Show f F The Eye of Lucifer u By Frederic F. F Van de Water r. I The Cy Ia of or SMeller Lucifer wu w i tb the nn a jl o oto to loa ao La I gres ra found aC age r ro 1 ge o 0 and nd cG do down dean through history h. h b by b pow pes Mor r. ors more Snot e ethan i than ten lit Iii Itself ami stid on e each ch la In turn th thereby both The Tho New Nw York state Rat tat tr troopers arc as called upon span to lo OIVO ol e ethe the his murder of or I I mar Strohe q and Sergeant ce Dan tel lei D Delaney l Is working with a rookie Stev Cameron Camaron on Oft the tha Job A Ana An-a Lorr the th dod dead man MeNta secretary baa lIu b been n ques- ques b because he she the murder Her brother other Borl boris drove dron her hII awa away afterward aft att erward and lad the pairs paS movements movement have hu arou routed d p lon Theis n Hens Borl I li II stabbed to death and Ana Aisa I II being Inz can eared for fot at atthe atthe the of Ell ii ii t by iek fr r. r a hee Somers il k bins bins- self b. b hi ha towed Into hl lit his garage carafe a car that w WI wrecked the night ol ot th tb the murder and tie tela u fOI tank of 01 which wa w. was rut cut lIt open What for forT U Is Uthe the which ha bAt hi the troop en kI on the tha murd murders Chief 0 of Pol Police Polk Walker and Ind Cameron are ara rivals I In this a as well ell a u a for tor the attention atten atten- tion of Bather r. r More alec mystery tery la Is added to o the th ar when hen Sill ill I Meek flok tOto reports report a a. robbery at Lt hI his hou house but finds stolen A tg still III s-nd s hysterical l I I. I unable to b be questioned que Ell Eli Meek Mic Mok has I leaving hi his hi hiscar car Cal It beside buld the tile toad road and It look looks like Ilk foul pia play Delaney and aDd Cameron find the tha bod body of ol Ell Eli Meek tied to A a. tree tret lid and j d tortured F Esther Bather ther heard Cameron ron Cameron pass along alom the hall ball The kitchen door slammed Sho She waited Trailed and listened to the tho beat beator of or hoofs passing the house Then sire lre sighed and returned to the room roon where Ana Ann lay When she emerged and descended the he stairs th there re was ws a a. worried frown on her face fact On the kitchen table the evergreen n brandies contrived contrive Into wreaths lay filling filling- the tho room with fragrance Molly 1011 datt clattered Pd up I a u s-u uw the back stairs and into the kitchen her face vivid from cold and excitement excite excite- ment her ned hands hand a a. basket besket and anti an oblong parcel pUrcel I was as looking for f. f ergs eggs g sire an an- J. J and 1 went Into the tho garage garage ga ga- rage to look at Dads Dad's ear car cause caU last laa week the brown irown hen got in there ther and l laid d an egg on th the floor and Dad stepped on It It remember ber berT And I 1 found this sort of or hi hid bid under the It Ita its Ils awn away y rug and maybo maybe a no Christmas present or something Tather Tho The girl girt took the package an and stripped away Its paper covering Its heavy enough anyway anway honey she she- smiled But I 1 don dont much believe its it's a a. present Molly Some Somers trying to fool tool your our ol old sister I wasn't the child exclaimed I 1 really truly found it there ski ale ter And Its It's Just an nn old book Isn't it Z Gavins History of Oneida county county coun ty Esther read aloud It belongs on the shelf shelt In the th parlor No Ko Ill Il ill i'll put It back rock later I 1 wonder onder why Dad Dad Vad- She placed tho volume on th the kitchen table lable and tossed its wrapping wrap ping into tho the C coal 11 scuttle sever Never mind honey bone the she com corn maybe maybo Santa Claus Glaus will b bo be around later I wish I knew know what wha to do she sho confided her worry be becoming be coming comins uppermost in her mind mint again Miss Loft says S 'S she's abes well wel enough to get up and I cant can't ge get hold of Dr Colfax Im I'm sure sire she Her h hands aro arc so dry and hot She's promised to lie still for a little tittle while longer anyway Suppose you OU run along out dear and eec seo If U you OU cant can't find some eggs Delaney stood before the telephone telephone telephone tele tele- phone In the hall ball of the West Duquesne Duquesne Du- Du quesne house when his Isis partner ened entered entered en- en ed He raised hi Isis his eyebrows and motioned for him with his fr free freehand freehand hand and Cameron obeying his went ent on upstairs Long minutes passed before the sergeant appeared His Ills face tace was VaS flushed and his lips were tight and he flung his hat upon his IsIs bed with unnecessary force torce Then ho shrugged W Well W ll 11 he announced grimly ashe as ashe ashe he rolled a a. Merry Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- mas Eve is Just Cameron retorted retort retort- ed ed one leg hooked over the arm of the tho rocking chair hM's up now Dover Delaney Delane grunted I wo Wl wag talking to him him Just now He took most of ot the skin ort oft my ear car S Someone's Someone's Some Some- meone's me- me ones one's been pumping hi of or poX poi son Steve Well We'll find that out to to to- night Why tonight Cameron asked Delaney blew twin streams of oC replying sat down on the edge of the bed and rubbed a a. mud speck from