The Vanishing Man Read online

  CHAPTER XIII

  THE CROWNER'S QUEST

  The proceedings of that fine old institution, the coroner's court, areapt to have their dignity impaired by the somewhat unjudicialsurroundings amidst which they are conducted. The present inquiry was tobe held in a long room attached to the inn, ordinarily devoted, as itsvarious appurtenances testified, to gatherings of a more convivialcharacter.

  Hither I betook myself after a protracted lunch and a meditative pipe,and, being the first to arrive--the jury having already been sworn andconducted to the mortuary to view the remains--whiled away the time byconsidering the habits of the customary occupants of the room by thelight of the objects contained in it. A wooden target with one or twodarts sticking in it hung on the end wall and invited the Robin Hoods ofthe village to try their skill; a system of incised marks on the oakentable made sinister suggestions of shove-halfpenny; and a large openbox, filled with white wigs, gaudily coloured robes and wooden spears,swords and regalia, crudely coated with gilded paper, obviouslyappertained to the puerile ceremonials of the Order of Druids.

  I had exhausted the interest of these relics and had transferred myattentions to the picture gallery when the other spectators and thewitnesses began to arrive. Hastily I seated myself in the onlycomfortable chair besides the one placed at the head of the table,presumably for the coroner; and I had hardly done so when the latterentered accompanied by the jury. Immediately after them came thesergeant, Inspector Badger, one or two plain-clothes men, and finallythe divisional surgeon.

  The coroner took his seat at the head of the table and opened his book,and the jury seated themselves on a couple of benches on one side of thelong table. I looked with some interest at the twelve "good men andtrue." They were a representative group of British tradesmen, quiet,attentive, and rather solemn; but my attention was particularlyattracted by a small man with a very large head and a shock ofupstanding hair whom I had diagnosed, after a glance at his intelligentbut truculent countenance and the shiny knees of his trousers, as thevillage cobbler. He sat between the broad-shouldered foreman, who lookedlike a blacksmith, and a dogged, red-faced man whose general aspect ofprosperous greasiness suggested the calling of a butcher.

  "The inquiry, gentlemen," the coroner commenced, "upon which we are nowentering concerns itself with two questions. The first is that ofidentity: Who was this person whose body we have just viewed? The secondis, How, when, and by what means did he come by his death? We will takethe identity first and begin with the circumstances under which the bodywas discovered."

  Here the cobbler stood up and raised an excessively dirty hand.

  "I rise, Mr. Chairman," said he, "to a point of order." The otherjurymen looked at him curiously and some of them, I regret to say,grinned. "You have referred, sir," he continued, "to the body which wehave just viewed. I wish to point out that we have not viewed a body: wehave viewed a collection of bones."

  "We will refer to them as the remains, if you prefer it," said thecoroner.

  "I do prefer it," was the reply, and the objector sat down.

  "Very well," rejoined the coroner, and he proceeded to call thewitnesses, of whom the first was the labourer who had discovered thebones in the watercress-bed.

  "Do you happen to know how long it was since the beds had been cleanedout previously?" the coroner asked, when the witness had told the storyof the discovery.

  "They was cleaned out by Mr. Tapper's orders just before he gave themup. That will be a little better than two years ago. In May it were. Ihelped to clean 'em. I worked on this very same place and there wasn'tno bones there then."

  The coroner glanced at the jury. "Any questions, gentlemen?" he asked.

  The cobbler directed an intimidating scowl at the witness and demanded:

  "Were you searching for bones when you came on these remains?"

  "Me!" exclaimed the witness. "What should I be searching for bones for?"

  "Don't prevaricate," said the cobbler sternly; "answer the question: Yesor no."

  "No; of course I wasn't."

  The juryman shook his enormous head dubiously as though implying thathe would let it pass this time but it mustn't happen again; and theexamination of the witnesses continued, without eliciting anything thatwas new to me or giving rise to any incident, until the sergeant haddescribed the finding of the right arm in the Cuckoo Pits.

  "Was this an accidental discovery?" the coroner asked.

  "No. We had instructions from Scotland Yard to search any likely pondsin this neighbourhood."

