Then we will take up the story from the time I came to Milan," replied Denham coolly. "Anne was with me, and I treated her well.
She never knew anything of my inner life, and always thought me a good man.
I rather prided myself in keeping her in that belief."
"Dane said that you behaved very well," said Steel.
Denham nodded ironically.
"I am much obliged for the good opinion of such a scoundrel," he said. "Well, you know how I treated Anne.
When she became a governess she left me to follow out my idea of making money. I bought a yacht, and invented the Society of the Scarlet Cross.
For a time all went well. Then I was foolish enough when robbing the safe of Lady Summersdale to drop a cross—a red cross.
It was found by Bart—I mean Morley, who was the detective."
"You can call him Bart," said Giles. "Steel told me it was his name."
"I prefer to call him Morley, since by that name I know him best," was Denham's retort. "As I say, he discovered the red cross.
He had charge of the case, and he traced me by that ornament.
He got to know of the yacht and of the working of the gang.
Instead of arresting us all, which he could have done, he agreed to join us."
"I thought so!" cried Steel, slapping his thigh. "I guessed this."
"Did you offer him any inducement?" asked Giles.
"Yes.
At first he was bent on breaking up the gang and putting me in jail.
But I remembered how Walpole had said that every man had his price.
I ascertained Morley's.
It was ease and comfort and plenty of money to gamble with."
"Did he gamble?" asked Ware, starting.
"He ruined himself with gambling," replied Denham. "If it had not been for his indulgence in that vice, he would not have joined our society, Mr. Ware.
However, he did.
I told him of the Powell money, and said that when I got it I would share it with him.
Franklin was drowned; I had his papers, and knew all about his life, and there was no difficulty in my proving myself to be the man.
I did so, and now have the money."
"But the price of Daisy's death was——"
"I'm coming to that," interrupted Denham impatiently. "Well, Morley joined us.
His professional information helped us to improve our business.
He made me give back Lady Summersdale's jewels, so that his professional reputation might be preserved.
He was highly complimented on getting the swag back," added Denham, smiling ironically, "but the thieves unfortunately escaped."
"And he was hand in glove with the lot of you," said Steel, almost with admiration. "I always said Joe Bart was clever."
"He was too clever for me," said Denham, shifting his position, and sighing with the pain of his leg.
However, with iron resolution he continued. "But I'll punish him yet.
Well, to make a long story short, Morley retired from the force and married a widow.
She had money. He spent all she had. He got his percentage from our society, and spent that also.
He was always gambling, and took runs up to town to lose his money in a private hell he knew of.
Afterwards he got into difficulties, and began to yearn for the Powell money.
It was because Daisy Kent was to inherit it that he induced her father to appoint him her guardian."
"And for that reason he settled in Rickwell."
"Yes.
Kent had known Mrs. Morley for many years, and it was she who was the guardian.
When he married Mrs. Morley our friend settled in Rickwell, so that his wife might renew her friendship with Kent and get the girl.
It all came about as he designed, and Daisy Kent lived at The Elms.
Morley thought he would sell me, and when the girl got the money, by using his influence to induce her to give it to him, I believe he was capable of killing his wife and of marrying Daisy.
But that scheme was stopped by the fact that Daisy was engaged to you, Ware."
"I am thankful that she was," said Giles, wiping his face. "What a devil the man is!"
"He is a clever man," replied Denham coolly, "but he was not sufficiently clever to get the better of Daisy Kent.
What she found out, or how he treated her, I don't know; but she took a violent hatred to him.