The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
CHAPTER XIII. THE VIGIL
SIR James brushed past Julius and hurriedly bent over the fallen woman.
“Heart,” he said sharply. “Seeing us so suddenly must have given her ashock. Brandy--and quickly, or she’ll slip through our fingers.”
Julius hurried to the washstand.
“Not there,” said Tuppence over her shoulder. “In the tantalus in thedining-room. Second door down the passage.”
Between them Sir James and Tuppence lifted Mrs. Vandemeyer and carriedher to the bed. There they dashed water on her face, but with no result.The lawyer fingered her pulse.
“Touch and go,” he muttered. “I wish that young fellow would hurry upwith the brandy.”
At that moment Julius re-entered the room, carrying a glass half full ofthe spirit which he handed to Sir James. While Tuppence lifted her headthe lawyer tried to force a little of the spirit between her closedlips. Finally the woman opened her eyes feebly. Tuppence held the glassto her lips.
“Drink this.”
Mrs. Vandemeyer complied. The brandy brought the colour back to herwhite cheeks, and revived her in a marvellous fashion. She tried to situp--then fell back with a groan, her hand to her side.
“It’s my heart,” she whispered. “I mustn’t talk.”
She lay back with closed eyes.
Sir James kept his finger on her wrist a minute longer, then withdrew itwith a nod.
“She’ll do now.”
All three moved away, and stood together talking in low voices. Oneand all were conscious of a certain feeling of anticlimax. Clearly anyscheme for cross-questioning the lady was out of the question for themoment. For the time being they were baffled, and could do nothing.
Tuppence related how Mrs. Vandemeyer had declared herself willingto disclose the identity of Mr. Brown, and how she had consented todiscover and reveal to them the whereabouts of Jane Finn. Julius wascongratulatory.
“That’s all right, Miss Tuppence. Splendid! I guess that hundredthousand pounds will look just as good in the morning to the lady as itdid over night. There’s nothing to worry over. She won’t speak withoutthe cash anyway, you bet!”
There was certainly a good deal of common sense in this, and Tuppencefelt a little comforted.
“What you say is true,” said Sir James meditatively. “I must confess,however, that I cannot help wishing we had not interrupted at the minutewe did. Still, it cannot be helped, it is only a matter of waiting untilthe morning.”
He looked across at the inert figure on the bed. Mrs. Vandemeyer layperfectly passive with closed eyes. He shook his head.
“Well,” said Tuppence, with an attempt at cheerfulness, “we must waituntil the morning, that’s all. But I don’t think we ought to leave theflat.”
“What about leaving that bright boy of yours on guard?”
“Albert? And suppose she came round again and hooked it. Albert couldn’tstop her.”
“I guess she won’t want to make tracks away from the dollars.”
“She might. She seemed very frightened of ‘Mr. Brown.’”
“What? Real plumb scared of him?”
“Yes. She looked round and said even walls had ears.”
“Maybe she meant a dictaphone,” said Julius with interest.
“Miss Tuppence is right,” said Sir James quietly. “We must not leave theflat--if only for Mrs. Vandemeyer’s sake.”
Julius stared at him.
“You think he’d get after her? Between now and to-morrow morning. Howcould he know, even?”
“You forget your own suggestion of a dictaphone,” said Sir James dryly.“We have a very formidable adversary. I believe, if we exercise all duecare, that there is a very good chance of his being delivered into ourhands. But we must neglect no precaution. We have an important witness,but she must be safeguarded. I would suggest that Miss Tuppence shouldgo to bed, and that you and I, Mr. Hersheimmer, should share the vigil.”
Tuppence was about to protest, but happening to glance at the bed shesaw Mrs. Vandemeyer, her eyes half-open, with such an expression ofmingled fear and malevolence on her face that it quite froze the wordson her lips.
