Show S H-dd H I e n W Wais a s t l J z j I By FREDERIC F F. VAN DE WATER Q r W. W r. r VAN vs WAT CHAPTER XV Continued 16 Dont bother I said to ring for Cor the maid to show me the door I I can find It I ask you you not not now out later when youve you've less to disturb dis dis- disturb you to you to think seriously whether diS 1 ve Ive ever violated your confidence I knew about Grove and his key I saved him once from the jam heIs he heIs heIs Is in now I knew of his liaison with lone See how much of that you can find in the Press or any other newspaper newspaper up up to now Allegra All gra gave a little laugh of dis dis- dis- dis belief She tossed Dukes Duke's squeal on the desk between us and went from the room I bowed jerkily to Miss Agatha and headed for the door Her voice checked me Up to now she repeated Do Dot DoI t I understand that is a threat I had stood plenty Her stern eyes could not beat mine down And do I understand I an an- answered answered answered that your our question Is a prelude to bribery Are you she inquired doing your best to be Insulting I am I told her and I didn't begin it She chuckled The hearty sound never seemed more bizarre It wrecked melodrama and spoiled my pose I stared Miss Agatha grinned Put down your hat and coat she bade me I want to talk to you Dont Don't stand there gawping Do as I say Allegra is troubled with ideals Shell She'll outgrow them In time Suppose you tell me as politely po po- politely politely as you can manage just how you happen to be on the Press She smoked one of my cigarettes while I confessed my arrangement with Cochrane and the difficulties of being pulled two ways by con con- conflicting conflicting meting loyalties Once or twice while I spoke she nodded and when I bad had that preposterous grin of hers You make me feel better she told me I didn't want to believe Id I'd twice been mistaken In my esti estI- estimates estImates estimates mates of character in so so short a time I found myself defending Grove learn when this thing is unscrambled that hes he's been just a ayoung ayoung ayoung young idiot nothing more No one can make me believe that that that- No one can make me either she broke in quietly Hes a good boy Hes He's lacking in common sense that's alL Well its it's a family fail fail- ing Miss Agatha I blurted smite smitten ten by the calm she preserved above the anguish that must be tearing at ather ather ather her youre a game guy guyl I Her face relaxed a trifle David she said when wom wom- women women women en reach r ac my age they cry easily or not at alL I have no gift for tears Grove is In trouble and I have to help him I always used to pull him out of scrapes That's my job again She looked at me and the wrinkles about her ber eyes deepened If you had a spark of chivalry she mocked offer to help me And If I answered you had any intuition whatever you would know that anything Ive I've got t is yours I do know it she admitted with another chuckle and then grew sud sud- suddenly suddenly suddenly denly grave Will you help me she asked to save my nephew from the trou trou- trouble trouble trouble ble into which a scoundrel and a stupid police force forc have plunged him and out of which a pompous lawyer apparently cant can't get him I Iam Iam Iam am an old woman David and a cripple I cant can't put a murder and anda a suicide where they belong by my my- self All you have to do I prom prom- promised promIsed promised is point out the murderer Do you think so she asked tartly Ive found him already I looked hard bard at her Its Ils Lyon Ferriter said Agatha Paget Ive known that all aU along CHAPTER XVI Miss Agathas Agatha's quiet words were more shocking than screams They spoke so simply and readily the be be- belief belIef belief lief that had blundered toward and reco ed from and reached at again that I could only on y stare at her ber I blurted How do you know She was like a damaged and ancient an an- ancient ancient lamp In which the flame still burned clearly She told me From his hands I was sure the evening when Captain Shannon first questioned him Dont Don't you remember remember remember ber Very IVery well I answered but but butHis butHis His hands she went on hung hungat at his sides Usually he uses them thema a lot He was watching himself He was acting the th part of an en en- entirely entirely entirely Innocent person In whose flat flata a man had been found murdered He was overacting it He had some some- something something something thing to hide and he was hiding it very carefully Too carefully to fool me Then why why why-It why why- I began but she shecut shecut shecut cut me off oft David she said Ive been nev nev- never never never er so certain of my own virtues that I I