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Show the n nyr fPHP WEDDING MARCH II W 11 O liEJiUil CopyriehU 1933. by tha Bobta-Morrlll Co. HV MONTE BARRETT N WNU Service J tiently. "Do you think I'd kill the man I love? Dan Bullis Is your man, I tell you." "Yes. You've said that before," the novelist nodded. "We'll take care of Mr. Bullis. But some people peo-ple don't think Franklin was killed by a man, Miss Train. They believe be-lieve n woman killed him, and that the motive was jealousy." "You're crazy 1" Clioo Choo stared at him angrily. "That means me, of course, and how do you figure I'd have done a thing like that? In the first place, I couldn't ' get away with it. Everybody knew how I felt about Jim. But you're overlooking a bigger bet than that. I loved him. Why would I murder the man I loved? That doesn't make sense." "If you thought you were losing him, it would make sense, all right," Kilday interjected. "But I've told you I wasn't losing him." I CHAPTER V Continued J 'r'l Just want to make sure," the j' teetlve retorted, over his shoul- r, as he disappeared toward the Ing room, rwiien he returned, he nodded to-fird to-fird Peter. "It fits. That's six of S em." S "You sound disappointed," ob-Irved ob-Irved Choo Choo. V'l had hoped that key would help Je find some one else," the detec-!e detec-!e commented. "No matter. We'll ay the hand just as It is dealt." Peter frowned thoughtfully at his i an brown hands. "Miss Train," put the question deliberately, IXtiow did you feel about this marriage mar-riage of Franklin's? You were In kve with him, weren't you?" VrChoo Choo moistened her Hps. Fes, I loved him. What of It?" ff"What did you think of this mar-'c,age?" mar-'c,age?" Cardigan repeated. " She lingered over her answer, her Peter continued. "Suppose you weren't jealous of Doris Oarmody, and didn't care whether Franklin married her or not." Choo Choo winced. "Even granting that everything was Just as you have said, that would not have kept you from being be-ing madly jealous of Franklin, If you had discovered there was still a third woman tills woman In blue that he loved." "There wasn't anybody else," the actress Interrupted shrilly. "And I'm Just as sure that there was," replied Peter. "There Is no doubt of it. I can't help but wonder, won-der, Miss Train, If the discovery that this woman existed wouldn't be a better explanation of your vis-It vis-It to the church yesterday, than the one you have given us." "But I tell you I didn't know there was such a woman." Choo Choo raised clenched hands above her head. "I still don't believe It. "There must be some mistake, sir. I never telephoned Miss Train." The novelist hesitated, his hand over the transmitter, "What time did you say you received that call, Miss Train?" "It must have been about half past two," replied the actress. "Think again," said Peter, into the telephone. "Didn't you call Miss Train about two-thirty yesterday afternoon?" Fletcher's tone was positive. "I'm quite sure, sir. I have never telephoned tele-phoned Miss Train." "Here, let me talk to him !" Sensing Sens-ing the tenor of the servant's replies re-plies from Peter's conversation, she snatched the instrument from the novelist's hand. "What did you say, Fletcher? You never called me I Don't be a fool, man!" She slammed the receiver in place and faced the two men. "Just the same, he did call," she declared stormily. "He told me Jim "Forget about the wedding for a minute," Cardigan Invited. He rose and strode about the room aimlessly, aimless-ly, but his eyes never left the woman wom-an who sat upon the bed. "Have another cigarette, Miss Train?" The sergeant offered his case, a smooth silver one. Cardigan, watching, knew this was Kllday's ruse to obtain the woman's finger-prints. "Thanks." The actress lighted it from the ember in the ash-tray beside be-side her. "You've been reading these accounts ac-counts of the murder." Cardigan indicated in-dicated the newspapers beside the bed. "Did you notice anything there that sounded strange, Miss Train?" "Plenty," replied the actress. "It looked like half of New York came around there to see Jim, just before be-fore the wedding. They make it sound like he was quarreling with all of them, too." "Including yourself," said Kilday. "Yes," the actress