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PAGE SIXTEEN THE OSHAWA DAILY TIMES, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1927 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (By Agatha Christie) CHAPTER IV. CONTINUED "Look here, Sheppard, suppose we leave it like this. If no w comes from her, we'll let the dead things lie." _ "What do you mean by word com- ing from her?" I asked curiously. "I have the strongest impression that somewhere or somehow she must have left a message for me--before she went. I can't argue about it, but there it is." J shock my head. 'She left no letter or wor kind?" 1 asked. 9 Sf any "Sheppard, I'm convinced that she . And more, I've a feeling that by deliberately choosing death, she want- ed the whole thing to come out, if only to be revenged on the man who drove her.to desperation. I believe that if 1 could have seen her then, she would have told me his name and bid me go for him for all I was worth." He looked at me. "You don't believe in impressions >" Oh, yes, I do, in a sense. If, as you put it, word should come from | her-- I broke off. The door opened noise- lessly and Parker entered with a sal- ver on which were some letters, "The evening post, sir," he handing the salver to Ackroyd, Then he collected the coffee cups and withdrew. My attention, diverted for a ment, came back to Ackroyd. He was staring like a man turned to stone at a long, blue envelope. The other let ters he had let drop to the ground. "Her writing," he said in a whis- per. "She must have gone out and posted it last night, just before--be- fore--" said, Ackroyd stared at me in some sur- prise. "I beg your pardon," I said, red- dening. "I do not mean read it a- loud to me. But read it through whilst I am still here." Ackroyd shook his head. "No, I'd rather wait." But for some reason, obscure to myself, I continued to urge him. "At least, read the name of man," I said. Now Ackroyd is essentially pig- headed. The more you urge him to do a thing, the more determined he is net to do it. All my arguments were in vain, The letter had been brought in at twenty minutes to nine, ' It was just | on ten minutes to nine when I' left him, the letter still unread. I hesitated 'with my hand on the door handle, looking back and wondering if there was anything 1 had left undone. could think of nothing. With a shake of the head I passed out and closed the door behind 'me. 1 was startled by seeing the figure of Parker close at hand. He looked embarrassed, and it occurred to me | that he might have been listening at | the door. What a fat, smug, oily face the man i had, and surely there was something decidedly shifty in his eye. "Mr. Ackroyd particularly does not the mo- | wont to be disturbed," 1 said coldly. "He told me to tell you so." i "Quite so, sir. I--I fancied 1 heard i the bell ring." This was such a palpable untruth that 1 did not trouble to reply, Pre- ceding me to the hall, Parker helped i me on with my overcoat, and I stepped out into the night. The moon was He ripped open the envelope and | vercast and everything seemed very drew out a thick enclosure. Then he looked up sharply. he said. "Quite "Why?" "All this evening I've had a queer sure," I + said, surprised. feeling of being watched, spied upon. ' mister?" What's that--?" He turned sharply. So did I. We both had the impression of hearing the latch of the door give ever so his coat collar turned up. slightly, ened it. Thera was no one there. "Nerves," murmured Ackroyd to himseli. He unfolded the thick sheets of pa- per, and read aloud in a low voice. "My dear, my very dear Roger-- A life calls for a life. I see that--I saw it in your face this afternoon, So I am taking the only road open to me. [I leave to you the punish- ment of the person who has made my life a hell upon earth for the last year. I would not tell you the name this afternoon, but I propose to write it to you now. [I 'have no children or near relations to be spared, so do not fear publicity. Ii you can, Roger, my very dear Roger, forgive me the wrong 1 meant to do you, since when the time came, I could not do it af- ter all. ,. Ackroyd, his finger on the sheet to turn it over, paused, "Sheppard, forgive me, but I must read this alone," he said unsteadily. "It was meant for my eyes, and my yes only." He put' the letter in the envelope and laid it on the table. "Later, when I am alone," ; " 1 cried impulsively, "read it CHIROPRACTIC D, E. Steckley, Chiropractor and Drugless Therapist, will be mn the office, 146 Sim- coe street, north every afternoon Mon day, Wednesday and Friday evenings, enoons b) app bot 4 town snd surrounding dis- calls made trict, Consultation ws free at office. Phone 224, Felt Bros. 1 he LEADING JEWELERS Bstablished 1386 12 Simcoe St. South dark and still. "You're i he wind a The village church clock chimed nine ou're sure you shut the window?" | jiejock as I passed