the Doctor for aid in her difficulties, but now that chance had brought him here the opportunity seemed too good a one to let slip.
"Doctor," she said, "I think I ought to tell you something. Last night and the night before, attempts were made to enter this house. Once an intruder actually got in and was frightened away by Lizzie at the top of that staircase." She indicated the alcove stairs. "And twice I have received anonymous communications threatening my life if I did not leave the house and go back to the city."
Dale rose from her settee, startled.
"I didn"t know that, Auntie! How dreadful!" she gasped.
Instantly Miss Cornelia regretted her impulse of confidence. She tried to pa.s.s the matter off with tart humor.
"Don"t tell Lizzie," she said. "She"d yell like a siren. It"s the only thing she does like a siren, but she does it superbly!"
For a moment it seemed as if Miss Cornelia had succeeded. The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amus.e.m.e.nt. Miss Cornelia opened her lips to dilate further upon Lizzie"s eccentricities.
But just then there was a splintering crash of gla.s.s from one of the French windows behind her!
CHAPTER SIX
DETECTIVE ANDERSON TAKES CHARGE
"What"s that?"
"Somebody smashed a windowpane!"
"And threw in a stone!"
"Wait a minute, I"ll--" The Doctor, all alert at once, ran into the alcove and jerked at the terrace door.
"It"s bolted at the top, too," called Miss Cornelia. He nodded, without wasting words on a reply, unbolted the door and dashed out into the darkness of the terrace. Miss Cornelia saw him run past the French windows and disappear into blackness. Meanwhile Dale, her listlessness vanished before the shock of the strange occurrence, had gone to the broken window and picked up the stone. It was wrapped in paper; there seemed to be writing on the paper. She closed the terrace door and brought the stone to her aunt.
Miss Cornelia unwrapped the paper and smoothed out the sheet.
Two lines of coa.r.s.e, round handwriting sprawled across it:
Take warning! Leave this house at once! It is threatened with disaster which will involve you if you remain!
There was no signature.
"Who do you think wrote it?" asked Dale breathlessly.
Miss Cornelia straightened up like a ramrod--indomitable.
"A fool--that"s who! If anything was calculated to make me stay here forever, this sort of thing would do it!"
She twitched the sheet of paper angrily.
"But--something may happen, darling!"
"I hope so! That"s the reason I--"
She stopped. The doorbell was ringing again--thrilling, insistent. Her niece started at the sound.
"Oh, don"t let anybody in!" she besought Miss Cornelia as Billy came in from the hall with his usual air of walking on velvet.
"Key, front door please--bell ring," he explained tersely, taking the key from the table.
Miss Cornelia issued instructions.
"See that the chain is on the door, Billy. Don"t open it all the way.
And get the visitor"s name before you let him in."
She lowered her voice.
"If he says he is Mr. Anderson, let him in and take him to the library."
Billy nodded and disappeared. Dale turned to her aunt, the color out of her cheeks.