The Floating Admiral - Agatha Christie [115]
Meanwhile, Walter continues his illicit activities, and in 1914 commits himself to a forgery. The War breaks out just in time to rescue him from arrest. He manages to get away and joins up. But the warrant is still out against him, and if he survives it seems likely that he will be haled up and sent to a long term of penal servitude. He therefore makes arrangements to disappear. He sends home a letter of the “Dear Father-I-have-neglected-you-all-but-hope-I-am-now-forgiven-and-have-turned-over-a-new-leaf-and-am-doing-my-duty” type, enclosing, in case of accident, a will drawn in favour of Elma.
After the Loos show in September, 1915, Walter deserts and disappears. He is “missing, supposed killed.” Old Fitzgerald, who has long repented of his harshness to “dear Walter, poor boy,” is now getting very doddery and ill. Having come into money, he redrafts his will, but retains the dispositions made some years previously in favour of Walter and Elma, for Walter has turned up once and he may turn up again. (See Chapter VII.)
Meanwhile, Walter has contrived to turn up somewhere else with somebody else’s papers. He keeps secretly in touch with Elma, to whom he is still the wonderful and beloved “big brother”—a radiant memory of childhood. If Walter is in trouble, it must be the fault of some wicked person who got him into it. Walter takes Elma into his confidence. The idea is to prove his death, when Elma will come into his share of the money and hand it over to him in his new name.
Old Fitzgerald dies in 1916. Nothing much can be done till 1918–19, when the British prisoners of war are released and the “presumption” of the death of missing combatants is recognised by the courts.
Everything is put in trim for “presuming” the death of Walter, when an inconvenient person turns up who knew Walter when he first joined the Army and states positively that he saw him alive in Buda-Pesth in 1918. He does not know the name under which Walter was then passing, but insists that he cannot be mistaken in the man. Under the circumstances, the court refuses to presume death. Note: It is only now that it becomes necessary for Elma to marry in order to provide Walter with money. See Chapter VII as regards her present opportunities. This is when the forgery business comes to light (see Chapter VII).
Time goes on. Walter, now known as Mr. X, is living rapidly and expensively abroad—chiefly on his wits and by exploiting his charm of manner. In 1920 he seduces a Mrs. Mount, who is staying at Monte Carlo with some friends, and has some money of her own. Walter is at a low ebb, or he would not be bothered with the parson’s wife. Having sucked her dry, he abandons her to get on as best she can. She takes a post as a maid in Paris.
Life becomes increasingly sordid and difficult for Walter. Then one day he hears that Denny has retired to England with a knighthood and a pension. Splendid idea! He will blackmail Denny! He does so—knowing that Denny dare not expose him for fear that the old Chinese story will come out, when pop goes Denny’s pension.
Walter’s line is: pay me, and I keep quiet. Stop the payments and I blow the gaff. I am so damned hard up that I don’t really care a curse whether I go to prison or not, but you will be for it, my lad! The miserable Denny pays up: all his savings go—the proceeds of the smuggling business, and he has to go on paying Walter out of his modest pension.
Meanwhile the Admiral (now living in Cornwall),