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Show body could tails to Larry and see that he Isn't the kind who would kill anybody. That is. anybody but a cop 1" Hanvey turned gravely to his companion. "You see what the public thinks about you, John. And seeing that we don't need any solid Ivory around here suppose you run along and let me talk to this young lady alone?" "Very well," Reagan rose, without with-out resentment, and started for the door, llanvey followed. ..He spoke mm JAe MAY DAY Mt MYSTERY . H. Jf h If Octavos RoM Cohere Hi 'M and took part In. a bank robbery because be-cause he was desperate. The robber rob-ber probably made a deal with him that all he had to do was drive a car, .figuring no one would ever suspect sus-pect a college student's enr in a college town, even if it was hitting sixty on the road. We're sure Vernon Ver-non was mLxed up In that because we know he didn't have a thin dime before the thing happened, yet the very next day be buys a new car and pays the difference of twelve hundred dollars in cash. And I also know that he has lied like the devil about everything since I put him under arrest" Jim whistled softly. "It sort of makes Mister Vernon out to be a pretty tough hoinbre, John." "He Isn't that I Just think he went nuts." "Maybe so. . . . But he sure stayed crazy a long time." Reagan was a trifle annoyed. It did not please him to have his damning summary greeted with even the slightest semblance of skepticism. "What's wrong with my case, Jim?" llanvey arched his eyebrows In surprise. "Golly, John! I didn't say anything was. did I?" "But," accused Reagan, "you don't really think it was Max Vernon!" Ver-non!" "Who says I don't?" "Do you?" "Pretty near." "What do you mean: Trttty near?" "Well" Hanvey drew a long, audible breath. "I sort of Just. happened hap-pened to remember Larry Welch." "Yeh? What about him." "Vernon had left the fraternity house before Welch got there, yet Welch says that he had a long talk with Thayer. Now It sort of seems to me, John, that If Thayer was already dead, Larry would have noticed it, wouldn't he?" "Humph!" Reagan was crestfallen. crestfal-len. "I think Larry lied." "Why?" "To shield Miss Peyton. He's goofy about her." "You're right. . . . But then If he's sticking his own neck into a noose to shield her, don't it strike you that . he's got some mighty good reason a reason we don't know for thinking that she killed Thayer?" "I know, Jim but we've got Vernon Ver-non dead to rights. He's bound to have done it" "Provided neither Larry Welch nor Miss Peyton did." Rea-gan frowned, then broke Into a disappointed laugh. "You win, Jim. I kept running Into snags like that all the time. he doe9 the right thing just one time. The crook can't afford to slip once." "True enough, John. You' sure don't get any argument out of .me. But it i3 funny you didn't see that knife when you first looked In the closet" nanvey rummaged around In a dresser drawer until he found a collar col-lar box. He emptied this and then waddled Into the bathroom, from which he returned with a roll of absorbent cotton. He lined the collar col-lar box with cotton and then gin gerly placed the knife in the box. Rut he did not Immediately look up. His eyes were fixed steadily on the weapon, "Funny," he said at length. "What?" "The handle of that knife, John it's polished metal, and yet there isn't a fingerprint on It." "Well, I'll be . . . durned if you ain't right, Jim." "What you reckon ?" "Cinch. Max Vernon had enough sense to polish the prints off the handle." "You sure think fast, John." Reagan looked up sharply, but the face of the fat man told him nothing. "D'you think I'm wrong?" "Seems like you must be right. It just looks kind of funny, though, that you didn't find that knife day before yesterday." Reagan was disturbed. He was certain that he had looked in that identical spot the afternoon of the murder, and he had found no knife. His brain was racing, and suddenly he whirled on his companion. "I've got it, Chief." "Got what?" "The answer to that knife. First there's the off chance it was there all the time and I just didn't find it I hate to admit that, but it's "This Man Here" She Jerked Her I Bobbed Head Toward Regan J "Is Absolutely Dumb." In guarded tones. "Just had a hunch I could do more with her alone, John. -Suppose you take this knife down to the Jail and ask Vernon Ver-non If he's ever seen it before." "And then?" "Come back and come In.- I got a hunch she and T will be pretty good buddies by then." Reagan marched off and Hanvey re-entered the dean's office, closing the door behind him. He liked the trim little figure-although she somewhat frightened him. She was sitting now In a straight chair, and her legs were crossed disclosing a frank expanse of pink flesh between the knee and the hem of the dress. Hanvey felt himself blushing, but Ivy seemed totally unconscious of her display. . ' He settled comfortably In the dean's swivel chair, mopped his forehead and the back of his neck, and then grinned disarmingly at -the girl. "Answer me one question, Miss Welch: Ain't I the terriblest -looking detective you ever saw?" The girl's blue eyes "opened wide and . a truant dimple appeared-.