Show r CHILD OF EVIL I 0 O oc OCTAVUS ROY COHEN OCl A VU ROY COHEN CEN f r. r g SERVICE By y r TIlE THE STORY SO FAR Beautiful young Kay Jay Forrest has been employed by Christine Maynard photographer to pose for lor a series of pictures the background of which will be exquisite Cathedral Gardens famous Southern resort Unknown to them one Jeff JelT Butler mean mem unscrupulous swamp swamp angel ancel has Jed a D friend to spy on the two women Kay of necessity Is scantily clad while posing for the camera studies Kay frequently stays with Mrs Ruth Hamilton her son Barney of whom Kay is very fond and her daughter Margaret 1 Mrs Hamilton a remarkable woman conceived the idea of the Gardens following the death of her husband One night after a 1 local dance Kirk R Reynolds a neer ne'er well neer do gambler of Beverly a resort town and Kay go for a 1 ride Kirks Kirk's s 's car collides with that of Harvey Jackson and during the ensuing argument Kirk whips out a gun and kills the young oung popular engineer Kay is completely complete stunned by the tragedy Kirk threatens threat threatens ens to drag her Into the thc thing thin If she tells even her father f Terror stricken she agrees rees to remain silent However the tho next time lime she goes out with Barney he realizes something Is Tong wrong She tells him nothing Mrs Ms Emma Forrest Kays Kay's mother is firm positive and demanding Her father is exactly the opposite kindly and unassuming While at nt home Kirk Reynolds calls for her and md she is forced to go goI I with him despite her family's protests He tells her the thc circumstances make it necessary necessary essary for her her to marry him so she cannot be forced to testify testily against him is accused of Jackson Jacksons murder They drive to a n neighboring town and are married i f The next time they are together Kay tells rne Barney she loves lo him but is married to toI I ne Reynolds She refuses to tell him why she married the gambler ambler but he to try to understand Meanwhile Miss Sonia Babe Henkel Beverly beauty f operator of questionable morals and Intimate friend of Kirk Reynolds berates him for lor marrying Kay I I. I r. r C CHAPTER ArTER Continued Y V I 7 I Babe was thinking aloud So you cc Vf 1 did kill Harvey Jackson Jaclson He spoke acidly Pipe down on th that t. t She was with you that night What of it I I t Plenty Now get this Kirk and get it straight I 1 dont don't give a hang what you ou do with other women but butI 1 I when you throw the harpoon into me I get sore I So what I So plenty I know why you married married mar mar- mar mar-I ried this girl And there arc some things Im I'm not standing for lor This is isone isone isone one of them 1 Youre not threatening me I hope Take It any way you want I Where is she now nosy v I None of your business It just happens I dont don't mind telling you ou that she went out to the Gardens with that Hamilton kid look eh J Making you sappy sapp Her voice cut into him 1 He shrugged If that doesn't suit I you you ou It suits me all right What doesn't suit me is that you didn't tell me what you jou had up your sleeve cy Since when did Is r start shooting off my mouth to you Now grab this Babe Im I'm in a tough spot and you might as well know it it I Okay In this State he said flatly a wile wife wife cannot be made to testify against her husband I She said You ou did kill him didn't you t Im telling you for lor the last time I Lay Layoff of off that Im I'm not to anybody any any- I body see not even you I Id Td like to help f. f Then keep your trap closed Im I'm saying nothing Let the saps talk i if j i they want But dont don't you join in the I chorus He looked up at her And dont don't go soft on me 1 I wont Ive I've played around with I you a pretty long time you know Yeh I know Youre You're on the level leveland levelt j t and Im I'm glad youre you're not doing a run out Though i if you feel leel th that t way way way-go go to it i She said I dont don't though Its It's just that this marriage of yours aint easy to swallow all of a sudden I Also whether you like it or not I dont don't enjoy the Idea of you being in inI a jam I He took her hand with what was l 1 I for him him a great demonstration of I affection Youre not so bad yourself yourself your your- I self Babe So snap out of it I will She waved and went out outi i the door So he ditches me for a country I kid Her fists clenched Well he heI cant can't get away with It I I C CHAPTER APTER VI VIi VIf f r The Lotus Gardens were nearing completion It was understood that 1 they they would be ready for the public as soon as the azalea season had passed its peak More reclaimed i j swamp greater and more bewildering bewilder bewilder- ing beauty More tourists Business Busi Bus ness men w were were re delighted non non non-busi busi ness persons didn't quite know how i to accept it and godly souls who lived li in the very rural districts considered it a disgrace Country I preachers declaimed against this Imported iniquity from the pulpits of 01 1 I crossroads roads churches hands were held high in horror the name of the Dc Devil l was bandied f freely eely and f- f with unction And town And town and md country country coun coun- try alike the alike the people pointed unwaveringly unwaveringly at what had ad occurred since the