The Missing Bank Manager

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 152, 17 September 1927, Page 25 (Supplement)

The Missing Bank Manager

By

J. S. FLETCHER

SERIAL

STORY

CHAPTER XX. (Continued). “I didn’t want him to t>e overlooked, and I didn’t want to show up myself,” said Starmidge. “I noticed that our man spotted him quick. Now, look here—l’ll be at headquarters first thing to-morrow morning—I want this chap Qirdiun's report. Nine-thirty sharp! Now we’ll have a drink, and I’ll get home.” * “Good case, this?” asked the other man, as they pledgee l , each other. “Getting on with it?”

“Tell you more to-morrow,” answered Starmidge. “When—and if—l know more. Nine-thirty, mind!” But when Starmidge met his companion of the night before at ninethirty next morning, it was to find him in conversation with the other man, and to see dissatisfaction on the countenances of both. And Starmidge, a naturally keen observer, knew what had happened. He frowned as he looked at Gardam.

“You don’t mean to say he slipped you!” he exclaimed.

“I don t know about slipped,” muttered Gardam, “I lost him, anyway, Mr. Starmidge, and I don’t see how I can be blamed cither. Perhaps you might have done differently, but ” “Tell about it!’’ interrupted Starmldge. “What happened?”

“I spotted him, of course, from your description, as soon as he got out of the train,” replied Gardam. “No mistaking him, naturally; lie’s an extra good one to watch. He’d no luggage—not even a handbag. I followed him to the taxi-cabs. I was close by when he stepped into one, and I heard what he said. ‘Stage-door, Adalb »t Theatre.’ Off he we nt. I followed in another taxi. I stopped mine and got out jyst in time to see him walk up the entry to the stage door. He went in. It was then half-past eleven: they were* beginning to close. I waited and waited until at last they closed that stage door, m take my oath he’d never come out!— never!”

Starmidge made a face of intense disgust.

‘No, of course he hadn’t!” he exclaimed. “He'd gone out at the front. I suppose that never struck you ? I know that stage door of the Adalbert; s up a. passage. If you stood at the end of that passage, near, you could have kept an eye on the front

and the stage door at the same time. But, of course, it never struck you that a man could go in at the back of a place and come out at the front, did it? Well, that’s off for the present. And so am L”

Vexed and disappointed that Gabriel Chestermarlce had not been tracked to wherever he was staying in London, Starmidge went out, hailed a taxi-cab, and was driven down to the city. He did not particularly concern himself about Gabriel’s visit to the stage door of the Adalbert Theatre; it was something, after al!!, to know he had gone there. If need arose, he might be traced from that theatre, in which, very possibly, he had some financial interest. What Starmidge had decided to ascertain was the banker’s London address; he had already learned in Scarnliam that Gabriel Chestermarke was constantly in London for days at a time; he must have some permanent address at which he could be found. And Starmidge foresaw that he might wish to find him, perhaps in a hurry. But just then his chief concern was with another banking firm —Vanderkiste’s. He walked slowly along Lombard Street until he came to the house —a quiet, sober, eminently respectablelooking old business place, quite unlike the palatial affairs in which the great banking corporations of modern origin carry on their transactions. There was no display of marble and plaster apd plate-glass and mahogany, and heavy, plethoric fittings—a modest brass-plate affixed to the door was the only sign and announcement th&t banking business was carried on within. Equally old-fashioned and modest was the interior, and Starmidge was quick to notice that the clerks were all elderly or middle-aged men, solemn and grave as undertakers. The presentation of the detective’s official card procured him speedy entrance to a parlour in which sat two old gentlemen, who were evidently greatly surprised to see him. They were so much surprised, indeed, as to bo almost childishly interested, and Starmidge had never had such attentive listeners in his life as these two elderly city men, to whom crime and detection were as unfamiliar as higher finance was to their visitor. They followed Stamiidge’s story point by point, nodding every now and then as he drew their attention to particular passages.

and the detective saw that they comprehended all he said. He made an end at last —and Mr. Vanderkiste, a white-bearded, benevolent. - looking gentleman, looked at Mr. Mullineau, a little rosy-faced man, and shook his head.

“It. would be an unusual thing, certainly,” he observed, “for Mr. Frederick Hollis to have ten thousand pounds lying here to his credit. Mr. Hollis was an old customer —we knew him very well —but he didn’t keep a lot of money here. We —er —knew his circumstances. He bought himself a very nice annuity some years ago—it was paid into his account here twice a year-. But —ten thousand pounds!” Mr. Mullineau leaned forward. “We don’t know if Frederick Hollis paid any large amount lately, you know,” he observed. “Hadn’t you better summon Linthwaite?” “Our manager,” remarked Mr. Vanderkiste, as he touched a bell. “Ah, yes, of course—he’ll know. Mr. Linthwaite,” be continued, another elderly man entered the room, “Can you tell us what Mr. Frederick Hollis’s balance in our hands is?”

