Show b oo 0 0 o 0 o 0 oo o 0 oS J liE If y S S. S SVAN VAN DINE AUTHOR THOR THE BENSON ON MURDER CASE THE STORY THUS FAR FARA A scream had bad come from Marcaret Margaret Mar Mar- garet caret Odell's apartment The man mim who had Just left leU back to her room and knocked She an answered nn- nn and told him d said JessuP everything was all aU right and to go home Earlier FArBer In the evening said Sp eb another man bad had called for or the tho Canary Canar but had bad been told she was out lie ne himself himself him him- self elf b by knocking at h her r door and then leaving The n next morning the strangled bod bod- body bodoC of oC Margaret Odell was found In her apartment The side aide door to tho the ally was bolted on the Inside the murderer must have hae left the front way a Both phone operators said no one other than the m men n they mentioned had called But a a. mans man's voice answered answered answered an an- from her apartment when someone phoned about a a. quarter to twelve said J Jessup CHAPTER XI Markham clearly dearly annoyed at the Int Interruption cut In sharply with a demand br the operator to proceed with his description lie He wore his hair smoothed down continued and you could see It Jt W was kind of long but It was cut In the latest style And he had a. a small emaIl waxed mustache and there theresaa w was A fI bIg carnation In the lapel of ot othis his coat and he ho had on gloves 0 Mr fy word ord murmured Vance Yance A gigolo S Markham with the incubus of the night clus riding him h heavily frowned and took a a. deep breath Vances Vance's observation evidently had launched him on an unpleasant train of thought 5 Was 85 this man short or tall taU h he h asked next lie He wasn't xo 10 o tall tall about about my height explained And nd he be was waa sort of thin f There was an easily undercurrent ot of admiration In hi his tone nd I felt that this youthful telephone operator had seen In Miss Odell's OdeUs caller a certain physical and sartorial Ideal This his palpable admiration coupled with the somewhat outre clothes the permitted us affected 1 b by youth to read between the lines of H remarks a n. fairly accurate description description tion of the man who had unsuccessfully unsuccessfully cess cess- fully rung the dead girls girl's bell ben at half past nine the night before ely had been beers dismissed Markham rose roSt md nd strode about the room Ida head enveloped In a cloud of cigar smoke while Heath sat pat stolidly watching him his brows knit Vance stood up and d The problem it would seem remains in statu atatu quo he re remarked re marked airily How oh how hon did the fair Margarets Margaret's executioner get lOet in 1 I You know Mr II Markham rumbled rum bl bled Heath bath Ive Ivo sententiously been thinking that th the fellow may have ha I come como earlier In tho the say Bay before that aide aldo door was sas locked Odell herself may ha e let him In Inand inand I I and hidden him when the other man came to take her to dinner It Jt looks that way Markham admitted Bring the maid In here again and well we'll see what we cap find out When hen the woman had bad be been n brought In Markham questioned her heras heras heras as to her actions during the afternoon afternoon afternoon after after- noon and learned that she had gone out about four tour to do some shopping and had bad returned about halt past five Did Miss Odd Odell have an any visitor with her when you got back No sir was at the tho prompt an an- an She was alone Did she mention that an anyone one had called No sir Now continued 1 Markham could anyone have havo hidden in this apartment when you went home at seven 7 The maid maJd was as frankly astonished and even a a. little horrified Where here could An anyone ono hide she asked looking around the apart ment There are several possible places l Markham m suggested In the bathroom In one of these clothes clothes- closets under the tho bed behind the window draperies Tho woman shook her head de de de- No one could have havo bidden hid bid den she declared I r 1 was In the bathroom half a dozen times Umes and andI I got Miss Odell's OdeUs gown out of ot the cloth clothes closet closet f-closet In the bedroom As soon as It Jt began to get dark I drew all nil the window shades myself And Andas as ns for the bed its it's built almost down to the floor no one ono could squeeze under It 1 I glanced closely at the bed and realized that this statement was vaa quite true What about the clothes closet Inthis' Inthis in inthis inthis this this' room Markham put the question hopefully but again the the maid shook her head Nobody w wa was In there Thal That's where I keep my own hat and coat cont and I took them out myself when I was getting ready to go I even e put away one of oC Miss 1115 Odell's old dresses dresse in n that clo closet Ioset t before beCore I left And you are absolutely certain reiterated Markham that no one could have hav hidden bidden anywhere in thes rooms at the time you OU went home homer Absolutely sir Do you ou happen appen to remember If the key to this clothes closet was wason wason on the Inside or orth e the outside