through the lodge | 1 went across to it and op- | little or nothing of his | 1 gates. | turned to the left towards the village, and almost cannoned into a man coming in the opposite direction. "This the way to Fernly Park, asked the stranger m a hoarse voice. : 1 looked at him. He was wearing hat pulled down over his eyes, and I could se ace, but he The voice was a { seemed a young fellow. rough and uneducated. . "These are the lodge gates here,' I said. "Thank you, mister." He paused, and then added, quite unnecessary, "I'm a stranger in these parts, ycu : ! see." He went on, passing through the gates as | turned to look after him. The odd thing 'was that his voice reminded me of some one's voice that I knew, but whose it was I could not think. Ten minutes later I was at home once more. Caroline was full of curi- osity to know why I had returned so early. I had to make up a slightly fictitious account of the evening in order to satisfy her, and I had an un- easy feeling that she saw through the transparent device, At ten o'clock I rose, yawned, and surgested hed. Caroline acquiesced. It was Friday night, and on Friday night I wind the clocks. I did it as usual, whilst Caroline satisfied herself that the servants had locked up the kitchen properly. It was a quarter past ten as we went up the stairs, I had just reached the top when the telephone rang in the { hall below. "Mrs. Bates," said Caroline immedi- ately. "I'm afraid so," I said ruefulld 1 ran down the stairs and took up the receiver, "What?" I said. "What? I'll come at once." I ran upstairs, caught my bag, and stuffed a few extra dressings into it. "Parker telephoning," I shouted to Caroline, "from Fernly. They've just fousd Roger Ackroyd murdered." CHAPTER V. Murder I got cut the car in next to no time, and drove rapidly to Fernly. Jump- ing out, I pulled the bell impatiently. There was some' delay in answering and I rang again. Then I heard the rattle of the chain and Parker, his impassivity of coun- tenance quite unmoved, stood in the open doorway. I pushed past him into the hall, Certainly, "Where is he?" I demanded sharply. "I beg your pardon, sir?" ¥ "Your master. Mr. Ackroyd. Don't stand there staring at me, man. Have you notified the police?" . "The police, sir? Did you say the police?" Parker stared at me as though 1 were a ghost. "What's the matter with you, Park- er? If, as you say, your master has been murdered--" A gasp broke from Parker. "The master? Murdered? sible, sir!" It was my turn to stare. "Didn't you tclephone to me, not five minutes ago, and tell me that Mr. Ackroyd had been found murdered?" "Me, sir? Oh! no indeed, sir. I wouldn't dream of doing such a thing." - "Do you mean to say it's all a hoax? That there's nothing' the matter with Mr. Ackroyd?" "Excuse me, sir, did the person tele- phoning use my name?" "I'll give you the exact words I heard. 'Is that Dr. Sheppard? Parker, the butler at Fernly, speaking. Will you please come at once, sir. Mr, Ackroyd has been murdered." Parker and 1 stared at each other blankly. "A very wicked joke to play, sir," he said at last, in a shocked tone. "Fancy saying a thing hke that" "Where is Mr. Ackroyd?" 1 asked suddenly. "Still in the study, I fancy, sir. The ladies have gone to bed, and Major Blunt and Mr. Raymond are in the butiard room." "I think I'll just look in and see him | for a munute,' 1 said. "I know he didn't want to be disturbed again, but this oda practical joke has made me uneasy. l'd just hke to satisty my- seit tnat he's all right." Impos- "Quite so, sir. It makes me feel quite uneasy myself. If you dont uhject to my accompanyimg you as lar | as we door, yg | "Not at all," 1 said. "Come along." | 1 passed through the door on the right, Parker on my heels, traversed the hte lobby where a small flight sir--1{ ot stairs led upstairs to Ackroyd's bedroom, and tapped on the study door, inere was no answer, [ turned the handie, but the door was locked. "Allow me, sir," said Parker. Vey mimoiy, tor a man ot his build, he dropped on one knee and applica ms eye to the keyhole, "Key is in the lock all right, sir" he sau, rismg. "On the mse. Mi, Ackioyd must have locked himself mn! and possibiy just dropped oft to sleep." | 1 bent down and vinhed Parkers! 1] 1 | statement, "1t seems all right," I said, "but, all} the same, Parker, Im gomg to wake your master up. | snouidn ¢ be satis- hed to go home without hearing hom ms own lips tnat hes quite all right." So saying, | rattled the handle and called out, "Ackroyd, Ackroyd, just al minute." { But still there was no I glanced over my shoulder, "1 dunt want to alarm the house- | hold," 1 :aid hesitatingly. | Parker went across and shut the | door trom whe big hail through which | we had come. "I think that will be all right now, | sir. answer, Lhe bilhard room 1s at the oirer| side of the house, and so are the kit- cnen quartess and the ladies' bed- rooms." 