OCR Text |
Show heWEDHMNG A&ARCET f M'jUte MONTE lfi w.N.u doesn't look so bad." he said. "When Spears' prints didn't match tb 2 one on the revolver, I'll admit I began to fee! the ground slipping out from under me. But now well, It (its better than ever. That was a luncky hunch, Peter. I never would have thought of looking for Franklin's print on the gun. It seemed so obvious thnt he couldn't have hidden it in the garden after he was murdered." Peter took a turn around the room, hands clasped behind his back, his brow knitted In thought. "At any rate." he began slowly, "this gives us another place to start. If we find the man or woman wom-an who had the opportunity to remove re-move Franklin's revolver from his room, it should help." "Sounds like Choo Clioo," mused Kilday. "She had access to his rooms. Or, If we can prove there was anything between him and the Shipley girl, she might have done It. That may be what she's trying to hide." "She tried to protect Rylie Car-mody Car-mody first," Peter pointed out. "Now she seems to be protecting Webster Spears. How does that connect up with the gun?" "Suppose," the detective ventured, "that she gave Rylie the gun. Rylie Ry-lie would be the one she'd try to protect. Cut later, if she discovered discov-ered that he had passed it on to young Spears, wouldn't that cause her to change her story? Whatever the reason was, she did change her story. Our best bet now is to discover dis-cover who procured that revolver." Kilday puffed his stogy thoughtfully. thought-fully. "How about Nick Royce? He was intimate with Franklin, and probably in his apartment often. He met Franklin there, before they went to the church. What was to prevent him from slipping the revolver re-volver in his pocket then?" "Or the woman in blue?" Peter returned to the subject of the mysterious mys-terious woman whose identity continued con-tinued to baffle them. "According to Dan Bullis, she was in love with Franklin, and he had been Indiscreet Indis-creet where she was concerned, to say the least. It Isn't unreasonable unreason-able to assume that she had access to his apartment. And we know that she was in the study a short time before his death. Perhaps she is the one who took the revolver from his rooms after learning his determination to marry another woman." He reached for his hat. "Bring the gun, Sergeant. Let's have a talk with Fletcher. We'll never find out how that gun got Into In-to the rectory garden, sitting here." Pending settlement of Franklin's affairs, his apartment was being kept open, and they found the servant serv-ant there. "Were you wanting to have another look around, sir?" he Inquired. "We want to ask you a few more questions Fletcher." Peter tried it's nothing that yon have done, but something concerning Mr. Franklin, that you think had best remain un known." His tone was kindly. "Now I was Franklin's friend, too, Fletcher. If there is some incident that should remain a secret, I can promise you that neither of us Is anxious to make it known, provided, of course, that it has nothing to do with his death. But you must let us be the Judge of that." Fletcher shrugged. "I'm sorry, you misunderstood me, sir. There's nothing to conceal. It's only that I don't recall just who came here that day." "Was Bullis here?" Kilday demanded. de-manded. "No, sir. I'm sure of that. I've never seen Mr. Bullis, although I've often talked to him, on the phone." "Who was the woman here that day, Fletcher?" It was Cardigan questioning now. "The woman?" The servant stared blankly. "What woman? I don't recall any woman visitor." "Perhaps it was Choo Choo Train," Peter continued, ignoring the man's reply. "She came here often, didn't she?" Fletcher hesitated, apparently searching his mind. "I can't be sure," lie said. "She may have been here that day. She did come here every once in a while." Kilday snorted. "Every once in a while I Why she was here nearly every day, wasn't she?" "No, sir." The man glanced first at the detective, then at Cardigan, uncertainly. "That Is the truth," he volunteered. "Of course I know you gentlemen are aware of Mr. Franklin's ah " he groped for a word "ah connection, with the actress, but just the same, she did not come here as often as you might expect. They maintained separate apartments, and I believe Mr. Franklin