Mr. Reuben Jephson was decidedly different from Belknap, Catchuman, Mason, Smillie--in fact any one, thusfar, who had seen Clyde or become legally interested in this case. He was young, tall, thin, rugged, brown, coolbut not cold spiritually, and with a will and a determination of the tensile strength of steel. And with a mental andlegal equipment which for shrewdness and self-interest was not unlike that of a lynx or a ferret. Those shrewd,steel, very light blue eyes in his brown face. The force and curiosity of the long nose. The strength of the handsand the body. He had lost no time, as soon as he discovered there was a possibility of their (Belknap & Jephson)taking over the defense of Clyde, in going over the minutes of the coroner's inquest as well as the doctors' reportsand the letters of Roberta and Sondra. And now being faced by Belknap who was explaining that Clyde did nowactually admit to having plotted to kill Roberta, although not having actually done so, since at the fatal moment,some cataleptic state of mind or remorse had intervened and caused him to unintentionally strike her--he merelystared without the shadow of a smile or comment of any kind.
But he wasn't in such a state when he went out there with her, though?""No.""Nor when he swam away afterwards?""No.""Nor when he went through those woods, or changed to another suit and hat, or hid that tripod?""No.""Of course you know, constructively, in the eyes of the law, if we use his own story, he's just as guilty as thoughhe had struck her, and the judge would have to so instruct.""Yes, I know. I've thought of all that.""Well, then--""Well, I'll tell you, Jephson, it's a tough case and no mistake. It looks to me now as though Mason has all thecards. If we can get this chap off, we can get anybody off. But as I see it, I'm not so sure that we want to mentionthat cataleptic business yet--at least not unless we want to enter a plea of insanity or emotional insanity, orsomething like that--about like that Harry Thaw case, for instance." He paused and scratched his slightly graying temple dubiously.
You think he's guilty, of course?" interpolated Jephson, dryly.
Well, now, as astonishing as it may seem to you, no. At least, I'm not positive that I do. To tell you the truth,this is one of the most puzzling cases I have ever run up against. This fellow is by no means as hard as you think,or as cold--quite a simple, affectionate chap, in a way, as you'll see for yourself--his manner, I mean. He's onlytwenty-one or two. And for all his connections with these Griffiths, he's very poor--just a clerk, really. And hetells me that his parents are poor, too. They run a mission of some kind out west--Denver, I believe--and beforethat in Kansas City. He hasn't been home in four years. In fact, he got into some crazy boy scrape out there inKansas City when he was working for one of the hotels as a bell-boy, and had to run away. That's somethingwe've got to look out for in connection with Mason--whether he knows about that or not. It seems he and a bunchof other bell-hops took some rich fellow's car without his knowing it, and then because they were afraid of beinglate, they ran over and killed a little girl. We've got to find out about that and prepare for it, for if Mason doesknow about it, he'll spring it at the trial, and just when he thinks we're least expecting it.""Well, he won't pull that one," replied Jephson, his hard, electric, blue eyes gleaming, "not if I have to go toKansas City to find out."And Belknap went on to tell Jephson all that he knew about Clyde's life up to the present time--how he hadworked at dish-washing, waiting on table, soda-clerking, driving a wagon, anything and everything, before hehad arrived in Lycurgus--how he had always been fascinated by girls--how he had first met Roberta and laterSondra. Finally how he found himself trapped by one and desperately in love with the other, whom he could nothave unless he got rid of the first one.
And notwithstanding all that, you feel a doubt as to whether he did kill her?" asked Jephson, at the conclusion ofall this.
Yes, as I say, I'm not at all sure that he did. But I do know that he is still hipped over this second girl. Hismanner changed whenever he or I happened to mention her. Once, for instance, I asked him about his relationswith her--and in spite of the fact that he's accused of seducing and killing this other girl, he looked at me asthough I had said something I shouldn't have--insulted him or her." And here Belknap smiled a wry smile, whileJephson, his long, bony legs propped against the walnut desk before him, merely stared at him.
You don't say," he finally observed.
