Show MEDUSAS MEDUSA'S HEAD t t 1 J.- J. i S f Joseph h ne Daskam Bacon Buco EJ 4 BY r l AM C SERVIce I SYNOPSIS In concern over the disappearance of or the young yount and beautiful cf ct his we wealthy frI friend nd Crandall White Aaron Glaenzer engages Motherwell l private Investigator to find her A note from the tho missing woman warns her husband not to call inthe In tho the police saying she sho hoped to come back Mrs White Is la younger than her hor husband and his devotion has been the talk of or New Now York tier Her len leaving him Is 19 unexplainable CHAPTER II Continued II-Continued Continued II-Continued 2 2 You mean that you think she wanted to disappear like that I III dont don't say that Of Ot course she couldn't want to But I think that she thought she had to I I f admit frankly that that doesn't sound to tome tonie me nie like lIlie a dictated letter Mr Moth Moth- erwell It was evidently decided In great haste all nil of It The paper Its It's on the chaotic way Its It's written the repetitions th the utter lack of preparation preparation prepa prepa- ration the fact that she leaves leares the alibi to her husband But my dear young man Glaenzer zer Interrupted hastily people dont don't make elaborate preparations for being being he lie stopped suddenly Being what Motherwell asked Come Mr Glaenzer you know you dont don't think Mrs Irs White was abducted abducted ab ab- ducted 1 No I dont don't the Jeweler agreed shortly Youre oure very ery clever Mr Motherwell 1 I dont don't As a matter of fact people dont don't abduct rich mens men's wives wi Children ren occasionally occasion occasion- occa occasionally lon lon- ally but the letter naming the ransom ransom ransom ran ran- som usually comes along quickly Perhaps Motherwell suggested thoughtfully afraid the average rich man mightn't pay such sucha a large ransom for his bis wife I But Butt It t so happens that In this case the rich man would I take It there are arc areno areno no children I Nones None As a matter of fact It wouldn't be at all Impossible to abduct a rich richman's richman's mans man's wife Motherwell persisted I I 1 admit Its It's not a fashionable crime but It could be done He would pay anything wouldn't he hel Anything he be owns Then it will be easier Easter Easier Why of ot course Its It's much easier casler to o find a woman who doesn't want to be lost than one who does os Andone And Andone Andone one thing that makes It easier In any event In this ladys lady's case Is her spectacular beauty It must be fairly fairy fair fair- ly Iy y difficult to keep such a person unnoticed I should think Do you know snow what she had on when she left eft the house No sal said Glaenzer d despairingly we dont And we cant can't very well ask I made Crandall telephone her maid from my house What did be he say Why let me see he said Coggeshall Coggeshall Coggeshall Cog your mistress has bas decided decI ed suddenly to stay out of town She's not quite up to the mark Im I'm sorry to say and wants you ou to pack pad her clothes for a few days days negligees gees and simple things you know Send them to the and Ill I'll take them I suppose you dont don't know what she answered Why yes as It happens I 1 do I asked him because because- I wondered of course Just what the servants were thinking You see she hadn't been back all that evening an and Cran Crandall all was nearly wild She only said Is that so so sir Im I'm truly sorry Ill I'll pack directly sir I suppose she wont won't want you to bring any of her Jewels sir sIrl So then he ho said no and I I. I nudged nudge an and whispered to him to ask ask If she had enough or something like Uke that I thought It would d be an on excellent excellent excellent ex ex- chance chance- Exactly and ha had she Tm Im sure she ha had only her weddIng wedding wedding wed wed- ding ring and guard Mr White an and the Medusa of ot course couIse she answered the Medusa sir Moth- Moth well el-well asked The Jeweler handed him for the second time the magazine still open at the portrait She has bas It on be he said Against an evening dress of ot iridescent Iridescent irIdescent Ir ir- white cunningly masse massed against her marvelous skin there shone but one Jewel a lambent green thing as large as a slIver silver dollar dol lar or nearly In low but exquisitely exquisite exquisite- ly clear relief was cut upon It a womans woman's beautiful face framed Ina In Ina Ina a mass of tossing serpents too tiny for belief bellet At first you thought them wild locks loeles of or hair merely but Ina In Ina Ina a moment you knew them for what they were and wondered since the painter was WM so so gifted what must the gem cutter ha have e been I Whew I 1 Motherwell exclaimed what a wonder I Its It's Jade Its only equal Is In Peking I 1 believe believe be be- lieve saId ald Glaenzer I OIl gave It to o her ber as a wedding gift She took an absurd fancy to It and always wore It called It-called called It her lucky piece This doesn't look as ns If shed she'd been spirited away for her ber Jewelry does It sir No said Glaenzer quietly she wear more than that usually Always when I have seen her What for Instance Her betrothal ring ring ring-a a large black pearl set In diamonds a small triple string of ot pearls usually a sapphire link bracelet perhaps The Medusa she