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Show SOMBHEXtO(' tTy CLIFFORD KNIGHT .E 1 "Should you like to take a turn about the deck, Elsa?" inquired Reed Barton, solicitously. "Sort of walk things off a bit." "No, thank you, Reed. I'd rather stand here with the three of you. I don't want to be alone; when I'm alone I think too much." Our conversation drifted into idle speculation as to how far off shore we were, when - we would reach Mazatlan trifling but di. verting small talk which ignored the tragedy of the early afternoon. We came abreast the harbor entrance and into smoother going; the yacht ceased to roll in the long swells. Something was on Rogers' mind. It was quite obvious, now that I had learned to recognize his moods. "Barry," he said speculatively, "could this afternoon's tragedy have been entirely an accident, do you think?" "It couldn't have been anything else. An accident, you know, may have many purely coincidental factors in it, but they all click in sequence. That's what constitutes an accident. How else, except by accident, would a swordfish stab a man to death?" "I don't mean the swordfish's part in it," he said. "That, of course, is quite accidental. But could it have been an accidental factor in the sequence you speak of for the chair to break?" "It did break." "Yes, I know, but " "You're wondering if someone could have tambered with the chair with the expectation of causing caus-ing an accident." "Exactly." "Well perhaps." "Of course it's an idea that requires re-quires exploring. But there's a practical side to it; was or was not the seat tampered with? And can we determine at this time whether it was or not ? Let's go see." Without waiting for my reply Rogers walked aft to the launch which was stowed in its cradle. We paused beside it in the dusk. . "Have you a flashlight, Barry?" "I'll get one." When I returned, Rogers had climber inside and now waited near the broken seat. He took the flashlight flash-light and snapped it on and began a survey of the swivel mechanism. Both of the chairs were new; and Dwight had had them installed just before we left Los Angeles, especially espec-ially for swordfishing. - "I can re-assemble the mechanism," mecha-nism," Rogers remarked after some tinkering, "if you'll hold the ! light for me Barry." 1 He gave it to me and I directed I the rays while he fitted together the several parts. He soon had it complete, except for a nut. ."If I had that," he said, beginning begin-ning to look about for the missing nut, "I could re-mount the seat. Let me take the flashlight." I gave it to him and he searched carefully care-fully all about the spot. Before he had finished he had covered the entire interior of the launch for the missing nut. "I can re-mount the seat as it is, I think," he said, ' coming back, "but it can't be made to hold securely." "Well, isn't that what you want to prove?" I asked. "Yes, I suppose it is, Barry. Let's set it back on the standard." I am not much of a mechanic but Rogers had demonstrated that he was good at it, and soon we had the chair back in what seemed to be normal working order. "The swivel seems to work all right. Sit down in it, Barry, and let me watch the mechanism." I sat down as he requested. "Now rock back and forth in it, and swing round and round in it." I followed his instructions while he lay flat on his stomach and with the aid of tne iiasmigni. " peered underneath. Suddenly and without warning the seat collapsed collaps-ed and I fell in a heap. Rogers, exhibiting extraordinary agility for a man so large, managed to escape unhurt. "Didn't hurt you, did it, Barry?" he inquired, sitting up, hugging his knees. My back had suffered a slight wrench and I said so. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "but you were nearer Sam Chatfield's weight than I." "Do you think, then, that somebody some-body tampered with the chair?" "What about George?" "Last night while we were an. chored, and before any of us had gone ashore, Elsa and I were at the rail. Somebody was loafing in the launch alone and in the dark. Elsa asked me who was down there. I thought it was some 'one of the hands, perhaps. And then George Rumble climbed out and came up the ladder." Rogers got slowly to his feet, shifted his legs outside of the launch and stepped down upon the deck of the yacht. I followed, holding hold-ing my back. "I think that we should have a talk with George," he said. A little group of household serv- raiiLa uiusierea about n, studded door as we drew S ranch. Willing