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Updated: May 10, 2025
"It soon became evident to me that sinister and secret things were going on. There was the death of the labourer Collishaw. There were other matters. But even then I had no suspicion of the real truth the fact is, I began to have some strange suspicions about Bryce and that old man Harker based upon certain evidence which I got by chance.
Ah! well, between you and me, Mr. Stebbing, I'm down here in connection with that Collishaw case you know." "I know, sir poor fellow!" said the secretary. "Cruel thing, sir, if the man was put an end to. One of our members, was Collishaw, sir." "So I understand," remarked Jettison. "That's what I've come about. Bit of information, on the quiet, eh? Strictly between our two selves for the present."
Now, put it to yourself whoever it was that paid Collishaw that fifty pounds in gold did it with a motive. More than one motive, to be exact but we'll stick to one, to begin with. The motive for paying in gold was avoidance of discovery. A cheque can be readily traced. So can banknotes. But gold is not easily traced.
The boy stared in silence at the still figure, but the inspector, after a hasty glance, turned a horrified face on Bryce. "Good Lord!" he gasped. "It's Collishaw!" Bryce for the moment failed to comprehend this, and Mitchington shook his head. "Collishaw!" he repeated. "Collishaw, you know! The man I told you about yesterday afternoon. The man that said "
"You looked at 'em any more?" asked Mitchington. "Done a bit of reflecting yes," replied the detective. "Complicated affair, my lad! More in it than one would think at first sight. I'm certain of this quite apart from whatever mystery there is about the Braden affair and the Collishaw murder, there's a lot of scheming and contriving been going on and is going on! somewhere, by somebody.
Now supposing Braden let this man Harker into the secret of the hidden jewels that night, and supposing that Harker and Bryce are in collusion as they evidently are, from what that boy told us and supposing they between them, together or separately, had to do with Braden's death, and supposing that man Collishaw saw some thing that would incriminate one or both eh?" "Well?" asked Mitchington.
The inspector was doubtless right in saying that Collishaw had been done to death by somebody who wanted to silence him but who could that somebody be? Bryce's thoughts immediately turned to the fact that Ransford had overheard all that Mitchington had said, in that very room in which he, Bryce, was then lunching Ransford!
"I don't say that Ransford meant to kill Braden my notion is that they met, had an altercation, probably a struggle, and that Braden lost his life in it. But as regards Collishaw " "Don't forget!" interrupted Mitchington. "Varner swore that he saw Braden flung through that doorway! Flung out! He saw a hand."
"Well?" said Mitchington at last. "You're a cut above me, Jettison. What do you make of it?" "I said last night that the young man was playing a deep game," replied Jettison. "But what game? What's he building up? For mark you, Mitchington, if I say if, mind! if that fifty pounds which he drew in gold is the identical fifty paid to Collishaw, Bryce didn't pay it as hush-money!"
It appears that he, Collishaw, was something of a saving man, and every year he managed to put by a bit of money out of his wages, and twice or thrice in the year he took these savings never very much; merely a pound or two to this Friendly Society, which, it seems, takes deposits in that way from its members.
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