Coroner Heit, his official duties completed for the time being, found himself pondering, as he traveled south onthe lake train, how he was to proceed farther. What was the next step he should take in this pathetic affair? Forthe coroner, as he had looked at Roberta before he left was really deeply moved. She seemed so young andinnocent-looking and pretty. The little blue serge dress lying heavily and clinging tightly to her, her very smallhands folded across her breast, her warm, brown hair still damp from its twenty-four hours in the water, yetsomehow suggesting some of the vivacity and passion that had invested her in life--all seemed to indicate asweetness which had nothing to do with crime.
But deplorable as it might be, and undoubtedly was, there was another aspect of the case that more vitally concerned himself. Should he go to Biltz and convey to the Mrs. Alden of the letter the dreadful intelligence ofher daughter's death, at the same time inquiring about the character and whereabouts of the man who had beenwith her, or should he proceed first to District Attorney Mason's office in Bridgeburg and having imparted to himall of the details of the case, allow that gentleman to assume the painful responsibility of devastating a probablyutterly respectable home? For there was the political situation to be considered. And while he himself might actand so take personal credit, still there was this general party situation to be thought of. A strong man shouldundoubtedly head and so strengthen the party ticket this fall and here was the golden opportunity. The lattercourse seemed wiser. It would provide his friend, the district attorney, with his great chance. Arriving inBridgeburg in this mood, he ponderously invaded the office of Orville W. Mason, the district attorney, whoimmediately sat up, all attention, sensing something of import in the coroner's manner.
Mason was a short, broad-chested, broad-backed and vigorous individual physically, but in his late youth hadbeen so unfortunate as to have an otherwise pleasant and even arresting face marred by a broken nose, whichgave to him a most unprepossessing, almost sinister, look. Yet he was far from sinister. Rather, romantic andemotional. His boyhood had been one of poverty and neglect, causing him in his later and somewhat moresuccessful years to look on those with whom life had dealt more kindly as too favorably treated. The son of apoor farmer's widow, he had seen his mother put to such straits to make ends meet that by the time he reachedthe age of twelve he had surrendered nearly all of the pleasures of youth in order to assist her. And then, atfourteen, while skating, he had fallen and broken his nose in such a way as to forever disfigure his face.
Thereafter, feeling himself handicapped in the youthful sorting contests which gave to other boys the femalecompanions he most craved, he had grown exceedingly sensitive to the fact of his facial handicap. And this hadeventually resulted in what the Freudians are accustomed to describe as a psychic sex scar.
At the age of seventeen, however, he had succeeded in interesting the publisher and editor of the BridgeburgRepublican to the extent that he was eventually installed as official local news-gatherer of the town. Later hecame to be the Cataraqui County correspondent of such papers as the Albany Times-union and the Utica Star,ending eventually at the age of nineteen with the privilege of studying law in the office of one ex-Judge DavisRichofer, of Bridgeburg. And a few years later, after having been admitted to the bar, he had been taken up byseveral county politicians and merchants who saw to it that he was sent to the lower house of the state legislaturefor some six consecutive years, where, by reason of a modest and at the same time shrewd and ambitiouswillingness to do as he was instructed, he attained favor with those at the capital while at the same time retainingthe good will of his home-town sponsors. Later, returning to Bridgeburg and possessing some gifts of oratory, hewas given, first, the position of assistant district attorney for four years, and following that elected auditor, andsubsequently district attorney for two terms of four years each. Having acquired so high a position locally, hewas able to marry the daughter of a local druggist of some means, and two children had been born to them.
In regard to this particular case he had already heard from Miss Saunders all she knew of the drowning, and, likethe coroner, had been immediately impressed with the fact that the probable publicity attendant on such a case asthis appeared to be might be just what he needed to revive a wavering political prestige and might perhaps solvethe problem of his future. At any rate he was most intensely interested. So that now, upon sight of Heit, heshowed plainly the keen interest he felt in the case.
Well, Colonel Heit?""Well, Orville, I'm just back from Big Bittern. It looks to me as though I've got a case for you now that's going totake quite a little of your time."Heit's large eyes bulged and conveyed hints of much more than was implied by his non-committal openingremark.
You mean that drowning up there?" returned the district attorney.