-"Well, I wouldn't say you were a sheik." "I ain't this bad In cold weather. Heat just knocks me for a row of tin cans. Now Reagan yonder. . . ." He lowered his voice. "You mustn't get sore at regular dicks, Miss Welch," he advised confidentially. "If they slough everybody, they're bound to have the right one. Me I don't hardly ever make an arrest, ar-rest, and my job now Is to turn loose at least two of the three Rea gan has got In stir." Jim was using police vernacular in a deliberate effort to Impress the girl, and he knew that he was succeeding. She was slttinc forward tensel v : com- CHAPTER VIII Continued 11 "Funny hunch. . . . But at that I guess It's more sensible than collecting col-lecting stamps or art things." He blinked. "You've looked all through the room, John?" "Everywhere. I'm sure I didn't miss a thing." "You never can tell. . . . Just to make sure, though, we'll make one more search." Iter, gan started with the dresser. lie rummaged through the drawers, and into every corner. He inspected inspect-ed every ornament and spot of dust on' the. mantel. He looked behind pennants and pictures which were tacked on the wall. He opened the door of the hang Ing closet, where he commenced a systematic search into every pocket of every suit of clothes. It was a tedious Job and Reagan glancing occasionally Into the room was quite sure that llan-vey's llan-vey's suggestion for a new search had not been entirely without ulterior ul-terior motives. The prodigious ' body was settled snugly into the big chair; the pudgy hands were folded contentedly across the massive mezzanine and -Jim llanvey was or far as the naked eye could discern sleeping superbly. Sleeping! Or was he? The long er Reagan was with , Hanvey the less he understood the big man. At times he'nppeared to be obtuse, at times brilliant and at times Just plain dumb." Reagan returned to hs task. If. Hanvey wanted' a search he'd darn well get one. Rea gan had been over every inch of the ground before . . .but he was determined to do this Job as thoroughly as he had. the first. And then the silence of the room was shattered by a sharp cry from the closet. Hanvey's eyes uncurtained slowly, slow-ly, but he exhibited no other excitement excite-ment even when Reagan leaped Into the room holding something gingerly between his thumb and forefinger. "Good G d, Chief look here." Jim eyed the trophy curiously. "Dog-gone . . . It's a knife. And there's blood on .it too. .jgjWhere'd you find It, John?" "In the corner of the closet On the floor. I I don't understand, Jim because I looked there day before be-fore yesterday. . . ." He was more excited than he cared to show. "But ..we've got something here, Chief no mutter If I did overlook Jt before. With this, It ought to be 'plaln sailing." "How come, John?" . "Because," snapped Reagan triumphantly tri-umphantly "that. Is the knife that killed Thayer, and Chief I've got ., another idea." f "Good for you, John. What is It?". Reagan stepped swiftly to the mantel. He designated a spot on , the wall where the papering was a lighter color, "Unless I'm all wrong, Hanvey," he said "this knife belongs right In that spot And tf it does there ain't much question but that Max Vernon Is the man who used It." CHAPTER IX ANVEY deigued to become Interested. In-terested. He and Reagan regarded re-garded the weapon. It was a powerfully pow-erfully delicate thing ' and beautiful beauti-ful as a puisonous snake. Tlio handle was of polished metal, whether nickel or silver, neither nei-ther knew. The guard was exquisitely ex-quisitely carved, i id the blade, which was unusually long and perilously keen, was of the finest tempered steel. At the moment It was not a pretty sight, however, for the steel was covered with blood which had clotted almost to blackness. llanvey llan-vey moved away. "Where'd you find it?" "On the floor of the hanging closet In the. corner." "Didn't you look there day before be-fore yesterday?" "Sure 1 did." "Yourself?" "Yes." VI thought you said there wasn't anything there." "I did, Jim; but 1 suppose I overlooked It. Though I'm darned if I see how I did." Hanvey shrugged. "Those things can happen, all right It's queer, though, ..." "What?"' "Nothing. ... I was Just think- Jim seemed disinclined to com went turther, and Reagan did not force him. As a matter of fact, the chief of the Marlrind plainclothes plain-clothes force was elated. "It's like you told Flske. Jim-a dick can muke a dozen mistakes, provided pletely awed by his authoritative manner. "One thing. Miss Welch; 1 want you to know Tm on the levek I wouldn't try to put nothing over on you cross my heart and hope to die If I would. If you don't: believe that, why, there ain't hardly no use for us to talk." "I think you're all right." said Ivy firmly. "Thanks. It's real nice of you to say that And now that we've started off so good, lemme tell you one thing more: I ain't a regular bull. I ain't got the slightest desire de-sire to make a