ya VI V S F P IL MC 0 rixen RM installment EIGHTEEN faill larry larrr cutter cilc 9 STORY BO 80 jacqueline Jacquel lne jack an aed pretty by ikan be her r to marry him acie t bybe their jirku marla they ened lon 0 trac tract brov iding that Jacquel lne continue her pre modo moat of 0 uv maybe wod wed better talk it over detective staples calm reply it t down mr jacobs this gentle h lant going goin g to run away he ha bed ed himself to a chair and reed eded larry closely you seem have ave met with an accident shot y I 1 ask tyes es mr r jacobs called me early this ning and said that someone had aken en into a property he owns bible ible entry escaped with kalua mr jacobs has reason ro pertY elleve that you were the intrude mr r cutter 1 I was etherd crelot jacobs cut in PAS I 1 was saying the detective heed to the in paying no at t on eruption eption 1 I suggested to mr ja ibs s that he come to headquarters bust happened that I 1 know knew your nse number mr cutter so I 1 had B radio cars notified just before let et mr jacobs I 1 heard that your was parked here we came r when I 1 saw miss anthonys anthonya he e in the vestibule I 1 thought bobc be she could help us out you B I 1 happened to know she was a nd of yours and here you are arc shed pleasantly bin I 1 this while Jacquel lne had been iring ing wide eyed at mr jacobs jang g to use her dazed faculties in effort to fit him into the there was but one answer lie he js the man who had been keeping utenart ute nant staples on larrys trall trail was the owner of faigla w n ile he Js s the onetime one time partner of th the eld cutter ile he was the man larry pecked pec ted she shivered a little jacobs acobs must have sensed her fixed jk k ile he turned to her one hand ing with his moustache you are the last person in tho the rid miss anthony whom I 1 would e expected to find in a situation s e this do you know that man larry in sharply staring at ills his wife he nodded afore larry could reply the telene rang stridently excuse me staples said bald quick to jacqueline Jacquel lne and walked to the ak k ile he lifted the receiver to his ileah 1 bah right the others ard rd him say ill call her in a nute ute rhe a officer hung up the receiver 1 looked regretfully at jacqueline ithe I the gentleman was cagey re re to ta talk I 1 k 1 I 1 think it i I 1 was w as my father I 1 was hi him to call 11 well we well something else P us to look into this look go good 0 d f for or you miss anthony im arry ry if you ou care to tell me any 9 acqueline resolutely ignored lar s warning glance of course she agreed sweetly n the first place I 1 am mr tiers wife that makes it quite right for him to be here well im excuse me bayl ere re you married to him when I 1 s giving you that little first de ee there in your office oh yes wish id known it I 1 suppose we nt t look for much testimony from u he rubbed his bold bald head bead re cil vely were wasting aimel jacobs aped this man has been and admits he broke into my op perty erty what more do you want 1 I guess that does give me pretty god d reason to hold him tor for the anty ty officers I 1 suppose youve ed them mr jacobski jacobs VI P 1 I telephoned the sheriff before I 1 t gt home hes working from the er per end with the help of my man ye e no doubt but that he has gotten touch with ayour superiors t 1 l see staples turned to larry 0 0 you feel up to coming down vo with me and attending to a w formalities if not im afraid i have to put someone here to k after you maybe like go to the hospital larry arry swung his feet to the floor id a took stock of his situation ill have to have somebody patch e up I 1 suppose he admitted ut lut it may not be necessary to go now then lir lin jacobs mr jacobs shook his head when spoke there was a tone of sad ead ss s in his voice im sorry cutter I 1 was a very verv se ise friend 0 of f your father his st at friend I 1 believe I 1 should hate see a son of his get into trouble I 1 could avoid it I 1 tear fear I 1 am do S g wrong but if you care to return y property I 1 might consider th drawing my m Y charges a A t a very kind of you lar rs 3 up curled and just what do u want me to return an why Y the what you took oni rn the cellar the one you were ying ing to get away with when when your hired gorilla took a t shot at me in other words u dont know what it was but ure sure afraid you dolff do I 1 1 I time to quibble cut r YOU may take your choice awell aeu ill ease your mind I 1 found atly what you think I 1 did but cant can t trade with you jut jun now be ing 1 l tor or six alx lx months month after which she ha could tear up the contract when her father vince anthony became ill ly larry invited him into the country to uve live several eral months month later jacqueline Jacquel lne accompanied larry to hi his former home lie its was wa cause its in my lawyers hands at I 1 the moment I 1 A dull red surged into jacobs face do your duty ditty staples IU ill see tills this through this young fool is hinting at blackmail because he knows I 1 havo have Mon money eyll 1 just a minute larry perceived that his shot had struck home lie he would carry the blurt bluff a little farther for jacks sake as well as his own 1 I know about your friendship for my father jacobs he said curtly 1 I know more than you think and I 1 havo have put all my information in the hands of my at torness tor hicks and hicks just in case youre interested been delving into things for me and with this evidence ive just put into their hands it should furnish grounds tor for you and me to settle a number of things jacobs leaned back in his chair and stared ills his small eyes were blinking rapidly its taken me quite a while to get around to this mr jacobs but im trying to do a good job you must have had something in mind when you put this sleuth on my trail just how you happened to find I 1 was in town such a piece of pure luck as you supposed either larry went on he was waa carrying his bluff to the utmost now hoping tor for some sort of collapse on the part of his dapper enemy ive in the first place I 1 am cutters wife been able to turn up a few items of interest through a mutual friend miss morris jacobs leaped to his feet feel his face was fairly purple do you mean to insinuate not at all miss morris has been in