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Page 54
Beyond doubt Justice had guided the seaman's blows. This was the
man who had murdered my dark-eyed visitor!
I stood perfectly still, directing the little white ray of my
flashlight upon the pigtail in my hand. I realized that my
position, difficult before, now was become impossible; the
possession of the pigtail compromised me hopelessly. What should
I do?
"My God!" I said aloud, "what does it all mean?"
"It means," said a gruff voice, "that it was lucky I was
following you and saw what happened!"
I whirled about, my heart leaping wildly. Detective-Sergeant
Durham was standing watching me, a grim smile upon his face!
I laughed rather shakily.
"Lucky indeed!" I said. "Thank God you're here. This pigtail is
a nightmare which threatens to drive me mad!"
The detective advanced and knelt beside the crumpled-up figure on
the ground. He examined it briefly, and then stood up.
"The fact that he had the missing pigtail in his pocket," he
said, "is proof enough to my mind that he did the murder."
"And to mine."
"There's another point," he added, "which throws a lot of light
on the matter. You and Mr. Harley were out of town at the time
of the Huang Chow case; but the Chief and I outlined it, you
remember, one night in Mr. Harley's rooms?"
"I remember it perfectly; the giant spider in the coffin------"
"Yes; and a certain Ah Fu, confidential servant of the old man,
who used to buy the birds the thing fed on. Well, Mr. Knox,
Huang Chow was the biggest dealer in illicit stuff in all the
East End--and this battered thing at our feet is--Ah Fu!"
"Huang Chow's servant?"
"Exactly!"
I stared, uncomprehendingly, and:
"In what way does this throw light on the matter?" I asked.
Durham--a very intelligent young officer--smiled significantly.
"I begin to see light!" he declared. "The gentleman who made off
just as I arrived on the scene probably had a private quarrel
with the Chinaman and was otherwise not concerned in any way."
"I am disposed to agree with you," I said guardedly.
"Of course, you've no idea of his identity?"
"I'm afraid not."
"We may find him," mused the officer, glancing at me shrewdly,
"by applying at the offices of the Planet Line, but I rather
doubt it. Also I rather doubt if we'll look very far. He's
saved us a lot of trouble, but"--peering about in the shadowy
corners which abounded--"didn't I see somebody else lurking
around here?"
"I'm almost certain there was someone else!" I cried. "In fact,
I could all but swear to it."
"H'm!" said the detective. "He's not here now. Might I trouble
you to walk along to Limehouse Police Station for the ambulance?
I'd better stay here."
I agreed at once, and started off.
Thus a second time my plans were interrupted, for my expedition
that night ultimately led me to Bow Street, whence, after certain
formalities had been observed, I departed for my chambers, the
mysterious pigtail in my pocket. Failing the presence of Durham,
the pigtail must have been retained as evidence, but:
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