Show ff I 1 THE i MAZAROFF MYSTERY by IS J S fletcher illustrations ty ly 4 irwin myers 2 4 4 I 1 4 i W U service 1 Q by alfred A knopf inc UA CHAPTER X 16 we know that M annl ant I 1 snatched at the lie nes newspaper paper eagerly enough there was tint in May manner which showed nie me ehni alini here was news of importance I 1 saw it at once there it was in big letters in the stop press space about half past four this afternoon mr air eulth baite grocer of narrow Fl arrow road having occasion to visit a yard at the back of tits liia premises in search for some crates stored amongst a quantity of similar odds and ends came across the leid lead body of a man which had evidently been dragged across the elie yard th through the rear entrance and partly concealed by loose timber ile he at once summoned the pollee police and on examination it was found that the man had been murdered by repeated blows on the head with some heavy instrument lie ile Is a man of presumably thirty years of age small of stature of slight build lt caring earing spectacles the lens on tile the right being shattered he Is respectably dressed and a new trilby lint hat was mas found lying beneath the body he had evidently been robbed after being struck down as there was nothing on him in the way of money or valuables nor cor were there any papers that could lend lead to identification everything in fact of tins this sort had been calef carefully ally removed and the only articles found in the clothing were a fountain pen and two recently pointed lead pencils new kew scotland yard was fit at once communicated munica ted with and detectives are making a careful investigation anyone recognizing the dead man from the foregoing description should at once communicate with the police authorities thorit ties les I 1 laid the paper down nod and stared inquiringly at Alay maythorne thorne he slapped his big hand heavily on the paragraph I 1 had bad just read holt olt he exclaimed the chap who followed those three women away aay from shorts hotel the other night I 1 A million to one on it I 1 you think so BO I 1 said incredulous ly but there fire are lots of men correspond to that description the man ill lay anything thin he declared and this things getting wore more of a mystery than ever look at it mrs elphinstone her daughter and her maid without a word to elphinstone suddenly clear out of shorts orts late at night they are seen been to be followed by a man who had previously inquired if the stones were nere staying at shorts they never return the women from that moment to this all this time having clasped geenty two hours nothing whatever has been hear beard of them and then this discovery Is made the man who was seen to follow them is found murdered lLred hend head battered to pieces and robbed now why if he Is the hanl I 1 exclaimed surprise me more than ive been surprised so BO far he retorted if he the man put but well soon settle that hint come along lie le got a taxi outside well go round by shorts get hold of it that under tinder hull hall porter ond lanil go up the harrow barrow road to see him I 1 asked what else tie answered cone come on ou dont know nhat depends on it nor dhere those women are in danger tor for ant anything bing we know I 1 willingly enough en ouli then somehow it had not struck me up to that time lime that shella might be in real danger I 1 had f fancied rather that site was vlas probably assisting tier her mother in filing ali ing front roni justice or at any rule ritte from distasteful inquiries we rode round to shorts and after some slight delay carried off hie elie un der hall porter once in tile the cob cab again maethorne Mai lhorne allowed win him the newspaper description of the murdered man does that answer to tile man you saw following mrs three nights ago lie he asked the under hall porter a sharp eyed fellow nodded 1 I should say it did sir air myself he answered yes its a good de of him film hiking it altogether it mention that hed a slight brown mustache though if this lend dead man has we shall soon see that said slay may thorne grimly A few minutes mr grocers groc erg establish ment was away up at tile the poorer end of the harrow road a very modest establishment too catering for a filim me ble class of customers but when we got cot out of our cab and walked towards it we found that tor for once nt at any rate it was a center of vast interest Inter pst it if ool not of trade the pavement outside was thronged thron ged with people arid and a posse of policemen was engaged in getting them to move away or move along not over successfully two policemen stood at the shop door evidently with broers to admit none but boost lide fide customers A word floru maythorne thorne procured us instant admission however howe er and we entered to farid manners and corker date dale standing to in conversation with the grocer an excited and volu ble person who as ag obviously retell ing tits lila story for the eth time cor berdale nodded significantly as may thorne advanced on them have you seen the man maul asked maythorne we yet replied 10 corker date lies hes at the mortuary of course well go round there well lie he con united tinned turning to the grocer well look in again when weve been to the HIP mortuary mortin iry and perhaps show glibow us