Frank-lin visited her there." "Did she have a key to this place?" Peter asked next. The man nodded. "Then perhaps she could have come here yesterday, or the day before, be-fore, without your knowledge." "Possibly," Fletcher shrugged. "But it doesn't sound plausible, sir. I was here all the time. I think I should have known it, if she had been here." Peter sat astride of a chair, facing fac-ing the man. His lean brown fingers fin-gers drummed a tattoo against his knee, in time to his racing thoughts. For the moment he seemed to have forgotten the man he was questioning. question-ing. "Who else had a key to this place, Fletcher?" he demanded. "I I beg your pardon, sir?" The question evidently had caught the servant off balance. But he had heard the question, clearly enough, for after a long interval of hesitation, hesita-tion, he answered. "If there are any other keys, sir, I don't know who has them." "There have been a number of other women in Franklin's life," Peter continued evenly. "A great many, before Choo Choo, and probably prob-ably some since. How long has it been since one of these women visited vis-ited your master here, Fletcher?" "I think," the servant replied slowly, "that Mr. Franklin was very much in love with Miss Train, sir. I don't believe there have been any other women he has cared for, recently, re-cently, except," he added apologetically, apolo-getically, "Miss Carmody, of course." The novelist puffed thoughtfully on his cigarette and studied the man before him through the pale cloud of expelled smoke. "You're very careful how you word it, Fletcher," he observed. "I notice you say nothing about any women who may have been in love with Mr. Franklin, Frank-lin, regardless of how he felt In the matter. It isn't always easy to break off a love affair with a woman, even CHAPTER VI Continued ; 12 e other set matches the print ,e gun, and that doesn't fit any ;jr previous notions of the '. Who else was there, whose nens we haven't got? Why did mrderer go there with a re-'-, then change his mind and ! Doctor Abernathy's dagger? does it happen that the mur-left mur-left a thumb-print on the re-"- although he wiped the dag-Mean dag-Mean of prints? This doesn't sense. he continued, "why is Cal-'ilpley Cal-'ilpley trying to protect Web-1 Web-1 pears? By all the laws of rea-hat rea-hat should be his thumb-print fie revolver." ;r was equally puzzled. Did rtet that this print on the re-i; re-i; remained unidentified absolve se whose finger-prints did not - it from suspicion? How about Shipley? Reluctantly, he was L to admit that Kilday had - grounds for his mistrust of E But if both Rylie Carmody Vebster Spears were cleared Cpicion, what was the girl try-conceal? try-conceal? And If that print !j, gun was a clue (as it certain-ui-med to be) who else should isuspect? What other finger-E finger-E could they match against it? i oman In blue? Who was she? ?ottld they obtain a specimen JH finger-prints? Daniel Bullis ie only person who could Iden-'j !r, and it seemed certain that ould expect little help from long that line. Was there else? Fletcher, Franklin's "" :t? That was absurd. He been near the church. There ,lilo Dunbar, too. He had ;here, but he had been the man's partner. What mo-flftould mo-flftould be manufactured from Besides, there was no evi- that ho had been in the snc- it any time, other than the '0;il testimony of Nick Royce ! had been unable to find the S! the church, a short time be derer had had no ditliculty in wiping wip-ing the prints of his fingers from the hilt of the knife. No, that was not the answer. "What do you make of it, Sergeant?" the novelist inquired. "Why should the guilty person have taken the precaution to hide his victim's gun?" "Doesn't make sense," growled Kilday, chewing savagely on his cigar. "If I had killed a man who was carrying a gun, I'd have left the gun alone. Then, if I ever was caught, I could plead self-defense." "How is this for a theory?" Peter volunteered. "If Jim Franklin had had the gun in his possession, he certainly would have defended himself him-self with it, wouldn't he? He wouldn't have carried a weapon to his wedding if he hadn't expected danger. That being true, why didn't he shoot his assailant the minute he was attacked? "If we grant that he was armed, then we admit he was expecting trouble. But