Show S f til b 4 hy by I 44 Z F ANNI AUSTIN I AUTHOR OF ff r I. I ITHE THE AVENGING PARROT THE Th BLACK PIGEON ETC P JJ m l tl f Z F 7 C d p y 1930 SERVICE INC j nl BEGIN C I TODAY TOlt Tho crime e Doris lu lady's ladys mild m murdered cluny night flight In nun t liy 10 Mow with heavy flask boll body dumped Into lake lalic on of or Detectives l guest n at 1 time timo of cC nd discoverer of or bod Cai trawl E of or Limo Ilia J Members of or household Mr Sirs ne rJ Berkeley climber George Goro I Icy ley y lo to Ms his daughter ter ng to Seymour mour Croby ov York lork wl Mower Q end and lid a. a L eio COM Crl nJ oC f Mrs N. N n social F Lambert Berkeley en engaged n en to 10 Crol Croth y GI igl I Berkeley who un un- un accountably nil night with p perfume from mm flunk by Croll Crosby to tier mother Dick RO so VH i Doris ors that but lie llo ha force tier to lo agree tu to meet mett him hit lal later r she aho was 3 engaged n Q to In J I i 1 m- m noW tho timo chauffeur holier buller for for- In time employ of or both Mr Sira lumber anti and Crosb Crosby WI questioned by Strawn an nn Dundee aya ho ent up UI to 10 bed at lit 11 1 Knows nothing of ot Ie timi Ih crime that l Doris had lind an nn appointment to meet Arnold bu but Arnold mud Jud left INt not nolo for her that thu h he could not Appointment ae sa lie lit was required to 10 drive ta home Estate I Is 15 scoured w for Cor Dick Berkeley I r from rein I 1115 mi s mom lIl oil i night t. t Cortner Ill I'll 1 with lime bod hody Is 19 luke kea for Cor cx ex- ex pert perl opinion b by Captain Strawn XO ow O 0 OX OS' WITH TIlL TilE CHAPTER X XI j Dr shook ghook his hl white head hea Son Sorry Captain Strawn but I cant can't answer either cither of those questions now non no definitely Only an autopsy can tell whether tho the blow killed her heror 01 or whether she Bile was on only 1 stunned and arid lied died b by drowning AS s to tu the time death cleat took look place that will be he h hard rd to fix aC accurately even cn tho autopsy Unofficially however Ill I'll say guy now no that she lio ho has been dead deat between el eight ht and nine hours that hours that opinion subject to to revision re o of oC course C That places the murder between 11 o'clock and midnight midnight mid mid- night If It youre you're right right and you Jou us usually us- us nally are arc Good enough for fOt a starter start start- er cr at any rate B. B By the wa way Doc Doe in iii examining the bod body did you find a letter note 0 or No No nothing of oc tho the sort Theres There's only ono one pocket on Pocket on the blouse of or her uniform mu an and you Jou can see Ice for yourself H its it's empty I rolled the stockings stocking down to look for bruises and can assure you ou that no note was concealed in lii them rime Tho stockings by tho tIm wa way have ha snags naSs and runs inthe in fn tIme the hack back of or them Runs nuns Funny 1 that a t pretty girl rJ like that that that- the thc chief of oC tho homicide homi cide clde slun squad l began an There were vero no runs in her stockings s when Dick Berkeley was as forcing her to dance with him bun last nl night ht Dun Dundee co interrupted I distinctly ills dis remember noticing how pretty retty r her legs were in iii their sheer black silk lIk stockings But I thin think I Ikno kno know what is rc responsible for Cor those tholo runs and he lie pointed to tho the rough rouSh roughedge roughedge edge of or the flooring flooring- which extended slightly over o tho the flight of or three narrow narro narrow nar nar- row ro steps leading down into the lake take See Sec Heres Here's a I tin tiny thread of the tho stocking silk sin caught in a n spun spun- ter tel The Thc bod body was dragged to the time steps steps- Dragged 1 Strawn repeated Then It coul couldn't nt have o been a Yer very strong shong person person- 4 Remember the rocks s with which th the hOel body was weighed Dundee re reminded re- re minded e him S C C And n nd whoever hoe dumped clumped the girl rJ In iii knew the tho lako ako pretty well well knew the tho water was as deep enough nough here hero to tilde the body hodr provided it was as weighted Iowa down own Si so It couldn't vise rise and float Strawn pointed out Temporarily at nt least that counts Crosby out unless hm ho was so pa lit- nicky he had l to take a chance How far out was the hOd body Very cr cry near