admitted, "including "in-cluding me." "It seems to me you have overlooked over-looked one of those callers," Peter sad bent so that It was Impossible 'S rend the expression of her face. n J "What does it matter what I bought?" the girl answered finally, i ',He was getting married, wasn't he? siuhat's your answer." "kl "No." Peter wished that It were IT! mflswer enough, and that he need no 4iger probe this girl's wound. "No, ,',jat was his answer, Miss Train. nJm asking how you felt?" JT "There are times," said the girl -systlnctly, "when your feelings don't ""-'Mint. I wasn't exactly happy over is ,ie marriage. You can't expect me 'ii say that. Still," her glance tailored tai-lored before the novelist's unwavering unwaver-ing scrutiny, "I figured that I'd get 'Ver It. Other people have." ti "Then when you left Franklin "dtiere in the study, you knew you ; n'ere telling him good-by, for good, didn't you?" Kilday questioned for "Tjo first time. 41 "I didn't say that," the actress eplied quickly. She fumbled on 1 tie table by the stand and found a j.Jgarette. Cardigan held a match 'V her. is: For a minute she puffed, deeply, s though keenly enjoying the Jim wouldn't have done that to me. I loved him. And he loved me! Cnn't you understand? Me!" She beat her breast with her fists. Peter waited quietly until the actress' act-ress' storm of emotion had passed. "Perhaps," he suggested, "this other oth-er woman heard of you yesterday, for the first time. That being the case, she might have been the one who went to see Franklin, with vengeance ven-geance In her heart." There was hatred in the glance Choo Choo turned on him. "You're mighty sure there was another woman, aren't you?" was all she said. In spile of his certainty that there had been another woman, and that she had played a dramatic, probably prob-ably fatal, part in the slaying of Jim Franklin, Peter felt that he was making no headway. He had succeeded suc-ceeded only in antagonizing a witness wit-ness from which he had expected much assistance. Like every other trail they had followed, this, too, seemed to lead nowhere. And yet Choo Choo Train had been the last person, as far as they could deter- M9 WMiM'1 feT continued. "I mean the woman In the blue dress." Choo Choo looked at him through narrowed eyes. "Wlio was she?" "That's what I'm asking you," said Peter. She shrugged silk-clad shoulders. "How should I know? I didn't see anybody there In a blue dress." "Nobody else knows who she was, either, Miss Train," declared the novelist. "We can't find anyone who ever saw her before. We only know that she was jealous of Jim Franklinthat Frank-linthat she" "Jealous?" Then the actress leaned back, more calmly. "What Is this? Are you trying to trick me, some way?" Peter shook his head. "There's no trick to it," he replied simply. "Apparently, this was another woman wom-an that loved Franklin. She thought she had some claim on him, evidently. evi-dently. In fact," Teter was remembering remem-bering the story Daniel Bullis had told of the scene in the study, "she threatened to ruin him, If he went ahead with the wedding. Are you still sure you don't know who that woman was?" Choo Choo studied the novelist's face. "Are you telling me the truth?" she demanded. "Is that what she said?" "I believe that Is exactly what she said." "And then what did Jim say?" the actress questioned eagerly. "Did he let her get away with It?" Peter shrugged. "II promised her that everything was going to be all right, I believe." "Say!" Choo Choo was sitting erect, her eyes stormy. "Why don't you question her? If this Is straight, she's the one you are looking for." Then she relaxed against the pillows. pil-lows. "But that Isn't on the level." Her voice had gone flat. "If It was, you wouldn't be wasting your time here." "Perhaps It Isn't wasted," said Peter. "Perhaps you are the very person who can tell us where we may find this woman In blue." The actress did not answer, but her eyes watched the novelist's, gu urdedly. "Suppose you have told us the truth, as far as you have gone," mine, who had seen Franklin alive. According to the testimony of Nick Royce and Doctor Abernathy, she had been In the study with Jim Franklin after Daniel Bullis and the woman In blue had left. And her motive, too, was apparent, If