Johann looked about in alarm, but when he saw the others beginning to peer into every corner and every cupboard, he himself joined in the man-hunt.A quarter of an hour later, the four men relinquished their fruitless efforts and gathered beside the corpse again.
"Doctor, will you have the kindness to report to the head Commissioner of Police, and to order the taking away of the body?
We will look about for some motive for this murder in the meantime,"said Horn, as he held out his hand to the physician.
Muller walked out to the door of the house with the doctor.
"Do you think this valet did it?" asked the physician softly.
"He? Oh, dear, no," replied the detective scornfully.
"You think he's too stupid? But this stupidity might be feigned.""It's real enough, doctor."
"But what do you think about it - you, who have the gift of seeing more than other people see, even if it does bring you into disfavour with the Powers that Be?""Then you don't believe me yet?"
"You mean about the beautiful Mrs.Kniepp?
"And yet I tell you I am right.It was an intentional suicide.""Muller, Muller, you must keep better watch over your imagination and your tongue! It is a dangerous thing to spread rumours about persons high in favor with the Arch-duke.But you had better tell me what you think about this affair," continued the doctor, pointing back towards the room they had just left.
"There's a woman in the case."
"Aha! you are romancing again.Well, they won't be so sensitive about this matter, but take care that you don't make a mistake again, my dear Muller.It would be likely to cost you your position, don't forget that."The doctor left the house.Muller smiled bitterly as he closed the door behind him, and murmured to himself: "Indeed, I do not forget it, and that is why I shall take this matter into my own hands.But the Kniepp case is not closed yet, by any means."When he returned to the study he saw Johann sitting quietly in a corner, shaking his head, as if trying to understand it all.Horn was bending over a sheet of writing paper which lay before the dead man.Fellner must have been busy at his desk when the bullet penetrated his heart.His hand in dying had let fall the pen, which had drawn a long black mark across the bottom of the sheet.
One page of the paper was covered with a small, delicate handwriting.
Horn called up the detective, and together they read the following words:
"Dear Friend: -
"He challenged me - pistols - it means life or death.My enemy is very bitter.But I am not ready to die yet.And as I know that Iwould be the one to fall, I have refused the duel.That will help me little, for his revenge will know how to find me.I dare not be a moment without a weapon now - his threats on my refusal let me fear the worst.I have an uncanny presentiment of evil.I shall leave here to-morrow.With the excuse of having some pressing family affair to attend to, I have secured several days' leave.
Of course I do not intend to return.I am hoping that you will come here and break up my establishment in my stead.I will tell you everything else when I see you.I am in a hurry now, for there is a good deal of packing to do.If anything should happen to me, you will know who it is who is responsible for my death.His name is - "Here the letter came to an abrupt close.
Muller and Horn looked at each other in silence, then they turned their eyes again toward the dead man.
"He was a coward," said the detective coldly, and turned away.
Horn repeated mechanically, "A coward!" and his eyes also looked down with a changed expression upon the handsome, soft-featured face, framed in curly blond hair, that lay so silent against the chair-back.Many women had loved this dead man, and many men had been fond of him, for they had believed him capable and manly.
The commissioner and Muller continued their researches in silence and with less interest than before.They found a heap of loose ashes in the bedroom stove.Letters and other trifles had been burned there.Muller raked out the heap very carefully, but the writing on the few pieces of paper still left whole was quite illegible.There were several envelopes in the waste-basket, but all of them were dated several months back.There was nothing that could give the slightest clue.
The letter written by the murdered man was sufficient proof that his death had been an act of vengeance.But who was it who had carried out this secret, terrible deed? The victim had not been allowed the time to write down the name of his murderer.
Horn took the letter into his keeping.Then he left the room, followed by Muller and the valet, to look about the rest of the house as far as possible.This was not very far, for the second story was closed off by a tall iron grating.
"Is the house door locked during the daytime?" asked Horn of the servant.
"The front door is, but the side door into the garden is usually open.""Has it ever happened that any one got into the house from this side door without your knowing it?""No, sir.The garden has a high wall around it.And there is extra protection on the side toward the Promenade.""But there's a little gate there?"
"Yes, sir."
"Is that usually closed?"
"We never use the key for that, sir.It has a trick lock that you can't open unless you know how.""You said you went to the theatre yesterday evening.Did your master give you permission to go?""Yes, sir.It's about a year now that he gave me money for a theatre ticket every Saturday evening.He was very kind.""Did you come into the house last night by the front door, or through the garden?""Through the garden, sir.I walked down the Promenade from the theatre.""And you didn't notice anything - you saw no traces of footsteps?""No, sir.I didn't notice anything unusual.We shut the side door, the garden door, every evening, also.It was closed yesterday and I found the key - we've only got one key to the garden door - in the same place where I was told to hide it when I went out in the evening.""What place was that?"
"In one of the pails by the well."
