The Mark of Cain

“Fibsy, you’ve the right bent to be a detective!” exclaimed Stone; “that was really clever of you.”

But Fibsy was unmoved by this praise. “I sorta sensed it,” he went on. “Well, sir, that shoe button never came offen Mr. Landon’s shoes, sir.”

“How do you know?”

“I got around the chambermaid here in this house, sir, an’ she hunted all over Mr. Landon’s shoes, an’ they ain’t no buttons missin’; an’ too, sir, this button is from a city shoe, a New York shoe. An’ Mr. Landon, he wears western shoes. Oh, I know; I’ve dug into it good.”

“Well, whose button is it?”

“I don’t know, sir, but you can find out. I told Miss Trowbridge, sir, my clues was clues only in your hands.”

“The button may be important, and may not.”

“Yes, sir,” and Fibsy beamed “that’s jest exactly what I thought. Now, my other clue, sir, is this. I ain’t got it here, but I got it safe home. It’s a hunk o’ dirt that I cut out o’ the ground, right near the – the spot. You see, it has a print in it, a deep, clear print, sorta round. Well, sir, I’d like you to see it ’fore I describe it. I’d like to know if it strikes you like it does me.”

The boy seemed all unaware of any presumption in the manner of argumentative equality which he had adopted toward the famous detective, and, to Avice’s surprise, Mr. Stone seemed not to resent it.

“Were there other marks of this nature?”

“Yes, several. I scratched them away with my foot.”

“You did! You destroyed evidence purposely! Why?”

“Because I picked out the best and clearest, and kep’ it safely. I was goin’ to give it to Miss Avice or Judge Hoyt, but they all made fun o’ me, so I didn’t. They wasn’t no use o’ reporters muddlin’ the case up. An’ smarty-cat snoopers huntin’ clues, an’ all.”

“You took a great deal on yourself, my boy. You had no right to do it. But I will reserve judgment. It may well be you have done a good thing.”

“It was too many for me, sir. I couldn’t sling the case myself. An’ Judge Hoyt wouldn’t pay no ’tention; an’ that gink, – I mean – that Mr. Duane, he ain’t got no seein’ powers so I says they ain’t no one but you to take it up as it should be took up. An’ glory to goodness you’re here!”

Fleming Stone smiled a little, but quickly looking serious again, said to Avice, “If you want me to work on this case, Miss Trowbridge, I will start by going with this boy to look at his ‘clues.’ They may be of some importance.”

Avice agreed, and the great detective and the small boy went away together.

“And so you are Miss Trowbridge’s secretary?” asked Stone as they walked along.

“No, sir, I ain’t. That was one of my lies. I said it so’s you’d come.”

“Look here, what’s this about your lying habits? Is it a true bill?”

“No, Mr. Stone, I’ve quit. That is, practically. But I’ve often found a lot o’ help in shadin’ the truth now an then. But, shucks, they was only foolishness, to fuss up people who oughter be bothered. An’ any way, I’ve quit, ’ceppen as it may be necess’ry in my business.”

“And what is your business?”

“It’s been bein’ office boy, but I’ve always wanted to be a detective, an’ since I’ve seen you, I know I’m goin’ to be one. I have the same cast o’ mind as you have, sir.”

Stone looked sharply into the earnest face raised to his, and it showed no undue conceit, merely a recognition of existing conditions.

“Terence,” he said, quietly, “a good detective cannot be an habitual liar.”

“I know it, sir; that’s why I’ve quit. After now, I’m only goin’ to tell lies when me work requires it. Just as you do, sir. You don’t always tell the strick truth, do you, sir?”

Stone shot a glance at him and then smiled. “Let’s discuss those ethics some other time, Fibsy. Where do you live?”

“Quite some way off, sir. I’ll show you.”

“We’d better get a taxi, then;” and soon the two detectives were on their way to Fibsy’s humble home.

Stone waited in the cab, while the boy ran in and out again with his precious clues.

“I’ve kep’ ’em careful,” he said, “and the dirt ain’t jarred nor nothin.”

First he produced the shoe button. “You see,” he said, earnestly, “if it was shiny all over it wouldn’t mean much; but it’s rubbed brown on one side, so if we could find the shoe it came off of, we’d know it in a minute.”

“Good work,” said Stone, quietly, “go on.”

“Well, sir, it ain’t Mr. Landon’s, cos he ain’t got any shoes with buttons the least mite like this, and as he came from Denver the day before the murder, he didn’t have time to get some an’ wear ’em to this browniness.”

“It is a point, Fibsy.”

“Yes sir, that’s all it is, a point. Now look at this mud.”

With great care, Fibsy opened a box and showed a piece of soil, about four inches square, in the center of which was clearly defined round hole.

“I cut it out right near the ‘spot’,” said he, in the awed tone in which he always referred to the scene of the crime. “It’s the mark of a – ”

“Cane!” said both voices together.

“Yes sir,” went on Fibsy, eagerly, “an’ that ain’t all! I saw the daisies and clovers were sorta switched off all around the spot, as if by sombuddy slashin’ a cane around careless-like. An’ then,” and the boy’s face grew solemn with the bigness of his revelation, “I seemed to see in my mind a – what do you call ’em, sir? – a dirk cane, a sword cane, an’ – ”

“Cane killed me!”

“Yes, sir! Oh, Mr. Stone, I knew you’d see it!”

“Boy, you are a wonder. Even if your deductions are all wrong, you have shown marvelous acumen.”

Fibsy had no idea what acumen was, nor did he care. He was not seeking praise, but corroboration, and he was getting it. The mark of a cane was perfectly clear and was unmistakable. It might mean nothing, but it was a cane mark, and some canes were murderous weapons.

“You have seeing eyes, child,” said Stone, and Fibsy desired no greater commendation.

CHAPTER XXI

STONE’S QUESTIONS

“Now,” went on Stone, “I’m going to begin at the beginning of this thing and I propose to take you along with me.”

“Yes, sir, I’ll help,” and Fibsy settled back in his seat in the taxicab without a trace of presumption or forwardness on his freckled face or in his blue, ‘seeing’ eyes.

The beginning seemed to be at police headquarters and the two went in there.