some horror-filled moments passed before i grasped the full significance to me of the unfortunate woman's death. i turned dizzy and bewildered like a drunken man, and could do nothing but just stare at the body, literally stupefied by the suddenness of it.
it wasn't the fact of death that startled me; i had seen too many dead bodies at the front to be much concerned.
but i made a big effort to pull myself together. i examined her to be certain that she was really dead, for the body was still warm. there was no doubt about it. the poor thing had been choked, and the marks of the murderer's fingers showed on her throat.
there had been a struggle in the room, and some of the wretched furniture had been overturned. my wits were beginning to clear by that time; and i was glancing about the room wondering who had been brute enough to commit the murder and what i had better do, when i made a discovery that told me everything and turned the blood in my veins icy cold.
in examining the body i had disarranged the bedclothes slightly, and by the side of the neck, just where it would have fallen from the murderer's finger, lay a ring.
von erstein's! the puzzle ring he had once shown and explained to me! it was impossible to mistake it; and there was probably not another ring like it in berlin.
i didn't lose my head that time; the instinct of self-preservation was too strong to allow of any other feeling. my one absorbing thought was to get away before any one could come.
i darted back into the sitting-room and snatched at my hat which i had left on the table. in my flurry i fumbled. it fell to the floor and rolled under the table; and when i grabbed for it again, the quaint little card case which rosa had given me lay open just beside it.
too obsessed by the desire to get out of the place, i had no other feeling than a faint satisfaction at finding it again; not realizing for an instant the full significance of the incident i pocketed the thing, picked up my hat and left the flat. i took care to shut the door; this would serve to postpone the discovery of the murder; went down the staircase without undue hurry, made sure there was no one to see me leave, walked leisurely away until i turned the first corner and then made off at a rapid pace.
a sensation of profound relief that i was safe for a time at any rate was followed by some minutes of acute reaction in which i was incapable of consecutive thought. a mental blank from which i awoke pretty much as a man might wake from sleep-walking. i gazed about me unknowingly, and seeing the gate of a small public garden close at hand, i went in and sat down.
i soon began to get my wits in working order and bit by bit pieced things together. curiously enough, almost the first thought was about the comparative trifle of the card case. i remember that i took it out and looked at it, wondering stupidly when i could have dropped it in anna's room. then i recalled that i had missed it in the morning when with von gratzen. it couldn't have been in my pocket therefore when i went to anna; and in a few seconds i understood.
the last time i had touched it was on the previous night when i had taken rudolff's statement out of it to show von erstein and he had tried to snatch the paper away and had only got the little case. i remembered that he had thrown it down close to him and had fiddled with it nervously afterwards.
it was clear that he had taken it away with him and had intentionally left it in anna's room to shift his villainous deed on to me. it was worthy of him; and it would have succeeded but for that wonderful slice of luck—ineffably blessed luck, indeed—by which i had found the card case.
that helped me to piece the rest together. panic-stricken by what i had told her about von gratzen, anna had no doubt threatened to expose everything; erstein's whole scheme would be ruined the moment she opened her lips: and this had roused the brute in him until he had been driven to strangle her. the ring had slipped from his finger without his noticing the loss of it in his rage. then he must have tossed my card case down under the table to connect me with the crime.
he had obviously left the door ajar for the same reason; had probably rushed to the first public telephone box and called me up in a voice which was enough like a woman's to mislead me; and intended to send some one to catch me red-hot on the scene of the crime.
two points were not clear. why no one had caught me? there had been ample time, supposing that he was hiding in wait for my arrival. and why had the murder been committed in anna's room, seeing that she had gone from me to find him?
one of two suggestions seemed to answer the last question. either she had not found him at first and had left a sufficiently urgent message to make him hurry to her, or that after a first interview he had induced her to go home and had followed at once. the plan to kill her must have been in his mind then, and obviously he couldn't do it in his own rooms.
the first question—why i had not been caught—wasn't so readily solved; but the ring might well account for it, if he had only discovered the loss of it in the interval of waiting for me. with that damning bit of evidence against himself, the bottom had dropped out of his scheme against me, and he would not dare to try and have me caught in the act.
and now i had fortunately shut the door against him. he couldn't go back for the ring even if he had the pluck, which i doubted.
this was another stroke of luck, indeed; and it was needed in all truth, for the mess was bad and black enough to need a heap of it, if i was to escape being charged with the murder. such a charge would ruin me lock, stock and barrel. even if i could clear myself—and that was almost impossible—all the truth about myself would be ferretted out, and it was thousands to one that i should be shot for a spy.