For a moment she wondered whether the faint and the heart attack hadbeen a gigantic sham, but remembering the deadly pallor she could hardlycredit the supposition. As she looked the expression disappeared as bymagic, and Mrs. Vandemeyer lay inert and motionless as before. For amoment the girl fancied she must have dreamt it. But she determinednevertheless to be on the alert.
“Well,” said Julius, “I guess we’d better make a move out of here anyway.”
The others fell in with his suggestion. Sir James again felt Mrs.Vandemeyer’s pulse.
“Perfectly satisfactory,” he said in a low voice to Tuppence. “She’ll beabsolutely all right after a night’s rest.”
The girl hesitated a moment by the bed. The intensity of the expressionshe had surprised had impressed her powerfully. Mrs. Vandemeyer liftedher lids. She seemed to be struggling to speak. Tuppence bent over her.
“Don’t--leave----” she seemed unable to proceed, murmuring somethingthat sounded like “sleepy.” Then she tried again.
Tuppence bent lower still. It was only a breath.
“Mr.--Brown----” The voice stopped.
But the half-closed eyes seemed still to send an agonized message.
Moved by a sudden impulse, the girl said quickly:
“I shan’t leave the flat. I shall sit up all night.”
A flash of relief showed before the lids descended once more. ApparentlyMrs. Vandemeyer slept. But her words had awakened a new uneasiness inTuppence. What had she meant by that low murmur: “Mr. Brown?” Tuppencecaught herself nervously looking over her shoulder. The big wardrobeloomed up in a sinister fashion before her eyes. Plenty of room for aman to hide in that.... Half-ashamed of herself, Tuppence pulled it openand looked inside. No one--of course! She stooped down and looked underthe bed. There was no other possible hiding-place.
Tuppence gave her familiar shake of the shoulders. It was absurd, thisgiving way to nerves! Slowly she went out of the room. Julius and SirJames were talking in a low voice. Sir James turned to her.
“Lock the door on the outside, please, Miss Tuppence, and take out thekey. There must be no chance of anyone entering that room.”
The gravity of his manner impressed them, and Tuppence felt less ashamedof her attack of “nerves.”
“Say,” remarked Julius suddenly, “there’s Tuppence’s bright boy. I guessI’d better go down and ease his young mind. That’s some lad, Tuppence.”
“How did you get in, by the way?” asked Tuppence suddenly. “I forgot toask.”
“Well, Albert got me on the phone all right. I ran round for Sir Jameshere, and we came right on. The boy was on the look out for us, and wasjust a mite worried about what might have happened to you. He’d beenlistening outside the door of the flat, but couldn’t hear anything.Anyhow he suggested sending us up in the coal lift instead of ringingthe bell. And sure enough we landed in the scullery and came right alongto find you. Albert’s still below, and must be just hopping mad by thistime.” With which Julius departed abruptly.
“Now then, Miss Tuppence,” said Sir James, “you know this place betterthan I do. Where do you suggest we should take up our quarters?”
Tuppence considered for a moment or two.
“I think Mrs. Vandemeyer’s boudoir would be the most comfortable,” shesaid at last, and led the way there.
Sir James looked round approvingly.
“This will do very well, and now, my dear young lady, do go to bed andget some sleep.”
Tuppence shook her head resolutely.
“I couldn’t, thank you, Sir James. I should dream of Mr. Brown allnight!”
“But you’ll be so tired, child.”
“No, I shan’t. I’d rather stay up--really.”
The lawyer gave in.
Julius reappeared some minutes later, having reassured Albert andrewa
“At any rate, you’ve got to have something to eat right away. Where’sthe larder?”
Tuppence directed him, and he returned in a few minutes with a cold pieand three plates.
After a hearty meal, the girl felt inclined to pooh-pooh her fancies ofhalf an hour before. The power of the money bribe could not fail.
“And now, Miss Tuppence,” said Sir James, “we want to hear youradventures.”
“That’s so,” agreed Julius.
