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Show i IN THE a murder case he mild loudly, 'nd I'm takln' you. Young, for lnterferln" with a witness in that self-same case!" Cool steel encircled Kerry's wrists; the ratchets clicked. "Why, this Is the damnedest, most far fetched outrage " "You tell all that to the Judge I" snapped Brldger. "Here, you boys, pet back, now 1 Stand away. Butch 'nd me, we got to get these two Into a cell. . . . stand back, boys!" He whirled to Kerry. "You got th guts to deny that you drove Frank Bluejay out of town this afternoon? Have yoti even got th1 brass to explain that?" Young was breathing hard. Confusion Con-fusion and dismay lay heavily upon hlra. He looked from Brldger to Tod West and his Up curled. The man. with his swollen face, was glaring glar-ing at him, triumphant for the moment, mo-ment, because his agile mind had turned events off that course which, had It been followed, might have overwhelmed hlra. , "Yes, try to explain that. If you can I" West growled. Kerry squared his shoulders. "Perhaps I can, Tod West, he said slowly. Perhaps I can I Tomorrow's To-morrow's another day, remember." And handcuffed with Brldger Jerking him toward the open touring tour-ing car In which he was to ride, a prisoner. In to the county seat, he laughed bitterly, defiantly. , . . Old Ezra, nervous lingers twisting twist-ing strands of beard, came close as Stuart was helped Into the back seat, and Young ordered In beside the driver. "Hold everything, Ezra!" Kerry said. "Yon sleep on that stuff I Understand? Un-derstand? Guard It with your life, If necessary. See me In the morning morn-ing and . . . and take care of Nan I" Ills yolce dropped on this last and he averted his eyes from the doctor's face. Carefully they gathered op their evidence: the box, the bar, the noor boards and, lastly, also care-fully care-fully wrapped In paper, the tin cup, with which Tod West had busied bis trembling hands. CHAPTER XII pi!EY drove slowly back towarJ Nan's headquarters, talking Intently. In-tently. To save Holt Stuart the Ignominy Ignom-iny of arrest, to tie together the evidence they had accumulated, to weave a net around Tod West and to discover the remainder of the money that rightfully belonged to Nan were their major objectives. In the car which preceded them had been Intent talk, as well West had had little enouch to say at the cabin but once on the homeward way, with new fears, fresh doubts, even greater misgivings stirring within hlrat he had talked. Talked Into Brldger's ear, playing on the man's vanity, his Jealousy of his authority, bis regard for his political politi-cal fences. . . , And after those first minutes at Downer's, with their confusion and excitement and triumph, Tod West, drawing Brldger aside, talked further. fur-ther. What had transpired In Mel Knight's store between Young and Bluejay had come to his ears and he passed It on to Brldger and made deductions and, In a fever of relief, let his suggestions run Into demands. . , . As they rounded the benJ and came Into view of the Downer buildings, Ezra leaned suddenly forward. "What goes on here?' he asked, staring at the group clustered before be-fore headquarters. "That's Nat's car. ... Do you s'pose . . ." Kerry speeded up and when he drew close to the cluster of men about the sheriff's car It gave way and there, white of face, his hands manacled before him, they saw Holt Stuart I Brldger pushed his way toward Young as be opened the door of Ezra's car. The sheriff bore himself him-self with a new Importance. "Well, I guess you'll have to admit ad-mit I was looklo' a little further hands, however, were trembling. "What d'you think, Tod?" Nat asked. "Why, that's op to yon. Me, I'd take Stuart If you've got anything on him. First, though, I'd look Ihls lay-out over pretty careful." "And Ezra and I," said Young, "we'd probably better be heading for town." "I think so, too," said the old man, but his eyes were mystified; he was following his deputy's lead. "Better bring along those boards," Young suggested. "We've got that tire to change." They went outside, then, leaving the other three within, and Kerry put the box carefully on the seat cushion. "Stall," he whispered. "Let 'em clear out!" He looked at his right hand and rubbed his finger tips together. He touched again a smear of sticky dirt on the edge of the box and then busied himself with Jack and wheel wrench. For 20 minutes he stalled for time In the changing of that tire. In the beginning a low and hurried hur-ried muttering came from the cabin and then Nat spoke freely. "All right. Butch. Let's meas-nre meas-nre this thing off, now, so's we c'n tell a Jury all about It when the time comes." Sounds of pacings from the Interior In-terior of the cabin, observations, argument. Then, consciously Intent, In-tent, the sheriff and his deputy searched the entry and the cabin's surroundings for what they might find. Tod West remained leaning against the table until they came out; then he followed them with a fine show of Interest "Well, mebby you're right," Brldger said finally, approaching Ezra and Young. "But I got a duty. I won't wait too long. I'll drive to town and come to your office tonight I'm leavln' Butch at