the shank of his spur against his other boo boot before replying I phoned barracks from rom the hotel before we went on into town he began Gi Got clot t Dover and told him what had happened d to Meek Asked him to Instruct all patrols to watch the roads for tor Big Nose and the Bo- Bo I hunk They're our only bets beta so farlIe far He lIe was short and snappy the way I I he always alwa's is but nothing to worry about Then I 1 called him up again agall when I got ot back here to tell him that Meek eek probably wouldn't die Something Something Some Some- thing thIns had soured him in the tise meantime meantime mean mean- time Steve He shook his Ids head remIniscently and drew long long- longon on his Im a lazy inefficient road sergeant sergeant sergeant ser ser- ser ser- geant and hes he's got a mind to break me met he announced with a grim note In his voice Ive been letting lUng a rookie rookIe meaning meaning you you pull pull the wool over my ey eyes s and run around after a girl Irl while the whole county goes to pot Id I'd be bo better as the head of ofa ofa ofa a matrimonial bureau than commanding com corn manding a patrol He lies He's s going to tell teI me whatever he forgot which c cant can't nt be much when he blows Inhere in inhere here this afternoon Hes He's bringing Tomlinson and Bannon with him That means someone else Is going to dt take over this patrol atrol and you and I I- I Delaney shrugged again and pinched out the glowing butt of his n Where here I 1 made my bad play to begIn with he r resumed umed slowly was in trying to help Walker out with his murders I ought to have ha kept my off oft Cameron cleared his throat and hesitated before speaking Walkers sore core on me use he ventured ven- ven at length Wade a de the sergeant responded with an obvious effort at tolerance Is a tI good guy generally but hes he's cockeyed ed crazy over this Somers girl In addition he ho hasn't been able ible to make end or elbow out of this his mess were we're in Hes He's been alibi alibi- lag InS ng himself by squawking over the lack ack of or cooperation hes he's been gettIng get get- etting et- et tIng ing from us and e's es tried to put puta puti a i spoke in your wheel by complainIng complain complain- Ing ng to Dover er about the amount of time Ime you OU spend over oyer at Meeks Ive only been there when youve you've sent me 6 since ence nce Strake was killed Cameron commented Yes Tea Delaney agreed I 1 told Dover that It didn't help your our case cage and ind got ot me in deeper Walkers Walker's complained or or someone has has has-be- be because cause we haven't arrested the woman What hat for for Gods God's sake He blinked bUnked truculently at Camer Cameron Cam Cam- er eron rt as though the rookie had sponsored the criticism Then slowly ho he grinned at his own In In- In dl Ill nl bo be sorry he be said gravely when Dover pulls away from this substation Its It's real Interesting here lere and some of or the things thinS's are just beginning to make sense sens to me Walker Valker and ond I had words about the case this morning What does he be think Cameron asked sardonically Theres a maniac loose In th these se parts Delaney said with elaborate gravity a fine solution Isn't It A maniac Is what a a. fat fat- leaded headed cop always calls caUs a a. criminal who's too tricky for him I told him that hat He didn't seem to like it much grinned widely and rubbed his Ills cropped close scalp This hundred and fifty thousand dollars cash sort of or hitches things together r doesn't It itZ Cameron querIed Where did you hear bear about that sharply Delaney asked Miss Somers told me tue toda today And Walker told her the sergeant sergeant ser ser- geant grant supplemented He talks too much to th the wrong r p people pl rh Ebs district attorney spoke to me tue about abou It this morning In town Walkers Walker's never peeped Afraid somebody else will cop that ten thousand dollar dollar dol dol- lar reward I I. I guess And nd Meek loeck may ma have hae had that tha hundred and fifty flUy thousand Cameron Cam Cain eron suggested ted tentatively The sergeant sat oat at up stiffly and looked hooked at his partner with wills a a. flicker of or approval in his eyes Youre not so 0 bad for a a. rookie kid ho he said softly Cameron flushed and Delaney Delancy re re- re Stroke Strake got the mone money Strake got Idled TIme Tho money vanished Boris was after aCter it Boris ged you ou Strakes Strokes murderers stuff I It Into the gas tank of their car They try to get it and Sleek Meek shoots at them Boris goes to Mocks Mock's to get IH geta IHno a no room for his sister and doesn't find the cash CUll Meek reek has found it already and hidden it somewhere The thInks Boris has It and kills him Then lie he and Big No Nose e find he hasn't and they open Meek's Meeks sate safe It isn't there and something frightens them off before they go after him hini They get him this mOrnIng morning morning morn mOrn- ing and torture him till ho comes through lie He rolled another with nervous fingers a a. lot of or action he lie conceded conceded conceded con con- ceded but you OU can get even more than that for a hundred and fifty thousand in real money And another another an an- other thing Meek came to for tor a minute after I 1 cut him bins free freo and I laid down It was