cared to hunt down the iniquity of others Mr Ferriter may have J had very good reasons for killing his visitor but but It She bit on nothing with a little jerk erk of her tier head and I thought of the withered Fate who t cuts the cord She rummaged in her handbag for and di- di J Ii j 4 vining her ber need I offered o a cigarette and lit it for her Smoke and some some- something something something thing more dire had narrowed her eyes as she went on Lyon Ferriter was clever In his alibi aUbi Since the part that anyone can check was fact it has to be presumed the rest was too No one can prove be was in that flat when the man was stabbed What I had started to speak Now I Isaid IsaId Isaid said Excuse me and held my words And until Miss Agatha went wenton on that hat is proved and it is found how he got out afterward Lyon Fer Fer- Ferriter Ferrater rater riter thinks he is safe He Is proud of his cleverness That Tha t Is danger danger- dangerous ous for ous-for for him Well I asked as she paused She did not seem to hear me She pursued her eyes still narrow her voice daunting in its calm All of which has been none of an anold anold anold old womans woman's business business up up to now Lyon Ferriter called on me this morning He said he wanted to help Grove What he wanted was to ad ad- admire admire admire mire his own cleverness If he had come to me fairly David if 11 1 he had said Your nephew and my sister have been having an affair a How can we get them out of trouble most easily he would have had me as an ally She rubbed the cigarette out on one the e ash tray with slow violence I IDo IDo Il Il Ir l l r i l 4 i i M MI I Ue 1 Do I understand that Is Isa Isa s sa a threat gave her another Her voice had hadan hadan hadan an odd ring as she went on But he didn't He Ha had no idea why Grove was in his flat He said that he had given the boy a key because Grove was In and out of the apartment a good deaL Implicitly itly fitly he served notice on me that that was what wha t he had told or will tell the police Hell He'll protect his sister and leave Grove to be scapegoat for the death of Everett and the earlier murder if 1 possible My nephews nephew's plight is a godsend to him And to lone I asked doubt doubt- fully And to lone Miss Agatha an an- answered answered answered and Her ti r jaw grew hard She hasn't spoken has she She has not come forward with the truth to help her lover Hers is the perfect fear that out love I wish I knew what it is Her self possession got me by the throat I blurted How foul people are arel Miss Agatha cocked an eye at me meSo meSo meSo So youre you're finding that out she asked She sat silent a moment and I thought of the weathered figurehead immune to storm Miss Agatha I said what do you want me to do She answered Indirectly in hi a level voice All AU my life thanks to my legs Ive I've been audience to the sorry dramas mortals play I dont don't like the way this particular one prom prom- promises promIses promises to end I dont don't like the thought of Grove still in jail though jail though I un un- understand understand understand he is only being held for questioning according to Senator Groesbeck Has he your he-your your nephew nephew given given any explanation tion The affectionate smile that accompanied accompanied accompanied her reply was pitiful Grove it appeared had said nothing to the police and little enough to his law law- yer He had been typing a letter at atthe atthe atthe the desk In the workroom and had seen a light In the apartment across the air shaft He had gone to the flat and had found fo nd Everett about to throw himself from the I tried to hold him window He lie had but the man had screamed and torn free That was all He would say no more He would not even ex cx- explain plain the note the police poUce hid ha found found In his bis pocket And they say Miss Agatha end ended Is dead Grove ed ed that chivalry the young sophisticate posing as ns Sidney Carton would be funny If it weren't so tragic He wont won't see that He lie wont won't help himself Very well I shall shaU have to save him by putting Lyon In his place The certainty In her voice stirred mine to awe as I asked How Miss Agatha looked at me hard for foran foran foran an instant and the wrinkles about her eyes eye deepened p i-p o L David she said I haven't the least Idea and she gave her deep chuckle I sat on the desks desk's edge and told her everything I knew It was a relief to talk to someone without h holding back We smoked together at first and then as I passed from the scuffle in the basement to the duel with Lyon and the rifling ri of my room the cigarette burned down unheeded un un- unheeded unheeded heeded In her fingers She asked at last And why have