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. It s verra awkward. He shook his head. Man, that s almost like a drama! Itseems to me there s only one thing for you to do, Mr.Wembury  you ll haveto treat John Lenley as though he were John Smith or Thomas Brown.Forgethe s the brother of Miss Lenley, and I think, he said shrewdly,  that is what isworrying you most  and deal with this case as though it were somebody youhad never heard of.Alan nodded slowly. That, I m afraid, is the counsel I should give myself, if I were entirelyunprejudiced in the matter.The old man took a silver tobacco box from his pocket and began slowly toroll a cigarette. John Lenley, eh? he mused. A friend of Meister s!Alan stared at him.The doctor laid significant emphasis on the lawyer sname.45 Do you know him?Lomond shook his head. Through my career, he said,  I have followed one practice when I come toa strange land  I acquire the local legends.Meister is a legend.To me he is themost interesting man in Deptford, and I m looking forward to meeting him. But why should Johnny Lenley s friendship with Meister  began Alan, andstopped.He knew full well the sinister importance of that friendship.Maurice Meister was something more than a legend: he was a sinister fact.His acquaintance with the criminal law was complete.The loopholes whichexist in the best drawn statutes were so familiar to him that not once, but half adozen times, he had cleared his clients of serious charges.There weresuspicious people who wondered how the poor thieves who employed himraised the money to pay his fees.There were ill-matured persons who suggestedthat Meister paid himself out of the proceeds of the robbery and utilised theopportunities he had as a lawyer to obtain from his clients the exact location ofthe property they had stolen.Many a jewel thief on the run had paused in hisflight to visit the house in Flanders Lane, and had gone on his way, leaving inthe lawyer s hands the evidence which would have incriminated him.He actedas a sort of banker to the larger fry, and exacted his tribute from the smaller. Let me see your anonymous letter, said the doctor.He carried the paper to the light and examined the typewritten characterscarefully. Written by an amateur, he said. You can always tell amateur typists; theyforget to put the spaces between the words; but, more important, they vary thespaces between the lines.He pursed his lips as though he were about to whistle. Hum! he said at last. Do you rule out the possibility that this letter waswritten by Meister himself? By Meister? That idea had not occurred to Alan Wembury. But why? He sa good friend of Johnny s.Suppose he were in this robbery, do you imagine hewould trust John Lenley with the pearls and draw attention to the fact that afriend of his was a thief?The doctor was still frowning down at the paper. Is there any reason why Meister should want John Lenley out of the way?he asked.Alan shook his head. I can t imagine any, he said, and then, with a laugh:  You re taking rather amelodramatic view, doctor.Probably this note was written by some enemy ofLenley s  he makes enemies quicker than any man I know. Meister, murmured the doctor, and held the paper up to the light to examinethe watermark.46 Maybe one day you ll have an opportunity, inspector, of getting a little ofMr.Meister s typewriting paper and a specimen of lettering. But why on earth should he want Johnny Lenley out of the way? insistedAlan. There s no reason why he should.He s an old friend of the family, andalthough it s possible that Johnny has insulted him, that s one of Johnny sunpleasant little habits.That s no excuse for a civilised man wanting to sendanother to penal servitude  He wishes Mr.John Lenley out of the way  Lomond nodded emphatically. That is my eccentric view, Inspector Wembury, and if I am an eccentric, I amalso a fairly accurate man!After the doctor left, Alan puzzled the matter over without getting nearer tothe solution.Yet he had already discovered that Dr.Lomond s conclusions werenot lightly to be dismissed.The old man was as shrewd as he was brilliant.Alanhad read a portion of his book, and although twenty years old, this treatise onthe criminal might have been written a few weeks before.He was in a state of indecision when the telephone bell in his room shrilled.He took up the instrument and heard the voice of Colonel Walford. Is that you, Wembury? Do you think you can come up to the Yard? I havefurther information about the gentleman we discussed last week.For the moment Alan had forgotten the existence of The Ringer.He saw nowonly an opportunity of taking counsel with a man who had not only proved asympathetic superior, but a very real friend [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]