Chapter V. Mr. Julius P. Hersheimmer

by Agatha Christie

　　"Well," said Tuppence, recovering herself, "it really seems asthough it were meant to be."Carter nodded."I know what you mean. I'm superstitious myself. Luck, and allthat sort of thing. Fate seems to have chosen you out to bemixed up in this."Tommy indulged in a chuckle."My word! I don't wonder Whittington got the wind up whenTuppence plumped out that name! I should have myself. But lookhere, sir, we're taking up an awful lot of your time. Have youany tips to give us before we clear out?""I think not. My experts, working in stereotyped ways, havefailed. You will bring imagination and an open mind to the task.Don't be discouraged if that too does not succeed. For one thingthere is a likelihood of the pace being forced."Tuppence frowned uncomprehendingly."When you had that interview with Whittington, they had timebefore them. I have information that the big coup was planned forearly in the new year. But the Government is contemplatinglegislative action which will deal effectually with the strikemenace. They'll get wind of it soon, if they haven't already,and it's possible that that may bring things to a head. I hope itwill myself. The less time they have to mature their plans thebetter. I'm just warning you that you haven't much time beforeyou, and that you needn't be cast down if you fail. It's not aneasy proposition anyway. That's all."Tuppence rose.I think we ought to be businesslike. What exactly can we countupon you for, Mr. Carter?" Mr. Carter's lips twitched slightly,but he replied succinctly: "Funds within reason, detailedinformation on any point, and no official recognition. I meanthat if you get yourselves into trouble with the police, I can'tofficially help you out of it. You're on your own."Tuppence nodded sagely."I quite understand that. I'll write out a list of the things Iwant to know when I've had time to think. Now--about money----""Yes, Miss Tuppence. Do you want to say how much?""Not exactly. We've got plenty to go with for the present, butwhen we want more----""It will be waiting for you.""Yes, but--I'm sure I don't want to be rude about the Governmentif you've got anything to do with it, but you know one really hasthe devil of a time getting anything out of it! And if we have tofill up a blue form and send it in, and then, after three months,they send us a green one, and so on--well, that won't be muchuse, will it?"Mr. Carter laughed outright."Don't worry, Miss Tuppence. You will send a personal demand tome here, and the money, in notes, shall be sent by return ofpost. As to salary, shall we say at the rate of three hundred ayear? And an equal sum for Mr. Beresford, of course."Tuppence beamed upon him."How lovely. You are kind. I do love money! I'll keepbeautiful accounts of our expenses all debit and credit, and thebalance on the right side, and red line drawn sideways with thetotals the same at the bottom. I really know how to do it when Ithink.""I'm sure you do. Well, good-bye, and good luck to you both."He shook hands with them, and in another minute they weredescending the steps of 27 Carshalton Terrace with their heads ina whirl."Tommy! Tell me at once, who is 'Mr. Carter'?"Tommy murmured a name in her ear."Oh!" said Tuppence, impressed."And I can tell you, old bean, he's it!""Oh!" said Tuppence again. Then she added reflectively,"I like him, don't you? He looks so awfully tired and bored, andyet you feel that underneath he's just like steel, all keen andflashing. Oh!" She gave a skip. "Pinch me, Tommy, do pinch me.I can't believe it's real!"Mr. Beresford obliged."Ow! That's enough! Yes, we're not dreaming. We've got a job!""And what a job! The joint venture has really begun.""It's more respectable than I thought it would be," said Tuppencethoughtfully."Luckily I haven't got your craving for crime! What time is it?Let's have lunch--oh!"The same thought sprang to the minds of each. Tommy voiced itfirst."Julius P. Hersheimmer!""We never told Mr. Carter about hearing from him.""Well, there wasn't much to tell--not till we've seen him. Comeon, we'd better take a taxi.""Now who's being extravagant?""All expenses paid, remember. Hop in.""At any rate, we shall make a better effect arriving this way,"said Tuppence, leaning back luxuriously. "I'm sure blackmailersnever arrive in buses!""We've ceased being blackmailers," Tommy pointed out."I'm not sure I have," said Tuppence darkly.On inquiring for Mr. Hersheimmer, they were at once taken up tohis suite. An impatient voice cried "Come in" in answer to thepage-boy's knock, and the lad stood aside to let them pass in.Mr. Julius P. Hersheimmer was a great deal younger than eitherTommy or Tuppence had pictured him. The girl put him down asthirty-five. He was of middle height, and squarely built to matchhis jaw. His face was pugnacious but pleasant. No one could havemistaken him for anything but an American, though he spoke withvery