The Circular Staircase - Page 129/154

"On three, at least," I corrected. And then I told him about the night

before. "I have been thinking hard," I concluded, "and I do not

believe the man at the head of the circular staircase was Doctor

Walker. I don't think he could have got in, and the voice was not his."

Mr. Jamieson got up and paced the floor, his hands behind him.

"There is something else that puzzles me," he said, stepping before me.

"Who and what is the woman Nina Carrington? If it was she who came

here as Mattie Bliss, what did she tell Halsey that sent him racing to

Doctor Walker's, and then to Miss Armstrong? If we could find that

woman we would have the whole thing."

"Mr. Jamieson, did you ever think that Paul Armstrong might not have

died a natural death?"

"That is the thing we are going to try to find out," he replied. And

then Gertrude came in, announcing a man below to see Mr. Jamieson.

"I want you present at this interview, Miss Innes," he said. "May Riggs

come up? He has left Doctor Walker and he has something he wants to

tell us."

Riggs came into the room diffidently, but Mr. Jamieson put him at his

ease. He kept a careful eye on me, however, and slid into a chair by

the door when he was asked to sit down.

"Now, Riggs," began Mr. Jamieson kindly. "You are to say what you have

to say before this lady."

"You promised you'd keep it quiet, Mr. Jamieson." Riggs plainly did

not trust me. There was nothing friendly in the glance he turned on me.

"Yes, yes. You will be protected. But, first of all, did you bring

what you promised?"

Riggs produced a roll of papers from under his coat, and handed them

over. Mr. Jamieson examined them with lively satisfaction, and passed

them to me. "The blue-prints of Sunnyside," he said. "What did I tell

you? Now, Riggs, we are ready."

"I'd never have come to you, Mr. Jamieson," he began, "if it hadn't

been for Miss Armstrong. When Mr. Innes was spirited away, like, and

Miss Louise got sick because of it, I thought things had gone far

enough. I'd done some things for the doctor before that wouldn't just

bear looking into, but I turned a bit squeamish."

"Did you help with that?" I asked, leaning forward.

"No, ma'm. I didn't even know of it until the next day, when it came

out in the Casanova Weekly Ledger. But I know who did it, all right.

I'd better start at the beginning.

"When Doctor Walker went away to California with the Armstrong family,

there was talk in the town that when he came back he would be married

to Miss Armstrong, and we all expected it. First thing I knew, I got a

letter from him, in the west. He seemed to be excited, and he said

Miss Armstrong had taken a sudden notion to go home and he sent me some

money. I was to watch for her, to see if she went to Sunnyside, and

wherever she was, not to lose sight of her until he got home. I traced

her to the lodge, and I guess I scared you on the drive one night, Miss

Innes."