And not only that," went on Belknap, "but he said, 'Why, no, of course not. She wouldn't allow anything likethat, and besides,' and then he stopped. 'And besides what, Clyde,' I asked. 'Well, you don't want to forget whoshe is.' 'Oh, I see,' I said. And then, will you believe it, he wanted to know if there wasn't some way by which hername and those letters she wrote him couldn't be kept out of the papers and this case--her family prevented fromknowing so that she and they wouldn't be hurt too much.""Not really? But what about the other girl?""That's just the point I'm trying to make. He could plot to kill one girl and maybe even did kill her, for all I know,after seducing her, but because he was being so sculled around by his grand ideas of this other girl, he didn'tquite know what he was doing, really. Don't you see? You know how it is with some of these young fellows ofhis age, and especially when they've never had anything much to do with girls or money, and want to besomething grand.""You think that made him a little crazy, maybe?" put in Jephson.
Well, it's possible--confused, hypnotized, loony--you know--a brain storm as they say down in New York. Buthe certainly is still cracked over that other girl. In fact, I think most of his crying in jail is over her. He wascrying, you know, when I went in to see him, sobbing as if his heart would break."Meditatively Belknap scratched his right ear. "But just the same, there certainly is something to this other idea-thathis mind was turned by all this--that Alden girl forcing him on the one hand to marry her while the other girlwas offering to marry him. I know. I was once in such a scrape myself." And here he paused to relate that toJephson. "By the way," he went on, "he says we can find that item about that other couple drowning in TheTimes-union of about June 18th or 19th.""All right," replied Jephson, "I'll get it.""What I want you to do to-morrow," continued Belknap, "is to go over there with me and see what impressionyou get of him. I'll be there to see if he tells it all to you in the same way. I want your own individual viewpointof him.""You most certainly will get it," snapped Jephson.
Belknap and Jephson proceeded the next day to visit Clyde in jail. And Jephson, after interviewing him andmeditating once more on his strange story, was even then not quite able to make up his mind whether Clyde wasas innocent of intending to strike Roberta as he said, or not. For if he were, how could he have swum awayafterward, leaving her to drown? Decidedly it would be more difficult for a jury than for himself, even, to beconvinced.
At the same time, there was that contention of Belknap's as to the possibility of Clyde's having been mentallyupset or unbalanced at the time that he accepted The Times-union plot and proceeded to act on it. That might betrue, of course, yet personally, to Jephson at least, Clyde appeared to be wise and sane enough now. As Jephsonsaw him, he was harder and more cunning than Belknap was willing to believe--a cunning, modified of course,by certain soft and winning social graces for which one could hardly help liking him. However, Clyde was by nomeans as willing to confide in Jephson as he had been in Belknap--an attitude which did little to attract Jephsonto him at first. At the same time, there was about Jephson a hard, integrated earnestness which soon convincedClyde of his technical, if not his emotional interest. And after a while he began looking toward this younger man,even more than toward Belknap as the one who might do most for him.
Of course, you know that those letters which Miss Alden wrote you are very strong?" began Jephson, afterhearing Clyde restate his story.
Yes, sir.""They're very sad to any one who doesn't know all of the facts, and on that account they are likely to prejudiceany jury against you, especially when they're put alongside Miss Finchley's letters.""Yes, I suppose they might," replied Clyde, "but then, she wasn't always like that, either. It was only after she gotin trouble and I wanted her to let me go that she wrote like that.""I know. I know. And that's a point we want to think about and maybe bring out, if we can. If only there weresome way to keep those letters out," he now turned to Belknap to say. Then, to Clyde, "but what I want to askyou now is this--you were close to her for something like a year, weren't you?""Yes.""In all of that time that you were with her, or before, was she ever friendly, or maybe intimate, with any otheryoung man anywhere--that is, that you know of?"As Clyde could see, Jephson was not afraid, or perhaps not sufficiently sensitive, to refrain from presenting anythought or trick that seemed to him likely to provide a loophole for escape. But, far from being cheered by thissuggestion, he was really shocked. What a shameful thing in connection with Roberta and her character it wouldbe to attempt to introduce any such lie as this. He could not and would not hint at any such falsehood, and so hereplied
No, sir. I never heard of her going with any one else. In fact, I know she didn't.""Very good! That settles that," snapped Jephson. "I judged from her letters that what you say is true. At the sametime, we must know all the facts. It might make a very great difference if there were some one else."And at this point Clyde could not quite make sure whether he was attempting to impress upon him the value ofthis as an idea or not, but just the same he decided it was not right even to consider it. And yet he was thinking: Ifonly this man could think of a real defense for me! He looks so shrewd.
