“THE UNLATCHED DOOR”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 January 1941, Page 10

“THE UNLATCHED DOOR”

By

FRANK PRICE.

(Author of “Africa Flight,” "Outpost in China,” etc.)

CHAPTER V. (Continued'/. Inevitably he would be suspected. His guilt would seem certain to everyone — except herself. She would have to tell her story and take the consequences. Her escape from the flat, which had seemed so providential, was of no avail. She could not let Martin suffer for a deed in which he had no hand. -What arc you thinking about, Barbara? Arc you trying to find some olan that will help me?"

Nancy’s voice recalled her to actualities. A plan to help her! She had been on the point of starting up to set off at once to the police, bent on a confession which would at least clear Martin of any suspicion which might fall on him; but how woud that help Nancy? She. too. would have to give reasons for visiting' Borden and to reveal the real ones would be disastrous for her friend. That might be necessary if the worst happened, but need it happen? Martin might have changed his mind and not gone to Darnley Mansions after all: Borden’s death might have been discovered before he got there —a hundred things might nave intervened! The only thing to do was to wail and sec what developments rose and meet them as thev camo.

‘‘lt’s no good making plans until we know what Martin has done.” she said. ‘He may just be walking about, working his temper off and not going near Mr. Borden’s flat." “He won’t do that!" ‘Well, if he doesn’t ” Barbara’s hand went towards the pillow again. She could at least show Nancy that the letters were safe. But she did not take the packet out. She would have to explain why she had abstracted it from the box and how she knew what it contained. She dare not tell Nancy that Borden himself had told her he had sent it, and how. That might all have to come out eventually, but until it had, the least said would be soonest mended.

“Anyhow." she said, “we can do nothing but wait till he comes back. I—l don’t expect he —he will have heard anything about you from Mr Borden. And if we are going to sit up wouldn’t it be a good idea if we made tea or coffee or something?” "There will be coffee keeping hot on the kitchen stove." replied Nancy. "I told Martha to leave it. but had forgotten all about it. I was too upset, and Martin—l’ll bring it up here. It will be something to do." She hurried out of the room, wiping her eyes on an already saturated handkerchief. Barbara, still silting on the bod, gave a gasp of relief. Alone for a moment she would be able to think. But try as she would to concentrate, no connected ideas formed in her mind. She asked herself over and over: What must 1 do? What must I do? but no answer came.

Nancy returned with a tray on which wecr cups, a jug of coffee and sandwiches. They drank and made a pretence of eating, and Nancy talked. Barbara listened, stifling an almost irresistable desire to scream, for everything her companion said was only a repetition in varying forms of that question which kept ringing through her own brain: What must I do? What must 1 do? And for Nancy, as for herself, she could find no answer.

! Time dragged on with incredible J slowness. One o’clock came, half-past: j two, Il seemed to Barbara that they I had been sitting there for centuries: then, a moment after Nancy had looked again al her watch and announced the quarter-past two, there came the sound of footsteps on the granite pavement of the road. Nancy jumped to her feel and running to the window, peered round a croncr of a curtain. ,-\ nearby street lamp made the road visible. "It’s Martin." she whispered, drawing j back. "I- I’m frightened!" i "Thank God he ha; come!" cried . Barbara, standing up, "Go and meet i him! Don’t let him see you are afraid, i'l hat would I<h.l: like guilt. Be brave i Nancy! Come. I'll be with you!" Grasping her friend by the arm she .half led, half dragged her io the land--1 ing. They stood leaning against the rail : which bordered the well of the stair- : ease ami looked down to the lighted hall, They heard .Martin's key insertI cd in the hole, the lock turned and the ) duor opened so cautiously that no sound ! would have reached them if they had i remained in Barbara’s mom. Martin, I came in. shut the d..:>r a ■: u .rel, ssl.v a. \ : he had opened it. and fell back against j I it limply with a hand pres.-wd to his ; bare head. His shoulders heaved and | j the hiss of a great -huddermg sigh! came to them. Nancy moved as if to go to him but ' ' Barbara, act.ng on an impin':; e could . not have exj lain. d c;i; ght !:■ r I y -Ju- \ wri-t and held in 1 back. Martin’': hand dropped and :h, y ~v. ! [ b.is eyes were w:|d then a lie :r< (ch- : ed out his arm and turm-d a -.witch. the! bail iwhi wt nt 1: m d ;:>• :■ • ight But they heard him n. .-. ;p f » pa •. ,n-» I along the hall with -1,,-.-.. ■ht.iiHmg ; as though the Hlm-t of lifting )■■ , f, ... J was too much for hr- strength, They I heard a door <>p«-ii and shut and the : sharp turning of a ; "He lias locked liiin-r’J a; the d* i:’’ ; whispered Nancy piteously. "He d icsii't mean to -< «■ mt ■ . • ; . What mu..t 1 dStill Rarbawi . I G; ! ..■ ■. . . • . CHAPTER VI Five nmmtr pa-1 two' ' crumbled Mr Stanley l’ari.< elancmg m. at tl Hiumiiiaii'd face . f the b:.; c'..-cl: 1 1 - ji et.ng over the ■. ■ . ' <•: a he fumbh-d m h i vm-t f ; m,- ' pi* ifj the Hop-’’ -i‘ ’• •■■■■ Ivru.--' 'MjeM be ■ -■ ; ’i i L ) ’’ bf* b’. y ' cheerful grin , Tboy>’ Rar' ' M >'a • . : . . . Aumc coin .■■■’.-•! w.jj -• u > ■

