“THE UNLATCHED DOOR”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 February 1941, Page 10

“THE UNLATCHED DOOR”

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT. COPYRIGHT.

By

FRANK PRICE.

CHAPTER VII. (Continued). "And if you find the man who made it you will be a long way on the road to learning exactly how he died?" "Oh. quite a long way; But there's a very big 'if in that! And it wouldn't be a man I should find. That footmark was left by a woman." "A woman?” Dr. Chivers looked down ai .he dead man. "There was bound to be a woman in it somewhere. I suppose, and the size of the wound suggests the kind of midget weapon one might carry." "I've known men to carry that kind, too." said the inspector. "We mustn't go al! sex conscious at the mere mention of the word 'woman' —What is it. Flexman?" "What is to be done about these people outside, sir?” asked Sergeant Flexman whose appearance at the door of the room had caused the question. "Three of them live in flats on this floor but there are two men who don't belong here and one of them wants to take the other home.” "One of them is drunk, isn't he?” "Drunk and incapable, sir. I never saw a worse case!" "Have you questioned them? Are they likely to be able to tell us anything useful?" “Well. sir. Mr. Parkes—that's the gentleman who first saw the chap outside an whose wife rang us up—says these two and the—lady—they claim to have been visiting in her flat next door to this —admitted to him that they knew the deceased." "They hadn't told you that?" "No, sir. As a matter of fact I hadn’t asked them. I was carrying out your instructions with regard to the injured man, meaning to question all those people when we'd got him off to hospital when this man. Revelstone —that's the name he gave to P.C. Andrews, the constable on beat who was here first—came worrying me to say that he could take his friend home. He got offensive when I put him off and then Mr. Parkes slipped in a word about their Knowing Mr. Borden." "Mr. Parkes rather struck me as liking the sound of his own voice!"

"The others didn't like it just then, sir—at least, Revelstone and his lady friend didn't. The looked at Mr. Parkes as if they'd like to do a bit of murder on their own." "That may mean something or nothing. Nobody wants to be mixed up in a murder case. I’d like to see them. Persuade this Revelstone to wait while I finish in here. You can't detain him if he insis's on going so pul it as tactfully as you can that it will create a bad impression if ho clears off before I have spoken to him.” "Yes, sir,” Sergeant Flexman moved as if to go, but hesitated. "Is there anything else?” asked the inspector. "About the injured man, sir. The ambulance has . been and taken him. Mrs. Parkes says he has been in and out of this flat for the last week. She took him for Mr. Borden’s servant, quite new to the job. There was another one here up to ten days or a fortnight ago."

"Borden's servant, oh?" "Yes. sir. Revelstone and Miss Cari lake—that's his lady friend—confirmed ; it after Mr. Parkes gave away their acquaintance with Borden. But Detective Barker had a good look at him, helping to put him on the stretcher, and is pretty sure he is a man by the name of Milvers who was under suspicion as a blackmailer a couple of years ago. Barker shadowed him for a while, but never got anything against him.” “That’s interesting! You put a man on guard at the hospital?" "As you instructed, sir " Then w’ve always got him when we want him. Any more discoveries?" "That's all sir " ■'Then gel back to Revelsione and Co attd leave me tn finish here." Sergt. Flexman departed, and the inspector, turned to Dr. Chivers. "Got that bullet?" he asked "Not a chance here. It's somewhere at the back of the skull I suppose you want photographs and finger-prints j and al! the rest of it. I'll get back to; tlte ease I was on when you raked me out to come with you. Senci this to' the mortuary when you've done with it. and I II make a complete exarmna- ' lion and give you a report with the bullet "Thanks, You might tell Parsons i and Whilgift !o bring then gadget l -' in; Or Chiver- iiuirud ~ut. and a few a Coiids later t!i<- camera and lined - j t;en catnc ,n In Kenv. a;. ■ ■ to work and beran a qun ■; c. ed examination of the r . . . H,. ( „,u ' ftllinlure -e.-med tmd. mibed. ■hair which was shgh’.ly o. ; ; . f j.laee! --an iidaiary one which s: ! ; .;de-• ways to the writing 'able being m a' positii n into which : 'l'il'li' • ■ i, , > pushed by anyone rising ca-ually •' ! any purpose blctting-prid It was of good quahty ! with the addre-.s < f th.- flat e-nb • at i for •.'.a w w<<.'• ;■ to ‘he «-ar!v ■ .'la! th -W . 'i I • ; I -aw h. ■m >

fresh and scarcely soiled. The few marks visible suggested that an address, probably on an envelope, had been dried on it. What could be seen of the writing was in the same hand as the unfinished letter, but there were only fragments of words: — “rton Road, atham."