  The coroner discreetly forbore to press this matter any farther, but myfriend the cobbler was evidently on the qui vive, and I anticipated abrisk cross-examination for Mr. Badger when his turn came. The inspectorwas apparently of the same opinion, for I saw him cast a glance of thedeepest malevolence at the too inquiring disciple of St. Crispin. Infact, his turn came next, and the cobbler's hair stood up with unholyjoy.

  The finding of the lower half of the trunk in Staple's Pond at Loughtonwas the inspector's own achievement, but he was not boastful about it.The discovery, he remarked, followed naturally on the previous one inthe Cuckoo Pits.

  "Had you any private information that led you to search this particularneighbourhood?" the cobbler asked.

  "We had no private information whatever," replied Badger.

  "Now I put it to you," pursued the juryman, shaking a forensic, and verydirty, forefinger at the inspector; "here are certain remains found atSidcup; here are certain other remains found at St. Mary Cray, andcertain others at Lee. All those places are in Kent. Now isn't it veryremarkable that you should come straight down to Epping Forest, which isin Essex, and search for those bones and find 'em?"

  "We were making a systematic search of all likely places," repliedBadger.

  "Exactly," said the cobbler, with a ferocious grin, "that's just mypoint. I say, isn't it very funny that, after finding remains in Kentsome twenty miles from here with the River Thames between, you shouldcome here to look for the bones and go straight to Staple's Pond, wherethey happen to be--and find 'em?"

  "It would have been more funny," Badger replied sourly, "if we'd gonestraight to a place where they happened _not_ to be--and found them."

  A gratified snigger arose from the other eleven good men and true, andthe cobbler grinned savagely; but before he could think of a suitablerejoinder the coroner interposed.

  "The question is not very material," he said, "and we mustn't embarrassthe police by unnecessary inquiries."

  "It's my belief," said the cobbler, "that he knew they were there allthe time."

  "The witness has stated that he had no private information," said thecoroner; and he proceeded to take the rest of the inspector's evidence,watched closely by the critical juror.

  The account of the finding of the remains having been given in full, thepolice-surgeon was called and sworn; the jurymen straightened theirbacks with an air of expectancy, and I turned over a page of mynote-book.

  "You have examined the bones at present lying in the mortuary andforming the subject of this inquiry?" the coroner asked.

  "I have."

  "Will you kindly tell us what you have observed?"

  "I find that the bones are human bones, and are, in my opinion, allparts of the same person. They form a skeleton which is complete withthe exception of the skull, the third finger of the left hand, theknee-caps, and the leg-bones--I mean the bones between the knees and theankles."

  "Is there anything to account for the absence of the missing finger?"

  "No. There is no deformity and no sign of its having been amputatedduring life. In my opinion it was removed after death."

  "Can you give us any description of the deceased?"

  "I should say that these are the bones of an elderly man, probably oversixty years of age, about five feet eight and a half inches in height,of rather stout build, fairly muscular, and well preserved. There are nosigns of disease excepting some old-standing rheumatic gout of the righthip-joint."
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  "Can you form any opinion as to the cause of death?"

  "No. There are no marks of violence or signs of injury. But it will beimpossible to form any opinion as to the cause of death until we haveseen the skull."

  "Did you note anything else of importance?"

  "Yes. I was struck by the appearance of anatomical knowledge and skillon the part of the person who dismembered the body. The knowledge ofanatomy is proved by the fact that the corpse has been divided intodefinite anatomical regions. For instance, the bones of the neck arecomplete and include the top joint of the backbone known as the atlas;whereas a person without anatomical knowledge would probably take offthe head by cutting through the neck. Then the arms have been separatedwith the scapula (or shoulder-blade) and clavicle (or collar-bone)attached, just as an arm would be removed for dissection.

  "The skill is shown by the neat way in which the dismemberment has beencarried out. The parts have not been rudely hacked asunder, but havebeen separated at the joints so skilfully that I have not discovered asingle scratch or mark of the knife on any of the bones."

  "Can you suggest any class of person who would be likely to possess theknowledge and skill to which you refer?"

  "It would, of course, be possessed by a surgeon or medical student, andpossibly by a butcher."

  "You think that the person who dismembered this body may have been asurgeon or a medical student?"

  "Yes; or a butcher. Someone accustomed to the dismemberment of bodiesand skilful with the knife."

  Here the cobbler suddenly rose to his feet.

  "I rise, Mr. Chairman," said he, "to protest against the statement thathas just been made."

