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Show ThcWEDDBNG AAAKCE1 t AA '?ufc?S MONTE CwW.im . tllV' SERVICE CHAPTER III Continued "He doesn't worry me," declared Kildny. "It's the World and Globe that sound ugly. It Isn't exactly what they say, it's how they say It The Inference Is that the murder .oo nnd that we won't dare go after the man responsible. The fact that Jim Franklin was expected ex-pected to be the next governor Isn't going to help me any, so far as the papers are concerned. They'll be on my neck. And the district attorney at-torney will probably have me on the carpet in the morning. Wait and Eee. He can't stand this kind of pressure." "Meaning Bullis, of course." "Nobody else. The fact that he was one of the last persons to see Franklin alive has given the papers just the excuse they need. Peter, what made Jim Franklin the logical candidate for governor at the next election?" "The manner in which he handled the investigation of the magistrate scandal, of course. No one thought he would go after Bullis the way he did, but " "But !" exclaimed the detective. "That's the point. But he did. He went after Bullis hammer and tongs. No one thought he would. It made him a popular idol and It made Bullis his enemy. Well, there's our motive, if Bullis is guilty. That's our next lead." "Then you don't think Callis Shipley Ship-ley or Rylie Carmody " " "I don't want to think of them until I have to," declared the sergeant ser-geant "This is our plainest trail. If it doesn't pan out, I can come back to the others. Bullis was there, and Us motive was clear-cut" "And so was Rylie Carmody's. He was determined to stop the wed-llng," wed-llng," Peter reminded him earnestly. "So was Choo Choo Train's. She was Franklin's mistress. She had a motive for stopping the wedding. And the woman In blue whoever she may have been had a motive for stopping it, if she loved Franklin. Frank-lin. That's the queer thing about this case. Eight or nine people, that we know of, had an opportunity to commit the crime, and it doesn't require much Imagination to find a motive for any of them." Kilday rose. "I'll take 'em one at a time," he said. "And I'm going go-ing to start with Bullis. (Doming?" "Let's go," said Peter. Daniel Bullis was unexpectedly easy to find. A telephone call from the restaurant located him at his down-town club where he usually dined. He was still at table when Interrupted by Kilday'g call. "Sure I went to see him," the politician poli-tician said, after seating each of his guests. "How about a drink? What will yon have, boys?" They both declined. It was a matter of principle with Kilday. Cardigan thought there was a shade of too much breezy friendliness friendli-ness In the Invitation. It didn't quite ring true. "Well, you don't mind If I do," said Bullis, ringing for an attendant. attend-ant. "Every one to his own tastes, as the widow said when she kissed the pig." The quantity of his booming boom-ing laugh was more than atoned for by Its lack of mirth. He entertained his visitors with an anecdote, obviously ob-viously Intended to reveal his own Importance, as he waited for his drink. Daniel Bullis was a huge mari, from the hairy hands that had engulfed en-gulfed Peter's during their introduction, introduc-tion, to the crown of his head, which seemed almost too ponderous' for his massive frame. It was that ponderous head, which dwarfed the wide shoulders, that fascinated Peter. Pe-ter. In spite of its size, or because of it, Cardigan was not sure which, there was something almost Infantile Infan-tile about the man's expression. The short, whitish blond hair, straight as a string, grew low on his forehead, fore-head, and was unparted. It was not as though It had been combed, long ago, and forgotten, so much as though it had never known a comb. Eyebrows there were almost none, and this heightened the wide lnho-cence lnho-cence of the man's blue stare, except ex-cept when he laughed. Then telltale tell-tale folds of flesh curled up beneath be-neath his eyes, reveullng an uncertain uncer-tain maturity. The mouth and chin were a direct negation of Pr,n,' otner features, . for there was strength written in the lean lips ami wide sweep of Jaw. The drink arrived, and I ho politician politi-cian drained half the coo contorts of the long glass before turnip;; again to Kilday. "Yeah," he repeated, "1 went '; see Franklin." He nodded to.vard a disorderly pile c' nev-sp tjn-rs by W chair. "I've b.;en r-adi''.j' iVjout It. So I wasn't surprised when you phoned that you wanted to see me. Well?" He twisted In his chair, in order to face the detective. "Let's go. What do you want to know?" "First I want to know what you were so anxious to see Franklin about. Mr. Bullis?" "Anxious?" The politician weighed the word. "Well, I guess you'd call It that I had to see him. I wanted to tell him what I thought of him. Why, I helped make Jim Franklin, and he knew it He'd still be unknown, un-known, If It hadn't been for me. That's