tile the premises where sou found aund him A ani thing you please mr air corker date replied rei lied the grocer rubbing rub liing hi ills his S hands always glad to assist the police sir these gentlemen I 1 sup pose tire are in your line too ill hit that way answered corker borker dile with a at maythorne well he went on motioning us its to follow well just step round its not far ile he led us along the dismal rond road to a still mure more dismal if ff more eplek und spun building the gloom and somber ness of chich was accentuated by its air or and formality we trooped one sifter after the other under the lie guidance of a polke polite constable into st a whitewashed chamber there on a center table or slab as laid out evident under a white coi cohering ering what we had find come to see the police constable began to turn hack back the sheet maythorne lorne motioned ed the un der hil hall I 1 porter to go nearer look wel wall I 1 I 1 see gee if ou on can identity him maythorne but the identification did not come from the under hall porter we had all crowded close to tile still figure we ill all looked steadily at the lend dead mans face and in that instant manners and 1 after a single glance at it turned sharply on each other a took look of mutual understanding flushed flashed between us its and we let out the same simultaneous exclamation we know that man I 1 I 1 the others turned on us then questioningly you too know him both of youl exclaimed maythorne then who Is he newspaper reporter from up dp our way any answered manners name of bownas I 1 dont suppose you ever saw hint him when hen you went up there his bork ork was more to the other side of ClI chichester chester but mr air holt bell here knew him bownas bowling enough I 1 he be came to see me at the wood cock with manners after Mazar offs disappearance I 1 said 1 I saw him film just once afterwards in ClI chichester chester but that hint Is Bown bowans its without doubt I 1 and murdered here in Lon london donl 1 muttered manners good lord it meant theres more in this A moment I 1 interrupted maythorne he turned on tile under hall porter dont make any mi mistake 1 he said s ild Is that the man who he came to shorts hotel and whom you afterward saw following mrs elphinstone and tier her daughter and the maid look well at him bowl now be surel burel but the hall porter shook his head as much as to imply that all the looking in in the world make him surer oh the man he exclaimed 1 I knew him at once theres no doubt 7 a I 1 saw it at abonce once there it was in big letters letter in the stop press pres space nebout it I 1 recognized him as soon its as I 1 set eyes on him of course lies hes lost ills his color but we went out of the mortuary and into an where there were more officials they el dently knew cor berdale ke and after a few minutes whispered conversation with hint him they produced some clothing Corke immediately placed his finger oo on a label with in the trilby hat that mentioned in therie the news ws paper account he be said see sec aitor tier iler clothing company carlisle new too let me lune little a look at his other filings lings ti I 1 stood by watching curl asly while Corke and manners nod and maythorne went through the lie dead nouns garments they found bill one filing of any note a tal tailors lors lehel dewit within althin the ills inside breast bocko bif it the coat showing that the suit had been CU made in newcastle it t had it 11 date bod and a number on it and corker late remarked that there was a clew to identification if necessary its not necessary remarked min man tiers 1 I know the elie man well enough reporter of the tweed border gazette at GlI chester and id like to know what he was wag doing here V I 1 what was wai he h doing at shorts Sli orts hotel suggested maythorne ant hats more like it manners Manner sl 1 but obvious lie he was after mrs elphinstone tie lie followed her too when site she went out where now then did slie she and her two companions com pinions come to this quarter of ithe die town if they did why and here tire they lots lets go tack dach to the grocers said sald Corker chile we ve went vent out again into the gloomy rond road the under hilll hall porter having lone done what was required of him was linx lincious ious to go back to the hotel uny may thorne sent gent film off in a taxicab the rest of us returned to KlIth waltes shop maythorne and I 1 walked side bide by side at first in silence what do you make ot of this may thorae th orue I 1 asked at last god crid kno knowal tie he answered it seems evident that the poor fellow ee just seen followed the elphon stones mrs elphinstone of coursel course to london tracked them to the hotel went after mrs when she bent ent out that night but as to the rest do you think he followed them here I 1 suggested if so what could they want in this neighborhood shabby and sordid enough for anything hereabouts it he answered with mith a shrug ot of tits his shoulders again I 1 say who knows who knows lets have a took look at the place where be M was aas found huN huweler Neer ve ne nay may get some idea of something the grocer took us through his shop into tits his back yard it was a dismal plate place all the more dismal because that was an unusually fine spring evening it seemed to be a sort