  "What statement?" demanded the coroner.

  "Against the aspersion," continued the cobbler, with an oratoricalflourish, "that has been cast upon a honourable calling."

  "I don't understand you," said the coroner.

  "Doctor Summers has insinuated that this murder was committed by abutcher. Now a member of that honourable calling is sitting on thisjury--"

  "You let me alone," growled the butcher.

  "I will not let you alone," persisted the cobbler. "I desire--"

  "Oh, shut up, Pope!" This was from the foreman, who, at the same moment,reached out an enormous hairy hand with which he grabbed the cobbler'scoat-tails and brought him into a sitting posture with a thump thatshook the room.

  But Mr. Pope, though seated, was not silenced. "I desire," said he, "tohave my protest put on record."

  "I can't do that," said the coroner, "and I can't allow you to interruptthe witnesses."

  "I am acting," said Mr. Pope, "in the interests of my friend here andthe members of a honourable----"

  But here the butcher turned on him savagely, and, in a hoarsestage-whisper, exclaimed:

  "Look here, Pope; you've got too much of what the cat licks--"

  "Gentlemen! gentlemen!" the coroner protested, sternly; "I cannot permitthis unseemly conduct. You are forgetting the solemnity of the occasionand your own responsible positions. I must insist on more decent anddecorous behaviour."

  There was profound silence, in the midst of which the butcher concludedin the same hoarse whisper:

  "--licks 'er paws with."

  The coroner cast a withering glance at him, and turning to the witness,resumed the examination.

  "Can you tell us, Doctor, how long a time has elapsed since the death ofthe deceased?"

  "I should say not less than eighteen months, but probably more. How muchmore it is impossible from inspection alone to say. The bones areperfectly clean--that is, clean of all soft structures--and will remainsubstantially in their present condition for many years."

  "The evidence of the man who found the remains in the watercress-bedsuggests that they could not have been there more than two years. Do theappearances, in your opinion, agree with that view?"

  "Yes; perfectly."

  "There is one more point, Doctor; a very important one. Do you findanything in any of the bones, or all of them together, which wouldenable you to identify them as the bones of any particular individual?"

  "No," replied Dr. Summers; "I found no peculiarity that could furnishthe means of personal identification."

  "The description of a missing individual has been given to us," said thecoroner; "a man, fifty-nine years of age, five feet eight inches inheight, healthy, well preserved, rather broad in build, and having anold Pott's fracture of the left ankle. Do the remains that you haveexamined agree with that description?"

  "Yes, in so far as agreement is possible. There is no disagreement."

  "The remains might be those of that individual?"

  "They might; but there is no positive evidence that they are. Thedescription would apply to a large proportion of elderly men, except asto the fracture."

  "You found no signs of such a fracture?"

  "No. Pott's fracture affects the bone called the fibula. That is one ofthe bones that has not yet been found, so there is no evidence on thatpoint. The left foot was quite normal, but then it would be in any case,unless the fracture had resulted in great deformity."

  "You estimated the height of the deceased as half an inch greater thanthat of the missing person. Does that constitute a disagreement?"

  "No; my estimate is only approximate. As the arms are complete and thelegs are not, I have based my calculations on the width across the twoarms. But measurement of the thigh-bones gives the same result. Thelength of the thigh-bones is one foot seven inches and five-eighths."

  "So the deceased might not have been taller than five feet eight?"

  "That is so: from five feet eight to five feet nine."

  "Thank you. I think that is all we want to ask you, Doctor; unless thejury wish to put any questions."

  He glanced uneasily at that august body, and instantly the irrepressiblePope rose to the occasion.

  "About that finger that is missing," said the cobbler. "You say that itwas cut off after death."

  "That is my opinion."

  "Now, can you tell us why it was cut off?"

  "No, I cannot."

  "Oh, come now, Doctor Summers, you must have formed some opinion on thesubject."

  Here the coroner interposed. "The Doctor is only concerned with evidencearising out of the actual examination of the remains. Any personalopinions or conjectures that he may have formed are not evidence, and hemust not be asked about them."

  "But, sir," objected Pope, "we want to know why that finger was cut off.It couldn't have been took off for no reason. May I ask, sir, if theperson who is missing had anything peculiar about that finger?"

  "Nothing is stated to that effect in the written description," repliedthe coroner.