while you were vere chasing Les Los He said quite clearl clearly Got it Then ho he out again That could mean two things Cameron said slowly Yes res the sergeant agreed 1 got it or They got it it But not miot They didn't get it It may have meant the place where lie he hid It It not the cash Itself Cameron objected It may Juay still beIn bein be he heIn In Meeks Meek's house If s so so- so Its a possibility Interrupted I Delaney but an outside one Remember Remember Re Re- member how nervous the old boy was how he Ile talked about a safe sate deposit box how he lie told us to go ahead and hed he'd catch up with us He had it on him when they got him ilm kid sewed kId sewed In ill his coat cr er strapped under his isis armpit or something something something some some- thing like that Id watch swatch the Meek place the rookie ventured So would I his partner agreed The only trouble is that Im I'm not bossing this 1 patrol atrol at present I Ilave have lave orders from Captain Dover Doer You and your eating cake-eating partner Ide rIde the hills this and see flee ee If It you cant can't find brains enough between between be he- tween you to pick up trail of the themen themen themen men who assaulted Meek And re report report re- re port to me at 5 at West Duquesne And there you are There Ther are a and a lit littIe Ut tIe le kid alone in that house the trooper r reflected aloud loud Walkers alker's going out there again ate lato this afternoon Delaney le- le plied Wants to talk to the L oft woman he lie sa says s Well We'll try to get Dover to see see it our way when he lie comes No Big Nose and his friend have got what they went after aCter and andare andare andare are hoofing it back to where they came from unless a patrol picks em em up And now our horses are fed ed well we'll go ride the hills for CaptaIn Cap- Cap tam aln taIn Dover There are a a. lot of hills too oo kid He rose and picked up his hat Cameron struggled into his sheepskin sheepskin sheep sheep- skin and followed him toward the thedoor door Theres one weak spot In your our theory he lle said pausing at the thought nought In bills choke up a car r if Jammed into the gas tank and would they be any good afterward Ive thought of or that myself Deaney Delaney De- De aney laney laney conceded starting downstairs If Jt I had bad this months month's pay lay ay with me ld Jd d try it and see e I e Close beside the kitchen window to o catch the failing light of the late afternoon Molly Somers beat eggs In n a yellow bowl She clutched the rim tight with one hand holding it down town upon the table and breathed In n short energetic gasps while she plied piled the wire meshed spon Her lIer sister ister paused in her apple peeling peeking to ask Dont you ou want mo me to do that for you ou honey No o the little girl an answered speaking speaking- loudly to conceal her failing fail fail- InS InS' ng confidence I can do it beau beau- For a minute there was as no sound but ut the uneven sloshing of the egg e arc t beater Then Esther resumed her Interrupted narrative So well we'll havo have a turkey after atter all Molly Chief Walker said hed he'd be Le glad to bring brin it out with him I X guese it'll be a nicer r one ono than It If Dad had got ot it time the child chUd replied with nth unadorned frankness Poor Dad her tier elder Ider sighed con con- Mci Its too bad he should be in a a. hospital on Christmas Christ Christ- mae mas day Ill bet Molly that it wont won't bo ho as nice a turkey though as K SC you'd oud asked Trooper Cameron to bring It U oh oh dear de arl The Time eft egg beater hat had slipped in her weary hand and a spurt of yellow ellow drops had flown across the table Tears of egg yolk olk ran down the faded back of ot Gavins Gavin's History of Oneida Onelda C County There Esther Bather soothed rising and patting tho time table with her apron never mind No o harm done I think Ill I'll put this thill book away though honey The kitchen I isn't nt the place for It it Halt way down tho the hall ball to the tho parlor sho she exclaimed in fright and tho the slipped from front beneath her arm and banged upon tho the floor Ann Ana sho ho said Oh you ou startled me You shouldn't be up Ana Asia Im I'm sure Pleast go back and lie down until time the doctor docto comes cornee e e a e s Premature dusk filled tilled tho the ballway hallway hall ball way and In it Ana Ann face floated ghostlike her eyes enormous enormous enormous enor enor- in their sunken sockets one unbelievably thin arm ann stretched out toward tho the newel post for SUI sup port Her breaths breath came short quick as though sho she had Isad been running run rums ning l but ut her r voice was as controlled I am ama quite quito all right it said Please do not worry Esther J I know myself better than a no doctor can I am a a. little tittle weak that Is all I think I 1 should like to sit alt down though Oh yes es the girl responded hastily has has- thy tily retrieving tho the fallen volume and leading tho time way toward towar the tho parlor Come Como in here and if It you wont won't go back to bed He lie down on tho the sofa tray anyway Iro Ive been trimming trimming trim trim- ming using a treo tree for Molly 1011 she sho ex ex- ex is lovely She doesn't know about it yet et Sho spoke rapidly to conceal her alarm Any eyes seen |