neal the steps steps not not more than five Che or six feet feel Dundee an an- an- an Heres Here's how lio I visualize the crime crime and and by the way I think It was an impromptu murder one growing out of oC sudden an anger er or orcar fear car The flue u uso o of oC the thc perfume flask flaskas as a weapon certainly points that thata way way way- How Hou do 10 you know It was the weapon St Sha Strawn wn objected Three reasons first your our no nose e tells ells you perfume has been heen spilled 1 here rc Lots of oC it Second ther there's theres a glass splinter In that In-that that crack Between tho hoards boards Third and he drew from his pocket locket the wrapped chief d stopper of or the tho crys- crys Lal flask I found foun this under the thc bench overlooked b by the tho murderer I suppose you'll ull want Cam Carraway to look ook It over 0 for Cor lIn fingerprints fingerprints' tF bu but t I 1 dou doubt t that he lie finds an any Its It's so in intricately Intricately in- in carved that theres there's I ilca II no smooth surface to take talc aI aId a I 1 I t. t Id I'd print ii n When Carraway h ha had d accepted the stopped slinking shaking hl his head dubiously dubious dubIous- ly 13 awn Sra burst 1 0 out t exa But how v tho tIme dc devil 11 did time the I her pcr- e- e fumo fuimo flask k get et out here herc If wo ye know V tho answer to that question I think wo we would wout know everything O Dundee CO t replied Im Krank I ly it stumps mite me But It Is certainly obvious lou that nobody but a a. t inn manioc nine would i choose o a a. cl crystal lal flask naBI of oC ex extremely ex- ex remel concentrated perfume with which to clout anyone lIlOne over o I he head v with i tIm cl i tnt ted ly d Intentions I 1 mean man Therefore I say tho the crime tas impromptu the tIme weapon tho first and only ono one at tl hand Ih The deeply cut cI crystal k broke broko with the time first blow blo bloof of course and the tho spilled on tho floor Ive I've sniffed with m my noso nofO to the floor and md Im I'm pretty sure Hure It didn't s 1 spatter much therefore Its It's rather obvious lou that Doris was er cr sitting sIlting on the bench or that she he had har slipped from tho bench to her hr knees e to pl plead d with lieu her as assailant all nt The latter I think since that would woul bring her head clo closer er to tho floor to account fOr r r th the fact that the perfume per ncr fume ume did not splash all over o tho lila place cc Poor POOl little mUe thing A And nd Captain Cap Cap- tain taimi Strawn n who regarded d himself as very much har hardened to murder shuddered with horror and pity Whether that a assailant meant to murder her or not o 0 cant can't know yet of or c course urs Dundee un ee went vent on But nut granted that the time llo blow hlo only uny stunned the girl 1111 the person Mho had hit her thought ht she sho was as trad Cal c-ai or 01 desperately de feared the consequences consequences conse conse- if lC the hc consciousness conscious regained ness and amid told what whal had lutil happened In an any case that person peron had only one thought thought to to conceal tho the hod body And here hero was tho ho a a mide nUllo to order grave g The Tue girls girl's Irl disappearance disappear disappear- ance aneo would cause excitement o of course but It might ht be days h before ore it occurred to anyone anono to suspect u suicide or murder nail and to drag the lake No Xo ono one could have o foreseen forseen that this morning would ho bo FO ro Unseasonably un unseasonably un- un seasonably warm wann that GI Gigi I Berkeley Berke Ie Icy ley would get Sel up a swimming party Poor Gigi Gigl he a added ded com corn pass passionately io 0 0 0 You lIk like tho ki kid hid Strawn asked aske grinning Very much Dundee answerl curtly But nul to lo get et along with the theRlo story 3 A as I 1 see H it The mur murderer was vas panic stricken but the thc Instinct for self preservation was strong Tho The hoci body mu mustn't tnt rise to tho the muir- muir face ace before he hall hal a I chance to es escape es- es cape cap as naturally as po possible ore it must be ho weighted And tho tim means for fot that too were at hand hanl An arti artistic Ue border of rocks all along along- tho the lakes lake's edge l c and right up to the time very steps that lead head down Into the tIme lake Look and ho he hodrew drew Strawn