At ten o’clock next morning Lefarge called for Burnley at the latter’s hotel in the rue Castiglione. ‘Now for M. Alphonse Le Gautier, the wine merchant,’ said the former as he hailed a taxi.
A short drive brought them to the rue de Vallorbes, off the Avenue Friedland, and there they discovered that the gentleman they were in search of was no myth, but a creature of real flesh and blood. He occupied a flat on the first floor of a big corner house, and the spacious approach and elegant furnishing indicated that he was a man of culture and comparative wealth. He had gone, they were told, to his office in the rue Henri Quatre, and thither the two friends followed him. He was a man of about five-and-thirty, with jet black hair and a pale, hawk-like face, and his manner was nervous and alert.
‘We have called, monsieur,’ said Lefarge, when the detectives had introduced themselves, ‘at the instance of M. le Chef de la S?reté, to ask your assistance in a small inquiry we are making. We want to trace the movements of a gentleman who is perhaps not unknown to you, a M. Léon Felix, of London.’
‘Léon Felix? Why, of course I know him. And what has he been up to?’
‘Nothing contrary to the law, monsieur,’ returned Lefarge with a smile, ‘or, at least, we believe not. But unfortunately, in the course of another inquiry a point has arisen which makes it necessary for us to check some statements he has made about his recent actions. It is in this we want your help.’
‘I don’t think I can tell you much about him, but any questions you ask I’ll try to answer.’
‘Thank you, M. Le Gautier. Not to waste your time, then, I’ll begin without further preface. When did you last meet M. Felix?’
‘Well, it happens I can tell you that, for I had a special reason to note the date.’ He referred to a small pocket diary. ‘It was on Sunday the 14th of March, four weeks ago next Sunday.’
‘And what was the special reason to which you refer?’
‘This. On that day M. Felix and I made an arrangement to purchase coupons in the Government lotteries. He handed me 500 francs as his share, and I was to add another 500 francs and put the business through. Naturally I noted the transaction in my engagement book.’
‘Can you tell me under what circumstances this arrangement came to be made?’
‘Certainly. It was the result of an otherwise idle conversation on the lottery system, which took place that afternoon between a number of men, of whom I was one, at the Café Toisson d’Or, in the rue Royale. At the close of the discussion I said I would try my luck. I asked Felix to join me, and he did so.’
‘And did you purchase the bonds?’
‘I did. I wrote enclosing a cheque that same evening.’
‘And I hope your speculation turned out successfully?’
M. Le Gautier smiled.
‘Well, I can hardly tell you that, you know. The drawing will not be made till next Thursday.’
‘Next Thursday? Then I can only hope you will have luck. Did you write M. Felix that you had actually moved in the matter?’
‘No, I took it, that went without saying.’
‘So that you have not communicated with M. Felix in any way since last Sunday three weeks?’
‘That is so.’
‘I see. Now, another point, M. Le Gautier. Are you acquainted with a M. Dumarchez, a stockbroker, whose office is in the Boulevard Poissonière?’
‘I am. As a matter of fact he also was present at the discussion about the lotteries.’
‘And since that discussion you made a certain bet with him?’
‘A bet?’ M. Le Gautier looked up sharply. ‘I don’t understand you. I made no bet.’
‘Do you remember having a discussion with M. Dumarchez about criminals pitting their wits against the police?’
‘No, I recollect nothing of the kind.’
‘Are you prepared, monsieur, to say that no such conversation took place?’
‘Certainly, I do say it. And I should very much like to know the purport of all these questions.’
‘I am sorry, monsieur, for troubling you with them, and I can assure you they are not idle. The matter is a serious one, though I am not at liberty to explain it fully at present. But if you will bear with me I would like to ask one or two other things. Can you let me have the names of those present at the Toisson d’Or when the conversation about the lotteries took place?’
M. Le Gautier remained silent for some moments.
‘I hardly think I can,’ he said at last. ‘You see, there was quite a fair sized group. Besides Felix, Dumarchez, and myself, I can recollect M. Henri Briant and M. Henri Boisson. I think there were others, but I cannot recall who they were.’
‘Was a M. Daubigny one of them?’
‘You are right. I had forgotten him. He was there.’
‘And M. Jaques R?get?’