completion of Ruth Hamiltons Hamilton's i scheme to beautify ugly swampland and at the same time earn a fair income for lor herself and her two chil i dren There had been for or instance the 7 murder of Harvey Jackson on a 1 I lonely country road The Harvey Jackson Mystery It was railed called that at tables supper-tables at club meetings club at church socials It was thus dubbed in yard front yard conversations con con- and at gathering places like the Fair Play Store and the B Bon on f 1 Ton Pool Room It was denounced a as us a shame and disgrace and the s public inquired frequently and ancl am ve ve- why Gabe Dixon 1 I do about it Mr Dixon was Solicitor of the Seventh Judicial Circuit of which Beauregard County was a part HP Hr I Ir was a resident of the town of Bev Beverly erly a man who was tall lean len ann ano nervous lIen He had misty shifty eyes cye and md large restless fingers and feet He was addicted to stiff white CO collars col I lars mars and ridiculous little white whitt whitewash wash gush Ii l ties tics In times of stress his emotional emotional emo emo- reactions were betrayed by an excited bobbing of his collar but ton tori beneath a prominent Adams Adam's apple ap ap- He was a keen politician and a member of a n family which controlled controlled con con- trolled at least half the votes in Beauregard County He was shrewd keen and conscientious conscientious conscientious whenever and wherever conscientiousness was not calculated ed to deprive him of votes In a courtroom room his very awkwardness made him effective and he held the reins of office tightly doing the major major ma jor portion of his job with astonishing astonishing astonish astonish- ing efficiency For instance he was genuinely anxious to find convict the killer killer kill kill- er of Harvey Jackson That he felt would be an excellent move Harvey Harvey Har Har- vey Jackson had been one of the most popular young men in Beverly son of ultra respectable middle class parents an nn able young engineer and anda a man highly regarded by maidens and others And because Mr Dixon was sincere in his desire to convict convict convict con con- vict he he nt at first said first said nothing about the odd little compact which had been found on the road rond beside Harvey Harvey Harvey Har Har- vey Jacksons Jackson's dead body Of course the whole town knew about the compact compact compact com com- pact and discussed It avidly The Theman Theman Theman man who had found it failed to keep the secret Solicitor Dixon investigated shrewdly endeavoring to make sound evidence of that compact He learned that it possibly belonged to Katherine Forrest daughter Forrest-daughter daughter of Andrew Andrew Andrew An An- drew Forrest He couldn't prove it of course not course not then then because because he un un- understood d that it was a type of compact compact com com- pact which could be purchased in any of several New York cosmetic shops the sort of compact that touring touring tour tour- ing ladies Indies might have carried Then he discovered that on the night of Harvey Jacksons Jackson's demise Kay Forrest Forrest Forrest For For- rest had gone riding with Kirk Rey Rey- The evidence was still too circumstantial but it indicated several several sev sev- eral things to Mr Dixon He believed be that Reynolds had killed Jackson and that Kay Forrest had witnessed the affair Beverly's hard common sense plus verbose interpretation tion by Solicitor Solicitor So So- Dixon gave a fairly proper picture p of the tragedy tr Mr Dixon was quizzed You reckon Kirk Reynolds killed him Gabe He might have Then why dont don't you OU have him arrested No chance of him Not Noton Noton Noton on what weve we've got You knew all the time that was Kay Forrest's compact Why didn't you light on him Lots of gadgets like that Any of these tourists might have lost one I similar But you could have tried him couldn't you That wouldn't wouldn t have been smart Hed He'd have been acquitted and then he couldn't be touched again Well with Well with a hopeless gesture gesture- Look what hes he's done now Hes He's gone and married her He sho has And I make her testify against him Smart boy this Reynolds you eh Gabe Mr Dixon was unperturbed No o No o I wouldn't be bc sayin that marriage with marriage with them not even livin together together tells tells us plenty Its It's just about the same as sayin that Kirk killed Jackson and Kay Forrest saw V him do it it They might's well have advertised in the Gazette And listen listen listen lis lis- ten when you know a man has done donea a crime when you know it mind you its it's just a question of time belo be- be fo lo you git the evidence to convict him with Cathedral Gardens was bathed in silver glow Moonlight limned the theold theold theold old house sympathetically A sign tacked to a n pine at the entrance to the thc Gardens announced that inasmuch inasmuch in as this was the last night of the full moon no tourists w would uld be admitted on succeeding days after alter seven 0 clock A young man and md a n girl left the I house and wall walked ed toward the water I IThe The young man was tall and straight and broad of shoulder He walked slowly and gazed through the almost almost al 11 al- al most unearthly beauty of the Gardens Gardens Gardens Gar Gar- dens with pa