1 nodded conmiprehendingly. Then 1 banged once more tranticaily on the door, and stoopmg down, ta.rly bawl- ed through the keyhole :--- "Ackroyd, Ackroya! It's Sheppard. jet me m." : And sull--silence. Not a sign of liie trom within the locked room. Parker and 1 glanced at each other. "Look here, rarker," 1 sad, "I'm going to break this door in--or rather, we are. Ull take the responsibility." "It you say so, su," saa Parker, rather doubtfully. "lL do say so. I'm seriously alaimed about Mr. Ackroyd." 1 looked around the sman lobby and picked up a heavy oak chair. Parker | and | heid it between us and advanced to the assault, Once, twice, and three times we hurled it against the lock. At the third blow it gave, and | we staggered into the room. Ackroyd was sitting as I had left lim "m the arm-chair before the fire. His head had fallen sideways, and clearly visible, just below the collar of his coat, was a shimng piece of twisted metalwork. Parker and 1 advanced till we stood over the recumbent figure. | heard the butler draw in lis breath Solvay Coke We are Sole Agents Jeddo Premium Coal The Best Produced in America General Motors Wood -- All Fuel Orders weighed on City Scales if desired. DIXON'S Telephone~-- == \aaa | | BT . i .--_ - r= to make d bread "Vilde QOO PACKAGE EW GILLETT. CO.LTI YRON " with a sharp hiss. "Stabbed from mured. "-'Orrible!" He wiped his moist brow with his handkercivef, then stretched out a gmgerly hand towards the lilt of the be'ind," he mur- dagger, "You mustn't touch that," 1 sharply. "Go at once to the tele- phone and ring up the police station, Inform them of what has happened. then tet Mr, Raymond and Blunt," "Very good, sir," Parker hurried away, still wiping his purspirmg brow, I did what hittle had to be done. 1 was ca.etul not to disturb the posi- ton. o1 tne body, and not to handle tke dagger at all. No object was to be attained by moving it. Ackrovd had clearly been dead some li Bi : y e little time. | 502 Tittle more clearly. Then | heard young Raymond's voice, hurror-stricken and incredulous, outside, "What do you say? Oh! impos- sible! Wheres the doctor?" He appeared impetuously in the doorway, then stopped dead, his face very white. A hand put him aside, "of him without much difficulty. | | | | that 1 haven't." "Very odd, that. Did it sound like Parker's voice, doctor?" 2 "Well-I can't say I noticed. 1 Well, you got up here, took it for granted, you see." "Naturally. broke in the door, and found Mr. Ackroyd like this. pa should you say he had been de: doctor?" "Half an hour at least--perhaps lcnger," 1 said. "The door was locked on the inside, you say? What about the window?" _ "I myself closed and bolted it earlier in the evening at Mr. Ackroyd's re- quest." The inspector strode across to it and threw back the curtains. "Well it's open now anyway," he remarked, Sia true enough, the window was open, the lower sash being raised to its full- est extent. The inspector produced a pocket Jorch and flashed it along the sill out- side. k "This is the way he went all right," he remarked, "and got in. See here." In the light of the powerful torch, several clearly defined footmarks could be seeir. They seemed to be those of shoes with rubber studs in the soles. (Ome particularly clear one pointed in- wards, another slightly overlapping it, pointed outwards. "Plain as a pikestaff," said the in- spector. "Any valuables missing?" Geoffrey Raymond shook his head. "Not so that we can discover. Mr. Ackroyd never kept anything of par: ticular value in this room." "H'm," said the inspector. = "Man found an open window. Climbed in, saw Mr. Ackroyd sitting there--may- be he'd fallen asleep. Man stabbed him from behind, then lost his nerve and made off. But he's left his tracks pretty clearly. We ought to get hod o suspicious strangers been hanging about anywhere?" "Oh!" I said suddenly. "What is it, doctor?" "lI met a man this evening--just.as I was turning out of the gate. He asked me the way to Fernly Park." | "What time would that be?" "Just nine o'clock. I heard it { chime the hour as I was turning out said | of the gate." | "Can you describe him?" Major | | - "No, sir. I did so to the best of my ability. The inspector turned to the butler. "Any one answering that description come to the front door?" No one has been to the | house at all this evening." | "What about the back?" | "I don't think so, sir, but I'll make inquiries." He moved towards the door, but the inspector held up a large hand, "No, thanks. I'll do my own inquir- ing. But first of all I want to fix the When was | Mr, Ackroyd last seen alive?" | | | | and Hector Blunt came past him into | the room. "My God!" said Raymond from be- Bing him; "its true, then." Blunt came straight on till he reach- cd the chair. He bent over the body, and 1 thought that, like Parker, he was going to lay hold of the dagger Inlt. 1 drew him back with one hand. "Nothing