E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Mary Meehan, and the Project

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THE HAMPSTEAD MYSTERY

BY JOHN R. WATSON & ARTHUR J. REES

1916

TO ARTHUR BLACK IN MEMORY OF OLD TIMES

CHAPTER I

"Hallo! Is that Hampstead Police Station?"

"Yes. Who are you?"

"Detective-Inspector Chippenfield of Scotland Yard. Tell Inspector Seldon
I want him, and be quick about it."

"Yes, sir. Hang on, sir. I'll put you through to him at once."

Detective-Inspector Chippenfield, of Scotland Yard, waited with thereceiver held to his ear. While he waited he scrutinised keenly a sheetof paper which lay on the desk in front of him. It was a flimsy,faintly-ruled sheet from a cheap writing-pad, blotted and soiled, andcovered with sprawling letters which had been roughly printed atirregular intervals as though to hide the identity of the writer. But theletters formed words, and the words read:

SIR HORACE FEWBANKS WAS MURDERED LAST NIGHT

WHO DID IT I DONT KNOW SO IT IS NO USE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHO I AM YOUWILL FIND HIS DEAD BODY IN THE LIBRARY AT RIVERSBROOK

HE WAS SHOT THOUGH THE HEART

"Hallo!"

"Is that you, Inspector Chippenfield?"

"Yes. That you, Seldon? Have you heard anything of a murder outyour way?"

"Can't say that I have. Have you?"

"Yes. We have information that Sir Horace Fewbanks has beenmurdered—shot."

"Mr. Justice Fewbanks shot—murdered!" Inspector Seldon gave expressionto his surprise in a long low whistle which travelled through thetelephone. Then he added, after a moment's reflection, "There must besome mistake. He is away."

"Away where?"

"In Scotland. He went there for the Twelfth—when the shootingseason opened."

"Are you sure of that?"

"Yes; he rang me up the day before he left to ask us to keep an eye onhis house while he was away."

There was a pause at the Scotland Yard end of the telephone. Inspector
Chippenfield was evidently thinking hard.

"We may have been hoaxed," he said at length. "But I have been ringingup his house and can get no answer. You had better send up a couple ofmen there at once—better still, go yourself. It is a matter which mayrequire tactful handling. Let me know, and I'll come out immediately ifthere is anything wrong. Stay! How long will it take you to get up tothe house?"

"Not more than fifteen minutes—in a taxi."

"Well, I'll ring you up at the house in half an hour. Should ourinformation be correct see that everything is left exactly as you find ittill I arrive."

Inspector Seldon hung up the receiver of his telephone, bundled up thepapers scattered on his desk, closed it, and stepped out of his officeinto the next room.

"Anyone about?" he hurriedly asked the sergeant who was making entries inthe charge-book.

"Yes, sir. I saw Flack here a moment ago."

"Get him at once and call a taxi. Scotland Yard's rung through to saythey've received a report that Sir Horace Fewbanks has been murdered."

"Murdered?" echoed the sergeant in a tone of keen interest. "Who told
Scotland Yard that?"

...