wore as a brooch either at her neck or sometimes as asa asa asa a pendant to the pearls But she al always always always al- al ways wore It Motherwell considered a moment Her maid said nothing more Oh yes She went directly to White the next nest morning and asked If It her mistress didn't want her ber Lie He said he un understood not but would make sure This morning she asked If It the clothes were satisfactory and If there was any message for tor her He said yes of course and that there was none This noon she called me up here about five and asked If any message message had been sent I her from Mrs White I sal said not that I knew of ot I It Tm Im sure shell she'll send If she requires requires requires re re- re- re quires you rou Coggeshall I told her and she answered rather dispiritedly dispirited dispirited- I I ly Yes sir I suppose so English I suppose An extremely high class woman for that position She Is devoted to Clella Clelia and earns I Imagine all aU of her ber undoubtedly high wages Mr Motherwell looked Into the fire In silence and his host bost forbore to break It At last he spoke Im afraid you'll find yourself leaning on a n broken reed Mr Glaenzer zer he said slowly If I was o one e of those Johnnies In a book now Id I'd have hae taken a lot of or notes and asked a few piercing questions and dashed off and arrested somebody somebody- I Mr l White for choice But the only I thing I 1 can do Is to wait walt until something something something some some- thing strikes me This Is really very I difficult you yon know Im I'm afraid I think It looks rather bad for Mr Ir I White sir Glaenzer groaned Dont 1 l he said an and went on after a moment On the contrary Motherwell he said you ou Impress me very much Very much Indeed But I am a n little surprised that you dont don't dont don't- notice one thing I thing I thought you ou would have haye In the letter you mean Yes What thing sir Why this odd sentence said sal Mr Glaenzer Poor White and I have haye worn our brains out over It It t. t You might read the sentence suggested Motherwell Mr Ur Glaenzer took the letter an and read I 1 told him bIm that I tell teU you know 1 I love loe you Told Tol whom Poor Crandall thinks her ber brain was upset upset upset up up- set set set- But you think she simply made madea maden a n slip sUp In her excitement said Motherwell quietly The older man gasped slightly You You Its Its It's hard to conceal ones one's feelings from you my clever cleve young 9 w Never Dotted an I And Scared to Death Im I'm Afraid friend he be said I suppose that's what I meant yes es but a anyway what does docs It mean I 1 told him that I would woul tell ten you youl l Forgetting that Crandall knows of no him Oh no I shouldn't say so But you did notice it You think you understand I It perhaps Why yes es I think It could be explained explained ex ex- said Motherwell absently I Then perhaps you'd you'd- you'd ou Mr zer's tone was almost Imperceptibly Imperceptibly Imperceptibly edged He Be was very tired The young man blinked and apologIzed apologized apolo apolo- apologized with his whole mobile face Please excuse me I he cried I got thinking you thinking you know he explaIn ex ex- plaIn cd I read that part of the letter a little differently If It you will hand It to me me- me He took It lal laid It on the arm of ot othis his chair and bent over It It t as If It writing I am quite well no well no one Is hurtIng hurting hurt hurt- Ing me me- me here bere he be flung back angrily over oer his shoulder I I told tol tell him that I you then again wrIting You know I Ilove Ilove love you 1 that make sense sir sIrl She did tell him that before you know I 1 Mr Glaenzer started For heavens heaven's sake sakel I 1 he murmured murmured murmured mur mur- for tor heavens heaven's sake salce 1 1 Theres one you OU l left ft out but she thought It was the you of the sentence that was coming you see An And In her ber excitement she wrote it all aU down Just as she sal said It At least that's the way It seems to tome me You mean that you think somebody somebody somebody some some- body really was there there- Why naturally Somebody who was hurrying her ber along too She must have written like lightning Never dotted an I. I And scared to death Im I'm afraid You can suggest nothing I can cnn suggest one or two things I dont don't mean that I think this lady lacy couldn't be found I think think she's too beautiful and too young and has too many perfectly obvious reasons for forgetting forgetting getting back back If If she can not can not to be found ultimately B But t It looks to me meas meas meas as as if she was afraid she couldn't see seeber her ber way to getting back back very very soon to to put It mildly ly You cant can't get around that And what staggers me meIs meIs meis Is the short short the the terribly short time at our disposal Mr Glaenzer You cant can't lose one of the loveliest and richest young women In the country in broad da daylight lIght In New York and expect to get away with It very long can you youl People even If It they are reducing their weight can still stUl write to their friends How long will Mr White hold bold out How long can you fool the servants What are you going to say What's become of her Everybody will want to know She II She should have bae tb thought