Agatha Christie - While the light lasts

"Yes," said Fenella. "Tell me."

Something like a grin came over his face.

"D'ye ken -" he began.

Then suddenly his head fell over sideways and he died.

"I don't like it," said Fenella suddenly.

"What don't you like?"

"Listen, Juan. Ewan stole those clues - he admits falling from the ladder. Then where are they? We've seen all the contents of his pockets. There were three sealed envelopes, so Mrs. Skillicorn says. Those sealed envelopes aren't there."

"What do you think, then?"

"I think there was someone else there, someone who jerked away the ladder so that Ewan fell. And that stone - he never fell on it - it was brought from some distance away - I've found the mark. He was deliberately bashed on the head with it."

"But Fenella - that's murder!"

"Yes," said Fenella, very white. "It's murder. Remember, Dr. Fayll never turned up at ten o'clock this morning. Where is he?"

"You think he's the murderer?"

"Yes. You know - this treasure - it's a lot of money, Juan."

"And we've no idea where to look for him," I said.

"A pity Corjeag couldn't have finished what he was going to say."

"There's one thing that might help. This was in his hand."

She handed me a torn snapshot.

"Suppose it's a clue. The murderer snatched it away and never noticed he'd left a corner of it behind. If we were to find the other half -"

"To do that," I said, "we must find the second treasure. Let's look at this thing."

"Hmm," I said, "there's nothing much to go by. That seems a kind of tower in the middle of the circle, but it would be very hard to identify."

Fenella nodded.

"Dr. Fayll has the important half. He knows where to look. We've got to find that man, Juan, and watch him. Of course, we won't let him see we suspect."

"I wonder whereabouts in the island he is this minute. If we only knew -"

My mind went back to the dying man. Suddenly I sat up excitedly.

"Fenella," I said, "Corjeag wasn't Scotch?"

"No, of course not."

"Well, then, don't you see? What he meant, I mean?"

"No?"

I scribbled something on a piece of paper and tossed it to her.

"What's this?"

"The name of a firm that might help us."

"Bellman and True. Who are they? Lawyers?"

"No - they're more in our line - private detectives."

And I proceeded to explain.

"Dr. Fayll to see you," said Mrs. Skillicorn.

We looked at each other. Twenty-four hours had elapsed. We had returned from our quest successful for the second time. Not wishing to draw attention to ourselves, we had journeyed in the Snaefell - a charabanc.

"I wonder if he knows we saw him in the distance?" murmured Fenella.

"It's extraordinary. If it hadn't been for the hint that photograph gave us - "

"Hush - and do be careful, Juan. He must be simply furious at our having outwitted him in spite of everything."

No trace of it appeared in the doctor's manner, however. He entered the room his urbane and charming self, and I felt my faith in Fenella's theory dwindling.

"What a shocking tragedy!" he said. "Poor Corjeag. I suppose he was - well - trying to steal a march on us. Retribution was swirl. Well, well - we scarcely knew him, poor fellow. You must have wondered why I didn't turn up this morning as arranged. I got a fake message - Corjeag's doing, I suppose - it sent me off on a wild-goose chase right across the island. And now you two have romped home again. How do you do it?"

There was a note of really eager inquiry in his voice which did not escape me.

"Cousin Ewan was fortunately able to speak just before he died," said Fenella.

I was watching the man, and I could swear I saw alarm leap into his eyes at her words.

"Eh - eh? What's that?" he said.

"He was just able to give us a clue as to the whereabouts of the treasure," explained Fenella.

"Oh! I see - I see. I've been clean out of things - though, curiously enough, I myself was in that part of the island. You may have seen me strolling round."

"We were so busy," said Fenella apologetically.

"Of course, of course. You must have run across the thing more or less by accident. Lucky young people, aren't you? Well, what's the next program? Will Mrs. Skillicorn oblige us with the new clues?"

But it seemed that this third set of clues had been deposited with the lawyer, and we all three repaired to the lawyer's office, where the sealed envelopes were handed over to us.

The contents were simple. A map with a certain area marked off on it, and a paper of directions attached.

In '85, this place made history.

11 paces from the landmark to

The east, then an equal ten

Places north. Stand there

Looking east. Two trees are in the

Line of vision. One of them

Was sacred in this island. Draw

A circle five feet from

The Spanish chestnut and,

With head bent, walk round. Look well. You'll find.

"Looks as though we are going to tread on each other's toes a bit today," commented the doctor.

True to my policy of apparent friendliness, I offered him a lift in our car, which he accepted. We had lunch at Port Erin, and then started on our search.

I had debated in my own mind the reason of my uncle's depositing this particular set of clues with his lawyer. Had he foreseen the possibility of a theft? And had he determined that not more than one set of clues should fall into the thief's possession?

The treasure hunt this afternoon was not without its humor. The area of search was limited and we were continually in sight of each other. We eyed each other suspiciously, each trying to determine whether the other was further on or had had a brain wave.

"This is all part of Uncle Myles's plan," said Fenella.

"He wanted us to watch each other and go through all the agonies of thinking the other person was getting there."

"Come," I said. "Let's get down to it scientifically. We've got one definite clue to start on. 'In '85 this place made history.' Look up the reference books we've got with us and see if we can't hunt that down. Once we get that -"

"He's looking in that hedge," interrupted Fenella. "Oh! I can't bear it. If he's got it -"

"Attend to me," I said firmly. "There's really only one way to go about it the proper way."

"There are so few trees on the island that it would be much simpler just to look for a chestnut tree!" said Fenella.

I pass over the next hour. We grew hot and despondent - and all the time we were tortured with fear that Fayll might be succeeding whilst we failed.

"I remember once reading in a detective story," I said, "how a fellow stuck a paper of writing in a bath of acid - and all sorts of other words came out."

"Do you think - but we haven't got a bath of acid!"

"I don't think Uncle Myles could expect expert chemical knowledge. But there's common or garden heat -"

We slipped round the corner of a hedge and in a minute or two I had kindled a few twigs. I held the paper as close to the blaze as I dared. Almost at once I was rewarded by seeing characters begin to appear at the foot of the sheet. There were just two words.

"Kirkhill Station," read out Fenella.

Just at that moment Fayll came round the corner. Whether he had heard or not we had no means of judging. He showed nothing.

"But Juan," said Fenella, when he moved away, "there isn't a Kirkhill Station!" She held out the map as she spoke.

"No," I said examining it, "but look here."

And with a pencil I drew a line on it.

"Of course! And somewhere on that line -"

"Exactly."

"But I wish we knew the exact spot."

It was then that my second brain wave came to me.

"We do!" I cried, and seizing the pencil again, I said: "Look!"

Fenella uttered a cry.

"How idiotic!" she cried. "And how marvelous: What a sell! Really. Uncle Myles was a most ingenious old gentleman!"