of tho the loci when you opened th the door to get your hat The woman pau paused d and looked thoughtfully at the tho closet closeL door It was on the outside where Jt JI always was she Announced after aCter several moments moment reflection I r re remember remember re- re member because cause it caught In fn the chiffon of qC the old dress I put away S Markham frowned and then resumed re resumed re- re his uk questioning You sa say you dont don't kno know th the name of oz Miss UM Odell's dinner companion com com- panion last night Can you ou tell ten us the names of nn any men she he was In Inthe the habit of ot going out with Miss Odell Oden never r mentioned Any gny names named to o me mf the woman s Hid seid Id She was ws very careful about It Jt too you ml might t say nay Youe You see e Im I'm only here In the th daytime and the gentlemen she knew generally generally gen gen- trally came in the th evening And you never ner h heard her a speak ak of ot anyone of ot whom she was frightened fright fright- ened anyone ened-anyone anyone she ahe had reason to fear tarr No N air although air although there wa was one man she h wax was trying to get rid of ot He u. was ws a bad character 1 I wouldn't have baYe trusted him anywhere end anywhere and I told Miss Mis Odell OdeD shed l d better Io look lookout out our for or him But shed she'd known him hima bSma a long lon time I guess goes and Aad had been pr pretty t soft on him once How lIow did cUd you ou happen to know this One On day about bout a w week k ago p the maid meld explained I r came in Jo after ft lunch hunch and he was wa with Wih her herIn herIn In the Ih other room They didn't hear br mae me because u. u the portieres portier were drawn He U. wa was wall demand demanding I mo money and when he she tried to put pot him off h b he began becan threatening her 1 And tad she he aid eald d something tha that t showed shed she'd given rYen him money before for I J made mad madea a nol noise and end then they ar- ar going and pretty soon oon he ht went wen out What That did this thin man look like Uke hiker Markhams Markham's Interest wa WAS WI 1 reviving n He 11 f wa Willi kind of t thin thin not not v very tall tall sod and Id I'd ar say he w. w was around thirty He II had bAd M a hard bud r fare fart looking some ome would My end nd and nale Ie bbs eyes eye that gave you Ton tI the shiv er 5 JI TIe f al always wore hi his bl hair greased Hd hark hack and h he ht had hd a little I w mu mustache pointed at the If S. S h hH th said ld Id Vanece n c Our gig gig- has Hoa this man been here since asked Markham S I 1 dont don't know sir sir not not when I Iwas Iwas Iwas was here That will wUl be all aU said Markham Markham Mark Mark- ham and the woman went out She didn't help us much complained complained com corn Heath 5 What exclaimed V Vance nc X I think she did remarkably well weil She cleared up several ral moot points And Just what portions of ot her Information lon do clo you consider particularly particularly par par- illuminating asked Markham f with Ill concealed annoyance annoy annoy- ance We e now know do dove we ve not re rejoined rejoined re re- joined Vance Vanco serenely that no one was wat lying hidden In here when the thc lady departed Instead of ot that fact being helpful helpful helpful help help- ful retorted Markham Td rd say any It added materially to the complications of oC the situation It would appear that wa way wouldn't It It now But nut then who then who knows It knows It may prove to be your brightest and most mOAt clue Furthermore we we learned that someone evidently locked himself In Ia that press clothes as witness s the tho shifting of the ke Icey and that moreover more more- over this occultation did not occur until the abigail hal hail gone one or let letus letus us say U after seven JH-en Sure said Heath with sour I when the thedo side aide door wa wee wa bolted boiled 0 and an nn operator was sitting In the front hall who swears nobody came in that way It lt Is fa a bit Vance ance conceded sadly adly o Mystifying Its It's Impossible grumbled Markham Heath who was we now staring with meditative pugnacity Into the closet doe clos et shook his hi head What I dont don't understand he ruminated la is 18 why If It the fellow fello wa was wa hiding In the closet he be didn't It whet he carat c out like he did all an the rest rt of or the apart apArt- ment Sergeant said Vance Vane Youve You pat put your year our Oa finger on the crux of or the he matter Y Y Y know the neat undisturbed aspect of ot that cl closet let rather suggests aunat that th the crude person per pr son IOn who rifled t th charming rooms room omitted to tl gIve It hi his hili attention be cause raue au It wa was looked locked on the inside and arid he h. couldn't open It It Come Com come protested protest rote d Mark Mark- ham barn That Thai theory Implies that they there were two IWO unknown persons In here last night Vance Vanee sighed Harrow arrow and ala alas alasI II III I know It It Anti And we w. cant can't Introduce even on OTa on- on Int Into thin this apartment nt low IOK- I a aint It If To ITo be continued |