The Valley of Fear (Sherlock Holmes 7)

"I should like these dates a little clearer," said MacDonald. "It isquite six years since Douglas left California. You followed him nextyear, did you not?"

"That is so."

"And he had been married five years. You must have returned about thetime of his marriage."

"About a month before. I was his best man."

"Did you know Mrs. Douglas before her marriage?"

"No, I did not. I had been away from England for ten years."

"But you have seen a good deal of her since."

Barker looked sternly at the detective. "I have seen a good deal of himsince," he answered. "If I have seen her, it is because you cannotvisit a man without knowing his wife. If you imagine there is anyconnection--"

"I imagine nothing, Mr. Barker. I am bound to make every inquiry whichcan bear upon the case. But I mean no offense."

"Some inquiries are offensive," Barker answered angrily.

"It's only the facts that we want. It is in your interest andeveryone's interest that they should be cleared up. Did Mr. Douglasentirely approve your friendship with his wife?"

Barker grew paler, and his great, strong hands were claspedconvulsively together. "You have no right to ask such questions!" hecried. "What has this to do with the matter you are investigating?"

"I must repeat the question."

"Well, I refuse to answer."

"You can refuse to answer; but you must be aware that your refusal isin itself an answer, for you would not refuse if you had not somethingto conceal."

Barker stood for a moment with his face set grimly and his strong blackeyebrows drawn low in intense thought. Then he looked up with a smile."Well, I guess you gentlemen are only doing your clear duty after all,and I have no right to stand in the way of it. I'd only ask you not toworry Mrs. Douglas over this matter; for she has enough upon her justnow. I may tell you that poor Douglas had just one fault in the world,and that was his jealousy. He was fond of me--no man could be fonder ofa friend. And he was devoted to his wife. He loved me to come here, andwas forever sending for me. And yet if his wife and I talked togetheror there seemed any sympathy between us, a kind of wave of jealousywould pass over him, and he would be off the handle and saying thewildest things in a moment. More than once I've sworn off coming forthat reason, and then he would write me such penitent, imploringletters that I just had to. But you can take it from me, gentlemen, ifit was my last word, that no man ever had a more loving, faithfulwife--and I can say also no friend could be more loyal than I!"

It was spoken with fervour and feeling, and yet Inspector MacDonaldcould not dismiss the subject.

"You are aware," said he, "that the dead man's wedding ring has beentaken from his finger?"

"So it appears," said Barker.

"What do you mean by 'appears'? You know it as a fact."

The man seemed confused and undecided. "When I said 'appears' I meantthat it was conceivable that he had himself taken off the ring."

"The mere fact that the ring should be absent, whoever may have removedit, would suggest to anyone's mind, would it not, that the marriage andthe tragedy were connected?"

Barker shrugged his broad shoulders. "I can't profess to say what itmeans." he answered. "But if you mean to hint that it could reflect inany way upon this lady's honour"--his eyes blazed for an instant, andthen with an evident effort he got a grip upon his own emotions--"well,you are on the wrong track, that's all."

"I don't know that I've anything else to ask you at present," saidMacDonald, coldly.

"There was one small point," remarked Sherlock Holmes. "When youentered the room there was only a candle lighted on the table, wasthere not?"

"Yes, that was so."

"By its light you saw that some terrible incident had occurred?"

"Exactly."

"You at once rang for help?"

"Yes."