The Holly chieftain., 1914-03-06
MR.. TAUBERYS
DIAMOND
(Continued.)


discussion which resulted in Mr.
Taubery producing his latest treas
ure"
so it is. by Jove!" cried the COL
onel; Il never thought of it. Clever
work. inspector, eh?"
Exactly" said Peace. blandly.
And now, as regards the place In
which the robbery was committed"
Il locked the door," answered the
colonel. smacking his trousers pocket
Please let me have the key. Thank
you. And now as to the windows
Were they closed and fastened?"
Il saw to it myself"
AFTER the search in the library did
any of the guests return to the dining
room?"
Il am no fool, Inspector. l left old
julius there to see to that. No one
went back. When | had finished
searching joined Julius, and we
locked up together The butler had
called in the policeman on the beat,
and left him sitting in the passage
watching the door and drinking beer"
81 must go to Portland place. What
is the NUMBER"
Il will drive you there with all the
pleasure In the world inspector" said
the colonel, cheerfully. Come along.
| left them at the foot of the stairs.
obtaining whispered promise from
the detective that he would give me
call that night II it was not too late
when he returned.
| spent a disconsolate evening at
the club. Never did play more de-
graded hand at bridge, though |
should certainly have taken exception
to the remarks of my partner under
more ordinary circumstances There
Is point at which fair criticism ends
and deliberate insult begins.
By ten o'clock | was back again in
my rooms, where ioitered. amongst
my books and pictures. in restless ex-
pectation, 1t was Ginning midnight
when there came discreet tap at my
outer door, and Addington Peace
walked in. He sat himself down in
the easy chair offered, and permitted
me to mix him whisky and soda.
Tell me. have you found the dia.
mond?"
NO"
Nor the theft"
Il know him to be one of five men
that is all"
Five? And how do you make that
out?'
1T is very simple. The real dia-
mond was examined by Professor En-
dicott; it was an imitation that
reached Sir Andrew Carlton. There
fore it is reasonable that one of the
five who sat between them changed
the one for the other
so you strike out the professor and
Sir Andrew"
''If either of them had been impli-
Gated they would hardly have raised
the quarrel that resulted in the dis
coyery of the theft"
And this suspected iive-who are
they?"
Our friend Colonel Gunton, Mr..
Thomas Craddock, a clerk in the war
office; the Hon. George Carstairs, Lord
Wintone's brother: Mr. Abel Field O,
Grey and Field. car manufacturers;
and the Rev Aubrey Power, a minor
canon OF Westminster Abbey. | have
made some light inquiries and find
nothing against them. Carstairs,
Craddock and Power are men OF mod
crate income, the other two are rich.
Yet this gives us one important
conclusion. The actual thief is an am.
ateur in crime. So far as anyone
knows this is his first offense. But 1t
was not sudden temptation to which
he yielded. On the contrary, he was
carrying out his share in a plot that
had been long and carefully prepared.
He substituted an imitation diamond
for the original as 1t passed through
his hands-an easy matter: but who
thought out the scheme, who had this
admirable imitation made, who knew
that Taubery was leaving the country
and that the diamond was to be sent
Immediately to the strong room of a
bank, where the substitution that had
taken place might not be discovered
for months. perhaps years?
who, in short, had the clever
brain. the far-sighted Judgment, the
familiarity with jewels and those who
deal in them, all of which would be re-.
qulred In the originator OF such n
fraud? Not Gunton. nor Craddock.
ncr Carstairs, nor Field. nor the Rev.
Aubrey Power. There is some one
who has influence over one OF these
men. some one pulling the strings be.