Evening star., 1925-06-28

THAT means public scandal.
Quayne-a lot of unwelcome limelight
on the +. O."
II dislike private scandals even
more" said the chief. II regarded
Arbuthnot as an old personal friend
and his murderer is certainly going
to be found. Remand that inquest
Sebright-and If we present the muir
derer simultaneously with the cor
dial. There will be only praise for
Scotland Yard"
But how are we going to find
him?" challenged Sebright. in exas-
peration. There's not the slightest
clue. The revolver is admittedly Ar
buthnot's own-one he kept in his
desk. The clerk who burst into the
room Immediately after the detona-
ton found no one but the dead man."
Who was that clerk?''
"Oglethorpe-the next senior to Ar
buthnot. He was passing along the
corridor-or so he says" Sebright
stopped. "Of course. he might
have"
"What?"
Sebright was suddenly illumined
with a theory. "Shot Arbuthnot with
Arbuthnot's own revolver and dashed
out into the corridor. There's no evi.
corridor was empty. People in the
vicinity heard the detonation, but be-
fore they could investigate 1t Ogle-
thorpe ran into the room where the
other clerks were sitting and told his
story"
"Hmr' @. Q. stroked his jutting
chin. II know Oglethorpe. How
many clerks are there in Arbuthnot's
personal department?
"Six-ipcluding Oglethorpe."
DO you happen to know II the
other five were in the room when
Oglethorpe entered it?"
mo. There were only three-it
came out while I was questioning as
to who had seen Arbuthnot that
morning"
"Who were absent?"
"Johnson-he was away looking for
file in the registry"
Q. Q. nodded.
And the other man."
Darcy Vaughan-the next in
seniority to Oglethorpe. He was out
at lunch"
You are sure of that?"
Quite. He went to lunch at -
o'clock as usual. The tragedy oc-
CURED at 10 minutes past. l saw
him when he returned-gave him the
first news Of 1t. No. Q. c." Sebright
thumped his fist on his knee. ''If
Arbuthnot was murdered-it could
only have been done by Oglethorpew
"Why?" Q. @. lifted his gray eye
brows.
"On his own showing he dashed
into that room Immediately after the
detonation. If the murderer were
some one else, he must still have been
there! He could not possibly have
got away
HIM" Q. @. grunted. IT know
Arbuthnot's room pretty well. I
seem to remember that 1t has a large
cupboard where Arbuthnot used to
hang his overcoat. Allow yourself to
consider another hypothesis. The
murderer. hearing Oglethorpe come
to the door, might have slipped into
that cupboard and lodged out again
Immediately Oglethorpe had gone to
give the alarm"
Might" echoed Sebright contempt
uously. "All sorts Of things might
happen" Sebright rose briskly to
his feet. I'm going to check up Mr..
Oglethorpe a little, @. O." he con-
cluded, land unless my intuition is
much at fault. Mr.. Oglethorpe is
going to sleep in police cell to-
night"
The moment the door had closed
behind Sebright's back the chief took
up the telephone and asked for a
number.
Hello! Yes. Put me
Is that Mr.. Oglethorpe speak
ing? Good. This Is Quentin
Quayne-of the @. @. Agency. Could
you manage to snatch few minutes,
Mr.. Oglethorpe, and come round and
see me here-Piccadilly CircuS-as
soon as possible? / should be Inn
mensely obliged to you. Yes, it
is urgent-very urgent, in fact. :.
Thank you-that's excellent
x x
DERHAPS 10 quiet minutes elapsed
L 10 minutes in which @. @. after
leaning back thoughtfully in his chair
for a moment or two, bent forward to
his desk and wrote rapidly a long
simple column of words on a sheet
Of paper-and then Mr.. Oglethorpe
was announced.
You want to see me about this ter.
rible business in the Office. I suppose,
Mr. Quayne?" he said.
Exactly" @. @. smiled at him.
II have worked with Arbuthnot for
20 years-and I should never have
dreamed that he was the man to COM
nit suicide." exclaimed Mr.. Ogle-
thorpe.
Perhaps he did not commit sui
eide, Mr.. Oglethorpe," said Q. O.
quietly.
What? Did not commit suicide?
What on earth do you mean. Mr..
Quayne? 1t must have been suicide
why, I was In the room a fraction OF
a minute after his revolver went OIL
1 heard 1t as I passed along the cor
ridor. 1t couldn't-how could IT.
have been anything else than suicide,
incredible though it seems" Mr.:
Oglethorpe was a picture OF puzzled
bewilderment-the implication in z.
Q.'s words was plain enough.
well. Mr.. Oglethorpe," the chief
said. there is little doubt about it
for reasons which 1 will not go into
Will you just tell me all you know or
the tragedy"
Mr.. Oglethorpe told his story, quite
clearly and definitely, just as we had
heard 1t already from Sebright. He
was coming along the corridor from
another department at 10 past IL
when he heard the shot. He had rush
ed into the room Arbuthnot was there
alone, crumpled in his chair. a wound
in the right side of his head. Horri-
fed, he had dashed off to give the
alarm. Yes-of course he knew the
cupboard in Arbuthnot's room-he
could not say whether the door of 1t
0lI1l IrYl,