Show LOV RS Telegram Fiction By Vera Brown Held for questioning are Alison Thayer pretty red-headed red stewardess steward steward- ess on Continental Air Lines' Lines crack sleeper plane from Newark Terry Creedon chief pilot Steve Broderick Broderick Brod- Brod Brodo erick copilot Ben New NewYork NewYork York racketeer and his bodyguard Lefty Burke Winston Bradley well-known well New York business businessman man and his secretary Julie Burns They are at the Cadillac Book-Cadillac ho ho- hoA tel In the city's jail is Mona Kilroy Kilroy Kilroy Kil- Kil roy show girl because she refused to answer questions of the prosecutor prosecutor prose prose- and Inspector Adele divorced wife of the president president pres pres- presa ident of the air lines who got Alison Alison Ali All Alls son her job has been murdered telephones Alison tells telis her to be careful about whom she trusts She knows about Mrs Roer- Roer dens den's affair with Lawrence Weston Weston Wes- Wes ton once prevented from shooting the New York playboy Now go on with the story CHAPTER Alison sat down by the open window window win win- dow and looked down into Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington boulevard after that telephone telephone tele tele- telee phone call Over and over the events of the preceding morning she went Her brain was In a whirl she found it im impossible to concentrate Less than 24 hours ago she had been flying through the night happy and i content Now The telephone rang again It was for Miss ringle When she she- h hung ng I up the phone she turned to Alison Were going back to the prose u- u tors tor's office Alison got up wearily 1 ran a comb through her red hair On the tripi trip i over in a taxicab Alison could hear the newsboys calling Extra Extra Ex Ex- Extra Ex- Ex tra But Miss Pringle said they were in too great a hurry to stop for forone one They came in by the back elevator elevator ele ele- dc- dc vator and two detectives met them themas as they got into the car bound for the fifth floor Nobody spoke Two minutes later Alison was war ushered into Thurber's handsome office Mr White was there and I Mr R erden It was the first time C Alison had seen White since that morning two years ago go when he C gave her her job Both men bowed I when Alison came in Thurber was Wa speaking I tell teU you your people are not being cooperative It wont won't do Youre mistaken Thurber said quietly Were doing everything we we can What do you yot want of us Ive I've turned every fa ta facility facility fa- fa over to you Ill prove it if to you Call Ii in S Broderick and Creedon Thurber r ordered When the two pilots came in hi Thurber ordered everybody into chairs Now Miss Thayer have you an any 1 Idea how Mrs was killed I None she answered promptly P Her eyes moved toward i and Thurber did not fail to notice You are a trained nurse are yo you Li Linot not Yes i What would you say if I told y you ou Mrs was killed with c chloroform There was a moment of dreadful s silence Every bit of color drained o out ut of Alison's face She half rose from f rom her chair No It couldn't be Alison's mind m ind was working like Jike lightning T The he perfume So that was it To c cover over the chloroform odor Mona Alison's lison's A face was an open book for those who saw to read s sat at with folded arms grim and w weary eary Now Miss Thayer did you at any a ny time smell chloroform in the s ship hip Alison answered after an imperceptible Imperceptible imper Imper- c pause Yes When Terrys Terry's face was a study He was f frankly rankly puzzled It must have been shortly after we passed over Bellefonte Alison a answered slowly trying to think All right Thurber's eyes held a cold smile Now may I ask why you did not tell t ell us this before Why you waited wait wait- e ed d until I had an autopsy report b before you told me this You dont don't understand Mr Thurber Thur Thur- b ber er Alison's AUson's words tumbled out frantically f You Yoi see for an instant I thought I did smell chloroform i a and nd then I there was that perfume and I thought I was just mistaken I You Y u a trained nurse who has ha i worked in a a hospital It is odd for you to be mistaken on the odor of ol I chloroform That does not sound I s sensible Then you d dont don't nt know perfume It was overpowering so sweet Everybody was was was' bothered by it I never thought of that chloroform again I thought my mind had just played a trick on me It doesn't pay to think too much when youre you're trying to help solve a murder case Miss Thay Thayer r. r Alison wilted under his tone She looked at Terry and his blue eyes were almost black Well she was smothered to that death Now where is th bottle Thayer chloroform was in Miss Alison's eyes widened I 1 dont don't know I haven't any idea The only bottle I saw was the broken one that had perfume in it Examined Cross Yes I have already checked that