Rupert took them into the room where Deede Dawson's chessmen and the board were still standing and told them as briefly as he could what had happened since the first day when he had left his home to try to trace out and defeat the plot hatched by Walter Dunsmore and Deede Dawson.
"You people wouldn't act," he said to the inspector."You said there was no evidence, no proof, and I daresay you were right enough from the legal point of view.But it was plain enough to me that there was some sort of conspiracy against my uncle's life, I thought against my father's as well, but I was not sure of that at first.It was through poor Charley Wright I became so certain.
He found out things and told me about them; but for him the first attempt to poison my uncle would have succeeded.Even then we had still no evidence to prove the reality of our suspicions, for Walter destroyed it, by accident, I thought at the time, purposely, as I know now.It was something Walter said that gave Charley the idea of coming here.Then he vanished.He must have roused their suspicions somehow, and they killed him.But again Walter put us all off the scent by his story of having seen Charley in London, so that it was there the search for him was made, and no one ever thought of Bittermeads.I never suspected Walter, such an idea never entered my head; but luckily I didn't tell him of my idea of coming to Bittermeads myself to try to find out what was really going on here.He knew nothing of where I was till I told him that day at Wreste Abbey, then of course he came over here at once.Ithought it was anxiety for my safety, but I expect really it was to warn his friends.When I saw him here that night I told him every single thing, I trusted the carrying-out of everything I had arranged to him.If it hadn't been for a note Miss Cayley wrote me to warn me, I should have walked right into the trap and so would my father too."The police-inspector asked a few questions and then made a search of the room which resulted in the discovery of quite sufficient proof of the guilt of Deede Dawson and of Walter Dunsmore.
Among these proofs was also a hastily-scribbled note from Walter that solved the mystery of John Clive's death.It was not signed, but both General Dunsmore and Rupert knew his writing and were prepared to swear to it.Beginning abruptly and scribbled on a torn scrap of paper, it ran:
"I found Clive where you said, lucky you got hold of the note and read it before she sent it, for no doubt she meant to warn him.
Take care she gets no chance of the sort again.I did Clive's business all right.She saw me and I think recognized me from that time she saw me over the packing-case business, before I took it out to sink it at sea.At any rate, she ran off in a great hurry.
If you aren't careful, she'll make trouble yet.""Apparently," remarked the inspector when he had read this aloud, "the young lady was very luckily not watched closely enough and did make trouble for them.Could I see her, do you think ?""I don't know, I'll go and ask," Rupert said.
Ella was still very shaken, but she consented to see the inspector, and they all went together to her room where she was lying on her bed with her mother fussing nervously about her.
She told them in as few words as possible the story of how she had always disliked and mistrusted the man whom so unfortunately her mother had married, and how gradually her suspicions strengthened till she became certain that he was involved in many unlawful deeds.
But always her inner certainty had fallen short of absolute proof, so careful had he been in all he did.
"I knew I knew," she said."But there was nothing I really knew.
And he made me do all sorts of things for him.I wouldn't have cared for myself, but if I tried to refuse he made mother suffer.
She was very, very frightened of him, but she would never leave him.
She didn't dare.There was one night he made me go very late with a packing-case full of silver things he had, and he wouldn't tell me where he had got them.I believe he stole them all, but I helped him pack them, and I took them away the night Mr.Dunsmore came and gave them to a man wearing a mask.My stepfather said it was just a secret family matter he was helping some friends in, and later on Isaw the same man in the woods near here one day - the day Mr.Clive was killed by the poachers - and when he came another time to the house I thought I must try to find out what he wanted.I listened while they talked and they said such strange things I made up my mind to try to warn Mr.Dunsmore, for I was sure there was something they were plotting.""There was indeed," said Rupert grimly."And but for that warning you sent me they would have succeeded.""Somehow they found out what I had done," Ella continued."As soon as I got back he kept looking at me so strangely.I was afraid - Ihad been afraid a long time, for that matter - but I tried not to show it.In the afternoon he told me to go up to the attic.He said he wanted me to help him pack some silver.It was the same silver I had packed before; for some reason he had got it back again.
This time I had to pack it in the little boxes, and after I had finished I waited up there till suddenly he ran in very quickly and looking very excited.He said I had betrayed them, and should suffer for it, and he took some rope and he tied me as tightly as he could, and tied a great handkerchief over my mouth, and pushed me inside the wardrobe and locked it.I think he would have killed me then only he was afraid of Mr.Dunsmore, and very anxious to know what had happened, and why Mr.Dunsmore had come home, and if there was any danger.And I was a long time there, and I heard a great noise, and then Mr.Dunsmore opened the door and took me out."