Well, then," went on Jephson, in the same hard, searching tone, devoid, as Clyde saw it, of sentiment or pity ofany kind, "here's something else I want to ask you. In all the time that you knew her, either before you wereintimate with her or afterwards, did she ever write you a mean or sarcastic or demanding or threatening letter ofany kind?""No, sir, I can't say that she ever did," replied Clyde, "in fact, I know she didn't. No, sir. Except for those few lastones, maybe--the very last one.""And you never wrote her any, I suppose?""No, sir, I never wrote her any letters.""Why?""Well, she was right there in the factory with me, you see. Besides at the last there, after she went home, I wasafraid to.""I see."At the same time, as Clyde now proceeded to point out, and that quite honestly, Roberta could be far from sweet-tempered at times--could in fact be quite determined and even stubborn. And she had paid no least attention tohis plea that her forcing him to marry her now would ruin him socially as well as in every other way, and thateven in the face of his willingness to work along and pay for her support--an attitude which, as he now describedit, was what had caused all the trouble--whereas Miss Finchley (and here he introduced an element of reverenceand enthusiasm which Jephson was quick to note) was willing to do everything for him.
So you really loved that Miss Finchley very much then, did you?""Yes, sir.""And you couldn't care for Roberta any more after you met her?""No, no. I just couldn't.""I see," observed Jephson, solemnly nodding his head, and at the same time meditating on how futile anddangerous, even, it might be to let the jury know that. And then thinking that possibly it were best to follow theprevious suggestion of Belknap's, based on the customary legal proceeding of the time, and claim insanity, or abrain storm, brought about by the terrifying position in which he imagined himself to be. But apart from that henow proceeded
You say something came over you when you were in the boat out there with her on that last day--that you reallydidn't know what you were doing at the time that you struck her?""Yes, sir, that's the truth." And here Clyde went on to explain once more just what his state was at that time.
All right, all right, I believe you," replied Jephson, seemingly believing what Clyde said but not actually able toconceive it at that. "But you know, of course, that no jury, in the face of all these other circumstances, is going tobelieve that," he now announced. "There are too many things that'll have to be explained and that we can't verywell explain as things now stand. I don't know about that idea." He now turned and was addressing Belknap.
Those two hats, that bag--unless we're going to plead insanity or something like that. I'm not so sure about allthis. Was there ever any insanity in your family that you know of?" he now added, turning to Clyde once more.
No, sir, not that I know of.""No uncle or cousin or grandfather who had fits or strange ideas or anything like that?""Not that I ever heard of, no, sir.""And your rich relatives down there in Lycurgus--I suppose they'd not like it very much if I were to step up andtry to prove anything like that?""I'm afraid they wouldn't, no, sir," replied Clyde, thinking of Gilbert.
Well, let me see," went on Jephson after a time. "That makes it rather hard. I don't see, though, that anythingelse would be as safe." And here he turned once more to Belknap and began to inquire as to what he thought ofsuicide as a theory, since Roberta's letters themselves showed a melancholy trend which might easily have led tothoughts of suicide. And could they not say that once out on the lake with Clyde and pleading with him to marryher, and he refusing to do so, she had jumped overboard. And he was too astounded and mentally upset to try tosave her.
But what about his own story that the wind had blown his hat off, and in trying to save that he upset the boat?"interjected Belknap, and exactly as though Clyde were not present.
Well, that's true enough, too, but couldn't we say that perhaps, since he was morally responsible for hercondition, which in turn had caused her to take her life, he did not want to confess to the truth of her suicide?"At this Clyde winced, but neither now troubled to notice him. They talked as though he was not present or couldhave no opinion in the matter, a procedure which astonished but by no means moved him to object, since he wasfeeling so helpless.
But the false registrations! The two hats--the suit--his bag!" insisted Belknap staccatically, a tone which showedClyde how serious Belknap considered his predicament to be.