Tuppence narrated her adventures with some complacence. Juliusoccasionally interjected an admiring “Bully.” Sir James said nothinguntil she had finished, when his quiet “well done, Miss Tuppence,” madeher flush with pleasure.
“There’s one thing I don’t get clearly,” said Julius. “What put her upto clearing out?”
“I don’t know,” confessed Tuppence.
Sir James stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“The room was in great disorder. That looks as though her flight wasunpremeditated. Almost as though she got a sudden warning to go fromsome one.”
“Mr. Brown, I suppose,” said Julius scoffingly.
The lawyer looked at him deliberately for a minute or two.
“Why not?” he said. “Remember, you yourself have once been worsted byhim.”
Julius flushed with vexation.
“I feel just mad when I think of how I handed out Jane’s photograph tohim like a lamb. Gee, if I ever lay hands on it again, I’ll freeze on toit like--like hell!”
“That contingency is likely to be a remote one,” said the other dryly.
“I guess you’re right,” said Julius frankly. “And, in any case, it’s theoriginal I’m out after. Where do you think she can be, Sir James?”
The lawyer shook his head.
“Impossible to say. But I’ve a very good idea where she _has_ been.”
“You have? Where?”
Sir James smiled.
“At the scene of your nocturnal adventures, the Bournemouth nursinghome.”
“There? Impossible. I asked.”
“No, my dear sir, you asked if anyone of the name of Jane Finn had beenthere. Now, if the girl had been placed there it would almost certainlybe under an assumed name.”
“Bully for you,” cried Julius. “I never thought of that!”
“It was fairly obvious,” said the other.
“Perhaps the doctor’s in it too,” suggested Tuppence.
Julius shook his head.
“I don’t think so. I took to him at once. No, I’m pretty sure Dr. Hall’sall right.”
“Hall, did you say?” asked Sir James. “That is curious--really verycurious.”
“Why?” demanded Tuppence.
“Because I happened to meet him this morning. I’ve known him slightly onand off for some years, and this morning I ran across him in the street.Staying at the _Métropole_, he told me.” He turned to Julius. “Didn’the tell you he was coming up to town?”
Julius shook his head.
“Curious,” mused Sir James. “You did not mention his name thisafternoon, or I would have suggested your going to him for furtherinformation with my card as introduction.”
“I guess I’m a mutt,” said Julius with unusual humility. “I ought tohave thought of the false name stunt.”
“How could you think of anything after falling out of that tree?” criedTuppence. “I’m sure anyone else would have been killed right off.”
“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter now, anyway,” said Julius. “We’ve gotMrs. Vandemeyer on a string, and that’s all we need.”
“Yes,” said Tuppence, but there was a lack of assurance in her voice.
A silence settled down over the party. Little by little the magic ofthe night began to gain a hold on them. There were sudden creaks of thefurniture, imperceptible rustlings in the curtains. Suddenly Tuppencesprang up with a cry.
“I can’t help it. I know Mr. Brown’s somewhere in the flat! I can _feel_him.”
“Sure, Tuppence, how could he be? This door’s open into the hall. Noone could have come in by the front door without our seeing and hearinghim.”
“I can’t help it. I _feel_ he’s here!”
She looked appealingly at Sir James, who replied gravely:
“With due deference to your feelings, Miss Tuppence (and mine as wellfor that matter), I do not see how it is humanly possible for anyone tobe in the flat without our knowledge.”
The girl was a little comforted by his words.
“Sitting up at night is always rather jumpy,” she confessed.
“Yes,” said Sir James. “We are in the condition of people holding aséance. Perhaps if a medium were present we might get some marvellousresults.”
“Do you believe in spiritualism?” asked Tuppence, opening her eyes wide.
The lawyer shrugged his shoulders.
“There is some truth in it, without a doubt. But most of the testimonywould not pass muster in the witness-box.”
