| Show l TELEGRAM FICTION THE MILL HOUSE MURDER By J. J S. S FLETCHER FLETCHER- SYNOPSIS James owner of or Mills Is found murdered Ronald Camberwell has been ask asked eel by James to Investigate the affairs of his nephew Sugden his London representative and Police Superintendent Superintendent Superintendent Beverley suspects Sugden of or the murder An old William Wil Wil- liam had suggested that Sugden was in financial difficulties It ItIs ItIs ItIs Is known Sugden although ostensibly on the way to London was in the neighborhood at the time of or the tte crime Sugden his mother and anel his brother Ramsden manager of or the nail mill have opposed James' James forthcoming marriage and they are enraged when they find that James has left the business business bustness busi bust ness In trust for five years I X Next morning Beverley and I set setin setout setout out in his car to carry o out t his project of tracing Sugden Marten- Marten royde's movements on the afternoon afternoon afternoon after after- noon and evening of the murder We left exactly as Sugden left it it-by it by a road which ran straight from the village to Abbeyside Abbeyside Abbeyside Abbey- Abbey side station And here litre at the very beginning of our research we made madea a first discovery small in itself but certainly tending to show that when Sugden boarded the train at that place he had a definite intention intention intention in in- of leaving it at some other station along the line The traffic traffic fic tic from Abbeyside was so unimportant unimportant unimportant that the duties of booking clerk and porter were combined in one man More 9 Questions This functionary discreetly questioned questioned questioned ques ques- by Beverley had a clear re remembrance remembrance remembrance re- re of Sugden's arrival at atthe atthe atthe the station in Ramsden's car on that particular Monday evening Mr Sugden he said bought a first class ticket to St St. Pancras London Then he said to the porter-clerk porter that he didn't want to be bothered with his suitcase when he arrived in London he had to go down to the City as soon as his train got in a somewhat remarkable statement statement statement state state- ment to make seeing that if he had hid gone straight on by the and its connections from Leeds or Bradford Bradford Bradford Brad Brad- ford he would have been in London in the small smaIl hours of Tuesday morning at which time the City is isa isa a desert and couldn't lug the case down there And borrowing a label from the man he had written written written writ writ- ten on it To be called for had told him to label the suitcase St Pancras So apparently his re resolve resolve resolve re- re solve to quit the train somewhere had been formed even before he drove up up-to up to the station at Abbey- Abbey side But where had he left that train He could not have gone far in it if the story told by and his fellow workman Guest was true Sugden was in the immediate immediate immediate im im- im- im mediate neighborhood of Todman Todman- hawe about past half-past 7 Monday evening He must have got off at some station not far along the line found some means of getting back to ve and after spending spending spending spend spend- ing some time there somewhere have made his way to Shipton Now the was a local train stopping at every station on its way to Bradford But Beverley's idea was that Sugden had left the train almost at once probably at Heathley where he would have no difficulty in finding a car to take him back t to T Heath Heath- ley four miles mlles from Abbeyside e was wasa a place of some size a health re resort resort resort re- re sort having a railway station at which two or three lines met and where Sugden would not be likely to o tobe tobe obe be noticed Clearly Heathley was the place in which to make inquiries inquiries inquiries in in- and we reentered B Beverley's verley's car and drove off down the valley in its direction No Luck At Heathley But we had no lu luck at Heathley We spent hours there questioning question question- ing interviewing without result Eventually we went forward to the only other place in that part of ot the valley at which Sugden could have got any sort of of conveyance We had no better luck there And since was the thelast thelast the thelast last place from which Sugden could have got back to the neighborhood of by the hour at which and Guest saw him near there we gave up that part j of our que quest t. t Beverley was waa bei begin begin- 1 ning fling to agree to a theory which I 1 ventured to suggest that suggest that Sugden had slipped out of the local train while it was ws standing in one of the small stations Ot it would be quite dark soon after he left Abbeyside and had made his way to some friends friend's house where he had secured the means of retracing his steps We were then at our last place of call calI Beverley spreading spreading spreading spread spread- ing out his map pointed out to me that whether Sugden had turned back from or from Heathley Heath Heath- ley or from any of the smaller stations stations stations sta sta- in between those places he would in order to reach Todman Todman- hawe