she had known of the existence of that other woman. Or even if she hadn't, could he believe her statement that Franklin's wedding was to have made no difference in her relationship relation-ship with him? He wondered, too, at the woman's apparent lack of grief. To be sure, there were moments when she appeared ap-peared grief-stricken. But they were only moments. She seemed to turn her emotions on and off, like a faucet, fau-cet, almost at will. Opposed to these arguments, of course, were Webster Spears' activities; Daniel Bullis reticence concerning his conversation conversa-tion with Franklin ; Rylie Carmody's efforts to haft the wedding ; the suspicions aroused by Callis Shipley's Ship-ley's movements, and, of course, the woman in blue, still unexplained and as mysterious as ever. "Miss Train," the novelist Inquired In-quired suddenly, "how well do you know Webster Spears?" "Webster Spears? I've never heard of him." "Are you sure a man by that name didn't telephone you yesterday?" "If he had, I'd have heard of him." Choo Choo's manner was contemptuous. con-temptuous. "Outside of Jim and Dan Bullis, the only man who phoned me yesterday was Fletcher," she declared. de-clared. "I've already told you about that." Peter frowned. "What was Franklin's Frank-lin's number?" he demanded curtly. She told him. "Do you mind if we use your telephone?" tele-phone?" "Certainly not." Choo Choo handed hand-ed him the Instrument from the table at her bedside. Fletcher answered the call. "This is Peter Cardigan, Fletcher. I called with Sergeant Kilday to ask you some questions last night, remember?" re-member?" "Yes, sir, I remember." "I forgot to ask you about your telephone call to Miss Train, yesterday, yester-day, Fletcher," Peter explained. "How did you happen to telephone her?" "Jim Didn't Love Her He l.oved Me! Can't You Understand? Me!" wanted me to come to the church. I don't know why he should lie about It." CHAPTER VI Cross-Examination. r0 YOU think Choo Choo 1b lying about that phone call?" Kilday Inquired as the two men started back down-town. "I can't figure her out." Peter puffed his cigarette meditatively. medita-tively. "She received a telephone call, I'm satisfied of that," he replied re-plied finally. "Why else would she have changed her mind about going to the wedding? And she did change her mind. Franklin was surprised to see her. "However, it wasn't Fletcher who called. I can see no reason why he shouldn't tell the truth about it. What I am trying to determine Is whether Choo Choo really believed It was Franklin's servant, or Is only trying to make us think so, In order to conceal the Identity of the person per-son who really did call." "She seemed mighty surprised that Fletcher didn't remember it," Kilday volunteered doubtfully. "I can't forget that she's an actress," act-ress," Peter confessed. "I find myself my-self wondering how much of what she said and did was sincere, and how much was only for our benefit. What If it were the woman In blue that would provide a motive for Choo Choo's visit, and for the crime. I don't think she was acting when she told us she loved Jim Franklin. It must have been that, or else the murderer knew of Choo Choo's relationship re-lationship with Franklin, and telephoned tele-phoned her In an effort to bring her to the church. If that Is the case, of course this actress had nothing to do with the crime and was only drawn In, by the real culprit, In an effort to confuse the trail." Peter shrugged. "If that's what happened, we're farther from a solution than ever." The car had reached police headquarters, head-quarters, and the novelist followed Kilday up the battered steps. On the sergeant's desk lay the revolver revol-ver discovered In the rectory ear- CKmoke. Her glance traveled slow- i'y, from one man to the other. "What made you ask me that?" tfthe Inquired of Kilday, finally. I!' The sergeant shrugged. "He was l( letting married, wasn't he?" A lialf-smlle curled about the irl's lips, momentarily, and was idlone, as quickly as it had come, mile was marrying a position," she I J) aid quickly. "Jim never loved ';Jalorls Carmody. He loved me." J "He did love you," Kilday conceded. con-ceded. "But that was finished, yes- erday, wasn't It? By the wedding, .,p mean." "The wedding," said the girl