Try as he would he could make no more of it than that. He gave it up. leaving the used sheet where it was. A guard would be left in the flat and everything there would be available should he need it.

With the exception of a fountain-pen beside the blotter there was nothing else on the table. It did not look as if Mr. Borden had done much writing at home.

There were drawers on either side of

'he knee-hole but the inspector left them for the present. Whatever they contained would be examined and inventoried in due season, but for the moment he did not wish to give time to that.

The only other point which delayed him in the room was the splash of plaster on the carpet on the carpet beside the door. He went down on his knees to that, examining it for a long time through a magnifying glass, but had to admit to himself that it told very lithe. Obviously it had been trodden on and the size and shape of the impression made it pretty conclusive that the foot had been a woman's; but the mark was a narrow cross section of the middle of a sole which seemed have had no distinguishing mark. He guessed a light shoe in good condition and had to leave it at that.

The rumble of angry voices out on the landing reminded him of the people waiting for him there, and he went slowly towards them along the hall. He stopped at each of the two prints made by he plaster-marked shoe, but got even less from them than from the first. Passing on he came to the grey hat and stopped again. Looking along the hall, he measured with his eye the distance from the hatstand. It must bo all of three yards, and it struck him that the stand must have received a very violent jolt if the hat had been flung so far by the impact.

"It would have knocked the thing right over." he said tn himself. "But the servant chap—Milvers, or whatever his name is—got his crack from a corner of the base. That seems to have moved the stand but it couldn't have jerked it enough to throw a hat this , distance. The topper there fol) straight down, and I should have thought it more likely to go flying than this one." ’He took up the felt gingerly between finger and thumb and examined it inside and out. It was fairly new. of good quality but not the most expensive; a ticket on the leather band gave the size as seven and a quarter, and both band and lining bore the stamp of a well-known firm of hatters with branches all over London. There were no other marks. With the felt in his hand he went on and picked up the top hat. I The stamp in this showed that it) J came from an old-established and oxi pensive shop m Bond Street, the name ’ I "R. Borden" was printed in neat gold! I letters on the leather band and the size was six and five-eighths. i Evidently the felt did not belong to | the dead man, the difference in size made that practically certain It was' extremely unlikely that the servant was its owner. He would go in for something loss costly, besides, from what he had seen of him. the inspector was sure that the size ruled him out .‘Ven more emphatically than Borden.! And there was his cap still lying on the! floor. ".Anil this ha: didn't come off one of I those pegs—not unless it was picked up! and thrown to where it lay’" the in-! spector told himself "Did it wine off I somebody’s head and, if so. whose and ! when? Perhaps Mr. Milvcrs will Liable to tell us that when lie cones; round. Pity he can't do it m>w. And , m ease lie can t, here's a nice little job[ of work for some unlucky flatfoot.! visiting all the firm's branches looking j for information that will help up to fit; t head to this trilby' Well it’ll have; to be done!" He replaced both hats exactly where ! lie had found them and went out to the; waiting group on the landing. The first thing he noticed was that the lan-' !;y drunkard, now quite maudlin, wore; a scarf and an overcoat tightly button- ! rd. but that his head was bare and no I hat which might belong to him was in’ sight. CHAPTER VIH Barbara Calendar hat! never a. her! wa-. when. called m the teh-phim-- un : the ioiiig after her ham wing j.< . i-nce c. .''.’ .; 1 .".a;.; .ly a: the it bi-tie heard v. u,-.- ' R.o Hemerslev in eager gr.-.-t-What a: 'ha! lunch v. .th :t.. !oda> he asked ' .Xi «• you ciinimg "Do you stdl want m<- m"" -.he) mp.'.ed with a ‘lultei her voice For lur.rli. tea dinner. i>: < a ; . f.,-'. and .all '.he n 1,. ' W . r: ’ he mid her ’Shall ’ enter that or a- ■e”><-q :i my diary ■at • .fled .■ h : o■>< - •. o . See h<W. Wo ' i ‘ U* H | IKm. •; ‘Ki«Th*'V F'uup '.hv.!' ;t it;-, i) *,;• -m ; ‘ U--n Lum- up that h<- had hi:'m- ’ »t 1 U f 5 ’’l ( I I’l> * II *■ i-, > • ■ *” t , , * : . •I< . • ;T■ be r ~j- *r.tX’d *