The Mystery of Ryeburn Manor

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 913, 5 March 1930, Page 5

The Mystery of Ryeburn Manor

By

JOHN LAURENCE

Author of “The Sign of the Double Cross Inn,” etc.

CHAPTER XXX. THE PEARLS STOLEN Lee was back again before Harding had much time to consider w r hat Thornton might be doing. Pie crossed to the exposed safe and turning the key i in the lock pulled the door open viciously. ‘‘The thief, the dirty thief!” he cried, choking in his rage. “He’s taken the pearls.” “I -thought you’d taken them into Hastings to have the clasp repaired?” asked Harding. . “That’s what I told Maria,” answered Lee, slamming the safe door. “I tell her what’s good for her.” He stepped into the corridor and shouted for one of the servants. “Get Scotland Yard on the telephone,” he ordered. “And ask for Inspector Vidler. When he’s on come and tell me. 1 don’t want any damned sergeant on night duty who’ll see me in the morning.” Lee literally stampeded up and down the room as he waited impatiently for the call to come through. His naturally, rather puffy, red face seemed puffier than ever. To Harding Hie man j appeared almost gross with his thick, | muttering lips, his fat, boneless hands. | He looked what he was, a man who

enjoyed the material things o£ life to the full, a man who had the power and the money to indulge and did so. Harding smoked in silence, returning only monosyllabic replies when directly addressed. Once Mrs. Lee entered the'door but fled when her husband turned and glared savagely at her. Hardened as she was to Lee’s temper and bullying there were times when even she knew when to keep out of the way. “Get out and keep out. If you want something to do tell the servants -to find Thornton.”

“I’ll get dressed,” said Harding grimly. “Not much chance of sleeping tonight.” He was glad of any e\euso to get away from Lee for a while, and when he had finished dressing he went downstairs and avoided the library. In the drawing-room he found that Sheila, too, had dressed. She was sitting there alone and looked up with a strained expression on her face as he entered. “Is there any news?” she asked in a low voice. “Will you have some coffee and biscuits?” He nodded. “Lee's like a wild animal.” he replied. “Heaven help Thornton when he does come back.” “It’s a shame,” cried Sheila passionately. "He’s blamed without having a chance.” “It’s unfortunate that he has chosen this moment to be out of the house,” pointed out Harding. “The only consolation is that you were not caught by Lee. Why do you stop here?” Sheila shivered. “I shan’t stop any longer than I can help. But I can’t leave now, can I? Not until ” She hesitated. “Until the murderer of Simmonds is discovered,” he finished gravely. “There Is some news. The pearls have been taken from the safe and Lee’s trying to get Vidler on the telephone.” HARDING DECLARES HIS LOVE Sheila stared with wide-open eyes and gave a gasp of astonishment. “The pearls have been taken.’ t—l can’t believe it.” He was puzzled at the incredulity in her tones. “It’s not true,” she added wildly. “It’s not true! They’ve not been stolen. Mr, Lee must have been mistaken. He wants to blame Mr. Thornton.” “I saw the safe opened and the pearls weren’t there.” Harding leant forward. “My dear, my dear, won’t you let me help you? What were you doing in the library by the safe?” “I didn't open it. I don't know how it opens. I know nothing abmt it.” She spoke quickly, breathlessly, her hands clasped together appealingly. “You hayen’t answered my question,” he pointed out. “Why should you be in the library at all at two o'clock in the morning?” “Why should you, Mr. Harding?” “Because I couldn’t sleep, thinking about you.” he replied. “I came down to get a book. If I hadn’t Lee would have found you. You hadn’t even taken the elementary precaution to lock the door behind you.” “Why should I?” she flashed back. “I wasn't a burglar. I found the bookshelf like that, saw the safe.” “Did you know the safe was in the library?” “Everybody knew where it was,” she answered; “though not exactly where. I couldn't sleep either, Mr. Harding.” “Thinking of Thornton, I suppose?” “That’s hardly a fair thing to say. is it? Y'ou are very hard where Mr. Thornton is concerned, very cruel.” j Harding felt she was putting lim in the wrong. “Was it cruelty to tell Vidler 1 saw I no one that night?” he demanded sharply. “Was it cruelty to warn you that Vidler knows your identity? AVas it cruelty to help you to escape from the library? Is it cruelty to tell you that 1 think you are running unneces-

sary risks over Thornton, who is not worthy to kiss your feet? Is It cruelty to want to save you from the consequences of your own folly? Do you think Lee would try to save you or Vidler or Thornton or anybody else who knew?” He did not give her any chance to reply as he seized her hands. “Look at me! I love you, love you, that is why I must help you, Sheila ” “No, no, no,” she protested wildly, struggling to free herself from the iron of his grip. “You don’t know what you are saying. I can’t. Please, oh please, let me go.” “I’m not going to let you go. I shall never let you go. Look at me, I tell you. Do you want me to go? Look at me, Sheila.” There was a fierceness and urgency in his tone which dominated her. Harding was no longer the polite, rather gentle man who had been taught all his life that women were something a little lower than the angels, hut not much. The primitive man was uppermost. By every canon she was destined to be his woman. Fate had thrown them together. Their paths had crossed and recrossed until now they must both take the same road together and find their wav out of the maze together. Sheila struggled against the inevitable results of the situation. She avoided looking into the grey eyes of the man who held her so helpless in his grip, for fear of what he might read in her own blue eyes.