Well, whatever theory we advance, those things will have to be accounted for in some way," replied Jephson,dubiously. "We can't admit the true story of his plotting without an insanity plea, not as I see it--at any rate. Andunless we use that, we've got that evidence to deal with whatever we do." He threw up his hands wearily and as ifto say: I swear I don't know what to do about this.
But," persisted Belknap, "in the face of all that, and his refusal to marry her, after his promises referred to in herletters--why, it would only react against him, so that public opinion would be more prejudiced against him thanever. No, that won't do," he concluded. "We'll have to think of something which will create some sort ofsympathy for him."And then once more turning to Clyde as though there had been no such discussion. And looking at him as muchas to say: "You are a problem indeed." And then Jephson, observing: "And, oh, yes, that suit you dropped in thatlake up there near the Cranstons'--describe the spot to me as near as you can where you threw it--how far fromthe house was it?" He waited until Clyde haltingly attempted to recapture the various details of the hour and thescene as he could recall it.
If I could go up there, I could find it quick enough.""Yes, I know, but they won't let you go up there without Mason being along," he returned. "And maybe not eventhen. You're in prison now, and you can't be taken out without the state's consent, you see. But we must get thatsuit." Then turning to Belknap and lowering his voice, he added: "We want to get it and have it cleaned andsubmit it as having been sent away to be cleaned by him--not hidden, you see.""Yes, that's so," commented Belknap idly while Clyde stood listening curiously and a little amazed by this frankprogram of trickery and deception on his behalf.
And now in regard to that camera that fell in the lake--we have to try and find that, too. I think maybe Masonmay know about it or suspect that it's there. At any rate it's very important that we should find it before he does.
You think that about where that pole was that day you were up there is where the boat was when it overturned?""Yes, sir.""Well, we must see if we can get that," he continued, turning to Belknap. "We don't want that turning up in thetrial, if we can help it. For without that, they'll have to be swearing that he struck her with that tripod orsomething that he didn't, and that's where we may trip 'em up.""Yes, that's true, too," replied Belknap.
And now in regard to the bag that Mason has. That's another thing I haven't seen yet, but I will see it to-morrow.
Did you put that suit, as wet as it was, in the bag when you came out of the water?""No, sir, I wrung it out first. And then I dried it as much as I could. And then I wrapped it up in the paper that wehad the lunch in and then put some dry pine needles underneath it in the bag and on top of it""So there weren't any wet marks in the bag after you took it out, as far as you know?""No, sir, I don't think so.""But you're not sure?""Not exactly sure now that you ask me--no, sir.""Well, I'll see for myself to-morrow. And now as to those marks on her face, you have never admitted to any onearound here or anywhere that you struck her in any way?""No, sir.""And the mark on the top of her head was made by the boat, just as you said?""Yes, sir.""But the others you think you might have made with the camera?""Yes, sir. I suppose they were.""Well, then, this is the way it looks to me," said Jephson, again turning to Belknap. "I think we can safely saywhen the time comes that those marks were never made by him at all, see?--but by the hooks and the poles withwhich they were scraping around up there when they were trying to find her. We can try it, anyhow. And if thehooks and poles didn't do it," he added, a little grimly and dryly, "certainly hauling her body from that lake tothat railroad station and from there to here on the train might have.""Yes, I think Mason would have a hard time proving that they weren't made that way," replied Belknap.
And as for that tripod, well, we'd better exhume the body and make our own measurements, and measure thethickness of the edge of that boat, so that it may not be so easy for Mason to make any use of the tripod now thathe has it, after all."Mr. Jephson's eyes were very small and very clear and very blue, as he said this. His head, as well as his body,had a thin, ferrety look. And it seemed to Clyde, who had been observing and listening to all this with awe, thatthis younger man might be the one to aid him. He was so shrewd and practical, so very direct and chill andindifferent and yet confidence-inspiring, quite like an uncontrollable machine of a kind which generates power.
And when at last these two were ready to go, he was sorry. For with them near him, planning and plotting inregard to himself, he felt so much safer, stronger, more hopeful, more certain of being free, maybe, at somefuture date.