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■ cautiously he gave a vigorous push and j .stepped back The door swung open . d» darkness and silence. He waited a moment and then, as nothing untoward happened, moved forward and felt m- ‘ side for the electric light switch The Might came on and he gave :i <‘art!i-d : cry. ! ‘ What is it, Stan?" his wife r.'dhd ' from where she was kneeling beside the servant. j ' Borden'" he gasped "I ■ ! mink lie'-! dead.'" ■‘Dead”’ She jump,-d to her feet and ’ ' ran t>> his side Clinging to each other; I th< y sloi.'d staring into the room where! Borden lay with the revive: beside him "It’s murder”' she ga<pvd. ■ | Then suddenly she screamed Murder" i Mur Sim: u; ' Her husband .. <a-J he.' ; ;.,u;>hly bv the a.n> :md • h.-M; h-r mto i Mem-e <tv .-;iy <>ld girl I 5 oughtn't to have let vvu srr that but li

j was luiucKetl < {j,-. drew p t . r bari'. i past the unci-.!'. . mas man. to the kind. I ing. ' Puli yourself together'' We must pet the police Juunv. G, ■on to our I ph. no all y.m have to do C m say :‘m. o'. 1 , at ■ i'.-ii ;p,-m wha’> wt-'ve • ■' n H-ien m m,. street and ' •■■■ if b«mtn ■ ’■ the beat ; . about. I'd belle;' lay m ; :.U 1 j ; m ! her acn- . the landmg a: t ■ • i the d. r <.f Number 9 v. .tri latchkey Grt : •.>..!»: •T ' be r .-omued )

"Don’t ask me. sir! I gave that one up a long lime ago." I The cab slid off and Mr. Parkes turnI ed to where his wife was waiting for ■ him at the entrance to Darnley Man- | sions. He gave a cavernous yawn as they went towards the lift. "'rhe parly doesn’t seem to have agreed with you.’ said his wife with a sniff. "It didn’t. Sitting around for hours and hours. jawing about things I’m not interested in to people I was all the time hoping I should never see again, and getting nothing for it but inferior whisky and sawdust sandwiches! Give me my own fireside and my bed at a reasonable hour!" "And me stuck beside you with nothing to do but listen to your breathing after being shut up alone doing housework all day!" "Are you going to start that again?” Mr. Parkes jabbed at the button of the automatic lift. "Lonely: nobody to talk to! What about your thick-necked conquest at Number 11?" "Well, he does take notice of me!" Mrs Parkes smirked. "He gave me the glad eye this morning as 1 came in from shopping." ‘Til give him an eye in a sling if over I see him at it!" growled her husband. The lift stopped at the second floor. He opened the gate and stepped out. "1 don’t like the look of that chap—" He stopped abruptly staring at an open door. "What’s the matter?" His wife was at his shoulder and following his example, she, too, stared at the open door. "Looks as if your admirer has been to a livelier party than ours!" said Parkes. "Just managed to open his door and then flopped!"

"I don’t think that is him. Stan!" Mrs. Parkes unconsciously dropped her voice to a whisper. “It isn’t big enough and—-isn’t he lying in a funny way?" “I’ll have 9 look.” Mr. Parkes crossed to the open door, which bore the number "11" and bent over the figure which lay just within it. He drew back immediately. "There’s been an accident or —something!" he said. "There’s blood ”

“Stan! He isn’t dead? It isn’t murder —not here!’ His wife was at his side again and clutching at his arm.

“No, no! Don’t you hear him breathing?" She did when she listened: the sound of difficult, gurgling gasps. "I wonder who he is and how he got there. It isn’t the big man —Bouden, isn’t his name?”

"It’s his new servant —1 told you he came this week. Wc must do something. Stan. That blood is from the back of his head —he has had a blow. ’ She looked into the hall. It was only dimly lighted by the bulb on the landing. but there was a switch directly inside the door. Mrs. Parkes turned it and the full length of the hall sprang clearly into view. "Look there!" She pointed to the base of an oaken hatstand on a sharp corner of which there was a bloody smear. The stand was turned diagonially across the floor instead of being set back against the wall as it would naturally be in such a narrow passage; a silk hat lay beside it. There was a cloth cap a yard or so farther into the hall and beyond that a grey felt hat with a broad black band.

"His head must have hit the hatstand when hi* fell. Must have got a tidy knock to move it and shake those things off it like that!" said Mr. Parkes. "The cap is his; I've seen him wearing it." Mrs. Parkes declared. "And he has his overcoat on. It looks as if he had only just come in when it —whatever it was happened." "We must do somejhing," said her husband uncertainly. "There can’t be, anybody else in the Hat or ho wouldn’t have eben left like this; but I’d better! make sure. You know all about first! aid; see if you can help him while 1| have a look round." He stepped gin-! geily over the unconscious man. "Be careful, Stan!” whispered in- i wife. "It may have been burglars. Per-1 haps they are still inside' ' "I'll be careful." He switched on the! light m a room across the open door of! which, the man was king ami glanced ! round. "Nothing here,” he said and! passed along the hall to the next Herej was a clos’d door. Turning the handle.