Show ttE I 1929 By NEA Service Inc ANNE AUSTIN r CHAPTER Continued What was she like besides her voice olce Ruth asked eagerly Tall and very ery slender big fine dark sad eyes e eyes es Jack answered so unhesitatingly that another pang of jealousy shot through the girls girl's heat heart About 5 35 I imagine A good deal of makeup but a a. skillful artistic job GOOd clothes but just justa a little mUe shabby an elegant sort of shabbiness She evidently made a a. great Impression impression Im- Im on n YOU Ruth could not help remarking r I suppose you remember re- re mem member r her name too Youre d delicious when youre you're angry an- an gr gry Or jealous Jack laughed and kissed the tips of her fingers She did make malte a deep impression on mo me because I thought she had the most tragIc face Id I'd ever ver seen That's why I hesitated to say a a. word which might involve her in this nasty busi busi- ness No man would want to add another bitter line to that tragic face Iler II r name nama was Martha Mann Mann- Ing Miss l or Mrs Ruth persisted She didn't sa say but I addressed her as Miss Manning until she made Inquiries about a trust funds fund's being made ot of the Insurance If she took It out in favor favol of her hel 6 year old ear son on Then I called her Mrs Manning Mann Mann- in ing and she did not correct me Ruth considered her eyes growIng growing grow grow- Ing wilder and wilder Then slow ly Hiss l Manning Jack and the boy was Dorden's Bordens illegitimate son I feel absolutely sure of that I What Was her address she added s suddenly dd nl Some little let hotel me think Oh yes es the Acropolis hotel I wrote her asking It if she had made up her mind as to the kind orin ofin she wanted to take out and she did not reply She did Come in again however and told me that It was quite useless us less for tor her to consider any kind of insurance on her life life- that she had been to her own physician physician phy- phy and he had told h her r she was In an advanced stage of losis And she again stood at my looking out I felt feU damned sorry for her Jack added Frank Ashe felt sorry for her too Ruth nuth said slowly And then she told him briefly the story that Bordens Borden's manservant had llad told Detective De De- Sergeant how the woman with the beautiful contralto voi had come to Bordens Borden's apartment apart apart- ment gained entrance by watching her hel chance and had been knocked half senseless either M by Borden himself him him- self or by Jake Bailey Baney his bodyguard body body- guard Motive J ele commented but without triumph Now as to opportunity op- op Let us suppose she came cameto to the building Saturday afternoon before calling Borden on the telephone as he had asked her herto herto to through Minnie But why come cometo to my office to make the call even If she did remember that It Was directly opposite Bordens Borden's and that sloe she could see his face as she talk talked d to him C e Maybe she realized that you ou were Interested In her bel would go out Of Your way to do her ller a good turn Perhaps she intended to appeal to you to help her plead her CAse with Borden Ruth suggested t- t She found your door unlooked Unlocked Un- Un looked locked thought you ou were in and en- en Once Onee Inside she tOOk erty of using your phone although you were not hot there quarreled wIth Borden and and shot him through your wIndow But how did she know I had a pistol Jack objected Youve just said you OU gave her a alot alot lot of Insurance literature Ruth pointed out Gut eagerly You keep stacks of it In the bottom drawer of your desk Why couldn't she he have seen the pistol while you were searching for the printed matter you wanted to give her Possible but not highly probable probable proba- proba ble Jack conceded But If she ehe killed him from my office how can you account for the disappearance of your our gun Miss Manning could hardly have ha entered the dead mans man's locked office would have e had no reason to do sO In the first place place- Then maybe she induced Borden by threats of some sort to grant her herale heran an ale appointment told him she was in the building and wOUld be right I Up tip then armed herself with your gun Went to his office Was admitted admitted admit admit- ted because he was expecting her found he was armed too and shot him jUt just as he was about to shoot her Bordens Borden's bull bullet t going wild wild- out ot of the tho window Hows How's that Ruth concluded triumphantly Fine Fin Jack smiled mirthlessly except for fOl one or Ol two minor do- do tails taUs should eh oho take tho gun with which he had tried to kill her Why close the wIndow But Rita DUbois insisted that the tho window was still open when f was there between two ten and two two- thirty Ruth pointed out And Rita also Insists that Dol Bor- den was alive Tack Jack reminded her It If Rita is telling the truth our whole case against poor Martha Maltha Manning topples unless we conclude conclude con con- clude that Borden told Miss Manning Man lan lanning ning not to come until nUl past half two Or even realizing later as he did that she had already made him miss his train and that ho he would have ha to deal with Rita between n train end and But Dut if that's the case where was Vas Martha Manning alter aUer she concluded hEr telephone quarrel Borden at and nd until past half two In my office all that time Ume So far fal as I know no one has told of seeing R. R stranger on the seventh floor all afternoon and neither eIther Otto nor Micky Moran said anything about bringing such a woman to the seventh floor She could have walked up of part course ot of tho way at least Ruth offered tentatively But Rut I Letty went Into your our offices S for the second time to clean them at half half- past two Im I'm sure SUr she would have told Mr- Mr if she had seen anyone coming out of YOUr office or in the corridor But Jack theres there's no getting getting- around it some woman Martha Manning or some other woman woman wo- wo man was In Dorden's Bordens offices Saturday Satur- Satur day day besides s Rita Mrs Borden MinnIe and myself I mean for as puts It she sho left her ber calling card on the glass glas s panel in the door between the Outer three office clear fingerprints The only fingerprints on the panel which the tho window washer ashel bad cleaned late afternoon Maybe bo boshe she had a key Jey to Mr Dorden's Bordens but office no that's Impossible for tor Mr 11 Borden had the lock changed after I started to work for him only four months ago and aU all that time he has reo refused even to talk over the phone with the woman or of the contralto voice Oh she sighed suddenly and slumped In a little heap Tm so ghastly tired I CAnt CAn't think Youre going to bed darling Jack commanded contrition and com compassion alon In hits hs' voice Volee and e eyes esI es I could do 10 with a a. little muo sl sleep myself my- my self seU and Its it's a shame to k keep p my boor 1001 shadow standing out there inthe In Inthe the cold so ro long non hell be aU all the better for taking his dog for a a. walk alk on the tho leash Youre You're going to the tho scene of the crime tomorrow morning horning I suppose Me le Ruth laughed shakily Why Wh gOl going g to tal take e charge of oC the after In l' l Ive I've done llone one with errand my own own shadow trailing me No I wont ont tell you TOu what I Intend to do Go alon along alongI I want to pray and th n to sleep Iel Good night my darling I love You a To be continued The Tho problem of finding Bordens Borden's murderer grows mor more hourly Who did it |