pardonable pride Jim Owenby landscape engineer had designed and md built Cathedral Gardens To a Beverly man had been given the distinction of having crea created ted this beauty spot Working frum Mrs Hamiltons Hamilton's Ita nal I idea ide Idea fired ire by youthful ambition and post pos pas t g great technical skill he had planned and supervised Margaret Hamilton was young slender and unobtrusively beautiful ul Her hair was blond ash and she wore it close against her small perfectly shaped head Her eyes were gray like those of her brother At the moment they were soft and gentle perhaps because her hand I rested confidently on the muscular i arm of the young man at her side He helped her into a little bateau which was tied informally to a stake He seated himself beside her and handed her a paddle Well both bOUl have to navigate this craft he said lightly Unless you want me meto meto meto to sit in the thc back A boat came out of the darkness and purled gently past them A womans woman's voice freighted with a sigh for the things that might have been came to their ears The Thc voice said Did you see that young couple It must be wonderful to be young young and and to be here herc in the moonlight Margaret Hamilton touched the hand of the young man The place was overpowering in Its beauty Un Un- believable Tiny islands flaming laming till I i I Ir o r 1 9 A young oung man and a girl left the house with blossoms seemed vague and unreal There were no dimensions Jim Owenby propelled the thc little craft into a sheltered bayou Here they were sheltered by a midnight blackness and his arms went about the girL He said nothing He did not kiss her Here was a communion communion communion ion which transcended the desire for demonstration and caresses and if their bodies were vitally alive alive if if they were acutely conscious of each ench other that other that was because they were very young joung and very much in love And then he said gently I thought we could talk out here I I understand Lets Let's go back because because be be- cause we must talk They found a seat scat in an arbor which was mantled with wisteria and Margaret said slid Now we can talk He took her hand Its about Kay Forrest he said Margaret nodded I knew that Im sorry for her Sorry as hell So are we all Jim Owenby Ive always al ale ways known Kay Since she was a kid She's pretty swell Barney thinks so Well hes he's right Jim changed the subject slightly You know Barney has stuff I didn't think he had I thought hed he'd go under when Kay married this Reynolds but during the past week hes he's been taking taking tak take ing it on the chin like a man She nodded Weve been watching watching watch watch- ing him too Mother and I. I Its It's tough on him but perhaps its it's what h he needed A sort of tempering of the steel that we know is in him Im I'm terribly sorry for him Jim shook his head Why did Kay marry Kirk Reynolds Margaret said You tell ell me Right and Ill I'll only be telling tell tell- telling ing you what everybody In in Beverly is saying She was forced to marry him so that she couldn't testify against him If U he hc h happened to be tried for fol Harvey Jacksons Jackson's mur der Of course She WIlS was with Reynolds that night She saw what h happened i Do you blame her her for being afraid of him No She's just a kid And to see a 1 murder She's in a n rotten spot but that doesn't alter alteX the fact that unless that unless were we're wrong about everything ev Kirk Kirk Reynolds murdered Harvey and md Harvey was was my best friend I see And so And so he said bitterly I cant can't let matters stand where they are arc I want to talk to Kay want Kay want to see if shell she'll tell me the truth Margaret pressed his hand She said quickly You I Why It isn't fair Kay came here to o oget get away from the nasty gossip in Beverly She's oar guest But suppose she knew that she was going goine to be protected She couldn't know that Sheu only know that you'd be willing to todo todo todo do your best He said gravely In this State a woman may testify testily against her hus hUll band The law merely says that she cannot be compelled to to You mustn't Jim But I must Why Bec Because luse Harvey was my best friend that's reason number one Secondly Im I'm fond of Kay Margaret l was staring off oft into the tho night She hoped that her voice was stend steady r. r Suppose you knew that Kirk killed Harvey What would you do Im rm not sure He paused briefly brief brief- ly Then Listen dear dear and and try to understand A man cant can't just sit back and do nothing I cant can't and neither can Barney Barney Of course Hes He's all shot by this marriage of Kays Kay's You and Barney have been discussing discussing dis dis- cussing it haven't you Of course As a n matter of fact we haven't talked about much else And so We feel like a couple of prime saps Or perhaps that sounds more flippant than I intend What Pm rm driving at is that that for for everybody's sake sake we we dont don't Intend to let Reynolds Reynolds Rey Rey- Reynolds get away with this You know hes he's dangerous What of or it This Jim and Im I'm trying not to be selfish The past few years haven't been easy for us You didn't know Dad Dad so so you cant can't understand what his death really meant Then the financial collapse and the |