  "Perhaps," suggested Pope, "Inspector Badger can tell us."

  "I think," said the coroner, "we had better not ask the police too manyquestions. They will tell us anything that they wish to be made public."

  "Oh, very well," snapped the cobbler. "If it's a matter of hushing it upI've got no more to say; only I don't see how we are to arrive at averdict if we don't have the facts put before us."

  All the witnesses having now been examined, the coroner proceeded to sumup and address the jury.

  "You have heard the evidence, gentlemen, of the various witnesses, andyou will have perceived that it does not enable us to answer either ofthe questions that form the subject of this inquiry. We now know thatthe deceased was an elderly man, about sixty years of age, and aboutfive feet eight or nine in height; and that his death took place fromeighteen months to two years ago. That is all we know. From thetreatment to which the body has been subjected we may form certainconjectures as to the circumstances of his death. But we have no actualknowledge. We do not know who the deceased was or how he came by hisdeath. Consequently, it will be necessary to adjourn this inquiry untilfresh facts are available, and as soon as that is the case, you willreceive due notice that your attendance is required."

  The silence of the Court gave place to the confuse
d noise of movingchairs and a general outbreak of eager talk, amidst which I rose andmade my way out into the street. At the door I encountered Dr. Summers,whose dog-cart was waiting close by.

  "Are you going back to town now?" he asked.

  "Yes," I answered; "as soon as I can catch a train."

  "If you jump into my cart I'll run you down in time for the five-one.You'll miss it if you walk."

  I accepted his offer thankfully, and a minute later was spinning brisklydown the road to the station.

  "Queer little devil, that man, Pope," Dr. Summers remarked. "Quite acharacter; socialist, labourite, agitator, general crank; anything for arow."

  "Yes," I answered, "that was what his appearance suggested. It must betrying for the coroner to get a truculent rascal like that on a jury."

  Summers laughed. "I don't know. He supplies the comic relief. And then,you know, those fellows have their uses. Some of his questions werepretty pertinent."

  "So Badger seemed to think."

  "Yes, by Jove," chuckled Summers, "Badger didn't like him a bit; and Isuspect the worthy inspector was sailing pretty close to the wind in hisanswers."

  "You think he really has some private information?"

  "Depends upon what you mean by 'information.' The police are not aspeculative body. They wouldn't be taking all this trouble unless theyhad a pretty straight tip from somebody. How are Mr. and MissBellingham? I used to know them slightly when they lived here."

  I was considering a discreet answer to this question when we swept intothe station yard. At the same moment the train drew up at the platform,and, with a hurried hand-shake and hastily spoken thanks, I sprang fromthe dog-cart and darted into the station.

  During the rather slow journey homewards I read over my notes andendeavoured to extract from the facts they set forth some significanceother than that which lay on the surface, but without much success. ThenI fell to speculating on what Thorndyke would think of the evidence atthe inquest and whether he would be satisfied with the information thatI had collected. These speculations lasted me, with occasionaldigressions, until I arrived at the Temple and ran up the stairs rathereagerly to my friend's chambers.

  But here a disappointment awaited me. The nest was empty with theexception of Polton, who appeared at the laboratory door in his whiteapron, with a pair of flat-nosed pliers in his hand.

  "The Doctor has had to go down to Bristol to consult over an urgentcase," he explained, "and Doctor Jervis has gone with him. They'll beaway a day or two, I expect, but the Doctor left this note for you."

  He took a letter from a shelf, where it had been stood conspicuously onedge, and handed it to me. It was a short note from Thorndykeapologising for his sudden departure and asking me to give Polton mynotes with any comments that I had to make.

  "You will be interested to learn," he added, "that the application willbe heard in the Probate Court the day after to-morrow. I shall not bepresent, of course, nor will Jervis, so I should like you to attend andkeep your eyes open for anything that may happen during the hearing andthat may not appear in the notes that Marchmont's clerk will beinstructed to take. I have retained Dr. Payne to stand by and help youwith the practice, so that you can attend the Court with a clearconscience."

  This was highly flattering and quite atoned for the smalldisappointment; with deep gratification at the trust that Thorndyke hadreposed in me, I pocketed the letter, handed my notes to Polton, wishedhim "Good evening," and betook myself to Fetter Lane.