little accent."Get my note? Sit down and tell me right away all you know aboutmy cousin.""Your cousin?""Sure thing. Jane Finn.""Is she your cousin?""My father and her mother were brother and sister," explained Mr.Hersheimmer meticulously."Oh!" cried Tuppence. "Then you know where she is?""No!" Mr. Hersheimmer brought down his fist with a bang on thetable. "I'm darned if I do! Don't you?""We advertised to receive information, not to give it," saidTuppence severely."I guess I know that. I can read. But I thought maybe it washer back history you were after, and that you'd know where shewas now?""Well, we wouldn't mind hearing her back history," said Tuppenceguardedly.But Mr. Hersheimmer seemed to grow suddenly suspicious."See here," he declared. "This isn't Sicily! No demandingransom or threatening to crop her ears if I refuse. These are theBritish Isles, so quit the funny business, or I'll just sing outfor that beautiful big British policeman I see out there inPiccadilly."Tommy hastened to explain."We haven't kidnapped your cousin. On the contrary, we're tryingto find her. We're employed to do so."Mr. Hersheimmer leant back in his chair."Put me wise," he said succinctly.Tommy fell in with this demand in so far as he gave him a guardedversion of the disappearance of Jane Finn, and of the possibilityof her having been mixed up unawares in "some political show." Healluded to Tuppence and himself as "private inquiry agents"commissioned to find her, and added that they would therefore beglad of any details Mr. Hersheimmer could give them.That gentleman nodded approval."I guess that's all right. I was just a mite hasty. But Londongets my goat! I only know little old New York. Just trot outyour questions and I'll answer."For the moment this paralysed the Young Adventurers, butTuppence, recovering herself, plunged boldly into the breach witha reminiscence culled from detective fiction."When did you last see the dece--your cousin, I mean?""Never seen her," responded Mr. Hersheimmer."What?" demanded Tommy, astonished.Hersheimmer turned to him."No, sir. As I said before, my father and her mother werebrother and sister, just as you might be"--Tommy did not correctthis view of their relationship--"but they didn't always get ontogether. And when my aunt made up her mind to marry Amos Finn,who was a poor school teacher out West, my father was just mad!Said if he made his pile, as he seemed in a fair way to do, she'dnever see a cent of it. Well, the upshot was that Aunt Jane wentout West and we never heard from her again."The old man did pile it up. He went into oil, and he went intosteel, and he played a bit with railroads, and I can tell you hemade Wall Street sit up!" He paused. "Then he died--lastfall--and I got the dollars. Well, would you believe it, myconscience got busy! Kept knocking me up and saying: Whatabour{sic} your Aunt Jane, way out West? It worried me some. Yousee, I figured it out that Amos Finn would never make good. Hewasn't the sort. End of it was, I hired a man to hunt her down.Result, she was dead, and Amos Finn was dead, but they'd left adaughter--Jane--who'd been torpedoed in the Lusitania on her wayto Paris. She was saved all right, but they didn't seem able tohear of her over this side. I guessed they weren't hustling any,so I thought I'd come along over, and speed things up. I phonedScotland Yard and the Admiralty first thing. The Admiraltyrather choked me off, but Scotland Yard were very civil--saidthey would make inquiries, even sent a man round this morning toget her photograph. I'm off to Paris to-morrow, just to see whatthe Prefecture is doing. I guess if I go to and fro hustlingthem, they ought to get busy!"The energy of Mr. Hersheimmer was tremendous. They bowed beforeit."But say now," he ended, "you're not after her for anything?Contempt of court, or something British? A proud-spirited youngAmerican girl might find your rules and regulations in war timerather irksome, and get up against it. If that's the case, andthere's such a thing as graft in this country, I'll buy her off."Tuppence reassured him."That's good. Then we can work together. What about some lunch?Shall we have it up here, or go down to the restaurant?"Tuppence expressed a preference for the latter, and Julius bowedto her decision.Oysters had just given place to Sole Colbert when a card wasbrought to Hersheimmer."Inspector Japp, C.I.D. Scotland Yard again. Another man thistime. What does he expect I can tell him that I didn't tell thefirst chap? I hope they haven't lost that photograph. ThatWestern photographer's place was burned down and all hisnegatives destroyed--this is the only copy in existence. I got itfrom the principal of the college there."An unformulated dread swept over Tuppence."You--you don't know the name of the man who came this morning?""Yes, I do. No, I don't. Half a second. It was on his card.Oh, I know! Inspector Brown. Quiet, unassuming sort of chap."