Yes, sir. Just that," replied the coroner.
You've some reason for thinking there's something wrong up there?""Well, the truth is, Orville, I think there's hardly a doubt that this is a case of murder." Heit's heavy eyes glowedsomberly. "Of course, it's best to be on the safe side, and I'm only telling you this in confidence, because even yetI'm not absolutely positive that that young man's body may not be in the lake. But it looks mighty suspicious tome, Orville. There's been at least fifteen men up there in row-boats all day yesterday and to-day, dragging thesouth part of that lake. I had a number of the boys take soundings here and there, and the water ain't more thantwenty-five feet deep at any point. But so far they haven't found any trace of him. They brought her up about oneo'clock yesterday, after they'd been only dragging a few hours, and a mighty pretty girl she is too, Orville--quiteyoung--not more than eighteen or twenty, I should say. But there are some very suspicious circumstances about itall that make me think that he ain't in there. In fact, I never saw a case that I thought looked more like a devilishcrime than this."As he said this, he began to search in the right-hand pocket of his well-worn and baggy linen suit and finallyextracted Roberta's letter, which he handed his friend, drawing up a chair and seating himself while the districtattorney proceeded to read.
Well, this does look rather suspicious, don't it?" he announced, as he finished. "You say they haven't found himyet. Well, have you communicated with this woman to see what she knows about it?""No, Orville, I haven't," replied Heit, slowly and meditatively. "And I'll tell you why. The fact is, I decided upthere last night that this was something I had better talk over with you before I did anything at all. You knowwhat the political situation here is just now. And how the proper handling of a case like this is likely to affectpublic opinion this fall. And while I certainly don't think we ought to mix politics in with crime there certainly isno reason why we shouldn't handle this in such a way as to make it count in our favor. And so I thought I hadbetter come and see you first. Of course, if you want me to, Orville, I'll go over there. Only I was thinking thatperhaps it would be better for you to go, and find out just who this fellow is and all about him. You know what acase like this might mean from a political point of view, if only we clean it up, and I know you're the one to do it,Orville.""Thanks, Fred, thanks," replied Mason, solemnly, tapping his desk with the letter and squinting at his friend. "I'mgrateful to you for your opinion and you've outlined the very best way to go about it, I think. You're sure no oneoutside yourself has seen this letter?""Only the envelope. And no one but Mr. Hubbard, the proprietor of the inn up there, has seen that, and he toldme that he found it in her pocket and took charge of it for fear it might disappear or be opened before I got there.
He said he had a feeling there might be something wrong the moment he heard of the drowning. The young manhad acted so nervous--strange-like, he said.""Very good, Fred. Then don't say anything more about it to any one for the present, will you? I'll go right overthere, of course. But what else did you find, anything?" Mr. Mason was quite alive now, interrogative, dynamic,and a bit dictatorial in his manner, even to his old friend.
Plenty, plenty," replied the coroner, most sagely and solemnly. "There were some suspicious cuts or marksunder the girl's right eye and above the left temple, Orville, and across the lip and nose, as though the poor littlething mighta been hit by something--a stone or a stick or one of those oars that they found floating up there.
She's just a child yet, Orville, in looks and size, anyhow--a very pretty girl--but not as good as she might havebeen, as I'll show you presently." At this point the coroner paused to extract a large handkerchief and blow into ita very loud blast, brushing his beard afterward in a most orderly way. "I didn't have time to get a doctor up thereand besides I'm going to hold the inquest down here, Monday, if I can. I've ordered the Lutz boys to go up thereto-day and bring her body down. But the most suspicious of all the evidence that has come to light so far,Orville, is the testimony of two men and a boy who live up at Three Mile Bay and who were walking up to BigBittern on Thursday night to hunt and fish. I had Earl take down their names and subpoena 'em for the inquestnext Monday."And the coroner proceeded to detail their testimony about their accidental meeting of Clyde.
Well, well!" interjected the district attorney, thoroughly interested.