why he was afraid to see me, after he turned on me." "Afraid to see you?" Peter Interrupted. Inter-rupted. "What else would you say?" Bullis demanded contemptuously. "I'd been trying to get bold of him for three days. .. At iila office, his home, his club, everywhere. Why, I've even been paging Mm over at Choo Choo Train's. But he was dodging me. "Well, I knew there was one place he couldn't dodge me the church. So I went there, and I saw him." "What was it you were so anxious anx-ious to see him about?." Kilday repeated re-peated his question. Bullis compressed his lips Into a thin hard line. "Huh," he grunted, "and you call yourself a detective. Well, I'll tell you. Jim Franklin iff Pl "Sure," Said Bullis. "A Peach." thought he was going to climb Into the governor's chair by sacrificing a few old friends who put him where he was. I went there to tell him he'd never get near Albany, until he was willing to listen to me. And I told him. He was In a tough spot. He had to listen to me. And he agreed with me, too." "You mean to say," Peter leaned forward Intently, "that you and Franklin came to an agreement, there In the church study? Did you part friends?" "Sure." Bullis grinned with his mouth, but his eyes remained palely expressionless. "Jim saw his mistake, mis-take, and we parted the best of friends." "Just how did that come about?" the novelist Inquired curiously. "You weren't in a very friendly frame of mind when you went there." The politician leaned back In his chair. "I have ways of making people peo-ple agree with me." "So I see. I'm trying to find out just what you had to say to Franklin, Frank-lin, and what he said to yon, that caused such a su.M n iUJj;e of feeling between y.u." "You'll never know . ." replied Bullis shortly. Again picked up his highball glass, his attention apparently ap-parently riveted solely on the drink. "Then perhaps you'll tell us about the woman you saw there," suggest e;i Cardigan. "There was a woman there, wasn't there?" "Huro," said Bullis. "A peach. Jim alway. was a better hand with women wom-en tf an he was with politics." "! 'id you know the woman? Had yo.i ever seen her before?" The politician shook Ms head. "I'd never seen her before," ho said. "I'm sure of that She wasn't the kind you forget." "Did she have on a blue dress?" Inquired the sergeant "I believe so. I'm not sure." Peter picked up the Topics, crumpled crum-pled beside the politician's chair, and held up the page of pictures. Choo Choo Train was pictured there. So was Callis Shipley, among the other bridesmaids. "Could you pick her out of that group, Mr. Bullis?" Bullis hesitated over the pictures. pic-tures. "I don't think she's there," he replied finally. "If she Is, I don't recognize her." The novelist had hardly hoped It would be as easy to Identify the woman In blue as that, yet he was disappointed. He continued the questioning. "Was Franklin quarreling quar-reling with this woman when you entered the room?" "Yes." "Do you know what they n-ere quarreling about?" "In a way I do. It seems that . w woman was In love with Jim. aia. she didn't like this wedding business." busi-ness." "What did she say?" "I don't remember everything that was said. I only remember that she was hysterical, and Jim was trying to quiet her. The only words I remember are that sho kept saying, 'You can't do this, Jim. l'ou can't do It. I'll ruin both of us, before I let you.' "Jim was glad to see me, right then. He quieted the woman, and I told him I wanted to see him alone. She didn't want to leave, and finally Jim said, 'Go ahead and talk. She's all right' "Later, when I was ready to leave, Jim turned to the woman again. 'Can't you see how much trouble I'm in, honey?' he asked her. 'I'll keep my word to you, this time, sure. Just as soon as I get back.' The woman started to cry. 'If I could only believe you, Jim,' she said, 'everything would be all right' " 'It's going to be all right, honey,' he told her, and he motioned me to help him. "'Listen.' I savs to her. 'clve him a break. He's going to be married ' in five minutes.' "I don't remember all we said, but j she finally agreed to go, and she lef '. with me. We went out the backdoor. back-door. 'My car's here,' I told her. 'I'll take you home.' "But she wouldn't let me. She had her own car, a green sedan. I know because I watched her get In." "What make was the car?" demanded de-manded Kilday. "It was a Cadillac, I think." . The sergeant groaned. "It would be. There are only ten thousand green Cadillacs In this town." Peter studied Bullis thoughtfully. "You could identify that woman, If you saw her again, Mr. Bullis?" "I don't know. Maybe." The politician poli-tician returned his stare coolly. "She made quite an Impression on you, didn't she?" This time it was Kilday speaking. The politician turned the battery of his expressionless eyes upon him. "I said she was easy to look at," he replied. "But still you couldn't Identify her picture in the paper' The detective detec-tive