th' Landin'.' If he should get away . . . It's be Just plain hell I" They drove off and when they were gone from sight Kerry dropped his wrench. "Give me those boards!" he said excitedly. "Here. ... Come on, Ezra! Let's see what he used to pry em op with!" He went directly to the cache of tools beside the doorway, eyeing thn Implements one by one. .... "It's a bet I' he muttered and I rpTER XI Continued I L that's "where he had It . it,L eh?" stopping and peer-$ peer-$ down at the hole. "Let's see box,Ioung." en7 pivoted on one foot, snug-L, snug-L, the box against his side, l mm away ,rom thf odt' t fetched band. Mot Just yet, sheriff," he said. rldger gawped- hot Just . . . Say," straighten-i straighten-i t'and whirling on Ezra "Just L comes off here?" be coroner's face showed bewll- jerry spoke quietly : j Hiat'f coming off, Brldger, Is a loner's Investigation." fffeC-harshly "It's a sheriff's festlgatlon, now. Give me that loinj rose, then. ! ho, Brldger. When the coroner i finished, then It'll be time for fr-' Htio the hell are yon to be but-1 but-1 into a murder case?" Kerry shrugged. fa only a deputy coroner," he Id Deputy cor Since when?" Ezn rabbed the cue. tor i couple of weeks now, Nat Sippolnted Young as my deputy s to have another pair of eyes i ears In this country." The sheriff scratched his head id (runted. Tod West took a step tiro which put him close to the :!e and leaned agalust it, watch-5, watch-5, listening'. A tin cup was there; picked It cp and twirled it in his ids, His heart was pelting his is, now, but It was no moment make a move, to say a word, jiogs bad been happening of :ich he had been Ignorant His ij was to learn as much as pos-it." pos-it." Ell, even so," began Brldger retched his head again. He ed a course: I "Bat you had your inquest ; you h nowhere. Now, seems to me, h got i hot lead on this case. I less it's up to my office to go pen with It and make the sea. We've got to have evidence, I guess I'll demand what you n have found here." "Demand awayl" snapped Kerry, tanand and be damned to you, r. Your authority isn't one, , three with a coroner's. Go 1 your law." So need of this. Brldger knew at much, but on the rebuff he abed hotly. Before, he could ak, however, Young went on : fere's nothing about what '' found to cover up. In this ir Just three hundred dollars ' ttre bills. The serial numbers respond to those Cash drew J" i the bank the day he was DM. "Here may be other Items here a will figure quite largely In ! ease, though." Hat, he knew, was bad Judg-le"t. Judg-le"t. He knew It before the words out of his mouth, before West rPPed the tin cup. He did drop "d it rolled across the floor. Just what d'you mean?" Nat ananded. "We don't know yet. We've Just a start. Now, you're at 11b-"J 11b-"J to do any investigating you "J to just so long as you don't Mnss up for os. , Plan" he concluded, "was ttke this stuff In and go over evidence taken at the Inquest" ""I what about Stuart?" tart War anSW6r thaL Wbat JGod, ain't you goln' to make fcrry debated. Have Holt Stuart efif t0 tne Shoestring Jail C fKaD'8 eyeS? HaV hlm there, even for no more k w 7 .1!ours' perhaps- chared L father's murder? . . . you think that's smart?" he Tfnr C0DcllIatry tone, spar. ret. great deal asatost. him borrow We keep uiet nnt11 ieveiopy. ' wh0 knows what'll fridge saw his chance of mak- "t faXed'ate 8Dd ,mPressI ,Sn!!anm "we, -Tour.. me afterward, I sa, l If he-" ilatter n ght 8pl11 whole u ?8- Don,t y th,nk-Kkr th,nk-Kkr ould b wiser to hold want le1 00 th,s case, Nat. KeSre've ot now." S EJ DCe' ouraging-?t.wnr ouraging-?t.wnr C0vert1' Tod IrlL f" "Werlni the tin la L WUh "pparen ni Angers again. The Tip, still sitting on the seat of Ezra's car, watched with stiff ears as this other automobile moved away. The crowd, after that departure, de-parture, began to buzz loudly. Doctor Doc-tor Adams carefully gathered the pieces of material evidence they had found and carried them Into Nan's office. The dog whined a little, staring at the way his master had taken. Slowly, almost tentatively at first, he took the road; stopped once and sniffed the air. Then, at a rolling lope, he disappeared beyond the sawmill, headed for Shoestring. The ride into town was one long succession of unsuccessful attempts at-tempts on the part of Brldger to make one or the other of his prisoners pris-oners talk. "Just where were yon all day Thursday, Holt?" he asked In a patent attempt at lngratlatlon. "Go to blazes H "Now, that ain't no way. Mebby It'll be best for you to tell me. I could do a lot of good If" "Oh. shut up!" Brldger shrugged and smiled to himself. Car tools, loose on the floorboards at Kerry's feet, clanked and rattled as they took the bumps. "Now, Young, you'd ought to come clean for Holt's sake, about why you run this "breed" "Tell him to go to hell; Holt," Kerry chuckled. Again and again as they progressed pro-gressed through the dusk, Nat made his Inadept attempts to worm Information In-formation from the two. After a time whenever he opened his Hps, the two chanted ln solemn measure: meas-ure: -Go to hell!" "Well then," Brldger finally snapped, "If there's any goln' to hell to be done by this gang I'll leave It to anybody with eyes to see who's on the road!" They