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One thing was certain, that the mystery-man of Europe intended to rid himself of me, and in this he was being aided by certain of his friends, chief among whom were Suzor and Moroni. That the assassin Despujol was only a paid servant was quite clear. But the pay must have been a very handsome sum to cause him to dare to come to Madrid so boldly and run the risk of arrest.
De Gex was still at Stretton Street, apparently quite unconscious that his hireling Sanz was being kept under close surveillance. Another plot was in progress, without a doubt. Twice again had the elusive Spaniard, who was such a close friend of the notorious Despujol, visited Stretton Street.
I said, full of regret that I had taken that step which might so easily result in destroying all my chances of solving that puzzling enigma of Gabrielle Tennison. Nevertheless, it was a source of satisfaction that at last Despujol had, by my watchfulness, been run to earth.
At first I regarded it as strange that being fellow-victims of Oswald De Gex and his desperate, unscrupulous accomplices who included the assassin Despujol I had been drawn towards her by some unknown and invisible attraction.
A few moments later I reverted to the possibility of the arrest of Despujol, for if arrested he might betray De Gex as the person who had paid him to place those infected pins in my room. In such case my story would be heard and investigated. But the Chief of Police shook his head dubiously.
If such were the case, it seemed more than probable that to Count de Chamartin, the intimate associate of Oswald De Gex, a similar dose of orosin had been administered! The means by which the unfortunate Baron van Veltrup had met with his death was as ingenious as that practised upon me by the expert thief, Despujol.
He listened in amazement, which was increased when I told him how the police had recognized in the inoffensive lawyer of Burgos the notorious bandit Despujol, who was wanted not only by Scotland Yard, but by the police of Europe. "But those carpet pins are a curious feature of the affair, Hughie," he remarked. "Yes. The police seem to attach no importance to them but I do."
Through Despujol they seem to have worked for an opportunity for influencing him, yet his death was certainly not in their plans. Some Filipinos, to save themselves, tried to complicate Rizal with the Katipunan uprising by palpable falsehoods.
He asked that it should be filled up with petrol in readiness for his master. About two hours before the police made inquiry three gentlemen entered the garage, the descriptions of whom tallied with those of De Gex, Despujol and Moroni. De Gex produced the receipt for the car. He paid for the petrol, and he and Despujol drove away bidding farewell to Moroni! Despujol drove the car.
A man who answered such description was the elusive friend of Mademoiselle Jacquelot, of Montauban, the motor bandit Mateo Sanz the man who had so cleverly evaded the police, and who had no doubt been an intimate friend of Despujol!
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