grunted his disbelief. Bullis once more examined the pictures spread out across the front page of Topics. "You seem mighty sure It was one of these girls," he said. "What do yon think?" "Newspaper pictures aren't always al-ways such good likenesses,"-the politician pol-itician suavely replied. CHAPTER IV Seeking a Woman In Blue. IT WAS still early when Kilday and Cardigan quitted Bullis' club. "What do you think?" Kilday demanded, de-manded, as they waited for their car. Peter shrugged. "He's only telling tell-ing what he wants to tell. There's no way of knowing when Bullis left that room. W!ien Ambrose Carmody Car-mody rapped, Franklin made him wait before admitting him. There must have been some one there, who had time to leave by the rear door before Carmody entered. If it was Bul);, be could have waited n.iiil Carmody lo't and then come back. Or, of onrse, ir may have been the , ema,- In i-due who returned. re-turned. It ;s iiosMilile It was both. I am only sure of one thing. Some one was there or Fran Win wouldn't have kept Mr. ( 'a; ini.,!.v waiting." "And how a'ioi:t raoo Choo Train? And Ca:Us Shipley? They both visited the v.ry after Carmody." Car-mody." "I don't know about C! oo hoo," replied the novelist wearily. "As for the other girl, sho never entered en-tered the study. Royce declares he rapped on the door, and Franklin replied that young Carmody wasn't there. As far as we know, that's all Miss Shipley had to do with It." Kilday paused in the lighting of a new cigar. "Kxeept that she drove home with Hylic Carmody and lied to us about it. And knew that Jim Franklin was killed, but can't explain ex-plain how she knew It. And," he brandished the stogy for further emphasis, "why did she run around there looking for Rylie Carmody in the first place? I'm not so sure," he added, "that she Isn't the blond woman In the blue dress that Doctor Doc-tor Abernathy saw. He may not be telling the truth about that If he knows this girl so well, he may have a mistaken Idea or chivalry and be trying to protect In r." But refer still was not convinced. con-vinced. "If It hud been Calli-i S" ley, wouldn't Bullis have Id her from the picture In I1' per?" "Maybe. Mavli' answered t" bit n'0. want If of that slender build which emphasized empha-sized the nicety of his grooniiug. His features, molded too finely, were almost sharp, particularly now, as he glanced Inquiringly first at Cardigan, Car-digan, then at the detective. Peter noticed how his hair, prematurely receding at the temples, directed attention to the sleekness of the man. "You wanted to see me?" Spears began abruptly. He did not offer to shake hands. "We want to know why you were so anxious to stop Doris Carmody's wedding this afternodn?" Kilday inquired in-quired bluntly. The que'stion caught the young man off balance. "I? Stop the wedding?" He smiled briefly, as though he found the Idea absurd. "Why else did you tell Rylie Carmody Car-mody about Choo Choo Train today?" to-day?" the sergeant demanded. "You did tell him, didn't you?" Spears drew up a chair and sat down deliberately, before replying. Peter felt that It was his method of sparring for time. "Yes," he admitted finally. "I Informed In-formed Rylie about this actress, of course. It seemed the only thing to do." "How do you happen to know about her?" "It seemed to be common knowledge. knowl-edge. I heard gossip of it at the club. After that, I made some Inquiries In-quiries which substantiated what I had heard, so I informed Rylie." . "When was It you heard this gossip?" gos-sip?" Peter Interjected. Spears glanced at him quickly. "Only this morning. Two chaps at the next table were discussing the wedding feeling sorry for the Car-modys. Car-modys. They mentioned this actress. act-ress. That angered me, of course. You see," he shrugged dapper shoulders, shoul-ders, "Rylie and Doris have been almost brother and sister to me. We have grown up together. I felt the same Interest in this wedding as though It had been my own sister. That's why I made Inquiries. Everyone Every-one seemed to know that Choo Choo Train was Franklin's mistress. It was the most natural thing In the world for me to Inform Rylie." "And you wanted to be sure, didn't you? That's why you called up his father, too, wasn't It?" Kilday Kil-day demanded. "I don't know what you mean." Defensively. "Oh, yes, yon do," the sergeant persisted. "You telephoned Ambrose Carmody and gave him the same information, in-formation, just this afternoon." "Did he say that?" The young man's voice was Incredulous. Peter found himself wondering whether or not the tone was assumed. The detective studied the glowing glow-ing ash of his cigar. "You didn't give him your name," he continued. "But you must realize that you've talked to Mr. Carmody often enough that he could recognize your voice." Kilday was trying a shot In the dark. "What was the idea of that anonymous call, Spears? Still just a brotherly interest In Doris Car-! Car-! mody ?" 1TO BJB OONYIN-UJJD.1 |
