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"But what is there against her?" queried Desmond. "What is there against her? The bad company she keeps is against her. 'Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are' is a maxim that we have to go on in our profession, Okewood. You have met the lady. Did you see any of her entourage? Her business manager, a fat Italian who calls himself Lazarro, did you notice him?
With Desmond Okewood discretion was second nature, and therefore he answered with feigned surprise: "Your evidence about what? About our meeting the Mackwaytes last night?" After he had spoken he realized he had blundered. Surely, after all, the Chief would have told Strangwise about their investigations at Seven Kings. Still... "No," replied Strangwise, "but about Nur-el-Din!"
Strangwise mastered his rising passion by an obvious effort; but his face was evil as he spoke. "I put that Malplaquet woman off by appealing to her avarice," he said, "I've promised her and Bellward a thousand pounds apiece as their share of my reward for recovering the jewel. I only have to say the word, Okewood, and your number's up!
I was in their hands properly now, and whether they got the document or not, my doom was sealed. "I will pay you the compliment of saying, my dear Captain Okewood," Clubfoot remarked in that urbane voice of his which always made my blood run cold, "that never before in my career have I devoted so much thought to any single individual, in the different cases I have handled, as I have to you.
"But, good Heavens!" cried Bellward, throwing his hands excitedly above his head, "the man can't dissolve into thin air. He's gone back to the house, I tell you, and the police will be here at any minute. You know he's not in our garden; for you searched every nook and corner of it yourself. Okewood may be too clever for you, Strangwise; but he's not a magician!"
I'm going to send you in my place, Okewood. I've got a conference with the head of the French Intelligence at three, and the Lord knows when I shall get away. I've a notion that you and Miss Mackwayte will work very well together." "Certainly," said Desmond, "she struck me as being a very charming and clever girl. Now I know the source of your information about my movements last night!"
She saw that he was wearing the same clothes as the man who had come down into the cellar with Strangwise but the beard was gone. And the man she saw before her was not Desmond Okewood. Without waiting to reason out the metamorphosis, she ran towards Bellward. "They're murdering those two women down in the cellar," she cried, "oh, what has happened? Won't you go down and see?"
Well, sir, it looks to me like a good night's work!". Matthews smiled a self-satisfied smile. "I fancy the Chief will be pleased," he said, "though the rest of 'em seem to have given us the slip. Gordon, you might take a look upstairs that door in the corner leads to the upper rooms, I fancy whilst I'm telephoning to Mr. Okewood. He must know about this without delay.
Very well, I'll come straight along now... I'll be with you in twenty minutes. Good-bye!" He put down the receiver and rose to his feet. "Okewood," he cried gaily, "what do you say to a little detective work? That was Marigold of the Criminal Investigation Department... he's down at Seven Kings handling this murder case.
"My old Dutch pal, then, turned up here ten days ago. He was bubbling over with excitement. 'Mr. Allerton' he says, 'I haf a writing, a most mysterious writing a I think, from Francis Okewood. "I sat tight. If there were any revelations coming they were going to be Dutch, not British. On that I was resolved.
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