only one expedient occurred to me at first—to bolt. but that looked hopeless in the new circumstances. it would be tantamount to a confession of guilt; von erstein would tell some plausible lie about the ring belonging to anna; and it would be believed easily enough if suspicion were lifted from him by my flight; the hue and cry would be raised all over the country; old graun would tell his story—that i had a workman's papers in the name of liebe; and my arrest would be a matter of hours possibly, certainly one of days at the outside.
that idea had to be set aside, therefore. before there could be any thought of flight suspicion must be fastened on von erstein. but how? not by sitting on a public seat and nibbling my nails; so i got up and started back to the centre of things.
i had completely recovered from the disturbing panicky condition which had so confused me in the first rush of things. i don't think i was even afraid. my chief feeling was that i was in the very devil's own mess and that i should go under, unless my own wits could save me. if feldmann had been in berlin i should have gone to him; but he wasn't, and it was no use wishing he had been.
there was only one other man in the whole city—von gratzen; and the moment that became clear and plain, i hailed a taxi and was driven straight to his office.
he was still there, but refused to see me, sending von welten to ask my business. i said that it was on personal business i wished to see his chief.
this didn't work, however. von welten returned, saying the baron was exceedingly busy and would i state my business in writing. this looked ugly; but after thinking a second, i wrote on my card: "please see me for the sake of the untergasse affair;" placed it in an envelope and sent it in. if anything would induce von gratzen to have me in, that would.
i was right. von welten came back smiling. "the chief will see you in a minute or two, herr lassen. i'm glad." he was an exceedingly pleasant fellow and stayed chatting with me until von gratzen's bell rang and i was shown in.
"you're giving me a lot of trouble, young man, as you can see," he said, pointing to a portfolio in which there appeared to be a lot of papers on the top of which were the coveted tickets for nessa and me. "and now what about this untergasse affair? found anything out that's valuable? i can't give you many minutes."
"i'm in a devil of a mess, sir, but it has nothing to do with that. i wrote that because i was compelled to see you."
"i agree with you. you've been in one ever since you reached the city, it seems to me, indeed. nothing fresh, i trust?"
"there is, and the worst of all, sir. i'm in danger of being charged with murder."
"with what?" he cried in amazement. "phew! well, tell me."
"when i saw you this morning i gathered that the reason those tickets for miss caldicott and myself could not be used was because of the trouble about the woman, anna hilden."
"true, but you yourself said you wished it cleared up first."
"so on leaving here i went to see her again."
"good god, you don't mean to say you lost your head and laid hands on her in this awful way?" the thought of it appeared to affect him deeply.
"oh dear no, sir. i hope i'm not capable of such a thing. from what she said, i became certain the whole thing was a fraud and——"
"so it is," he interposed, nodding. "you are right. we know all about the woman already. go on."
"i tried persuasion first; but that was no use, so i let her know that the matter was in your hands."
"i hope that frightened her."
"it did, sir. she was almost out of her wits and promised to tell me everything this afternoon. i was to call at five o'clock."
"where did you go next?" he shot in abruptly.
"to the von reblings."
"to tell miss caldicott about these, i suppose?" holding up the tickets.
"yes. i knew she would be very anxious."
he put the pinned set of tickets, etc., into the portfolio, under a couple of papers, and leant back, with his fingers interlocked, and stared at me with frowning intentness. "you're not a fool, my boy, and you must see that your zeal on that young lady's account is likely to rouse a lot of suspicion. what do the von reblings say about it?"
"they are extremely anxious that she should be allowed to go home."
"umph!" a grunt and a nod, both of which were repeated. "and where did you go next after leaving them?"
i started and hesitated.
"are you going to tell me the whole truth? we get to know many strange things here, you know."
"i went to see a man named graun——"
"i know you did. you were followed and he was questioned. i won't ask you why you got what you did from him; but don't attempt to use it. now go on about this other affair. just everything; everything, and quite frankly."
"i will, sir. let me get my thoughts in order again. you've taken me considerably by surprise." i paused a few seconds and then told him exactly what had occurred, from the moment of my receiving the telephone call, down to my discovery of von erstein's ring under anna's body.
he jumped up excitedly at that. "why didn't you tell me that first?" he cried. "there isn't a moment to lose. i must see about it instantly;" and he hurried out of the room.
for the second time the tickets were within reach and i was alone in the room. he had apparently forgotten them in his excitement, and that i had only to stretch out my hand and secure them. or had he gone out deliberately intending to give me the chance? he knew how eager i was to get away; the old jew's tale must have shown that.
i didn't hesitate this time. i whipped them out of the portfolio and pocketed them. had i better bolt, or stay to face him? a mighty difficult question. if i ran away, he might suspect; if i stayed, there was a chance that he might not miss them. if they were missed, they wouldn't be worth a pfennig. we should certainly be stopped at the station; there would be a scene and nessa would be hopelessly compromised. that was unthinkable.