Royce heard nothing apparently Franklin never even cried out. My idea is that he never had that revolver." "But hang It, man, it was Franklin's Frank-lin's own gun I" expostulated the detective. "There's no .doubt of that," Cardigan Car-digan agreed, "but people have been known to borrow guns before. Obviously, Ob-viously, the guilty person was taking every precaution to conceal his identity. It seems that he first planned to borrow his victim's gun for the occasion. After bis arrival in the study, however, he saw Doctor Doc-tor Abernathv's dagger hanging among his trophies on the wall. The knife was the more silent method meth-od of the two, so he determined to use it, instead of the revolver. This presented only one difficulty. For some reason, not yet apparent -to us, he did not want to leave the revolver beside the body. And certainly, cer-tainly, it was a dangerous thing to carry around, as its discovery would connect him with the slain PRECEDING EVENTS IN THE STORY Waiting In the minister's study for his wedding to Doris Carmody, Jim Franklin, lawyer and politician, Is stabbed to death. While waiting, he had many visitors, among them his mistress, an actress, "Choo Choo" Train; his Intended wife's father, Ambrose Carmody; her brother, Rylie; Daniel Bullis, politician, and an unknown woman in a blue frock. Sergeant Kilday, with Peter Cardigan, begins an Investigation. Rylie Carmody admits ad-mits trying to stop the wedding, after being informed by Webster Spears that Franklin was still friendly with Choo Choo, despite his approaching marriage. Kilday secures the dead man's keys. Callis Shipley, a bridesmaid, whose actions have appeared furtive, Is questioned unavailingly. An Interview Inter-view with 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. Fletcher. Franklin's man-servant, is reticent, and Milo Dunbar, the dead man's law partner, can shed no light on the murder. Choo Choo admits her relations with Franklin were to continue con-tinue after his marriage. Six of the seven keys Franklin carried are traced Callis Shipley, again interviewed, confesses previous deception. She admits being in love with Rylie Carmody. tie wedding. As Kilday had ed, out, tli is was not Important boi'.'e, inasmuch as it would have -most surprising If Itoyee had loDle to pick him out of all that jo: which had crowded the sol , liese and many other doubts .1 the novelist. He could not igtl his skepticism concerning ;e ,rlnts, el titer. If there were a the knife wltli which the jihad been committed, why ' they have expected the uuir-lo uuir-lo have left any elsewhere? j, were true, how account for oj tnil)-print on the gun? lie fitalud by the manner In pp hi us reasoning led him in cir-owhere cir-owhere could he find a tangl- "T. to which he might cling or 0 lich he might argue. beiost wished that he might Jiir'Ciltlay's conlideuce in thnt rint. y Moor behind them was (lung 01 '' an excited subordinate, it-'e found It, Sergeant !" the claimed. "We have discov- '10 registered that revolver ulaAvas purchased." j vol made no attempt to con-ung con-ung ' excitement. "Who was it, ,ld. turn't stand there like an sides urged impatiently. longed to Jim Kratikltti him- -flared the man. "The regis- uory:hos that lie bought it two eati"-" 3lng I CHAPTER VII lucK I Kildny's Case. that's Impossible. 111:111," ex- Jimi-tl Sergeant Kilday Im- . "The gun belonged to the .. 1 i licked the revolver from the xd examined It critically. .ijhls, like every oilier trail jy '' 7 discovered In this curious :f8 In n blind alley? lie 1 tunelessly. How could Jim 1 stabbed through the heart, cenled the weapon in the ' tardea, before returning to yyr to the? Obviously, that fS"''' The revolv,'r had V'ealed by the murderer, cer-&y.Vter cer-&y.Vter revolved I ho qtics-ji't qtics-ji't "'' methodically. Had ffi carried the weapon to y' -mic, fearing trouble? If so, i ho not used It. when at- "Mn, granting that he had ip lt,'s gun ami had been if- iwll' ,,aii slayer taken U??ciuuions to conceal It? Urtffy ''id the weapon have to jjthe shiver wished to hide? f;'s 'i'anklin's own gun. His '-n of It could scarcely re-.jlldentity re-.jlldentity of the assailant. fsHl"1 f t,le tl,,,ml)lirint, but t- it with a shrug. The mur- ZJ man, should the ownership of the weapon be traced. Therefore, he concealed