human
John, he resumed smoothly,
gpt
I have been somewhat surprised that you failed to consult me earlier regarding the will of your late cousin Frederick.
human
His--his will! John leaned forward amazed, as he stared into the other's expressionless face.
gpt
Did--did he leave one?
human
Oh! that's it, the attorney chuckled.
gpt
You didn't know about it, did you? How odd. I thought I informed you of the fact over the phone the same night Frederick died.
human
You told me he had called upon you to prepare a will--but there was none found in his papers.
gpt
So I inferred from the newspaper accounts, Enright chuckled dryly, his eyes narrowing,
human
The will, resumed Mr. Enright,
gpt
There can't be such a will. None was found. You phoned me shortly before midnight, and twenty minutes later Frederick was in his apartments. He had no time to deposit it elsewhere. There is no such will.
human
Possibly not, he said with quiet sinister gravity.
gpt
It was probably destroyed and it was to gain possession of that will that Frederick Cavendish was killed.
human
My God! he muttered aghast,
gpt
Sit down, John; this is no cause for quarrel. Now listen. I am not accusing you of crime; not intentional crime, at least. There is no reason why you should not naturally have desired to gain possession of the will. If an accident happened, that was your misfortune. I merely mention these things because I am your friend. Such friendship leads me first to inform you what had happened over the phone. I realised that Frederick's hasty determination to devise his property elsewhere was the result of a quarrel. I believed it my duty to give you opportunity to patch that quarrel up with the least possible delay. Perhaps this was not entirely professional on my part, but the claims of friendship are paramount to mere professional ethics.
human
Now consider the situation, my dear fellow. I have, it is true, performed an unprofessional act which, if known, would expose me to severe criticism. There is, however, no taint of criminal intent about my conduct and, no doubt, my course would be fully vindicated, were I now to go directly before the court and testify to the existence of a will.
gpt
But that could not be proved. You have already stated that Frederick took the will with him; it has never been found.
human
Quite true--or rather, it may have been found, and destroyed. It chances, however, that I took the precaution to make a carbon copy.
gpt
Unsigned?
human
Yes, but along with this unsigned copy I also retain the original memoranda furnished me in Frederick Cavendish's own handwriting. I believe, from a legal standpoint, by the aid of my evidence, the court would be very apt to hold such a will proved.
gpt
Do you perceive now what this will means? Do you realise where such testimony would place you? Under the law, providing he died without a will, you were the sole heir to the property of Frederick Cavendish. It was widely known you were not on friendly terms. The evening of his death you quarrelled openly in a public restaurant. Later, in a spirit of friendship, I called you up and said he had made a will practically disinheriting you. Between that time and the next morning he is murdered in his own apartments, his safe rifled, and yet, the only paper missing is this will, to the existence of which I can testify. If suspicion is once cast upon you, how can you clear yourself? Can you prove that you were in your own apartments, asleep in your own bed from one o'clock until eight? Answer that.