Show The P Men en on the theby Dead Mans Man's Chest by Clifford Raymond Raymondv v Service Copyright Tho Bobb Dobbs Co PRECEDING EVENTS During a n holdup at the Dutch Mill a fashionable Chicago o night ht nightclub nightclub club a n patron later Identified a as Dunn Clayton Is shot and killed Lieutenant or of Police Stanton In Investigating tn- tn questions a n voluntary witness calling himself Buck Trombly Trembly His IUs testimony Is apparently apparently en straightforward CHAPTER I Continued I-Continued 2 2 I 11 wasn't very nervous myself said Trembly but I thought he was less so I hI dont don't know how bow nervous you'd be tie mister said the lieutenant but there wouldn't have been any false starts from Clayton You knew him A itA bit of him He might have tal taken talen en the three of them In another five fi minutes if be he had not been I shot Maybe la be they knew that Not the faintest chance Those bums Hims didn't know ImO anything If the they md had the they'd d have e known they didn't have a chance from the beginning They were exposed on all nn sides Eides It was so raw that they ought to be beien given i another chance before they're tried ried But what happened The shot I was looking lookin at Clayton Clayton Clayton Clay Clay- ton saw v him bim crumple looked about and saw the fellow who shot him hini put his pistol In his overcoat o pocket and walk out Have ve you ou a n nun gun un t tI I Yes Ics cs Youre a competent citizen You rather say so yourself And you ou look ook like lile one Why didn't you crack this killer Im not that good Lieutenant said Trembly Things were happening happening hap hap- pening a n bit too fast You wouldn't count on the fellows you call caU bums bolting the way they did They would have ha bolted if some someone someone someone one had dropped a n plate or slammed a door lIAn Anyway way I sat dumb Could you ou describe or Identify the man Not a chance said Trembly What I sa saw of his face was next to Lo nothing a blur For the rest of it I could tell you ou that he was yas probably live feet eight or nine one onehundred hundred and s sixty live to one hundred hundred hun hun- dred and seventy pounds and wore a black overcoat Half the male citizenship of the town said the lieutenant Where are you sta staying ing Buck Im not staying said Trembly Im leaving at two forty five for Minneapolis That Is If you do not need me inc further I hope you dontI dont I III dont don't see why I should make mak you an any Inconvenience Buck nuck Youve You've tried tried ried to come in with what you knew You rou might not think that a copper would want to keep these poor bums from standing trial for something they didn't do but Id I'd rather get the Hie fellow who really did It Give me nie the names of the people people peo peo- pie you were to meet here will you I suppose they came about the time the party was breaking for the outside outside outside out out- side and took themselves out of the picture Write me their names and addresses Buck I know only the mans man's said Trembly all right A fellow can find a lot of women's names in this place You stay here Just a minute while I talk with the detectives I should d ha have ve said d dicks I I suppose Eh Eli Buck Lots of us are queer fish Osh Now you'd oud never guess that my ray hobbles bobbles are ants and bees So probably probably ably I sa say detectives An Anyway way the detective headquarters Is on the Job That will end my concern with It Ill I'll be back In a moment Just write me the mans man's name and address on ona ona ona a bit of paper I As soon as the lieutenant had gone out of the office Trembly took tooka a piece of paper from the desk pt at at athis his side and after a moments moment's consIderation consideration con con- wrote A P P. Willard May Ia Place Five Fhe minutes later the lieutenant came back Youve got something Under tinder an hour for your our train Buck Duel he saidI said I had them stop a u taxi for y you u. u Asa As As' Asa a formality would you let me see I your our gun guu They ask asic these d n d-n n fool questions of us Did you ou see his hisgun gun No You knew he had one Yes You didn't see It No And And youre you're a copper A copper you are arel I Im I'm being pretty prett considerate dont don't you ou think mister Lets Let's see sec the old gat Wh Why not Buck nuck Trembly asked smiling as he drew his pistol Sometimes I feel Buck and sometimes I feel mister You know leno how It goes with prima donnas Now one time he lie broke the pistol and glanced nt at Its chambers I might have felt feIt like lIlea framing l these hums bums weve we've got Tonight I dont don't Pistols Pistol's all right Buck Thank you Your cabs cab's outside Well We'll not bother both er or you any more You Youve been a n good scout I told you I was Interested interested In In- In ants and bees Sure I Just wanted you to think of me as asa asa asa a human being Many coppers are fire when you see them at nt home Arthur or Buck Trembly was the only son of a Buffalo attorney of or reputation and wealth whose whoso money was made in hydroelectricity The father was a graduate of the Massachusetts Mass Mass- Institute of Technology and of the Harvard Law school There were six sis children but Arthur was the only son Lie He had gone into Canada and had been a