my employ as well as yours ashes a very capable young warn woman jacobs made a visible effort to control himself lie he turned to staples with as much dignity as he I 1 could command 1 I dont think mr cutter will leave town I 1 wish to have a talk with him when he is able to come down to my hotel I 1 will be responsible suits me observed the lieutenant urbanely but I 1 want our friend to have a doctor he turned apologetically getic ally to larry would you mind it I 1 called in one of our department surgeons just so we may have his report doctor edmunds Is first rate anything you like lieutenant then to jacobs but you and 1 wont get anywhere in conference do your talking with my lawyers first and I 1 think that will be all tor for now CHAPTER XV jack darlings dar lingl larry called from the couch as he watched his wife dialing the number of rannie hicks his lawyer and friend yes ask vince ar first st thing if he gave those books to rannic if anybody bod Y waylaid hl him M well im worse off than ever you too 01 IU 11 ask but I 1 know he did afie it with a nod and smile alter after a few words with her father poor old vince she ehe laughed when she turned f from rom the telephone he was almost beside himself he suspected something was wrong when lieutenant staples answered so BO he hung up good boyl boy lies hes a credit to his bis daughter lies hes coming over to see you and find out what you wan want t him to do well theres no need for me to run now in fact I 1 think id better stick here I 1 wish that doctor would wondering how it hurry up im would do for vince to take me up to the brown farm to get some oy 0 my traps ive jot iti lets all go eo up tor for the weekend week end endi I 1 I 1 cant larry my good but nes III I 1 called vr mr Poti erl shot hot when they broke into the nour noue e to obtain some burled buried records re cordi escaping they returned to her apartment whore they were confronted by detective st staple a plan and nd mr air jacobs jacob owner ower of the home buse now continue with the story how soon can you spore spare me larry ill have to tell him never sold said that gentleman promptly im not going to lot let you get away from me I 1 dont know who mr potter Is but you can tell him for me that youre washed up ill hire him a flock of sten if he gets nasty but of course im going back to forkl borki I 1 must very well then explain that your husband has been shot and that youre probing tor for the bullet rush down as soon as you find it Sill silly I 1 in another minute jacqueline Jacquel lne was wag speaking to her employer she explained that she had been unavoidably detained but that she would be in her office as soon as possible now what can we do until the doctor gets here she inquired blithely larry be very badly hurt ile he was so like his old self salt again well theres one thing id like to settle before we get down to serious business ive been expecting you to crack it sooner whatever do you mean 1 I want to know what that tobacco vampire down at the spilled in your ear car about miss morris she saw us together virgle blake why nothing at all youre a poor liar jack ill have to take you in hand I 1 knew she had dished the dirt as soon as I 1 saw you come clean now what did she say well almost tio nothing thing at all just that you were up there with your wife that she was a dizzy blonde and that the two of you get along very well any more in tact fact you were having a family quarrel at the time lima 1 I get it it and you believed her absolutely well I 1 did question her story bout about your being married I 1 had reason reason to unless you were a bigamist but d t I 1 doubt that you were involved with another woman what a break larry groaned 1 I saw the cigar vender going by with one ne ear hanging out well you know tho the truth now miss morris works for a chicago agency we brought her here so that there be any chance of her being recognized she landed a job with jacobs as his secretary you told that story well but I 1 still have my suspicions you she had her orders d ers to beat it if anything broke alma I 1 mean no doubt ashes gone hope so tor for her sake so you call her alma professionally come here theres something else to settle yes sir have you realized that both of us have been disregarding our contract I 1 mean that its getting pretty well noised abroad that were married marri ed im not mentioning names but I 1 want to know this what does it mean 1 I I 1 dont know exactly 1 I do he drew her down to him it means that you love wa me that I 1 love you were through pretending with a quick move she pressed her face against his uninjured shoulder it was very quiet in the amu small room jack larry whispered there was no answer 1 I want your first kiss jack lifted her face her dark blue eyes were bright with tears but she was smiling elines cheek rested against aga dinst larrys still when the buzzer sounded a half hour later its the doctora doc torl she exclaimed hurriedly getting to her feet and smoothing her hair and how I 1 hate whoever it Is larry sighed im not sure that even go for vince it proved to be mr anthony but the police surgeon arrived within a fow few minutes mutual introduce int introductions eions followed and dr edmunds set about dressing his patients wounds you were fortunate to have plenty of meat on your bones dr cutter t A very nice clean little hole bole about a thirty two caliber bullet id say 1 I notice particularly larry observed making a wry face my attention was wa elsewhere centered on your fist fisk perhaps I 1 notice your knuckles are bruised so they are larry examined his bis hand with a grim smile of recollection he was wondering wandering what his antagonists lower jaw looked uke like that last blow had been a very satisfactory is one after a family consultation it was decided that jacqueline Jacquel lne i report tor for work larry stipulated however that she was to give notice that her stenographic days were over virice vince was to take him downtown for a conference with the hicks firm and then drive up to the brown farm for a supply of larrys clothing larry could make out for one night at the hotel and did vince mind going out and putting down the roadsters top larry would rico lik the sunshine when they started ITO BE CONTINUED