‘I’m not sure.’ M. Le Gautier hesitated again. ‘I think so, but I’m not really sure.’
‘Can you let me have the addresses of these gentlemen?’
‘Some of them. M. Dumarchez lives five doors from me in the rue de Vallorbes. M. Briant lives near the end of the rue Washington, where it turns into the Champs Elysées. The other addresses I cannot tell you off-hand, but I can help you to find them in a directory.’
‘Many thanks. Now, please excuse me for going back a moment. You gave me to understand you did not write to M. Felix on the subject of the lottery?’
‘Yes, I said so, I think, quite clearly.’
‘But M. Felix states the very opposite. He says he received a letter from you, dated Thursday, 1st April, that is this day week.’
M. Le Gautier stared.
‘What’s that you say? He says he heard from me? There must be a mistake there, monsieur, for I did not write to him.’
‘But he showed me the letter.’
‘Impossible, monsieur. He could not have shown you what did not exist. Whatever letter he may have shown you was not from me. I should like to see it. Have you got it there?’
For answer Lefarge held out the sheet which Felix had given to Burnley during their midnight conversation at the villa of St. Malo. As M. Le Gautier read it the look of wonder on his expressive face deepened.
‘Extraordinary!’ he cried, ‘but here is a mystery! I never wrote, or sent, or had any knowledge of such a letter. It’s not only a forgery, but it’s a pure invention. There’s not a word of truth in that story of the bet and the cask from beginning to end. Tell me something more about it. Where did you get it?’
‘From M. Felix himself. He gave it to Mr. Burnley here, saying it was from you.’
‘But, good heavens!’ the young man sprang to his feet and began pacing up and down the room, ‘I can’t understand that. Felix is a decent fellow, and he wouldn’t say it was from me if he didn’t believe it. But how could he believe it? The thing is absurd.’ He paused and then continued. ‘You say, monsieur, that Felix said this note was from me. But what made him think so? There’s not a scrap of writing about it. It isn’t even signed. He must have known any one could write a letter and type my name below it. And then, how could he suppose that I should write such a tissue of falsehoods.’
‘But that is just the difficulty,’ returned Lefarge. ‘It’s not so false as you seem to imagine. The description of the conversation about the lottery and your arrangement with Felix to purchase bonds is, by your own admission, true.’
‘Yes, that part is, but the rest, all that about a bet and a cask, is wholly false.’
‘But there I fear you are mistaken also, monsieur. The part about the cask is apparently true. At least the cask arrived, addressed as described, and on the day mentioned.’
Again the young merchant gave an exclamation of astonishment.
‘The cask arrived?’ he cried. ‘Then there really was a cask?’ He paused again. ‘Well, I cannot understand it, but I can only repeat that I never wrote that letter, nor have I the slightest idea of what it is all about.’
‘It is, of course, obvious, monsieur, as you point out, that any one could have typed a letter ending with your name. But you will admit it is equally obvious that only a person who knew of your entering the lottery could have written it. You tell us you are not that person, and we fully accept your statement. Who else then, M. Le Gautier, had this information?’
‘As far as that goes, any one who was present at the discussion at the Toisson d’Or.’
‘Quite so. Hence you will see the importance of my questions as to who these were.’
M. Le Gautier paced slowly up and down the room, evidently thinking deeply.
‘I don’t know that I do,’ he said at last. ‘Suppose everything in that letter was true. Suppose, for argument’s sake, I had written it. What then? What business of the police is it? I can’t see that the law has been broken.’
Lefarge smiled.
‘That ought to be clear enough, anyway. Look at the facts. A cask arrives in London by the I. and C. boat from Rouen, labelled to a man named Felix at the certain address. Inquiries show that no one of that name lives at that address. Further, the cask is labelled “Statuary,” but examination shows that it does not contain statuary, but money, sovereigns. Then a man representing himself as Felix appears, states he lives at the false address, which is untrue, says he is expecting by that boat a cask of statuary, which is also untrue, and claims the one in question. The steamer people, being naturally suspicious, will not give it up, but by a trick Felix gets hold of it, and takes it to quite another address. When questioned by the police he produces this letter to account for his actions. I do not think it surprising that we are anxious to learn who wrote the letter, and if its contents are true.’
‘No, no, of course it is reasonable. I did not understand the sequence of events. All............