record, and I'd rather rath-er never slough anybody than do any harm to the wrong feller. You're sure your brother didn't do this thing. I sort of agree with you. But there's a whole lot of lying going on . .' . and while I don't want to make you sore, Miss Welch It ain't any secret that your brother Is doing more than his share which ain't helping him a biL I want to locate somebody who knows something and Is willing to talk straight. Will you or won't you?"' Ivy'dldn't hesitate.. "I will!" "Good girl. Now 1 want you to tell me about Mr. Thayer and yourself , . . Just whatever you feel I should know." The girl bit her lip. "I feel funny about that, Mr. Hanvey. I've tried to tell one or two people even my brother and they all laugh or sneer when 1 say I was In love with him." "I wouldn't laugh, Miss Welch. I'm a sentimental old bird . , . and I believe In young love. Oh, gosh! how I do." "I'm seventeen," she said. "1 guess I'm not so awful dumb. I, know about as much as the next" girl. And I was In love with Pat Thayer.. lie was wonderful to me. Not always wise-cracking and showing show-ing off smart like most boys. He was awful different, and I guess a girl knows whether she's In love or not. no matter how much people laugh. And when he when he " Her eyes filled with fierce hot tears which she dashed away. "I'rn an awful silly little fool, Mr. llanvey but I can't help It." (TO BE CONTINUED,) possible. The second theory Is that Max Vernon had It with him and when he came back yesterday evening eve-ning from Steel City he dumped It In there before I stuck him under arrest. He was In this room when I grabbed him." Uanvey's big head nodded slow approval. "Now you're talking, John !" "You think I'm right?" "It. sounds mighty reasonable. Question Is, are you sure it Is Vernon's Ver-non's knife?" "We'll ask him that's one way of finding out. And In the second place, look at that spot on the wall. It's like this, see " Reagan stepped to the Liantel and removed a scimitar which hung there. "Notice "No-tice how you can see on the wall paper Just .where thl3 hung. Jim? Yonder Is the place the dagger was hanging it fits that spot exactly. And you can tell it's a foreign thing." "Ain't any question about that. It sure don't look awful healthy for Mister Vernon." "It don't and I'm sorry. 1 believe be-lieve the kid has gotten a lousy deal all 'round. This Thayer evidently evi-dently wasn't a thing but a plain, high-class hustler. It's a cinch that he must have been trimming Vernon "at cards, and we know that he was gypping his fraternity brothers on the liquor game. Of course, Carmiclno Car-miclno thinks Thayer was a fine gentleman, but he would think that. As a matter of fact, Thayer was a dud and we both know It." "We sure do." "But that don't make Vernon's position any happier, lie quarrels with .Thayer about a girl. We know that Thayer had trimmed him good and plenty. We know that Vernon was desperate for want of money We know that he went to Thayer's room and that shortly afterward Thayer's dead body was found. Now wo locate the knife with which he was killed We find It in Vernon's Ver-non's room and identify It positive- , iy or will pretty 6oon as being part of Vernon's collection of weap ons We . have every reason to be lieve that the kid went plumb loco That's why I wanted to pass the buck to you." lie eyed the big man keenly. "What's your Idea about the thing?" "1 haven't had an Idea In a month. They don't, come to me swift, like they do to you." "But you surely think something?" some-thing?" . . "Yeh true enough. And the first thing I think, John Is that I ain't hardly talked to anybody about this affair. Until I see some of the others, oth-ers, I won't know where I stand " "And after you do see them, you'll be absolutely bughouse. I know . . . believe me, I do." "I'll try, anyway." "Who first? Vernon?" "No-o. I think I'll have a chat with Ivy Welch." Reagan conducted llanvey to the office of the dean In the main build ing. Doctor Boyd was startled by Uanvey's appearance and appeared somewhat skeptical of the man's ability, but . he was courteous and readily acceded to Uanvey's request that Ivy Welch be summoned. The door opened and a figure of vivid youth entered the room. She wore a white, sleeveless dress and a short, revealing skirt. The dean Introduced her and then excused himself, promising nanvey that they would not be Interrupted. ' While he bowed himself out, Ivy stood eyeing the two detectives. She showed the effects of the terrific ter-rific shock to which she had been subjected. Tragedy grim and stark had Invaded her life early, and left her peculiarly matured. There were dark circles under her eyes, to tell the story of tearful, sleepless nights and she twisted her hands nervously. When the dean had gone she addressed Hanvey Han-vey with courageous directness. "Are you In charge of this case now?" "Yes, Miss Welch 1 guess so." "Well, I'm glad. This man here' -she Jerked her bobbed head to ward Reagan "is absolutely dumb." "Is he, really?" "I'll say he 19. IClse why would he keep my brother In Jail? Any- |