at the point where the two men say him have had only i one ne possible route that he could follow This was the main road through the valley as far as Abbeyside There the road forked One branch went wenton on to the bridge at in a straight line th the other to the left went vent along the high ground on the north of the dale passed through the village of Hartwick and reached at a point just above grange We Ve took this road Eventually we reached the spot at which Out Out- win and Guest had seen Sugden hurry past going in the direction of A few minutes later rounding a corner of the road we came in sight of itself lying in jn the valley far beneath beneath be be- bc- bc neath us And here on the right- right hand side of the road its windows commanding a wonderful view of the upper reaches of from mill to the mountain chain rising to the northward northward northward north north- ward stood an old house of grey stone In its porch on which the afternoon sun was throwing its last beams sat alone a man wrapped in heavy shawls At the sight of this man obviously obvious obvious- ly an invalid sitting there solitary in the gray setting of the stonewalled stonewalled stonewalled stone stone- walled porch Beverley pulled up the car poor Dakin he said Brother of the William who's William who's in London office Dakins Dakin's on his last legs poor chap though I dont don't think he knows it Sad fate Hes He's well off oft and comparatively young and hes he's got a handsome wife and well and well Ive I've heard that the doctors can do nothing for him Well We'll just ask how he is and Camberwell well we'll not say anything about what were we're doing here bere We left the car on the roadside and walked up through a neatly arranged arranged arranged ar ar- ar- ar ranged garden to th the porch Its Its' occupant sat in an art easy chair rugs about his legs and feet shawls about his shoulders He was a man manof manof manot of ot presumably 50 years of age and stripped of his many coverings was probably bly thin and worn worn vorn bis IsIs his face meager and emaciated was of the color of old parchment But his eyes seen at a closer angle were keen and bright and at sight of Beverley a new ight came Into them Well Vell Dakin said Beverley as as we reached the porch and hows how's things with ith you This is a friend o of mine Mr Camberwell How are you nowadays The sick man smiled wanly shaking shaking shaking shak shak- ing his head Why I dont don't seem to make any great improvement Superintendent Superintend Superintend- ent he answered Your servant sir he continued with an old fash bow to me Take a seat sir Sit you down Superintendent He motioned us to chairs which flanked the little table at which he himself sat and on which among other things was placed an object that had at once caught my attention attention attention atten atten- tion and that I knew to be a sheep bell This he took up and began to ring vigorously Meeting Dakins Dakin's Wife how I call Mira when I want aught he hc said with a smile They can hear that bell beIl all over the house I took it off one of my best sheep when I gave up farm farm- ing Its It's au an old bit that that Ill Ill I'll lay my great-great-grandfather great had it once and happen his father before that He rang the bell again again twice And at the last summons the door of the house opened and a woman appeared making a little start of surprise as she saw her husbands husband's visitors Then she smiled and came forward giving her hand to Bev Bev- erley Then she gave me her hand and a keen if quick glance I felt sure that she knew quite well that I was the tho mysterious London gentleman gentleman gentleman gen gen- who had suddenly appeared in this way the Arcadia On my part I looked at her rather longer than she looked at me I Iwas Iwas Iwas was sizing her up In an estimate of her she was probably about 28 years of age I If It not quite a beauty she was an attractive woman to look at And in contrast to the poor invalid sitting wrapped up in his shawls and rugs she looked what people call a picture of health and vigor Mira said these gen- gen do with a sup of something something something some some- thing after their drive Its It's a coldish coldish cold cold- ish day Fetch the whisky my lass When it had been bem produced and Mrs had helped all three of us to a drink he formally pl pledged us have been a bit busy I reckon with this James Marten Marten- royde matter he continued turn turn- turning turning ing to Beverley Have you made aught out like Not yet Dakin replied Beverle Bever Bever- le ley Trying to pick up what we can you know Have you heard anything Always glad of a bit bitof bitof bitof of information if you have Na Nay weve we've heard naught re replied replied replied re- re plied At least naught that's what you might call definite Were We're out of the way here to hear aught aught Im Im I'm tied down and Mira there she doesn't oft go to the vil vii lage Jage And when I do I pay no heed to what's said observed Mrs Heg Heg- gus Them that say anything dont don't know anything and them that know something say naught so there you are Continued Friday Copyright 19 1938 for The |