must be moved," 1 ex- plammed. "The police must see him ex- actly as he is now." Bunt nodaca mm instant compre- hension. His face was expressionless as ever, but 1 thought | detecred signs of emotion beneath the stolid mask. ueottiey Kaymond had joined us now, and stood peering over Blunt's should- I er at the body, "This is tecrible," he said in a low voice. He had regained his composure, but as he took ott the pince-nez he habi- tually wore and polished them 1 ob- served that his hand was shaking, "Robbery, I suppose," he said, "How did the fellow get in? Through the window? Has anything been taken?" He went towards the desk. "You think it's burglary? slowly. "What else could it be? There's no question of suicide, I suppose?" "No mam could stab himself in such " I said a way," | said confidently. It's murder right enough. But with what motive?" "Roger hadn't an enemy in the world," said Blunt quietly. "Must have been burglars. Jut what was the thief after? disarranged ?" He looked round the room. Ray- mond was still sorting the papers on the desk. "There scems nothing missing, and none of the drawers show signs ot having been tampered with," the sec- retary observed at last. "It's very mysterious." Blunt made a slight motion with his head. "There are some letters on the floor here," he said. I lNoked down, Three or four let- ters still lay where Ackroyd had dropped them carlier in the evening. Jut the blue envelope containing Mrs. Ferrar's letter had disappeared. { half opened my mouth to speak, but at that moment the sound of a bell pealed through the house. There was a confused murmur of voices in the hall, and then Parker appeared with our local inspector and a police con- stable. "Good-evening gentlemen," said the inspector. "I'm terribly sorry for this! A good kind gentleman like Mr. Ack- royd. The butler says it is murder. Nothing seems to be No possibility of accident or suicide, | doctor?" "None whatever," I said. "Ah! A bad business." He came and stood over the body. "Been moved at all?" he asked sharply. "Beyond making certain that life was extinct--an easy matter--I have not disturbed the body in any way." "Ah! And everything points to the murderer having got clear away--for the moment, that is. Now then, let me hear all about it. Who found the I explained the circumstanc®s care- fully. "A telephone message, From the butler?" "A message that I never sent," de- clared Parker earnestly. "I've not been near the telephone the whole evening. The others can bear me out you say? "Probably by me," I said, "when I left at--let me see--about ten minutes to nine. He told me that he didn't | wish to be disturbed, and I repeated the order to Parker." "Just so, sir," said Parker respect- fully. "Mr. Ackroyd was certainly alive at | half-past nine," put in Raymond, "for I heard his voice in here talking." STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT for rent either in Low rental. CHARLES About 12,000 ft. of good dry storage space, conveniently locat- ed, with Canadian National siding, ¢/0 Mundy Printing Company, Limited Telephone 35 or 312 whole or in part. M. MUNDY the time I took it for granted that it was Dr. Sheppard who was with him. I wanted to ask him a question about some papers | was engaged upon, but when I heard the voices I remembered that he had said he wanted to talk to Dr. Sheppard without being disturbed and I went away again. But now it seems that the doctor had already left?" I nodded. "I was at home by a quarter-past nine," I said. "I didn't go out again until I received the telephone call." "Who could have been with him at half-past nine?" queried the inspector, "It wasn't you, Mr--er--" "Major Blunt," I said. "Major Hector Blunt?" asked the in- spector, a respectful tone creeping into his voice. Blunt merely jerked his head affirm- atively, "I think we've seen you down here before, sir," said the inspector. "I didn't recognize you for the moment, but you are staying with Mr. Ack- royvd a vear ago last May." "June," corrected Blunt, "Just so, June it was. Now, as I was saying, it wasn't you with Mr. Ackroyd at nine-thirty this evening?" Blunt shook his head. "Never saw him after dinner." he voluntezred. The inspector turned once more to Raymond. "You didn't overhear any of the conversation going on, did you, sir?" "I did catch just a fragment of it," said the secretary, "and, supposing as 1 did that it was Dr. Sheppard who as I can remember, the exact words were these. Mr, Ackroyd was speak- ing. 'The calls on my purse have been sO frequent of late'--that is what he was saying--'of late, that I fear it is impossible for me to accede to your request .. .." I went away again at cnce, of course, so did not hear any more. But I rather wondered because Dr. Sheppard--" "--Does not ask tor joans for him- self or subscriptions for others," I finished. 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