Miss Kilroy's hand was cut There is no doubt about that But the thing I cant can't understand is fg how dens den's anybody could get into Mrs Roer- Roer berth without you a stewardess steward steward- ess there on the ship seeing the per per- son That is something you will have to explain Probably to Mr too Alison cast an appealing glance at Mr He nodded enCouragement en en- I 1 was sitting front in the first seat back of the up door to the pilots' pilots cockpit after my work was finished Mr Burke was with me there part of the time Running up tip and down the aisle of course Yes And it seems that everybody else ele i I w was as doing the same thing There seem eem s to have been a lot of restless p people eople aboard It is a short hop and Mr North w was as getting off at Buffalo So everybody is only too eager to t o tell me Thurber said Weve Veve f found where he lives and well we'll talk t to o him later when he gets home I Hes He's still In Buffalo My men are o over ver there now trying to check I Then this North is all right asked He is a broker lives at Central Cen Cen- I t ral Park West married two children chil chil- d dren ren goes to Buffalo often on business business busi busi- n ness ess Thurber retorted We dont don't l leave eave any ston stones unturned Mr Do you suppose we would not check on that man quickly He cleared his throat Now this is i s getting us no place fast There I Iare are a lot of things I want to ask you Miss Thayer and if you do not answer them willingly here Ill I'll ask t them hem at the coroners coroner's inquest in an open courtroom Alison was completely mystified by his tone She could see Steves Steve's hands clench and Terry move about restlessly There is no need to adopt that t tone one with Miss Thayer She is one of our best stewardesses We Ve have complete faith in her White remarked remarked re re- re- re marked crisply It was plain both White and were furious with Thurber I 1 know that attitude only too well After all it is your divorced wife who vas was killed And it Is your air lines I should think you'd 4 1 oT J yo m want want Ul this LUllS mis thing ining cleared un up oT J yo m want want Ul this LUllS mis thing ining cleared un up We do and it is going to be solved If it takes the last cent I have But you can rest assured that none of our personnel is involved I 1 am certain of that now and Ill I'll prove it Oh Well that remains to be seen I know you'd rather have the New York police in on this your friends But we are in on it and it may not be so pleasant What do you mean anger was rising I 1 have tri tried d to be De decent about this thing But I Ii see Ill I'll have to get our attorney here at these conferences if going to you are bulldoze our people Well bring him along Weve We've already got an ace ce from New York for this Kilroy woman By the have you way any explanation as to o why a a cheap show girl should have a man like Scott internationally famous famous fa fa- fa- fa for an attorney I am sure I cant can't say I 1 never heard of ot the woman before Roer Roes den retorted If it f you will Ill I'll II telephone allow me my attorney He Is waiting at the hotel Then its it's war to the end It is war if tude you take this atti attl- answered I 1 know what I 1 am talking about Well WelI be sure you dont don't get your fingers burned I know a lot more than you think torney tarney But call your at at- at- at There was silence in the room as spoke with William B. B Granger who had come with him from New Nev York Now you people are so sure of jm ev everything let me ask you this MM Mi Thayer Why a little while ag ago when Mr called you on th telephone did you tell Miss prig and ana th these e two pilots that it wJ S White she Alison's face was a blank as Si answered I dont don't remember tn that J JI I told them that 9 Now Miss Thayer You are g ging ging ing to tell us you cannot remen remember r what you said an hour ago 1 PV I 1 dont don't say that Alison wi wal plainly suffering under this b P rage I 1 say I cant can't remember uw that I told them it was Mr White WhiteWell m Well what did Mr say to you x He just told me he was in to and that and that he did not want me roe to D upset about all this Oh Alison was fighting for self self-cf self self-Co She could plainly see ee Jho tw effect her words were having Steve and Terry Theres one other little thing thing- How well do you know Mr R B o. o ol ei l den fI f. f I dont don't know him at all president of our our- air lines That Is strange Very t strange The silence in the room seoul wa was t te ten Alison put her hand to b BJ bd head as though it pained her SUddenly SW d denly with startling clarity next I knew what Thurber's i would be M t Then it came How sow is it that was who got you your jOb with Continental Air Mr Lines Lines' A Ayou you could never have landed v vout VI out his help if you didn't kno k him 1 Monday |