Mystery on Southampton Water by Freeman Wills Crofts

Author:Freeman Wills Crofts [Crofts, Freeman Wills]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2020-06-15T17:00:00+00:00

13

Joymount is Again Perturbed

Next morning, when the correspondence had been dealt with, Brand approached Tasker.

‘King wants a discussion about this new process,’ he said. ‘We’ve got something rather dreadful to tell you. You’ll have to prepare yourself for a shock, Tasker.’

‘What is it?’ Tasker grunted, as he continued running his eye over a letter.

‘I can’t tell you without King. But it’s horribly serious. You’ll be upset.’

Tasker laid down his paper and looked fixedly at the younger man. ‘I can see you’re upset,’ he said quietly. ‘If it’s important there’s no time like the present. Get him in now.’

After ensuring that they could not be overheard, King told the whole story. He began by reminding Tasker how he, Tasker, had selected him to investigate the falling sales of the Joymount Company, and how he had discovered the cause. He painted a moving picture of the fate of the concern and of each one of themselves if something were not done to avert the threatening disaster. He showed that the discovery of the Chayle process would not only be the only hope for Joymount, but, and on this he laid great stress, the discovery need not injure Chayle. ‘As you know as well, and perhaps better than we do,’ he declared, ‘we were not out to injure Chayle, but only to prevent Chayle injuring us.’

Tasker, who had by this time become somewhat grim, replied by a nod, and King went on to describe his decision to search the Chayle works, his enlistment of Brand’s aid, their first scouting visit, the discovery that the keys would be necessary, his trick to get the impressions, and the second visit to Chayle with its ghastly result. Then he told of the efforts he had made to escape from the appalling situation in which they were placed, how he decided that only the disappearance of the watchman would meet the case, and how a motive for that disappearance must be provided. He described his search of the offices, his finding of the money and his conclusion that here was the very thing for his purpose. He made it clear that he knew that the dead man was alone in the world, and that any stain that might be put on his name would not affect any living person.

Then he went on to recount his despair at having, after the immense price which they were going to have to pay, to admit failure—to admit that the price would be paid for nothing. He told of the struggle he had to prevent himself hurrying away from that dreadful building, then his reminding himself that now he had an opportunity which would never recur, and that if he didn’t take advantage of it, Joymount and himself and his friends, were down and out. In the end he had conquered his panic and had opened the two safes. In Haviland’s he saw what he was in search of. With a supreme effort he had forced himself to sit down and copy the precious document word for word.

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