The hours drew on. With the first faint glimmerings of dawn, Sir Jamesdrew aside the curtains. They beheld, what few Londoners see, the slowrising of the sun over the sleeping city. Somehow, with the comingof the light, the dreads and fancies of the past night seemed absurd.Tuppence’s spirits revived to the normal.
“Hooray!” she said. “It’s going to be a gorgeous day. And we shall findTommy. And Jane Finn. And everything will be lovely. I shall ask Mr.Carter if I can’t be made a Dame!”
At seven o’clock Tuppence volunteered to go and make some tea. Shereturned with a tray, containing the teapot and four cups.
“Who’s the other cup for?” inquired Julius.
“The prisoner, of course. I suppose we might call her that?”
“Taking her tea seems a kind of anticlimax to last night,” said Juliusthoughtfully.
“Yes, it does,” admitted Tuppence. “But, anyway, here goes. Perhapsyou’d both come, too, in case she springs on me, or anything. You see,we don’t know what mood she’ll wake up in.”
Sir James and Julius accompanied her to the door.
“Where’s the key? Oh, of course, I’ve got it myself.”
She put it in the lock, and turned it, then paused.
“Supposing, after all, she’s escaped?” she murmured in a whisper.
“Plumb impossible,” replied Julius reassuringly.
But Sir James said nothing.
Tuppence drew a long breath and entered. She heaved a sigh of relief asshe saw that Mrs. Vandemeyer was lying on the bed.
“Good morning,” she remarked cheerfully. “I’ve brought you some tea.”
Mrs. Vandemeyer did not reply. Tuppence put down the cup on the tableby the bed and went across to draw up the blinds. When she turned, Mrs.Vandemeyer still lay without a movement. With a sudden fear clutchingat her heart, Tuppence ran to the bed. The hand she lifted was cold asice.... Mrs. Vandemeyer would never speak now....
Her cry brought the others. A very few minutes sufficed. Mrs. Vandemeyerwas dead--must have been dead some hours. She had evidently died in hersleep.
“If that isn’t the cruellest luck,” cried Julius in despair.
The lawyer was calmer, but there was a curious gleam in his eyes.
“If it is luck,” he replied.
“You don’t think--but, say, that’s plumb impossible--no one could havegot in.”
“No,” admitted the lawyer. “I don’t see how they could. And yet--she ison the point of betraying Mr. Brown, and--she dies. Is it only chance?”
“But how----”
“Yes, _how!_ That is what we must find out.” He stood there silently,gently stroking his chin. “We must find out,” he said quietly, andTuppence felt that if she was Mr. Brown she would not like the tone ofthose simple words.
Julius’s glance went to the window.
“The window’s open,” he remarked. “Do you think----”
Tuppence shook her head.
“The balcony only goes along as far as the boudoir. We were there.”
“He might have slipped out----” suggested Julius.
But Sir James interrupted him.
“Mr. Brown’s methods are not so crude. In the meantime we must send fora doctor, but before we do so, is there anything in this room that mightbe of value to us?”
Hastily, the three searched. A charred mass in the grate indicatedthat Mrs. Vandemeyer had been burning papers on the eve of her flight.Nothing of importance remained, though they searched the other rooms aswell.
“There’s that,” said Tuppence suddenly, pointing to a small,old-fashioned safe let into the wall. “It’s for jewellery, I believe,but there might be something else in it.”
The key was in the lock, and Julius swung open the door, and searchedinside. He was some time over the task.
“Well,” said Tuppence impatiently.
There was a pause before Julius answered, then he withdrew his head andshut to the door.
“Nothing,” he said.
In five minutes a brisk young doctor arrived, hastily summoned. He wasdeferential to Sir James, whom he recognized.
“Heart failure, or possibly an overdose of some sleeping-draught.” Hesniffed. “Rather an odour of chloral in the air.”
Tuppence remembered the glass she had upset. A new thought drove her tothe washstand. She found the little bottle from which Mrs. Vandemeyerhad poured a few drops.
It had been three parts full. Now-- _it was empty_.