Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. Vol. 48, No. 1, January 2003

“Oh,” said Raffles easily, “I merely said that since he had Mrs. Morgan’s diamonds — that was what they came for, of course — there was no need to bother with things like our cuff links and signet rings. It would waste some considerable time, and they are really worth so little.” Morgan snorted angrily at this, but Raffles went on just as calmly as ever, “And I persuaded him to leave Miss Cynthia’s pearls with me,” and he produced the string from his pocket and handed it to her.

“Thank you, Mr. Raffles! They’re not valuable, I know, but they were my mother’s.” And she put them round her lovely neck.

“And now,” said Raffles cheerfully, “I think the rest of you should check your belongings. They have the diamonds, and I strongly suspect they have Lady Whitechurch’s emeralds — catch her, someone!” he added, as the lady fainted on hearing this “but I couldn’t say what else they might have taken.”

Morgan made a gurgling noise and rushed out, returning a moment later to gasp, “The — s have rifled the safe!”

“Only to be expected,” said Raffles, adding casually, “Anything valuable gone?”

Morgan choked and turned purple.

After ten minutes — and ten minutes seems an awfully long time under those circumstances — we did go outside, and of course the crooks were long gone. Then the butler had to go into the village for the local constable, who had to telephone the sergeant, who had to call Scotland Yard. I think there is no need to describe the comings and goings, the questions and answers. The police seemed convinced that the two men were that gang that had committed the other robberies round about, and none of us seemed disposed to contradict that view.

It was not until the early hours of the morning that anyone managed to think about bed. I pushed Raffles into his room and shut the door firmly. “What did go on between you and that burglar chap?” I asked him. “Was he part of your plan?”

“Do you suspect that I lied, then?”

I looked for a weapon, but found only Raffles’s silver-backed hairbrush. “I could mark you with this, though,” I told him.

He laughed and lit a cigarette. “Well, then. No, he and his mate were most definitely not part of my plan. In fact, I was never more startled in my life than when they walked through that French window! As for what I said, I simply told him that I knew he had not found Mrs. Morgan’s diamonds.”

“Oh? And—”

“I knew that,” he said patiently, “because of course I had taken them myself, about ten minutes earlier.”

“Oh!”

“I confessed my crime, but said that rather than face exposure and social ruin I would surrender my spoils.”

“And you did?”

“Oh, yes. But I really did ask him to leave Miss Cynthia’s pearls, and he agreed. Said he’d only taken them because there was nothing else remotely of value upstairs or in the safe.”

“So he did crack the safe? I thought that might have been you! He must have recognized the fake for what it was, which is logical, I suppose, him being an expert as it were.” I caught Raffles’s cynical eye upon me as I burbled on, and asked, “Wait, though — what about the emeralds? Did he not take those?”

“I took those at the same time as I took the diamonds, of course. Be sensible, Bunny!”

“And you still have the emeralds?”

“Oh, yes. The burglars didn’t know about those, you see, it was the Morgan diamonds they were after.”

“Well, we have something out of it,” I said grudgingly. “A pity you had to hand the diamonds over!”

“Bunny, my Bunny! I did not hand the diamonds over, as you so engagingly put it.”

“No? But—”

“I handed over the fakes, which I had taken from the safe even earlier today. Morgan rather overrated the difficulty of opening the safe, by the way.”

I was still puzzled. “But I thought you said the crooks had opened the safe?”

“They did, the second time. And found it empty, as I had already taken the fakes.”

“And the incriminating document?”

“If you examine my grate,” said Raffles, nodding at the fire, “you may find traces of its ashes, though I doubt it.”

“I confess I am not entirely with you, Raffles. Just what was your plan?”

He sighed. “I had made some preparations during the day. I borrowed some boots from the hall cupboard and made some very convincing tracks in the snow. I then jemmied a side window, which the police did not notice, since of course they knew the thieves had come and gone through the french window. Just before tea, I opened the safe and took the fake necklace and the document from it, leaving the empty jewel case.”

“Yes. Why? I mean, I can see why you took the document, but why the fake diamonds?”

“To give to Morgan, of course. Don’t interrupt. When I had finished my tea, I said I had a headache. I went upstairs and took the real diamonds, and Lady Whitechurch’s emeralds. Now, I had intended to place the real stones in the safe—”

“Good Lord!”