“Hum! It may prove the simplest matter in the world, but allthe same at first glance this is just a little curious, is it not? A gangof burglars acting in the country might be expected to vary thescene of their operations, and not to crack two cribs in the samedistrict within a few days. When you spoke last night of takingprecautions I remember that it passed through my mind thatthis was probably the last parish in England to which the thief orthieves would be likely to turn their attention—which shows thatI have still much to learn.”
“I fancy it’s some local practitioner,” said the Colonel. “In thatcase, of course, Acton’s and Cunningham’s are just the places hewould go for, since they are far the largest about here.”
“And richest?”
“Well, they ought to be, but they’ve had a lawsuit for someyears which has sucked the blood out of both of them, I fancy.
Old Acton has some claim on half Cunningham’s estate, and thelawyers have been at it with both hands.”
“If it’s a local villain there should not be much difficulty inrunning him down,” said Holmes with a yawn. “All right, Watson, Idon’t intend to meddle.”
“Inspector Forrester, sir,” said the butler, throwing open thedoor.
The official, a smart, keen-faced young fellow, stepped into theroom. “Good-morning, Colonel,” said he; “I hope I don’t intrude,but we hear that Mr. Holmes of Baker Street is here.”
The Colonel waved his hand towards my friend, and theInspector bowed.
“We thought that perhaps you would care to step across, Mr.
Holmes.”
“The fates are against you, Watson,” said he, laughing. “We werechatting about the matter when you came in, Inspector. Perhapsyou can let us have a few details.” As he leaned back in his chair inthe familiar attitude I knew that the case was hopeless.
“We had no clue in the Acton affair. But here we have plenty togo on, and there’s no doubt it is the same party in each case. Theman was seen.”
“Ah!”
“Yes, sir. But he was off like a deer after the shot that killedpoor William Kirwan was fired. Mr. Cunningham saw him fromthe bedroom window, and Mr. Alec Cunningham saw him fromthe back passage. It was quarter to twelve when the alarm brokeout. Mr. Cunningham had just got into bed, and Mr. Alec wassmoking a pipe in his dressing-gown. They both heard Williamthe coachman calling for help, and Mr. Alec ran down to see whatwas the matter. The back door was open, and as he came to thefoot of the stairs he saw two men wrestling together outside. Oneof them fired a shot, the other dropped, and the murderer rushedacross the garden and over the hedge. Mr. Cunningham, lookingout of his bedroom, saw the fellow as he gained the road, but lostsight of him at once. Mr. Alec stopped to see if he could help thedying man, and so the villain got clean away. Beyond the fact thathe was a middle-sized man and dressed in some dark stuff, we haveno personal clue; but we are making energetic inquiries, and if heis a stranger we shall soon find him out.”
“What was this William doing there? Did he say anything beforehe died?”
“Not a word. He lives at the lodge with his mother, and as hewas a very faithful fellow we imagine that he walked up to thehouse with the intention of seeing that all was right there. Ofcourse this Acton business has put every one on their guard. Therobber must have just burst open the door—the lock has beenforced—when William came upon him.”
“Did William say anything to his mother before going out?”
“She is very old and deaf, and we can get no information fromher. The shock has made her half-witted, but I understand that shewas never very bright. There is one very important circumstance,however. Look at this!”
He took a small piece of torn paper from a note-book andspread it out upon his knee.
“This was found between the finger and thumb of the deadman. It appears to be a fragment torn from a larger sheet. You willobserve that the hour mentioned upon it is the very time at whichthe poor fellow met his fate. You see that his murderer might havetorn the rest of the sheet from him or he might have taken thisfragment from the murderer. It reads almost as though it were anappointment.”
Holmes took up the scrap of paper, a fac-simile of which is herereproduced.
“Presuming that it is an appointment,” continued the Inspector,“it is of course a conceivable theory that this William Kirwan—though he had the reputation of being an honest man, may havebeen in league with the thief. He may have met him there, mayeven have helped him to break in the door, and then they mayhave fallen out between themselves.”
“This writing is of extraordinary interest,” said Holmes, whohad been examining it with intense concentration. “These aremuch deeper waters than I had thought.” He sank his head uponhis hands, while the Inspector smiled at the effect which his casehad had upon the famous London specialist.
“Your last remark,” said Holmes presently, “as to the possibilityof there being an understanding between the burglar and theservant, and this being a note of appointment from one to theother, is an ingenious and not entirely impossible supposition. Butthis writing opens up——” He sank his head into his hands againand remained for some minutes in the deepest thought. Whenhe raised his face again, I was surprised to see that his cheek wastinged with color, and his eyes as bright as before his illness. Hesprang to his feet with all his old energy.
“I’ll tell you what,” said he, “I should like to have a quiet littleglance into the details of this case. There is something in it whichfascinates me extremely. If you will permit me, Colonel, I willleave my friend Watson and you, and I will step round with theInspector to test the truth of one or two little fancies of mine. Iwill be with you again in half an hour.”
An hour and half had elapsed before the Inspector returnedalone.
“Mr. Holmes is walking up and down in the field outside,” saidhe. “He wants us all four to go up to the house together.”
“To Mr. Cunningham’s?”
“Yes, sir.”
“What for?”