“Please, please let me ao.“ she panted. “Do you want me to go? Answer me.” His hands caught her face and tilted her chin upwards as she pushed vainly against him with her own freed hands. Her lips were obstinately closed, but the expression on her face was not one of anger. Her eyes were closed. She suddenly ceased to struggle. “There’s someone at the door,” she whispered. Instantly he stood apart from her, and turned round coolly as one of the servants tapped and entered. “Mr. Vidler is on the phone and would like to speak to you, sir,” he answered. The announcement seemed to act like a cold douche on Harding. With a muttered “Excuse me. Miss Sunderland,” he hurried away. Lee .was standing by the instrument in the hall, fuming. “Vidler wants to know your version,” he said angrily. “I suppose he thinks I'm biased in favour of Thornton.” “Pleasant voice he’s got, hasn’t he?” were Vidler’s first words as Harding picked up the receiver. “I don’t envy the inhabitants of Ryeburn Manor at the moment. Tell me the real trouble.” Briefly, Harding outlined Lee's discovery that the library door was locked and the events which had followed. He chose his words carefully as Lee himself was standing beside him. “And a thorough search of the house and grounds shows no sign of Thornton?” asked the detective. “Have you looked in the garage?" Harding turned to Lee and repeated Vidler’s question, and the merchant roared out an order. “While you're waiting we may as well talk,” said the inspector. "larding heard him chuckling to himself. “Lee wants me to arrest Thornton on sight when I see him. You should have heard him blathering about the inefficiency of the Yard a few minutes ago. I asked him now many other businesses he knew could be called up at half-past four in the morning, and that flummoxed him. How’s Miss Sunderland taking it?” “All right, as far as I know,” replied Harding in non-committal tones. “Engaged yet?” “Don’t be silly,” growled Harding. “I’ve known it done in shorter time,” murmured Vidler. “I shall give the bride a string of pearls.” VIDLER’S SURPRISE “What do you mean?” asked Harding, startled out of himself. “Nothing, only pearls seem appropriate to the occasion, don’t thev?” Vidler chuckled. “What’s he talking about?” asked Lee. “Wants to know if the ladies are very much upset,” answered Harding glibly. "Tliat's a good one,” came Vidler’s

voice. “Put your hand over mouthpiece next time, old son.” A servant came hurrying in as he spoke. “The small car’s not there, sir,”'he announced. Harding conveyed the r.ews to Vidler. “I’d rather thought you'd find it gone,” returned the detective. “Why?” “Well, it’s outside the Yard at the moment,” said Vidler, with a laugh. Thornton got here half an hour ago. Tell Lee I’m coming down with his secretary tomorrow morning. Goodbye.” Pie had rung off before Harding could say another word. “Well, I’m damned!” choked Lee furiously, when Harding told him that Thorn-ton was at Scotland,. Y'ard. “What the devil’s he gone there for?” He swung round on Harding, and there was a suspicious look in his screwed-up eyes. “What’s the game? What’s Vidler playing at?” Harding shook his head. “I know no more about it than you do,” he replied. “I thought Thornton had taken the pearls and bolted for it. But If he has he’s not likely to bolt to Scotland Yard.” “Y'ou don’t know Thornton,” answered Lee In vicious tones. “He looks a rat, but he’s got nerve when it’s wanted. I don’t like it, I tell you.” “YVell, we shall know tomorrow,” remarked Harding philosophically. “Vidler won’t lose sight o( him now.” Harding felt that he had had just about enough of Thornton and Lee and Ryeburn Manor generally that night. CHAPTER XXXI. Harding was sick of the mystery in which he found himself involved. " He felt himself struggling in a network which encumbered ail his actions. As soon as he appeared to be breaking through a new complication cropped up which left him floundering more helpfully than before. He cursed the fates which had brought Vidler to the telephone just as he felt that he was forcing the issue with Sheila. He had experienced a strange exultation as he had told her he loved her, but now, sitting in front of the electric fire in his bedroom, that feeling was succeeded by one of depression. What was Sheila’s attitude toward him? Pier expression had told him nothing, save that she wasn’t definitely angry with him. Was that because of his silence and help? YVas it merely gratefulness on her part? “I’ll make her love me,” he muttered. “She doesn’t love Thornton. I’d like to know who she is shielding.” For one fantastic moment it occurred to him that she might be shielding Lee, but he dismissed the thought as soon as it arose. Lee didn’t fit into the picture at all, apart from the fact that Sheila obviously loathed her employer. Pie appeared to Harding to be the last person she would want to shield. Thornton’s move thoroughly puzzled him, bewildeYed him. If he had taken the pearls, why go to Scotland Y’ard? Was it a gigantic bluff? Harding smiled grimly to himself at the thought. Vidler was not the kind of man to be bluffed as easily as that, nor was he likely to be moved by Lee’s outpourings. Harding could not help feeling a certain amount of sympathy with Lee over the latter’s attitude. To say the least, Thornton was acting very suspiciously. W'hy choose the middle of the night to call at Scotland Y'ard? He certainly wouldn’t call with the stolen pearls, if he had stolen them. Harding boggled at that “if.” Though he tried hard to force himself to believe that Thornton had stolen them, he could not get out of his mind the vision of Sheila kneeling by the safe. Certainly he had seen nothing in her hands, but that was not conclusive. He had assumed she was trying to open the safe when he had appeared so unexpectedly. Supposing she had taken what she wanted and had actually just shut the