slow-I slow-I V, "wasn't going to make any difference dif-ference between Jim and me. We Ml ad been all over that." "You mean you were going on he same as before?" The detective's detec-tive's tone was incredulous, -all Choo Choo exhaled a cloud of s Smoke. "That's exactly what I oean," she declared. "For a detec-: detec-: ii,ive, you cau be terribly dense, nt'ometimes." "You can say that now," Kilday ""bjected. "Franklin's dead." "I'm only telling you what Jim rar!nd I had decided." The girl leaned orward angrily. "There's one thing )S ou don't seem to understand. Jim pved me! He didn't love that Cur-! Cur-! plody girl." cs ' But he was marrying her," the ergeant declared, with finality. - "Marrying her!" Choo Choo tossed T "er head. "He wasn't marrying a (vlrl. He was marrying a social position. po-sition. Jim was going to be the ,iext governor of New York." Kilday could cope with the wom-; wom-; .n's anger, where her sorrow, a hort time before, had silenced him. .ViAnd I suppose you were going to iKibany with him, eh?" "I wouldn't have been so far 2riwny," retorted the actress. tii "If he loved you so much, why nitilldn't he marry you?" the sergeant "'"nsisted. 'i "Don't be siliy," tho actress . "icoiTod. "Where would Jim have :,sl")een If he'd married an actress? it tfhat would have been murder. It Wvo-uld have finished him." : "As It turned out," replied Kilday Iryly, "It was murder anyway." IE? The girl shivered. "You're wasting wast-ing time here," she said in a quiet-:i;!"r quiet-:i;!"r voice. "Why don't you talk to e Wan Bullis. Maybe he can tell you vhnt happened yesterday afternoon. Ie was sore at Jim, and he'd been e frying to see him. Bullis called me oiiUere, yesterday, wanting to see Jim. Vben I said he wasn't here, he wore. He said Jim was hiding iHtrom him, and that I was helping ;iVilm. But he said he'd find him. If J.o''ou really want to find who killed c'im Franklin, talk to Dan Bullis." ant "We've talked to Bullis," Peter informed her quietly. "We've come 3iero to find out what you kuow, nllss Train." "I'm only telling you where to go -"'t you want Information about the nurder," said the actress impa- PRECEDING EVENTS IN THE STORY Vs'altliiR In the minister's study for his wedding to Doris Carmody, Jim Franklin, lawyer and politician. Is stabbed to death. Franklin, while waiting, had many visitors, among them his mistress, an actress, "Choo Choo" Train; his Intended wife's father, Ambrose Carmody; her brother, Hylle; I'anlel Bullis, well-known politician, and an unknown woman In a blue frock. Sergeant Kilday, with Peter Cardigan, novelist and amateur detective, begins an Investigation. Rylie Carmody admits trying to stop the weddinB, after being informed by a friend, Webster Spears, that Franklin was still friendly with Cnoo Choo. despite his approaching marriage. mar-riage. Kilday secures the dead man's keys. Cnllis Shipley, whoso actions in the church and Immediately following the discovery of Franklin's body have appeared furtive. Is questioned, but the investigators learn nothing of Importance. An Interview with Daniel Bullis is also fruitless. Webster Spears admits Informing Rylie Carmody of Franklin's relations with Choo Choo, for Doris Carmody's sake, in the hope of preventing the wedding. He and Doris had had a boy -and srirl love affair. Fletcher, Franklin's man-servant. Is reticent, and Milo Dunbar, the dead man's law partner, can shed no litrht on the murder. Choo Choo admits her rr-U t ! or.s with Franklin were to continue after his marriajio. She says ?!ie went to tho church (Franklin havinrr forbidden her to attend the ceremony) because of a telephone message from Fletcher, telling her to come. den, the dagger with which the crime had been commuted, and the stained curtain on which the murderer mur-derer had wiped the blood from the weapon. "Every blessed thing we have to go on," complained the sergeant disconsolately. dis-consolately. "Except, of course, the thumb-print on the gun. The keys won't be much help now. The only one we haven't identified is obviously obvious-ly not a door-key. It couldn't fit the apartment of our woman In blue." "Ju because the pieces of the puzzle don't fit the first time we try them. Is no sign we don't have all llie pieces." retorted Peter. (TO BE CONTINUED.) |