hands helniattl' from the taxi; scurryin 7? H to prepare the way, f. round and plump and'H made a pathetic fieuroTN Elsa and Margaret as th e-her e-her to the seclusion of he the great house. T Rogers and I hun? 0Ur , , the rack at the entrance , pared to wait in the bi , Pte' room until we could h YV,''8' depart to a more cheerful i' phere. Rogers offered h rets and lighted one him' "It's all very puzzli ' said Rogers with a sigh "T7' make much of it. To ? t though," he continued 'w of Kitty Chatfield, everv5 been frank to confess sorts, ranging from Elsa', hatred of her aunt down to P ' ' ble's unpaid bill. Again i death of Chesebro, Rumble h k well-defined motive; Reed r 1 -: and Dwight Nichols have : equally good; and Elsa, the 1 day, while still very angry, h;' : ened to kill him. Whatever u that roused her to such anger has not divulged to me. Do'!: (Continued on Page i ' citement and he tooples into the sea. The swordfish drives its sword through his body. CHAPTER XTV I saw the black, wicked point emerge through the white shirt on his back and then instantly in one mighty threshing of foaming water, wat-er, Sam Chatfield, impaled upon 8YN0PSI3 i CHAPTER XTU: Rumble admits ad-mits his love for Elsa to her father, fath-er, Sam Chatfield. Nichols admits he waa the man who ran away from Kitty Chatfield's house the night she died. The party goes fishing. A marlin hit Sam's bait while other members of the party are playing smaller fish. His swivel swiv-el chair gives way during the ex- the cruel weapon, swordfish and all sank below into the depths of the sea. We stared horrified from the rocking launch at the spot where they sank. For some moments huge billowing masses of bubbles streaked with blood came boiling up to the surface. Finally even - , . ,. 3 3 4.1 3n;nn. sparkling waters of a blue sea held no sign of what had happened. hap-pened. Rogers accompanied Dwight and Reed Barton that afternoon when they went solemnly into the lounge to break the news. The rest of us were purposely occupied in getting the launch stowed on deck and preparing to weigh anchor, for we were, of course, returning immediately to Mazatlan. Dwight came out at last, followed by Rogers Rog-ers and Reed Barton The latter two joined me at the rail, while Dwight walked slowly forward to the bridge. "Berta took it very hard," Rogers Rog-ers commented, as if making a required re-quired report. "In fact, she went to pieces. It was all that Margaret could do to quiet her. Margaret gave her a sleeping powder, and she'll probably soon be asleep." Shortly after we got under way, Elsa came out on deck and we welcomed her at the rail. Rogers asked after Berta. "She's gone to sleep," was the calm answer. .shoulders "but what he la the guilty one ? We must have all who were here that night of the fiesta." fies-ta." , "Of course," Rogers answered. The next moment a car rolled up to the front door and footsteps sounded on the gravel. "It is they, senores," said Lom-bardo, Lom-bardo, rising and leading the way into the livLngroom. (To Be Continued) I Black Sombrero Clifford Knight ! WNU Ftur. V 1 ?.': (Continued from Page 4) fci kn0W what it was?" ' seem to have Elsa's confi-dence confi-dence to a greater degree than the rest of us, Barry." r' -r'm proud of that fact, Hunt, rU h1,t she's not told me what was be- Jeen her and Chesebro that day." ';' Roeers yawned and looked at f JZcK "I wonder," he said, "if eyes supplied by the taxidermist seemingly possessed of all tho wickedness thnt must havo shone through the natural ones when its owner swam tho blue seas. He continued for somo moments to exnmino the trophy, then he climbed down, replaced the lamp and resumed his seat. "Gruesome thing to have around now," he re- marked, casually.. His left hand strayed to the desk blotter whore several letters and papers were tucked in the pocket corners, fingering fin-gering them idly. Rogers suddenly rached into the center of a small bunch of letters in a corner pocket of the blotter and drew forth a clipping from the rotogravure section of a newspaper. newspa-per. "What have you found?" I asked. "Something?" "Yes, something interesting." He passed it to me and I took it and held it to the light. "I have one like it. Exhibit A, I think I called it; you've told me that Reed Barton has one. It seems that Sam Chatfield procured one also." It was the picture of Elsa and' the baby which had so startled us all only a few days previously. Undeniably it was a most auDeal- "And he is eager now to cooper- ate with us." "Yes, sir." "You