of that said Mr Glaenzer In a low voice What can Crandall all do Of course Motherwell went on apparently not noticing this bitter reply of course Mr White can say that she has been obliged to be put temporarily temporarIly- I suggested that but he turned turne on me and refused po pointblank said Glaenzer He said she would never forgive him Well Tell then what does he want to todo todo do dol He wants you to find her said the Jeweler Motherly laughed angrily Because Im I'm not the police I suppose Just so Y You ou dont don't think that's rather a quibble We think Its It's a pretty near thing the older man admitted but we also think that she ought to be very glad of that quibble Mr Motherwell I In case she wants to come back and that she can an hardly blame us legally speaking in case caseIn caseIn case case- In case she doesn't So he hu doesn't quite believe beHove In her either Is that It l luHe He uHe Is only human said Mr lIr Glaenzer and he Is four fifty and she Is s barely thirty Do you believe be- be lieve in her Mr Ir Motherwell l I dont don't know said Motherwell but Ill I'll go back tomorrow morning mornIng morning morn morn- ing and tr try to find ber henr hen herl I r CHAPTER III B ID RIGHT and and early on Satur Saturday ny morning a dark distinguished gentleman evidently quite at home In iii the W White household escorted up the ol old gold velvet elvet of the much photographed stairway a slender bearded young man In heavy heay shell glasses and a n worn soft felt hat bat In Mrs Whites White's little sitting room they were met by her ber maid mald a severe severe severe se se- se- se vere Englishwoman of middle age Good day Coggeshall good news from Mrs White I hope the friend frien of the family asked kindly Indeed Mr Glaenzer Ive I've had Just no news at all nU from Mrs White she returned Well well I e expect 1 Mr White will bring us plenty when he gets back To o speak by Mr Whites White's voice on the telephone Mr Glaenzer when last I heard beard It at eight o'clock I this very morning hell he'll not be leaving leavIng leaving leav leav- I ing his be bed l If hes he's wIse 1 the woman woman wom wom- an retorted triumphantly Hes sent for Hollis already Ah well welt a man under the tho weather er needs his valet really more than ever eer you know Coggeshall I And how about a woman sIr I 1 Well IVell well well well- Mr lIr Glaenzer looked looke drawn rawn and preoccupied ledI led I want to take tale nil all Mrs Whites White's Jewels an and have them gone over thoroughly Coggeshall he be said They shouldn't be left here with both of or them away anyway She keeps leeps too much here bere If you ou will give me the keys or keys or Its It's a n combination tion Isn't It my young man here bere will list them and give gl you a re re- Its a n key and a combination sir an and Mrs White keeps the e 1 key alwa always s You'll have huye to get It from her said the woman Mr White n a key He had sir but Mrs White While mIslaid mis mis- laid her key and was alarmed some someone someone someone one should find It It and had bad It changed and the combination too There only came back one and she was vexed at the forgetting to or order er erthe the two but only last Wednesday I the day she left sir she mentioned to me that she could not seem to remember remember remember re re- member about ordering that duplicate duplicate cate key So I am Inclined to doubt he has one Mr Glaenzer Then In case of a fire the safe sate would have tobe to-be taken out bodily No one but Mrs White White could get at It It looks so sir said the woman quietly This Is the Jeweler declared declared de de- and seizing the telephone ho lie called up his establishment angrily and demanded that the best In the place be sent up to him Immediately Fuming he pace paced out Into the hall to wait and the young man was left alone with the maid Getting Getting- out a pencil he began to sharpen It carefully his eye on his Job Im sorry to hear henr Mrs White Is 18 Isso Isso so ill m he said quietly I T 1 dont don't know that she's so ill m the woman returned briefly Ah I am glad to hear It it he said lightly be the one to know of ot course 1 I ISho She Sho glanced at him suspiciously but he was evidently barely Inter Inter- ested His Ingenuous flattery came Just at the right moment Theres more than you thinking that young man she announce announced bitterly but It seems Im I'm not the theone theone one after all Its It's not that I mind 11 l 1 1 f I II I Pretty Tough Nut Eh a la ladys lady's ys y's walking out Just as she Is and dressed more for what you might call walking call walking In the country on a a. a rainy day than for New York But to be told to pack a bag with simple things pah things pah I What are simple simple simple sim sim- things things' If a persons person's well Ill well welland and go good d. d If they're worried to death death wen well and good But theres there's theresa a difference In n the clothes required the tho woman announced The young man mumbled mumble somethIng something something some some- thing about a little of both oth maybe maybe maybe may may- be and began to write busily with his now sharpened pencil At this moment Mr Glaenzer hurried hurrIed hurried hur hur- ried back Into the room Im leaving Ie Immediately for Atlantic Atlantic Atlantic |