Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: May 10, 2025
"Bryce was left alone with the dead body of Braden for some minutes, while Varner went to fetch the police. That's one." "That's true," muttered Mitchington. "He was several minutes!" "Bryce it was who discovered Collishaw in Paradise," said Ransford. "That's fact two. And fact three Bryce evidently had a motive in fetching Harker tonight to overlook your operations. What was his motive?
In what form did Collishaw pay that fifty pounds to you?" "That's easy answered, sir," said the secretary. "It was in gold. Fifty sovereigns he had 'em in a bit of a bag." Jettison reflected on this information for a moment or two. Then he rose. "Much obliged to you, Mr. Stebbing," he said. "That's something worth knowing.
You may as well know it you're in danger. Collishaw is the man who hinted as you heard yesterday in my rooms that he could say something definite about the Braden affair if he liked." "Well?" said Ransford. "It's known to the police that you were at Collishaw's house early this morning," said Bryce. "Mitchington knows it." Ransford laughed.
I want to know the truth." "I believe it was accident," answered Ransford. "I listened most carefully just now to Fladgate's account of what happened. I firmly believe the man was telling the truth. But I haven't the least doubt that Folliot poisoned Collishaw not the least. Folliot knew that if the least thing came out about Fladgate, everything would come out about himself."
"Collishaw was poisoned," replied Bryce, watching Ransford with a closeness which Mary did not fail to observe. "H.C.N. No doubt at all about it." "Well and what then?" asked Ransford, still more impatiently. "To be explicit what's all this to do with me?" "I came here to do you a service," answered Bryce. "Whether you like to take it or not is your look-out.
"Collishaw," he answered, "had been a member of our society ever since it started fourteen years ago. And he'd been putting in savings for some eight or nine years. Not much, you'll understand. Say, as an average, two to three pounds every half-year never more. But, just before his death, or murder, or whatever you like to call it, he came in here one day with fifty pounds!
My theory that the rumour that Collishaw, with a pint too much ale in him, had hinted that he could say something about Braden's death if he chose, had reached Braden's assailant; that he had made it his business to see Collishaw and had paid him that fifty pounds as hush-money and, later, had decided to rid himself of Collishaw altogether, as he undoubtedly did, by poison."
There had been six pills in that box there were five left. So Collishaw picked out the poisoned pill first! It might have been delayed till the sixth dose, you see but he was doomed." Mitchington showed a desire to speak, and Bryce paused. "What about what Ransford said before the Coroner?" asked Mitchington.
"Whether you, or whether Ransford whether both or either of you, know it or not," he said, "the police have been on to Ransford ever since that Collishaw affair! Underground work, you know. Mitchington has been digging into things ever since then, and lately he's had a London detective helping him."
"And therefore," interrupted Harker with a smile, "that when he and Brake met as you seem to think they did Ransford flung Brake through that open doorway; that Collishaw witnessed it, that Ransford's found out about Collishaw, and that Collishaw has been poisoned by Ransford. Eh?" "That's a theory that seems to be supported by facts," said Bryce.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking