Show s f aj aw a- a j w u s THE THUS FAR Adam Bruce Druce I FBI I operator and Inspector and Mrs I s Tope ope met while on vacation In the North f eastern wilds Tope discovered the body of a murdered man at the Ute auto camp j of Dee Bee Dewain a friend of Druces Bruce's Druce State Trooper Quill Nat Cumberland Cumber i 1 land Jand D. D A. A and Dr Medford were called J They decided to keep the Ute murder secret y during Investigation atlon Mrs Tope told her husband that she reco recognized the body as that hAt of Mr head of New England Eng land d utilities However New York reported report report- J ed td that was at his Ws office DocI Doctor Doc Doc- for tor reports showed that man died of ruptured rup rup- I Lured appendix while tied up A car believed used by murderer was found 2 t CHAPTER VI He looked at Joe Dane in m mild tri tri- b ij So that was pretty good for forI I stab in the dark Mr Dane Danel I I that about plates heel-plates young Dane demanded j J V Well said Tope somebody I with plates heel-plates has walked through I 21 s the woods near Faraway and a man with ith plates heel-plates left some tracks up fi Hat at the quarry and Kell Holdom's Chauffeur had a pair of shoes with plates heel on them They're in his closet loset down at Holdom's right now t Then we want Kell Dane ex ex- ex- ex claimed And And Mrs Kell Was Vas she running around with Led orge 1 Weve We've got to find her too tool I 3 Tope nodded It would help a at t 1 lot he assented if we could talk t I to her He took Mrs l Topes Tope's arm T Let ULet me know when youre you're ready to toJ toi J i J salvage the car Mat I want to be beJ 3 J there Ill I'll be at the Mill if New NewYork NewYork NewYork York calls And despite Danes Dane's efforts to destain detain de- de tain stain them he and Mrs Tope went r down the stairs and got into the little roadster at the curb When they were under way she said d thoughtfully k I 1 dont don't like that young man but butT T hes he's right about one thing Youve You've k got to find Mrs Kell make her te tel tell oui ou i l ii I guess well we'll find her he reI replied replied re re- re- re I plied grimly But I dont don't expect her to tell us anything I w She looked at him You know I where she is J. J Well he confessed there were Two or three little things I didn't tell them That gray suit in Kells Kell's closet closet clos- clos et t I looked at the name on the tailors tailor's label The name was Led Led- ft f forge rge II f She uttered a low ejaculation I But But Mr might have given ten en it to Kell when Kell-when when Kell worked for him liim jj It it wouldn't fit Kell KelI Tope told her Kells a big man His uni- uni lorms were big This suit was IK small ji She frowned in bewilderment But even so she insist insisted d what has that to do with Mrs Kell Where do you think she is P He said heavily I think she's in the ithe pe coupe in the quarry I Why Why she whispered in a still terror I Why M f Adam and Bee found a mans man's tracks leaving there said Tope I iracks Shoes with heel But there were no womans woman's tracks 1 And that I foray gray suit in Kells Kell's closet there was blood on the sleeve of it and the dead man hadn't any cut or wound that would have bled at all It When Mrs Tope and the o vl ached Dewain's Mill Tope LJ went indoors but she stayed outside Th camp seemed deserted desert- desert ed d till Ada Adam m Bruce and Bee Dewain De- De fain wain hearing the car arrive came together from the direction of Faraway Far Far- I F away way ii 1 Well you to located the car That's good Jf eT Adam said Yes And I dont don't know when Ive I've ever had to do any- any that scared me mo more mOle a than diving divi div- div Jing i ing down into that gra gray graywater water but j I I L felt the axle and a wheel whee He Hedded added And while I was doing that o Q Bee found the mans man's tracks What do do they mean mean I Youre as bad as Joe Dane always always always al- al ways asking questions Son he countered how long are you going to hold out on me Adam protested Hold out But his face was red F Why CI yes yes just just that Why for instance in instance instance in- in stance does Balser Vade dislike you ou I Hes just a harmless crank Adam insisted I l The Inspector relaxed in his chair I All right son he said You do doas doas dos as s you like about telling me t t Adam hesitated in some distress eAny rAny idea yet who the dead man nay may be he asked at last 1 Tope answered mildly Y Yes s in a way Mrs Tope Tape thinks hes he's Led Led- forge orge the Why Utilities Utilities Why what's the matter Adam I t I For at that name young Adam truce Bruce ruce had come to his feet in quick astonishment sto stood now nov leaning over over Tope Tape and cried out 4 1 I 1 1 Mrs Tope says so the old man insisted She saw Ledfor te once at at a stockholders' stockholders meeting l J Adam relaxed ed he chuckled You startled me for a minute he confessed con- con i Yes I noticed that I said Tope Tape dryly Y y Matter of fact I meant to tot I But Mrs Tope is wrong Ins P ector ec- ec tor r Adam declared He hesitated I I telephoned our people i in n New York k this morning from Rid to ask about bout Ledfor g e. e Hes He's in New York I l checked E fk on that IT Yes so did we T Tope Pe assented t S is in New York YOlk all right 1 But A Adam dam how did you happen to I think it might be He looked at the young man shrewdly Im ClIm wondering he said if Balser Balser Balser Bal Bal- ser Vade you Vade-you you said he was a letter- letter writing kind of a man man ever ever wrote a letter to Led orge Adam surrendered All right I he yielded and he grinned I give I in Here it is But I think Vades Vade's harmless Tope Only ruined him ten years ago in a waterpower waterpower wa- wa power er-power project Since then Vade has ms been a little cracked on the subject of brooks and streams I told old you about that He blames Led- Led forge orge for spoiling the rivers Led- Led forges forge's office s sent nt over to our people peole peo- peo pie le half a dozen letters pretty wild and md extravagant from this society for or the protection of rivers signed by y Vade as secretary and threatening threatening threatening threat threat- ening with with fire fire and brimstone brimstone brim- brim stone tone lOne One of them said something about snatching him up in a fiery chariot like Elijah or whoever it was vas and that suggested so o I came up here to see Vade He added Vade admitted writing writing writ- writ ing ng the letters and he dared me to toNo f ir f I j I r. r T i r t t i i P Pr J r No the dead man isn't Mr l Led- Led forge orge arrest him He seemed to want to tobe tobe toe be e persecuted seemed to want publicity publicity pub- pub and a chance to tell the world what sort of man is I think hink hed he'd like to play the martyr but ut didn't want to prose prose- cute He added I suppose Led- Led forge orge was as anxious to avoid publicity publicity pub- pub as Vade was to get it Tope nodded understandingly But after that naturally you thought of And I checked up Adam agreed And Led orge is in New NewYork York Tope beamed So bo this can cant can't t behe behe be he he assented And Mrs Topes Tope's mistaken And he went on to recite recite recite re re- re- re cite to Adam the discoveries of the day He told the tale of the stolen car and of Whitlocks Whitlock's inquiries and of the visit to the Holdom place and of Miss Nettie And Mrs Kell and Kell have disappeared disappeared disappeared dis dis- appeared he explained Holdom was expected home Friday but he didn't come Kell came ame in the limousine limousine limousine lim lim- and drove away in it afterward afterward afterward after after- ward and Mrs Kell drove the coupe away Adam ran to quick conjecture And Kell joined her later came with her here Then they dumped the coupe in the quarry and headed for Canada Well Vell maybe Tope admitted I What was it Jealousy Is Mrs Kell the Kell-the the flighty kind The Inspector said reluctantly Well it looks as if she spent last week end week ten ten days ago with ago with Led Led- forge somewhere And if shed she'd go away with him maybe shed she'd go with others Maybe this dead man man long long longas as hes he's not was was one of them He slapped his knee in sudden sudden sudden sud sud- den recollection We Ve ought to have sent a tracer out after the limousine that Kell drove away in Adam do that will you Adam nodded Yes What else disc Why it just might be that Led Led- forge is really missing and they're covering it up in New York Ill find out Adam promised And one other thing Adam May not have any connection but Id I'd like to know Holdom had a plane plane plane-pi- pi pilot lot named Bob Flint Flint and and it il crashed in Long Island Sound on Sa Saturday morning Flint he was k killed lIed Id I'd like to know what made that plane crash Maybe you can find out through the Department of Com Com- merce Adam said Sure Then they heard voices outside and Mrs Tope and Bee Dewain appeared appeared ap in the open doorway Bee had sandwiches wrapped in a napkin napkin nap nap- I Ikin kin and a glass of milk Tope chuckled and looked at Mrs Tope I declare he exclaimed I forgot all about food He took the sandwiches and began to eat them comfortably Adam said Bee Ive I've it t to do some telephoning dont don't int the neighbors listening in Want Vant to run me to town Take our car Tope suggested No need to bother Miss Dewain I want to tell her what's been happen happen- ing He added with a chuckle get back quicker if I keep I her here So Adam drove away alone and Tope told Bee what there was to tell ell The girl listened silently till he ic finished Then she said No the dead man isn't Mr Led- Led forge I had a letter from him this morning Or rather Mr Eberly I did I And she explained You see Mr l Eberly and Mr are I old friends The bank had some Utilities bonds and that was one r reason reason rea rea- ason a- a son it had to close but Mr Eberly never never blamed Mr Mr i Eberly left Saturday morning to go fishing in in New Brunswick and and I I I used to be his secretary secretary secretary-he he arranged arranged arranged ar- ar ranged to have his mail delivered to o me so I could take care of it Hes Hes He's not married so he often does that hat when he goes away Tope listened without questions and she went on This letter came this morning from rom Mr He wants Mr Eberly to come over and fish with him in the trout-pond trout above his summer summer sumner sum- sum mer ner place tomorrow afternoon Mr wrote the letter himself You sure Yes of course Ive I've never seen him lim but I know his handwriting i Ill I'll show you the letter Tope said mildly Why Id I'd like I to o see it And he asked Any Anyway Anyway I way you can get in hi touch with Mr Eberly Miss Dewain Telephone she said Or tele tele- graph I wish you'd call him up tell him about this invitation And he added added added add add- ed disarmingly If he doesn't want wanto to o come back to fish with Mr Led- Led forge orge ask him to fix it so I can go goin goin gon in n his place I like to fish All right she assented amused and Tope asked Mr Eberly seen lately lately latey late- late ly y has he She shook her head No Mr called him up about ten days ago Saturday ago Saturday I think it was Wanted to see him but Mr Eberly was vas in Boston over that week The operator knows I handle some things for Mr Eberly so she shifted the call to me Where did call from Tope wondered Up here I think Bee replied He said something about dropping in n. n Something casual Not as if he were in New York Tope nodded and then they heard hearda a car turn in and arid stop by the Mill and Bee looked out and said Its Mr Cumberland and Joe Dane Call them up here Tope directed direct direct- ed sharply Before the whole world knows they're here He came to the door as Bee made haste laste down the drive but she was too late to avert the danger Tope foresaw Joe Dane was inflated by bythe bythe bythe the prospect of handling what promised promised promised prom prom- prom prom- to become a celebrated case So when they turned in off the road and stopped beside the Mill where Earl Priddy was working Joe called in important tones Hi Earl Wheres Where's Inspector Tope Tone Priddy straightened up and Scratched his head and stared Inspector Inspector In he echoed his eyes wide vide Inspector of what What's he Inspector Inspector Inspector In In- of Joe Bee arriving just then on the spot hushed him sharply Never mind Earl Its Jit's none of your business Go on with your work She summoned summoned summoned sum sum- Joe away the car moved on to Cascade where Tope waited and the two men alighted there Tope looked at Dane in mild dis approval Young man he said you advertise too much I Its all right Bee said I told Earl it was none of his business 1 Tope chuckled Why that's fine miss he assented After that I Earl Priddy wont won't give it another thought I know knowl You certainly fixed that And he added gently You go along now and telephone Mr Eberly And let me see that letter And as the girl turned away he said Come in Mat Come in Dane I Iguess Iguess Iguess guess Earl doesn't matter We couldn't keep this thing dark much longer And he added slowly located Holdom Hes He's in a private hospital down near Hartford with a broken head a concussion maybe a fractured skull Cumberland nodded and he explained explained explained ex ex- ex- ex New York says and Holdom started up here last Friday in Holdom's limousine with Kell driving They left New York early about nine Holdom went around to pick up at his apartment and the officer on the beat saw come out and get inThey inThey inThey in They dont don't know when came back but he was in his office Monday morning and he was at the bank and in his his- office this morn morn- ing Tope nodded and Cumberland went on Well today when they had made sure about they sent a aman aman aman man to Holdom's office and the staff there was all excited because they had just had a telephone I message message message mes mes- sage from Holdom Hes He's in this private private private vate hospital in a little town just this side of the Connecticut line TO BE 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