The Luminous Face

“But he was very much in love with Miss Lindsay,” Lane explained the situation, “and as he had no expectation of this immediate death, he hoped to make her his wife. But, he told me this when I drew up his will – he provided for Miss Lindsay in case of premature death or accident to himself. I feel sure he hoped to win Miss Lindsay’s promise to be his wife – if he had not already done so.”

“He had not!” exclaimed Phyllis, but she looked thoughtful rather than indignant at the idea.

“If he found that he could not do so,” Lane went on, “he planned to change his will. It was, I think, tentative, and dependent on the course of his wooing.”

“Never mind all that,” said Phyllis, speaking slowly and a little hesitantly; “the will is valid and final, is it not?”

“Certainly,” returned Lane, but he gave her a searching glance.

“Then half the money is mine, and half Millicent’s,” Phyllis went on, still with that thoughtful manner. “Don’t worry, Buddy, I’ll give you part of my share.” She looked at her brother with fond affection.

“I suppose it’s all right,” Millicent said, her glance at Phyllis a little resentful. “It would have been quite all right, if Phyllis had meant to marry my brother – but she had no such intention!”

“You don’t know – ” began the girl.

“I do know,” declared Millicent. “And what’s more, if you had any hand in his murder – ”

“Oh, hush!” cried Fred Lane, shocked even more at Millicent’s look than at her words.

“I won’t hush! I’m going to find out who killed my brother! He was the only human being whom I loved. These step-children mean nothing to me – although we have always lived harmoniously enough. Now, if Phyllis is innocent, that’s all there is about it. But her innocence must be proved!”

Phyllis gave her stepmother a kindly, pitying glance.

“Now, Millicent,” she said, “you’re excited and nervous, and you don’t know what you’re saying. Go and lie down, dear – ”

“‘Go and lie down, dear!’” Millicent mocked her, eyes flashing and her voice hard. “Yes, that’s just what you’d say, of course! You fear investigation! No one would dream of suspecting you – unless they knew what I know! and you say – ‘go and lie down!’ Indeed, I won’t go and lie down! Now, look here, Phyllis Lindsay, you knew what was in that will of my brother’s! I didn’t – but you did!”

“No, I didn’t, Millicent – ”

“You did! You led my brother on – and on – letting him think you would marry him – then, when he’d made a will in your favor, you killed him to get the money! That’s what you did! And I’ll prove it – if it costs me all my share of my poor brother’s fortune!”

She collapsed then, and sat, huddled in the big chair, shaking with sobs.

Without a word, Doctor Davenport went to her, assisted her to rise, and, summoning a maid to help him, took Millicent Lindsay away to her own room.

“What ails her, anyway?” Louis growled, looking at Phyllis, curiously.

“Oh, she’s like that when she gets a tantrum,” the girl responded, looking worried. “She’s really good friends with me, but if she takes a notion she turns against me, and she can’t think of anything bad enough to say to me.”

“I don’t like her present attitude,” Lane said, abruptly. “She may make a lot of trouble for you, Miss Lindsay. Did you know of contents of the will?”

“No,” she returned, but she did not look at the lawyer. If, he mused, she were telling an untruth, she would, doubtless, look just like that.

“Are you sure?” he followed up.

“Of course, I’m sure!” she flung up her head and looked at him. Her dark eyes were not flashing, but smoldering with a deep fire of indignation. “How dare you question my statements!”

“Now, Phyl,” said her brother, “be careful what you say. Millicent has it in her power to do you a bad turn, and she’s willing to do it if she thinks you’re mixed up in her brother’s case. Do you know anything about it, old girl?”

Phyllis gave him a look of reproach, but he went on.

“Now don’t eat me up with your eyes, Sis. When I ask if you know anything about the thing, I don’t mean did you kill Robert Gleason! Of course, I know better than that! But – oh, well, don’t you think, Lane, that Millicent can make trouble for us?”

“Us?” and the lawyer raised his eyebrows. “Where do you come in, Lindsay?”

“Oh,” with an impatient shrug, “Phyl’s troubles are mine, of course. And seems to me, Millicent has a very annoying bee in her bonnet.”

“Easy enough to settle the matter,” Lane said, briefly. “Where were you, Miss Lindsay, when the – the tragedy took place?”

“Why, I don’t know,” Phyllis replied. “Here – at home – I think.”

But a sudden flood of scarlet suffused her face, and she was quite evidently preserving her composure by a strong effort.

The small, slight figure, sitting in a tall-backed chair was a picture of itself. Phyllis’ bright coloring, her deep, glowing eyes, scarlet lips and rose-flushed cheeks were accented by the plain black gown she wore and her graceful little hands moved eloquently as she talked, and then fluttered to rest on the carved arms of the great chair.

“Sure?”

“Stop saying ‘sure?’ to me!” Phyllis spoke shortly, and then gave a good-natured laugh. “Of course, I’m not sure, Mr Lane. I’ll have to think back. I haven’t a – what do they call it – an alibi, but all the same I didn’t kill – ”

“Don’t say that,” Lane interrupted her, “nobody for a minute supposes you killed anybody. Mrs Lindsay herself doesn’t. It’s hysteria that makes her say so. But, she can make trouble. And, so, I want you to think carefully, and have your evidence ready. Where were you last Tuesday at about half-past six or seven o’clock?”

Phyllis thought. “Here, I think,” she reiterated. “I was out – and I came home and dressed for the dinner party.”

“What was the dinner hour?”

“Eight.”

“And you were dressing – how long?”

“Oh, I don’t know – an hour, probably.”

“That leaves some time yet to be accounted for. Where were you just before you came home?”

“Look here, Mr Lane,” Phyllis’ eyes flashed now, “I won’t be quizzed like that! If I’m suspected of a crime – ”

“You aren’t,” Lane repeated, “but if Mrs Lindsay accuses you of a crime, you must be prepared to defend yourself.”

“Wait till she does, then,” said Phyllis, curtly, and lapsed into silence.

But Louis looked disturbed.

“What can Millicent do, Lane?” he asked. “She can’t make up any yarn that will implicate my sister, can she?”

“Oh, no; probably not. All she can do, is to show that Miss Lindsay knew what she would inherit, and, therefore, can be said to have a motive for the – ”

“Rot! As if Phyllis would shoot a man to get his money!” But Louis Lindsay’s looks belied his words. While showing no doubt or distrust of his sister, he had all the appearance of a man deeply anxious or alarmed at his thoughts. “And, besides, Phyl knew nothing about the will – did you, Sis?”

Phyllis looked at him without replying, for a moment, then she said, “Hush, Louis; don’t keep up the subject. I’m going straight to Millicent – and if she’s able to talk to me, I’ll find out what she means.”