Show Telegram e ram M Mystery Serial i The Main Death Deatha a By Dashiell Hammett Read ea aj a new w mystery serial complete 47 f. f j every wee week in in The e Telegram k 1 J i t r r w F i r r P ti L y ti 4 MD 6 rg Si She fainted I caught her before she site reached the floor 1 CHAPTER SIX SIN car was around the corner In it we transferred i our spoils spoils except except the guns guns guns- rom mm hi his pockets to mine Then Thene e e got out and went back to the gency ency gency I turned the car toward e e building in which Jeffrey Main id ad d been killed Mrs Main Mam was a tall girl of less 25 with curled brown blown hair lashed gray-blue gray eyes and warm swarm full-featured full face Her pie body was dressed in m black blackim blackm im m throat to feet r She read my card nodded at m my Y nation that had employed em- em toyed me to look into her husid's hus- hus da ids death and took me into a ay ay y iy and white living room J. J J This is the room I asked Yes 1 She had a pleasant insky voice I crossed to the window and looked coked ked down on the grocers grocer's roof root and id on the half of the back street at lit was visible I was still in ut a miry ir Main I said as I turned trying drying g to soften the abruptness of my Y words by keeping my voice low ow after your husband was sad lead you threw the gun out the lindow dow Then you stuck the handkerchief to the corner of the wallet let and threw that Being than the gun it didn't go gothe Ill the way to the alley but fell the roof Why did you put the handkerchief handkerchief- Without a sound she fainted T c j CAUGHT her before she reached Ithe he floor carried her to a sofa pound round cologne and smelling salts applied them Do you know whose i t it was I asked when she awake and sitting up shook her head from left to Then why did you Vou take that trouble rouble fill lt rt t was in his pocket I didn't ow aw what else to do with it I ought Bought the police would ask bout ut it I didn't want anything tot start them 5 asking questions i Why did you tell the robbery I tory No answer The insurance I suggested fine he jerked up her head cried defiantly F tYes Yes He had gone through his n rt-oney rt oney and mine And then r hadL bad to to-to to to do a thing like t WL t 11 tie tie- WL t 11 tie tie- we I I interrupted her complaint He we left a note I someI hope some hope some some- to tg lg that will be evidence Evice Evi Evi- nce ee ce that she hadn't killed him I east tYes She fumbled In the bosom her black dress fret 1 I J Baid said standIng The thing s In ln the morning wrung tape take taketo It at note down to V your ur lawyer and U him t the whole hole story I n e tc mumbled something sYm P atc a- a c and Md made mode my escape Night was com coming n down when I r 6 L the f bell for the aced d time Xie that lat day The Thc P pasty pasty- ast y ld maid id w who opened the door me m 5 Mr was at home led me upstairs OS S was coming own the stairs stirs She stopped on landing to let Iet us Pass Pass' I halted f front rant of ent rent nt on her while m my y guide J toward the library Yo Youre u fl re d done nc Rose Rosc I x told the rl 1 on the landing g I Imin 11 give you min to clear out No to anybody if you dont don't a that that- Y ou 11 get a chance to sec see if you like the inside of the can Well the Well the idea The rackets racket's flopped I put a I hand into a pocket and showed her one wad of the money I had got i at the Mars hotel Ive just come from rom visiting Coughing Ben and I Bunky That impressed her She turned and scurried up the stairs Bruno came to the library door searching for or me He looked curiously from the girl girl girl- now running up the steps to the third story story to to me A question was twisting the little mans man's lips but I headed it of off with a statement statement statement state state- ment I Its done I Bravo he exclaimed as we went into the library You hear that my darling It is done His darling sitting b by the table where she had sat the other night smiled with no expression in her dolls doll's face and murmured Oh yes with no expression in her words I 1 WENT VENT to the table and emptied my pockets of money Nineteen thousand one hundred hundred hundred hun hun- dred and twenty-six twenty dollars and seventy c cents e n t s including the stamps I announced The other eight hundred and three seventy-three dollars and thirty cents is gone Ah Bruno stroked his spade-shaped spade black beard with a trembling pink hand and pried into my face with hard bright eyes And where did you find it By all means sit down and tell us the tale We are famished with eagerness s for it eh my love His love yawned Oh yes There isn't much story I Isaid said To recover the money I had to make a bargain promising silence Main Maui was robbed Sunday afternoon But it happens that we couldn't convict the robbers if we had them The only person who could identify them wont them wont But who killed Jeffrey The little man was pawing my chest with both pink hands Who Vho killed him that night Suicide Despair at being robbed under circumstances he couldn't explain Preposterous My client didn't like the suicide Mrs Main Mam was awakened by the shot Suicide would ha have ve canceled his insurance would insurance would have e left Ct he her pe penniless i ess S She e threw me the gun and ana wallet out the window window Window win Win- dow hid the note he left and framed the robber story But the handkerchief screamed He was all worked up That doesn't mean anything I assured him solemnly except that Main you Main you said he was promiscuous pro pro- had had probably been fooling fooling fooling fool fool- ing with your wife's maid and that she she like like a lot of maids maids- helped herself to your wife's wiCe's be be- longings H HE E PUFFED up his rouged cheeks and stamped his feet fairly dancing His indignation was as funny as the statement that caused it it We Ve shall see sec He spun on his heel and ran out of ot the room re repeating repeating re- re over and over We shall see Enid held a hand out to me Her doll face was all aU curves and dimples I I thank you she Bhe whispered I III dont don't know what for I growled growled not taking the hand Ive got It jumbled so anything like proof is out of the question But he cant can't help knowing didn't didn't I practically tell him II Oh that She put it behind her with a toss of oC her small head Tm rm quite able to look out for myself my my- self eel so long as ns he has no definite proof I believed her Bruno came fluttering back into the library frothing at atthe atthe atthe the mouth tearing his dyed goatee raging that Rose was not to be found in to the house The next morning Dick Foley told me the maid had Joined and Dahl Dah and left lett for Portland with them End Copyright by Hammett |