there was nothing for it, therefore, but to stay and face it out. it wasn't easy to do; and nothing in the world except the thought of the consequences to nessa, could have glued me to my chair for the minutes i had still to wait for von gratzen. it was a positive relief when the strain ended and he came back.
he was looking very grave and stern, and there were still traces of the excitement he had shown when he had left me.
how i watched him! the next moment would decide everything for me. he was thinking closely, paused with his hand to his forehead when halfway to the desk, nodded in response to a thought, and went on to his chair. i had to hold my breath, as he sat down and laid his hand on the portfolio. i was ready to throw up the sponge as he slightly lifted the top paper and toyed with it.
the thought flashed through my head that the only thing left was to admit everything; who i was; why i had come; why i was so eager to get away; and then ask him to help me in return for what i had done in the untergasse affair.
but the moment for that hadn't come yet at all events. whether he noticed the absence of the tickets it was impossible to say. he appeared to be entirely lost in thought; he was staring abstractedly at nothing; not once had i seen his eyes drop to the desk; not so much as a side glance came my way; but then he was such a wily old beggar that that might all have been pretence to mislead me.
after a time that seemed hours to me, he nodded to himself again, took the hand from the papers to pass it across his forehead, and smiled. a smile of infinite meaning it was too. then he closed the portfolio and put it away in a drawer.
"now tell me the rest, boy," he said, turning to look at me for the first time. "hallo, you look a little done up. room too hot? open the window a bit."
i jumped at the excuse to get out of range of his keen eyes for an instant. he might well say it was hot, for the strain had brought the perspiration in great beads on my forehead.
"stand there a while and get a breath of the fresh air. a thing like this is sure to shake you up," he added.
did he know? was this intended to give me an opportunity of pulling myself together? had he noticed everything and been thinking out some further subtle move in the game? who could tell?
"better?" he asked, as i returned to my seat. "there's no hurry. i've put off my other matters and shall have to keep you here for an hour or so. i'll tell you why presently. oh, by the way, you'd better give me the card you got from old graun. it may help you if i'm able to say you gave it to me; and, of course, it's no use to you now."
was this his way of telling me that he knew? was the question in my mind as i gave it him. then i resumed the story of the afternoon.
"you brought that card case away?" he shot in when i mentioned it.
"yes. i have it here. will you take it?"
"perhaps i'd better," he replied after a pause, and then opened the drawer containing the portfolio, tossed it in carelessly, and let me finish the rest of the story without interruption, when he once more lapsed into close thought.
von welten came in before he spoke and handed him a note. "not a second later than seven o'clock, mind, von welten. not a second, mind," he said when he had read the letter. "that'll do;" and we were alone again.
"now i'll tell you something in my turn," he said. "you have rendered us a very great service; a much greater service than you can imagine. you have only made one mistake, for you ought to have hurried to me as fast as possible from that woman's rooms; but you're evidently lucky, for no harm has been done."
"i don't quite understand, sir," i stammered in surprise.
"i'm going to explain it to you. in the first place let me tell you i believe absolutely that you have told me the truth—about this murder, i mean—perhaps not in everything else."
"there is only one thing, and if you wish——"
"don't interrupt me, boy. i don't like it," he exclaimed testily. "it puts me out. now about this affair. we know all about this woman, anna hilden. that isn't her name at all; but that doesn't matter now. she is, or was, one of von erstein's mistresses; not the only one, by the way. the real anna hilden was another—years ago, of course—and that is how he knew all about that sale of the secret information to france."
i had not said anything about that and he noticed my start.
"you needn't be astonished. i tell you we know many things here. it is our business to know them. the man who betrayed us in that affair was von erstein himself, and you, if you are really lassen, were merely the go-between and scapegoat. but he was too cunning for us to be able to prove a thing against him. there are many things we think we know about him and can't prove, and others we don't wish to prove," he said, with a very meaning side glance.
"i can understand that."
"we'll hope you don't come under either head, my boy. well, we've been waiting for von erstein, and now, thanks to you, we've got him. this woman went to him to-day after you left her; she was with him a considerable time; she left in great agitation; and he followed later to the flat which had been taken for this affair of yours. that he murdered her, there is no doubt, after what you've told me; but it's got to be proved. you won't be sorry if it is, probably."
"he ought to be hanged," i exclaimed impulsively.
he fixed his keen eyes on me, and in an instant i saw what i had done and that this was one of his infernal traps.
"you're either forgetting yourself, or beginning to remember things, aren't you?" he asked deliberately, with one of his queer inscrutable smiles. "it's in england that they hang murderers, you know."
i could have cursed myself for the idiotic slip, as his eyes bored right into my brain.