you had all this attention Miss Agatha I tord tod her with a agrin agrin agrin grin I haven't the least idea She chuckled again At any rate sh she s said we start even as allies Walt Walt Wait I bade and told her of the foreign voice I had heard at Minos Unos She looked at me hard when I had finished Are you sure she asked I shrugged Right now Im I'm not very sure of anything Yet I dont don't think Im I'm be bee beginning beginning ginning to hear voices And it may maybe maybe maybe be Important but it isn't evidence unless we can persuade Lyon to drop back into it again for the bene bene- benefit benefit fit of the police poUce No she said thoughtfully Youre right Its It's a signpost noth noth- nothing nothing nothing ing more There is a flaw in Lyon somewhere Everybody has one If we could only find it and work on onit onit it tt it- it You said he be was proud I re reminded re- re reminded minded her herAnd herAnd herAnd And clever she added And also lucky at poor Groves Grove's expense Think a minute She gathered her fragile body to to- together together gether and looked hard at the hands hands- clasped In her narrow lap as though they held a seers seer's crystal ball Think she went on of his luck Everett knew Lyon had killed Blackbeard Blackboard And Everett was fright fright- ened Anyone Any ne could see that He was not of the breed of heroes You were to be killed by accident while Everett rifled your room The Fer- Fer thought you had bad something that was key to the murder And Everett failed I offered as she paused and that plus fear destroyed him bun So he be wrote a fare fare- farewell farewell farewell well note to his family who were waiting for f r him to show up at Mi- Mi Mino's Minos Minos Mino's nos no's and killed himself out of sheer terror The surprise in her face heart heart- heartened heartened heartened ened me Yes Miss Agatha said slowly that is quite possible and Grove found the note and since its implications implications Implications seemed to threaten the well well- being of his precious beloved pock pock- pocketed pocketed pocketed eted it he would and thereby damned himself There was excitement and odd re re- relief re- re relief lief In thrusting facts Into the pig pig- pigeonholes pigeonholes of theory where at least they would lie without falling out in confusion Faint pink had come to Miss Agathas Agatha's cheekbones cheek and her eyes sparkled I asked Has your nephew told to whom he wrote the letter at this desk last night He has not Miss Agatha an an- I never have known si silence si- si silence silence lence less golden than his Because I went on I think he heis heis heis is telling the truth and then I confided my own experience at that desk when wb n looking oking l up I had seen a alight aUght alight light across the area and Grove pull pull- pulling ing down a shade in the Ferriter flat Miss Agatha when I had ended reached out and amazingly patted my knee I think David she said quiet quiet- ly a very wrong wrongheaded pair of women owe you more than an apolo apology gy for what they thought of you yo this morning v Forget it I told her She shook her head No she said Just postpone it Mightn't it be well if i. 1 we were to write down separately all we know and suspect of this bewilder this bewilder bewilderment ment Thereafter comparing our lists we might find some hint of what what else we should do It might I granted humoring her Theres another typewriter about Miss Agatha thought aloud I believe Its It's In the basement storeroom Im I'm sure it was put there when it came back from the repair mans Allegra I do not think she saw the move move- movement c movement ment I made Imade I to check her calL I had small sm ll desire to face the scorn scorn- scornful scornful scornful ful girl again It hurt too much and at the same time angered me But Butin Butin Butin in an instant there she stood In the doorway looking at her aunt and plainly not recognizing my exist exist- ence Sight of her smoldering niece made Miss Agatha revise her pur pose My dear she said briskly I II have already apologized to David I for what We ve both thought when his j I friends friend's letter came this morning i She paused Allegra's face did not stir sUr nor did her eyes move I fum fum- fumbled fumbled fumbled bled for some word to t end this or or- ordeal ordeal deal and found nothing Why should I apologize the th girl asked So that I can read about it itin itin in tomorrows tomorrow's Press I If U she could hurt me so I might I be able to reach her I said as cas- cas easily casI easily I ily as I could t News must be either Interesting or Important I I was sorry then for she looked atme at me caught her breath and fled I TO UK tE tov 1 Lii lwi OJ |