safe door ? She had denied that she had taken the pearls, but could he honestly believe her? Harding tried to consider the situation impartially, tried to forget that he loved her so much that he was prepared to accept any explanation Sheila offered him. But would Vidler believe what she had said? Would Lee? Would anyone, indeed? Frankly, he doubted it. It was only now tie was sitting in his own room again, away from the conflicting emotions which had disturbed him, that he realised she had given him no explanation at all for being in the, library at 2 o’clock in the morning. Had she got any explanation which did not incriminate himself, he wondered? He felt that all this doubting was being disloyal, but the questions which came into his mind refused to be dismissed that way. He knew that, sooner later, he must know the answers in order to be able to defend her. Vidler had said definitely he did not believe she was a thief, but just as definitely he had said she must give an explanation of her actions. A NEW SIDE OF LEE He had got no nearer to a solution of the puzzle when he went down to breakfast. Neither Sheila nor Mrs. Lee appeared. Lee seemed to have recovered from his temper of the night before, and was positively genial. “I suppose, like me, you've had no sleep?” he asked. “I’ve been trying to put bits of the puzzle together, and failed.” confessed Harding frankly. “I’m about as much use as a detective as a crossingsweeper. The air's the only thing

I know anything about.” “I wonder if you’d give me a flip?” asked Lee. “I’ve been taking lessons, so I shan’t be hysterical at heights.” He laughed good-humouredly as he helped himself to some more toast. “So you have been learning to fly,” said Harding. “How have you been getting on?” “I’ve driven cars for twenty years, and know every make on the road,” pointed out Lee complacently. “I know that’s no recommendation to flying, but it gives one a mechanical sense, as it were, and makes one realise what controls are. As a matter of fact, the next time I go up it’s to take my certificate. The instructor is satisfied.” “Where have you been learning?” “At the London Airplane Club.” Harding nodded. Lee did not seem to him, physically, the kind of man who would make a good pilot, but the instructor at London would not have passed him unless he was capable. “What do you want to fly for?” he asked. “It might be useful,” replied Lee. “It’s quicker than a car and not so crow’ded. I can see the time coming when there’ll be an airdrome every five miles through the country, so that everybody can fly and land without any difficulty.” “It's coming all right,” said Harding confidently. “The air has made giant strides the last year or so, and the light airplane is going to make all the difference. Come, we’ll have a run round. Anything’s better than hanging about waiting.” “Have you got dual control?” “Yes. You can take charge if you like when we’re up.”

Harding was an enthusiast where airplanes were concerned. He was surprised when Lee took over the controls how extraordinarily efficient he was. Despite his fat, ungainly looking hands, and heavy build, Lee was a born pilot, writh the sensitive hands and light touch which are »o necessary to get the best out of a machine. Harding himself was an expert, and he freely admitted when they landed again that Lee had all the makings of a brilliant pilot. Lee wras in high spirits and Hard ing saw a side of him he had never seen before. He began to understand now why the man had sue ceeded. Once he became enthusiastic on anything he would take a lot of stopping. He was one of those men who became obsessed w’itb an idea, and thought of little else night and day until he had accomplished whatever was in his mind. He astonished Harding by saying that actually he had only had two hours* dual flying, and three solo. His questions were very much to the point. Nor did he appear to lose his good spirits when, as they entered the house, a servant announced that Inspector Vidler and Thornton were in the library. (To be continued tomorrow.)