“I have just been looking it up, sir,” replied the manager, “in consequence of this sad news in the papers. Ten thousand, eight hundred, seventy-nine, five, four,. Mr. Vanderkiste.”

“Ten thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine pounds five shillings and fourpence,” repeated Mr. Vanderkiste. “Ah! An unusually large amount, I think, Mr. Linthwaite?” “Just so,” agreed the manager. “The reason is that rather more than a week ago Mr. Hollis called here himself with a cheque for ten thousand pounds which he paid into his account, explaining to me that it had been handed to him for a special purpose, and that he should draw a cheque of his own against it for the same amount very shortly.”

“Ah!” remarked Mr. Vanderkiste. “Has the cheque which he paid in been cleared?”

“We cleared it at once,” .replied the manager. “Oh, yes! 33ut the cheque which Mr. Hollis spoke of drawing against it has not come in—and now, of course ”

“Just so,” said Mr. Vanderkiste. “Now that he’s dead, of course, his cheque is no good. Um! That will do, thank you, Mr. Linthwaite.” He turned and looked at Starmidge when the manager had withdrawn. “That explains matters,” he said. “The ten thousand pounds had been paid to Mr. Frederick Hollis for a special purpose.” “But —by whom?” asked Starmidge. “That’s precisely what I want to know! The knowledge will help me—ah!—l don’t know how much it mayn’t help me! For there’s no doubt abo’ut it, gentlemen, Hollis went down to Scarnham to pay ten thousand pounds to somebody on somebody else’s account: He was, I am sure, as it were, ambassador for somebody. Who was—who is—that somebody? Almost certainly the person who gave Hollis the cheque your manager has just mentioned—and whose ten thousand pounds are, as a matter of fact, still lying in your hands! Who is that person? What bank was the cheque drawn on? Let me have an answer to both these questions, and ”

The two old gentlemen exchanged looks, and Mr. Mullineau quietly rose and left the room. In his absence Mr. Vanderkiste shook his head at the detective. “A very, very queer case, officer!” he remarked. “An extraordinary case, sir,” agreed Starmidge. “Before we get to the end of it there'll be some strange revelations. Mr. Vanderkiste.” “So I should imagine—so 1 should imagine!” assented the old gentleman. “Very remarkable proceedings altogether. e shall be deeply interested in hearing how matters progress. Of course this*-affair of the ten thousand pounds is very curi> We ” Mr. Mullineau < back—with a slip of paper, whit., «o handed to the detective. “That gives you the information vou want,” he said. Starmidge read aloud what the manager had written down on liis principal’s instructions. “ Drawer —Helen Lester,’ ” he read. “ 'Bank —London and Universal, Pall

Mall Branch.’ ” He looked up at the two partners. “I suppose you gentlemen don’t know who this Mrs. or Miss Helen Lester is?” he inquired. “No, not at all,” answered Mr.' Mullineau. “Nor does Linthwaite. 1 thought Mr. Hollis might have told him something about that special purpose, but he told him nothing.” “You’ll have to go to the London and Universal people,” observed Mr. Vanderkiste. “They, of course, will know all about-their customer.”

Mullineau inquiringly at his partner.

“Don’t you think that, as there are almost certain to be some complications about this matter, Linthwaite had better go with Detective Starmidge?” he suggested. “The situation as regards the ten thousand pounds is a somewhat curious one. This Miss or Mrs. Lester will want to recover it. Now, according to what Mr. Starmidge tells us, nobody, so far as he’s aware, is in possession of any facts, papers, letters, anything relating to it. I think there should be some consultation between ourselves and the other bank which is concerned.” “Excellent suggestion!” agreed Mr. Vanderkiste. “Let him go by a.ll means.”

Half an hour later Starmidge found himself closeted with another lot of

bankers. But these were younger men, who were quicker to grasp situations and comprehend points, and they quickly understood what the detective was after; moreover, they were already well posted up in these details of the Scarnham mystery, which had already appeared in the newspapers. “What you want,” said one of them, a young and energetic man, addressing Star midge at the end of their preliminary conversation, “is to find out for what purpose Mrs. Lester gave Mr. Frederick Hollis ten thousand pounds?” “Precisely,” replied Starmidge. “It will go far towards clearing up a good many things.” "I have no doubt Mrs. Lester will tell you readily enough,” said, the banker. “In fact, as things are, I should say she’ll be only too glad to give you any information you want. That ten thousand pounds being in Messrs. Vanderkiste’s hands, in Hollis’s name, and Hollis being dead, there will be bother—not serious, of course, but still formal bother—about recovering it. Very well, Mrs. Lester, who, I may tell you, is a wealthy customer of ours, lives in the country as a rule, and I happen to knojv she’s there now. I’ll write down her address. Tell her by all means that you have been to see us on the matter.” Starmidge left Mr. Linthwaite talk-

ing with the London and Universal people; he himself, now that he had got the desired information, had no mare to say. Outside the bank he opened the slip of paper which had just been handed to him, and saw that another journey lay before him. Mrs. Lester lived at Lowdale Court, near Chesham. (To be continued).