trooper in the Ho Royal al Mounted Ho He had got ot othis his man on a number of occasions but on one the question wh why had arisen The man could not answer it because he was dead There was too much plausibility In Trembly's s report for an official Inquiry to be Indicated or demanded Nevertheless I less a question remained It would have had more Insistence If it had been known where the mans man's bag of gold was 1 an un hour before his death 2 an nn hour afterward Arthur Arthur Arthur Ar Ar- thur never rejoined his reputable Buffalo family circle Trembly had married twice Ills His first wife had been the daughter of ofa a well do Indianapolis family who Inherited one hundred thousand thousand thousand thou thou- sand dollars on the death of her fa fa- fa- fa ther Uler Mr l and Mrs Trembly made Identical al wills each bequeathing to the other all possessions Mrs Irs Trembly died the tile year ear ear following her fathers father's death Trembly did not marry again until 1027 1927 CHAPTER II The Necessary Dame A ALL LL aside from what John Law Lawand Lawand and his tipstaffs mIght think of It Dunn Cla Clayton ton had died nice He had been much too busy a manto manto man manto to linger weakly and wretchedly JI in his bed and pick at his coverlet Although he had changed his boots for spats It It was consistent with his living JIvIng that his d dying should find them on He Ie was buried burled Tuesday October 2 after the the coroners coroner's Jury jUlY had taken Its Itsie view ie His Ilis funeral was Pistols All Right Buck a a n. sober and decent affair with American Legion Ion recognition of his good war var record The morning of the bur burying Ing Lieutenant Stanton came to the station out of uniform uni uni- form Going somewhere somewhere- his captain captain asked him States attorney wants i ito to see you Clayton I suppose Im going to Claytons Clayton's funeral said the lieutenant You believe e the murderers al always always nl- nl ways turn up at the burying i This one wont won't I knew new a n bitof bitof bit of Cla Clayton ton when he was a square shooter Yes and anti when was that In the latest war But nut why me to the thc states state's attorney Im I'm not nota a detective I has asked for you The squad car will take tale you OU down I At the states state's attorneys attorney's s door the lieutenant had a wait of ten min ruin I utes Then jhen Horde the Ule first assIstant assistant assistant assist assIst- ant came out I Ito Hullo Stanton he said glad to have you ou back acl on a case Come on In Dont kid lid me man said th the I lieutenant When did you ever er have me on a case Im I'm not a de de- Im I'm an officer of patrol men You ought to know the dif dif- ference An Anyway Anny ny come In lIe He wants to see you They rhey went Inside Back again said the states state's attorn attorney at at- torn torney cr You cant can't help yourself can cnn you you rou Always falling into something something something some some- thing nice Real neal meat lI tion n. n Fame The fangs of the thela la law w. w Mr Con said the thc lieutenant lieutenant lieu lieu- lieutenant tenant youre not the man Dlan to kid kida a n lieutenant of police Fangs of th law arent aren't lieutenants at the oost Chicago A Avenue l How ow are the bees and ants You'll be Ie chief yet et Of the bees and ants Listen Mr being chief which never ne be wont won't get me any any- thing thin Now a n poultry farm Or did you iou ou ever think of pecans or grapefruit down south 7 That settles It You'll be chief duet You'll start a n couple new police rackets When youre you're worth a million million million mil mil- lion dollars you'll be discovered Ill I'll hn have ve to Indict you Come come sold the lieutenant Is your OUI servant ser a n fish Id I'd take I you In lii I No uNo 1 I dont don't see It that wn way You'll hold out on me we nn and It will cost you half your ur pile to heat bent the I case What do you ou know about t the liP Clayton murder Why are yon you protecting protecting pro pro- these four hoods I hoodlums hoodlums hoodlums hood hood- lums not hoods mister said Stanton The re boy scouts gone wrong Im I'm not protecting them Their own foolishness protects them or should What have you to show It The case against them seems clear These hese men try to take the Dutch Mill r There were three whom the people saw There were of course others near the door You assume there weren't and so you conclude the three were simple Most of tho the customers In there were sheep when they were scared but Clayton ton wasn't Can you ou ima Imagine lne him hini taking a stick tip that way lie started to clean out these hoods and at his first move one of them back of him shot him Then they all nil lost their nerve and ran Theres There's your story Its It's not only plausible Its It's Insistent Its Ills also worthless said Stanton Stanton Stanton Stan- Stan ton smiling stalling It doesn't ta take e into account why Clayton layton was In the Dutch Mill 1 He lie was as put there to be bo killed and that that wasn't done by the fellows who only wanted the cash and ornaments of the customers How do you know that thaO Its partly guessing as usual A customer named Trembly Arthur Trembly-Arthur Arthur or Buck Trembly had had been sitting at a table near Dunn He Lie volunteered volun volun- I