the gun In the garden." "Then how about the thumbprint? thumb-print? Do you think we'll still be able to trace him by that?" "I have my doubts," Peter declared. de-clared. "Why should he have left a thumb-print on the revolver, when he took the precaution to wipe off the knife, unless," and the novelist novel-ist sat suddenly forward In his chair, "by George, Sergeant, that's it! Unless be wanted us to find that thumb-print. Have you taken the linger-prinls of the dead man?" "We always take them, during the medical examination," replied tlie detective. "Go get thorn, quick." Peter sprang to his feet and began n restless rest-less pacing of the floor. "I'm beginning be-ginning to get it, now. That thumbprint thumb-print belongs to .Tim Franklin, and it was made after his death. The murderer, taking every precaution to conceal his own identity, pressed his victim's thumb against the barrel bar-rel after the crime, so that if we ever found the weapon, it could lead us only to the dead man. Very clever, too, and If It wasn't for your practice of finger-printing dead num. we might have searched all our lives for the possessor of that print." Sergeant Kilday liasiened In search of the photographic records which Included the finger-prints of the slain man. The novelist Iiad been correct. The thumb-print found on the revolver barrel tallied exactly with that of .Tim Franklin. "That also identities another set of fingerprints in the study," declared de-clared Kilday. "They had already been matched Willi this thumbprint. thumb-print. It leaves only one set unidentified un-identified the small prints, which 1 think were made by a woman, probably the woman in blue." "The wiuiian In blue," agreed the novelist. "Just because we don't know who she Is. we can't overlook her. It's -inlte possible this fifth set of prints was made by her." Kilday chuckled softly. "Now It without success to penetrate the man's suave mask. He only looked politely Interested. "I believe you told us that Nick Royce and Dan Bullis were Mr. Franklin's only visitors here yesterday," yester-day," the novelist continued. "You are sure that's right?" "No, sir, that isn't right," Fletcher Fletch-er sidestepped the trap. "Mr. Royce came, after lunch, and accompanied Mr. Franklin to the church. Mr. Cuilis telephoned, repeatedly, but he never came here. The young Mr. Carmody was the other caller. You misunderstood me, sir, about that." Peler nodded. "My mistake, Fletcher. So Mr. Royce and Mr. Carmody were the only visitors yesterday. yes-terday. Think carefully, I must be sure." "I'm quite sure that Is correct, sir. If there had been any other visitors, I should have known It, I was here all the time." The novelist was apparently engrossed en-grossed in the lighting of a cigarette, cigar-ette, but his eyes never wavered from the man's face. "How about the day before?" he shot at him suddenly. "Po you recall what visitors visi-tors Franklin had that day?" The man hesitated. "There have been so many things happening, Mr. Cardigan. 1 don't recall anything unusual about that day, If that's what you mean." "Put there was nothing unusual about visitors culling here to see Mr. Franklin, was there?" "Oh, no, sir. But unless there were something unusual about it, I couldn't say exactly who called on any certain day." "Come. come. Fletcher," Kilday interrupted Impatiently. "Thai's only two days au'o. You wouldn't have to have the memory of an elephant ele-phant to remember that." "No, sir. Of course not." .jt slill the servant fallered. "Then what are you trying to hide?" demanded the detective bruskly. "I'm u"t trying to hide a: thing, sir. 1 have done nothing " 1 Peter Interrupted him. "Perhaps I "Then What Are You Trying t Hide?" for a person of Jim Franklin's accomplishments ac-complishments along that line. Perhaps Per-haps there has been a woman answering an-swering this description fi.no has called here recentlv?'' "Nut not that I can recall, Mr. Cardigan." "How about phone calls? Ilaa any woman been calling here repeated, repeat-ed, in the past few days':" "There have been many calls, of course." Fletcher faltered. "But I couldn't tell you who they were from. Miss Train, yes, and M.ss Carmody. If there have been others. oth-ers. I couldn't say who they were." "But there were others." 1 (TO EE CONTINUED. I |