swung through town, around to the rear of the Jail and entered by a side door. Butch and Brldger took their possessions from the prisoners and ushered them into the bull-pen. "Pick out your own beds," the sheriff Jeered unpleasantly.. "You'll have the place to yourselves, your-selves, likely. And I hope you like it, both of you!" It was not long before excited citizens commenced to arrive. They clomped np the front steps and through the corridor and cast self-conscious self-conscious glances into the dimly lit apartment behind the bars; went Into the sheriff's office and congratulated con-gratulated him boisterously and came out more boldly and hung against the steel door of the bullpen bull-pen and peered through. But Kerry on a bunk ln a cell, and Stuart on another, kept out of sight and made no response to the advances. Brldger was In fine spirits. His talk rose high and higher. He became be-came almost hysterical ln this, his moment of largest triumph. At late evening the stream of callers had petered out. Butch had been called out to a country dance where bad whisky had caused trouble trou-ble and when no one appeared for a quarter of an hour, Brldger stalked down the corridor and called through an open doorway: "I'll be over at the pool hall. Ma I If anybody calls, or you hear anything, Just ring me. Thera boys'll be. all right . . ." They'd be all right! (TO BE CONTINUED) ducked Inside and came out with a newspaper la his bands. Shielding his palms with a torn page he lifted from Its resting place a worn and shining crowbar. "What's the Idea . . ." Ezra began. be-gan. "What'd you see there?' Young demanded triumphantly. "Look at the end, Ezra!" The old man peered closely. "Dirty," he muttered. "Dirt stick-In' stick-In' to If "And what kind of dirt? Don't you get it? It's the same color and kind as that under the floor, there I Scrape a little of It off ln a clean paper. . . . There 1 That's right . , . Be used this bar to bust np that hard clay and make a hole for the box and he used It to pry up those floor-boards. ." . . Here. . . . Give me onel . . . See? The mark on the board fits exactly I" "But I don't see yet why" Young gave an excited laugh. "Good Lud, Ezra! This old bar's as smooth and bright as If lt'd been polished! Finger prints will be all over It Inside the cover of that box, big as life and twice as natural. Is a man's thumb print and Tod West stood ln there for ten minutes fooling with a bright tin cupl" A light of understanding dawned ln Ezra's old eyes. "Spread out that newspaper," Young said. "Lay It on the ground. . . . So. . . . Now we'll roll up this bar so the prints won't get rubbed away and . . . What the devil t; He had put the bar down and started to lift away the paper which had shielded his hands. It stuck, peeled off slowly and he held It up to the level rays of a. sun setting behind the timber. Young sniffed the smear on the paper, frowning; touched It tentatively tenta-tively with his tongue end gave a grunt "Honey 1 . . . What's honey doing on that bar, Ezra? And something sticky on the box, too." They peered at one another. "And Tod West" he said slowly, "all swollen up. Notice that?" - "I did. What you make of thatr Kerry puzzled, stared blankly at the ground and scratched a temple. "Nothing yet" a muttered. "Nothing. ... But we've got a mftss of stuff to make something of." Cool Steel Encircled Kerry's Wrists. ahead 'n you were, Young!" be cried, waving a sheet of paper truculently. truc-ulently. "I guess, mebby, the sheriff's office of-fice can still be depended on to follow fol-low Its best Judgment for the people peo-ple of this county 1" "Yeah? Just what do you mean?" Kerry asked, evenly. "Mean? I mean I was right all along ! This lad Stuart Is the man we want Young, and I wasn't a second too soon, either. I guess mebby there's be'n things goln' on about this case that nobody but you 'nd him understood! I'll count Ezra out because he's . . . he's an old man. "I don't s'pose you knew he was packed up, ready to haul, did you?" "Holt you mean?" "Yes, Holt!" Tod West was edging edg-ing up behind Brldger, frowning, nudging the sheriff. "Yes, Holt Stuart! Pack sack 'nd suit cases all strapped up. 'Nd I come on him wrltln' this . . . wrltln' it to Nan Downer, who's be'n away today. Listen to this I" He read: "'Dear Nan: It looks as If I'd stayed on here too long, now, and, by staying, risked all kinds of disaster. . . .' "He'd got Just that far when I busted In on him. Now, you got any cock-'nd-bull story to explain that?" "Why should I have an explanation?" explana-tion?" I wondered !" edging closer with an expression of craft which Kerry, fn that moment of confused thought did not detect "I won-der. won-der. Young, after I heard you done your best to drive the state's chief witness out of the country tb"Here! What the devil 1" Young grunted as he began to struggle. Butch, the deputy, had him from behind. Brldger had grasped one wrist In both his hands; Tod West stepped ln to secure se-cure him, to help hold him despite his first amazed struggles. "What comes off?" Kerry demanded. de-manded. "What's the big Idea, Brldger?" The sheriff was reaching for handcuffs. A leer came about hl mouth. "I've g"t Stuart as a suspect ln |