tc-ered tc to tell the story He told It It too well He Ie had seen too much al although although although al- al though he lie explained that plausibly My Impression was that he had gone there to find Dunn and that Dunn was astonished to see him That assumes that they knew each other I think they did I think Dunn knew at once that he was In for trouble and was sorry for it It not because he had any fear but but because it would spoil his re re- re- re I doubt that he lIe suspected suspected sus sus- Buck of planting a killer on him Hed He'd expect Trembly to do dohis dohis dohis his own Oh wait walt a minute Stanton I r the states state's attorney Interrupted Can you ou honestly think that theres there's even en evena eena a semblance of pr probability or plausibility plausibility plausibility to that How lIow do 10 you know the they knew each other Who says they did Did Trembly sa say so How flow do you know Cla Clayton ton was planted there I dont don't think youre you're quite reasonable You sn say a n simple case Is no good and then you produce produce pro pro- duce what really Is a n fantastic one It th the truth mister said the lieutenant But Dut that's the wa way the police business goes now and then Why dont don't you ou stick to your our stor story It will vill get et you a few head head- I lines Leonine Young Prosecutor I I Promises Swift Justice for Cor Dutch Mill Ull Bandits States Attorney Cor Cor- valeski Aroused by Outrage HangIng Hanging Hang Ing Horde Demands Rope Hope for Kill Kill- ers Oh go on with your story said I the states state's attorney Ill have to because Ive I've been holding out on you Ill I'll let you Judge In a minute whether Dunn was enticed into the Dutch Mill III Assume Assume As As- sume he lie was I connect that with Trembly I guess that Buck had some reason for killing Dunn and that he Intended to make sure of oC it by having some other man do It while Dunn thought he had only Buck on his hands I happen to know Dunn Clayton a little more than b by his hs reputation said the lieutenant I III knew new him In the war Oh yes es said the states state's ney I forgot You were in the war war Go to h h l 1 said Stanton You weren't But dont don't let that worry you ou Lots of other politicians weren't and the ones who were In It I kept ept It from being belna a really good war But never neer mind that You couldn't help it The point Is Dunn was a man to have some enemies Sa Say Buck was one of them Dunn was smooth and cool and sometimes hard hald My Iy guess would be that he anti and Buck sa sat looking hooking at each other and knowing that there was murder murder murder mur mur- der coming comin cominI I dont don't know lenow much about Buck never neVel having seen Mm turn I until Dunn was dead but Ill I'll guess that Dunn sat there thinking he lie could beat whatever started Only he lie didn't see se It start No Now I 1 said saidI I had lund been heen holding out on you ou I took a letter ietter off Dunn before the they made a n search of his pockets pocI A little quiet Culet le exploration sometimes helps Heres Here's the l letter He handed It to who read rend It aloud Dunn Old Dear Dear I I have been In town so short a time that I have Just learned you were here lucre I mm must t leave Monday Monlay It seems Impossible to see you and wholly Impossible not to I can be run of off with Saturday Saturday Sat Sat- night by a discreet friend who will understand and who will give me an nn hour free and antI be my alibi for It Be Dc at the Dutch Mill sometime before before midnight and you willing and 4 fate willing you ou will see Maisie l That was In his hiTs pocket said Stanton So I guess that lint considering consider consider- ing In he ho was killed he was p planted there to be killed hilled It doesn't follow said the the- first assistant The girl Is doing something something some some- thing clandestine She Site Is a 11 bit late The place Is held lucid up Her escort whisks her away Nothing ever er follows nothing said the lieutenant unless youre you're willing to speculate Now Ive I've talked t to these bums and thc they are ure I merely pitiful Take a n diagram of or orI the Dutch r 11 Mill II and see what I tried to do In En t fi they n more minI minutes min rain I utes utes before the they could have tal taken en enmore more tuna three watches two bill rolls roUs and a ring rin they would have been shot by some one from the kitchen or the office The coroner the cops the fire department the Insurance Insurance In In- patrol and a couple health department Inspectors would have been arriving simultaneously Wh Why didn't you hold Trembly l asked It uIt was Just my hunch not to try It My guess was that wed we'd do better better better bet bet- ter with him loose titan than with some law lawyer er In court to know why wo we were holding him But this letter you ou certainly haven't been concealing It It Only from publicity The Tile detective detec detec- tive bureau hureau Is looking hooking for Malsie Who Is she Have Davo you ou an any Idea 1 be beyond ond m my guessing In fact my guessing Is pretty rotten i but It always comes back to Ti Trembly Trem em- em lily bly and the conviction that he lie knew the note had been sent to Clayton It H may have been that the killer was outside or at another table |