wish to go ahead with the enactment?" "Of course, Senor Rogers." "May I suggest that we are not all here? Senores Nichols, Barton, and Rumble are not prsent." "They are following us, senor, I talked with Senor Nichols before I started with the prisoner." "Senor Chatfield of course " "It is very sad the death of Senor Se-nor Chatfield. I heard that he had died at sea, but I do not know the details, senor." "I'll tell you.. Let Pedro sit down. And you and Doctor Cruz come with us iinto the study." Alvarez and the prisoner relaxed outside in the livingroom. Lom-bardo Lom-bardo and Cruz followed us into the study. I poured a whiskey and soda for them and we sat down. Rogers began a detailed account "of the accident omitting, however, all our speculations as to the part Rumble might have played in it. "It is very sad, senor, the death of so good a man as Senor Chatfield," Chat-field," Lombardo said when Rogers Rog-ers had finished. is dead." I passed the clipping back to him and he took it and studied it for a long while under the light. "Now that Chesebro's dead, his picture will be in the papers. The two so close together, in point of time Chesebro's and Elsa's with the baby will set everybody ev-erybody who's interestd to comparing com-paring the two." Rogers put the clipping down the man's left arm was bandaged just below the elbow. The rag was dirty and there was an old blood stain upon it. Pedro, I noted, kept that arm quietly and with a mini, mum of movement, at his side. -. "Pedro has reflected upon his conduct of that night he ran away and he regrets that he did so, eh Pedro?" "Yes, sir." "Were the gentlemen senor Nichols and the others, coming immediately, Senor Lombardo?" I inquired. "I believe so, Senor Madsen. When I mentioned to Senor Nichols Nich-ols that Pedro had returned to Mazatlan and that I wished to proceed pro-ceed with my investigation he said that he would try to find Senor the caballero with the very fine clothes and bring him along. Who knows" and he shrugged his - we'll have time to look up Rumble when we go back down town tonight?" to-night?" iij should think so. He'll be around somewhere, of course." s Rogers got up and went out into 5 the livingroom. He was growing restless and I suspected he was hoping to catch a glimpse of Elsa ft and if possible, hasten our depar. ture He came back presently , without seeing anyone. As he stood on the threshold his gaze . strayed to the shadows above the built-in book cases. His muscles tightened perceptibly and an odd look came into his face. He walked to the desk and lifted the oil lamp 1 overhead the better to see. I 'it gave me a start, Barry," he I said. "So natural it looks as if it's up there." By this time I was on my feet, W staring up at the mounted head of a marlin, its long spearpoint thrust out into the room, the glass ing picture; Rumble was right when he said it contained heart interest. But those damnable cut lines underneath thepicture, "Elsa Chatfield, whose caricatures have recently won wide acclaim, and her small daughter, Mary Frances". Fran-ces". "That was a lousy thing for Rumble to do," I said. "His explanation was plausible, and quite innocent of any intent to harm." "Lousy just the same, for the effect that it must have had back home. I wonder if Elsa dares face it now. It will revive among her friends and acquaintances the old story that once re-echoed up and down South Orange Grove avenue in Pasadena." "I remember Dwight's telling of it." "Hard on Elsa." "Very." "Especially now that Chesebro and inhaled deeply of his cigaret. "Unquestionably, Barry, it is Chesebro's child," he said. "You can't mistake it if you have even half an eye for such things." We sat silently turning over in our thoughts once more the implications im-plications in this most amazing of the many strange events that had occurred to us. Then there came the sound of a motor car on the gravel outside and the sound of voices and footsteps approaching. A brief command in Spanish was given at which Rogers sat up quickly. I translated it. "Bring the prisoner!" Pedro, the pulque seller, stood in the livingroom between Lombardo Lom-bardo and Alverez. He made a sorry-looking figure in contrast to the neatly dressed Dr. Miguel Cruz, who was in the- party, and the uniformed police. His white cotton trousers were wrinkled and stained with dust; his white shirt was so torn "that much of his back was visible. His sharp face was haggard and his dark eyes were dull with weariness. I had not noiced before now that |