Then, another thing, Orville," continued the coroner, "I had Earl telephone the Three Mile Bay people, theowner of the hotel there as well as the postmaster and the town marshal, but the only person who appears to haveseen the young man is the captain of that little steamboat that runs from Three Mile Bay to Sharon. You knowthe man, I guess, Captain Mooney. I left word with Earl to subpoena him too. According to him, about eight-thirty, Friday morning, or just before his boat started for Sharon on its first trip, this same young man, or someone very much like the description furnished, carrying a suitcase and wearing a cap--he had on a straw hat whenthose three men met him--came on board and paid his way to Sharon and got off there. Good-looking youngchap, the captain says. Very spry and well-dressed, more like a young society man than anything else, and verystand-offish.""Yes, yes," commented Mason.
I also had Earl telephone the people at Sharon--whoever he could reach--to see if he had been seen there gettingoff, but up to the time I left last night no one seemed to remember him. But I left word for Earl to telegraph adescription of him to all the resort hotels and stations hereabouts so that if he's anywhere around, they'll be on thelookout for him. I thought you'd want me to do that. But I think you'd better give me a writ for that bag at GunLodge station. That may contain something we ought to know. I'll go up and get it myself. Then I want to go toGrass Lake and Three Mile Bay and Sharon yet to-day, if I can, and see what else I can find. But I'm afraid,Orville, it's a plain case of murder. The way he took that young girl to that hotel up there at Grass Lake and then registered under another name at Big Bittern, and the way he had her leave her bag and took his own with him!"He shook his head most solemnly. "Those are not the actions of an honest young man, Orville, and you know it.
What I can't understand is how her parents could let her go off like that anywhere with a man without knowingabout him in the first place.""That's true," replied Mason, tactfully, but made intensely curious by the fact that it had at least been partiallyestablished that the girl in the case was not as good as she should have been. Adultery! And with some youth ofmeans, no doubt, from some one of the big cities to the south. The prominence and publicity with which his ownactivities in connection with this were very likely to be laden! At once he got up, energetically stirred. If he couldonly catch such a reptilian criminal, and that in the face of all the sentiment that such a brutal murder was likelyto inspire! The August convention and nominations. The fall election.
Well, I'll be switched," he exclaimed, the presence of Heit, a religious and conservative man, suppressinganything more emphatic. "I do believe we're on the trail of something important, Fred. I really think so. It looksvery black to me--a most damnable outrage. I suppose the first thing to do, really, is to telephone over there andsee if there is such a family as Alden and exactly where they live. It's not more than fifty miles direct by car, ifthat much. Poor roads, though," he added. Then: "That poor woman. I dread that scene. It will be a painful one, Iknow."Then he called Zillah and asked her to ascertain if there was such a person as Titus Alden living near Biltz. Also,exactly how to get there. Next he added: "The first thing to do will be to get Burton back here" (Burton beingBurton Burleigh, his legal assistant, who had gone away for a week-end vacation) "and put him in charge so as tofurnish you whatever you need in the way of writs and so on, Fred, while I go right over to see this poor woman.
And then, if you'll have Earl go back up there and get that suitcase, I'll be most obliged to you. I'll bring thefather back with me, too, to identify the body. But don't say anything at all about this letter now or my going overthere until I see you later, see." He grasped the hand of his friend. "In the meantime," he went on, a littlegrandiosely, now feeling the tang of great affairs upon him, "I want to thank you, Fred. I certainly do, and I won'tforget it, either. You know that, don't you?" He looked his old friend squarely in the eye. "This may turn outbetter than we think. It looks to be the biggest and most important case in all my term of office, and if we canonly clean it up satisfactorily and quickly, before things break here this fall, it may do us all some good, eh?""Quite so, Orville, quite so," commented Fred Heit. "Not, as I said before, that I think we ought to mix politics inwith a thing like this, but since it has come about so--" he paused, meditatively.
And in the meantime," continued the district attorney "if you'll have Earl have some pictures made of the exactposition where the boat, oars, and hat were found, as well as mark the spot where the body was found, andsubpoena as many witnesses as you can, I'll have vouchers for it all put through with the auditor. And to- morrowor Monday I'll pitch in and help myself."And here he gripped Heit's right hand--then patted him on the shoulder. And Heit, much gratified by his variousmoves so far--and in consequence hopeful for the future--now took up his weird straw hat and buttoning histhin, loose coat, returned to his office to get his faithful Earl on the long distance telephone to instruct him and tosay that he was returning to the scene of the crime himself.