of dumping ground for boxes barrels chests old tins crates all the refuse of a chandlery shop and it was of some extent running from the back of the premises to a high wall in which there was a crazy door heres where I 1 found must himl whispered in a half awestruck u whisper lif sper 1 I wanted some planking out of this pile of old wood I 1 pulled some aside and there was a mans aral arm and then well then I 1 found tile the rest I 1 saw signs of a struggle but he added some of your people that eliat have been here already mr cor berdale ke they say any that there are clear indications that hed been dragged in here across the yard from the door I 1 there here outside that door and the wall asked Corke Corker daie we all went to look there was a narrow stone paved lane there running from a side street between the bucks backs of 0 the harrow road houses and those of some street or terrace set further back it was fenced in by high walls for all its length there were only two feeble gas lamps to light it it was dark silent one of your men says there are bloodstains on the stones just there I 1 whispered the grocer of course you now I 1 never leard beard anything and ivo ive not heard beard either of anybody v tho ho did dd so far we went back to the shop and stood discussing tile the matter and its probabilities bili ties for or some little time then alien the grocers telephone bell rang ile he went to answer it and looked round at us its if one of you mr air stay thorne lie he said iles hes wanted Muy maythorne thorne crossed over and took up tl it ic te celver A moment later inter he be too turned on us from the under mil hall porter tie lie exclaimed mrs elphinstone anti and miss Merch sou son are hack back CHAPTER XI accused I 1 had been pretty much of a p passive Is spectator and observer abs arver up to that point but as soun soon as maythorne made liis his startling announcement I 1 leaped into action I 1 was half way any to the shop door before tits ills last word had left tits his 1 lips aills lie ile himself wa less rapid of movement and tits liis hand hiis its on uy my artin ami as I 1 trussed crossed it the ie threshold where are you going V he ex 6 1 sued where shorts ol of courser course I 1 answered arent you to be sure burel he but a moment moin in ent these other two had better conie come as well and a word with this grocer chap I 1 waited impatiently outside the elie shop until the three men melt joined me we ve had some little difficulty diHl culty in finding fin ilina at a taxicab they were ere not plentiful in that dreary quarter when at lust last we had packed bursel ourselves ves into one onea fed all the time its driver was running down to a more pali palatable dable neighbor hood my three companions had bud relapsed into silence each seemed to be following some train of thought of his own nobody spoke indeed we were close tc shorts hotel then manners suddenly gave olee to what tie he PI dently was thinking that thai poor fellow bownas must have comi come til up to london I by the same train that the Elphin stones canie came in he said in the tone of a man atho ho thinks that he line has made a startling discovery remarked Maythorn May thorns 3 in his big direct manner evidently Evident lyl 1 since he presented himself at belr t hotel very soon goon after they got abere vital I 1 meant was this it if he did as lie must most have lone ilone he vas trucking them or some tie lie of them that too seems seeing evident rejoined maythorne Mayth orue 1 I should say lie he wasl especially as he be fol followed owed the three women when they neut 11 why asked manners why I 1 what flat licks me there was a brief hi letice on that ilien Corke spoke newspaper man you say he was he remarked reporter those chaps have a trick of poking their noses into places and things khero no DO right to be poachers as a it were ive had more than one game of mine spoiled by that bortl get it into their heads that its ita a floe fine thing to do a bit of detective work for their papers gets em credit with the editors I 1 should say gay tills this chaps been going on a title ikie of tits ills own sinco since that hint murder and you see what its brought him to tot I 1 murdered himself I 1 ali ah said maythorne with a touch of sarcasm that was lost on our cons coin 1 I wonder If youre right Corke cut but what a pity fifty we got get on his line too tool I 1 for it if lie he was murdered to silence hint him you inny bet your life lie was on the right linel line I 1 but here we are the under hall porter hurried down ohp steps at shorts and opened the door of our cab glancing knowingly at maythorne cattle camp in just as I 1 got back sir air he announced in an undertone both 1 mill is if 1 I pulled some aside and there ther was wa a mans man aral of lem eni I 1 in a taxi so I 1 telephoned up there 0 o you at once goedl answered Alay thorne but only sirs mrs elphinstone and miss mer ahlson not the maid no sir air only the lady and her daughter I 1 think mrs Elphin stones ill sir theres a doctor gone up maythorne thorne turned to the two policemen but before he could say anything a woman in the uniform of a professional nurse came hurrying round the corner and sped up the steps into the hotel the doctors evidently telephoned for a nurse observed Alay |