to the tho top tOil step and pointed Theres where he lie got bot the stones Didn't even cn have o to leave heave th tho steps Stooped and gathered tit them em in in three three from lom tho the rl right ht side of tho the steps two from lom the tho left Hey He Wait alt n a minute Strawn protested ITo How could the murderer mur mur- derer s seo o to do all this unless he had hind been thou thoughtful enough h to provide pro pro- vl vide ide o himself with a t flashlight 1 I happen to 10 know there wasn't an any moon last night There again played into tho the murderers murderer's hand Dun Dundee ee said No 0 moon but light where hero it was needed There Thero are arc wire covered red electric lights placed among tho tIme rocks all nil along the lakes lake's el edge at intervals als sufficient to light up tho lako and the tho Interior of or time the summerhouse Of 1 I sec see Go Co on with your visualizing vis uis Strain n commanded Well SeiI ell the time rocks were placed ill in- Id I lImo he girls girl's skirts skirls hilt but before that I think her little while apron removed c was wa Apron repealed l Part Parl of oC her uniform ch eh Maybe Je she he took ft It off before beCore she sho canto carno out on omu ona a a a. i da dalci to- to S C C No Xo I don't dont think she site did 1111 Dun Dun- un- un dec clec assured him When hen you Jou end divers dl down dO limb Into the tho I lake ke I think you'll flint find it H wrapped about the pieces of oC the tho flask a k for fot I feel sure ure the time apron wn was dipped Into the water and used to lo swab wab the bloodstains blood blood- stains tain from rout the floor find and possibly from the clothes of oC the murderer AI Also o to lo remove o a as much of oC the perfume perfume perfume per per- fume as u possible but but that thal was one otto task he found to hard for him he lie added with wilh grim satisfaction Well ehl ell if it he thinks it a as cas easy as ns all nil that to get cl rid of bloodstains lies he's In lit for Cor a n surprise Strawn promised Eh Foh doc Ioe Takes It H little cold coM water to get el rid of oC bloodstains so o lat our chemist cant can't find a l trace What hat about the floor doc doe Ive o already removed cd some of or ortho the tho ho bloom blood soaked dirt from tIme the cracks he between tween tho thin bo boa boards ids where the tho loot floor had been swabbed Dr Price Pric assured him complacently Good man n applauded generously Well Dundee runts Thais nearly all I think The stones worn were then placed inside time the skirt t and it wn was bound hound tightly about th tIme the girls girl's Irl knees knees- With Clorinda Berkeley scarf scarf Captain Strawn emphatically concluded concluded con con- eluded time the sentence sentence- for lor his I Which doesn't nece necessarily nr me mean n that ClorInda Berkeley did tho time tho tIng ty tying tying ty- ty ing Dundee went on quietly Not that thal Im I'm Im I'm sa saying It she sho didn't but wc must not overlook the thc possibility that Clorinda left let tho the house hout o e quile cuite Innocently for a walk about the grounds lien grounds headache dache possibly possibly and and that she he rc rested td here for a bit baying leaving bay leav ing her r carf scarf behind her thus providing pro pro- viding tho thio murderer with lIh another aid lId to hi lila his Impromptu crime We Ve e cant can't hang hano her with Hh tIme the scar scarf you OU know know- S Maybe Maybo Ia bo not itoh hut but a t 1 rope will do clo just a as w well cli If it we wo find an any ot of this perfume spattered on her dress Stra Strawn Stran wn retorted triumphantly I If a t spattering of oC this perfume were enough h to get Jet a a. t conviction of or murder Im I'm afraid Id I'd bo 10 ono one of oC your our first arrests chief Dundee grinned My ly dinner coats coat's reeking with the stuff What Strawn gaped aped at him Say you JoU didn't happen to see this murder did dill you No I 1 wasn't an nn eyewitness any anymore anymore more than I 1 was tho the murderer Dundee assured him I should have hao told toM you rou before but theres there's been heen so 50 much to tell teU The truth I Is chief that everyone crone who was in tho the drawing room last nl night ht hence that possibly every suspect will turn up up Including Including ett got splashed with wilh Flour Fleur dAmour d'Amour To be he continued |