Show amey to CHAPTER XI continued 11 1 I came to ask you why you went back on me the way you did the girls voice came to the listeners it was hard and high pitched she was coldly furious ton know now why I 1 went back on you I 1 dont like the company you keep wrong with the company Y his police record Is over there on the whatnot want a look at it perhaps like to verity his photograph with the original and check up en his Bertl llon measurements quit stalling mae and get down to business colorado charley growled testily 1 I told you charley that if I 1 heard one little peep out of you id knock you for a double loop elmer reminded bis unwelcome guest 1 I admit I 1 went back on my promise to lend doris or mac or whatever her name Is a thou band dollars but im not going back on my promise to you there was a suppressed scream the sound of shuffling feet the crash of furniture silence 1 nellie trembled violently and turned a white pitiful face to detective sergeant fahey who laid his great paw on her little brown band can the kid go some he demanded fiercely I 1 d better pop out an see it colorado charley has done for him with a knife lie always carries one elmer can whip his weight in wild cats nellie faltered bravely hes ln everything for us detective sergeant lipowsky complained bitterly lie dont run true to form we figured hed wilt figured scare him to death and get all the cash he has on hand now and a promissory note for the balance when we could nab cm for blackmail As it Is he aint give them a chance to make their proposition so we tot to hang a case on hes a bon cheadl detective ser geant fahey hissed he a a hick but lord how I 1 love him 1 he added nellie looked up at him gratefully youre a dear she said simply A voice came over the again elmer was speaking while dear charley Is wandering in dream land doris suppose you spill your bad news my dear elmer the girl replied in dulcet tones we come here to any bad news all we wanted was an explanation of your curious and embarrassing action in ordering payment stopped on your check ive said elmer grimly so you have elmer but that alleged criminal record you allude to prove my brother Is a criminal I 1 know he and I 1 heard you say you have a criminal record of me it you had I 1 imagine confront me with it 1 I but I 1 have hopes the unknown friend who sent me the information on charley may develop ad dl tlona interest and send me news of you you seem to forget that I 1 am your fiancee youre right I 1 do I 1 never was your fiancee I 1 never asked you to marry me well you certainly gave me the am pres slon that we were engaged the letters you wrote me will be rather hard to explain and im here to tell you that no small town sheik can treat me the way you ve treated me and get away with it oh I 1 expected to be blackmailed under threat of a suit for breach of promise I 1 blackmail I 1 have said nothing about blackmail I 1 am not here to threaten you elmer I 1 came up to talk the situation over sensibly that isn t possible I 1 m one of those fellows who will not be black nailed cajoled threatened or per traded I 1 know what you have in and a rose by any other name would smell as sweet hello charley did the little birdies sing to you while you were out pick yourself up off the floor you wine and betake yourself and your partner out of here on your way both of you I 1 come harvey doris urged complacently will ask mr clarke to explain to me at a more appropriate time bay in the midst of hta cam palan for mayor you dirty skunk the added her fury gaining control at last ill make you feel as ridiculous as youve made me feel that much as least I 1 can do and you watch me do it I 1 come here to blackmail you but yes yes I 1 know my letters to you will look silly in the public prints but I 1 II 11 be shot it ill buy them back aid elmer clarke the girls voice rose sneer angly evidently you ve forgotten all the drippy things you wrote me ill tend you copies to refresh your mem ory and induce a change of mind on your part little boy friend how much do you want for them elmer demanded so you are interested aren t you well elmer those letters will cost you tonight exactly five thousand dollars in cash and a eory note tor one hundred thousand secured by an assignment of an interest for that amount in your uncle hirama estate you come to loa angeles and my lawyer will arrange the details is blackmail elmer protested t abby yeter B WITO atrie 1 I dislike the word call it heart balm the girl corrected him you can give me your check for the five thousand now ril take a chance on your not stopping payment this time 1 I am a high priced writing man am I 1 not elmer retorted good na tiredly tu doris dear one I 1 have the slightest idea of capitulating capitula ting I 1 merely had a curiosity to know what price ask now that I 1 know it im no longer interested really I 1 glie you a canceled postage stamp for all those letters get out and many thanks to you for the extremely cheap education youve lavished on me youre the first woman I 1 ve ever made an ass of myself over doris and be the last the next sweetheart I 1 have Is going to be a regular girl charley 1 dont linger there was the sound of a door clos ing silence CHAPTER XII out in the garage detective sergeants fahey and lapowsky exchanged glances I 1 thought the boy was coln to spill the beans on us lappy fahey declared but at the finish he sure came through noble no thanks to him growled lapow sly lie was just them well we ve got enough on them to make the while dear charley wandering in dreamland doris suppose you spill your bad news pinch as soon as they get back to los angela no use bo therin ourselves with now they got return tickets women aint got no sense fahey decided get cm mad an they 11 tell everything they know present corn pany excepted he added gallantly 1 I dont suppose you re coln to tell elmer all sou know are yuh indeed not I 1 that would only cm barrass him lapowsky at fahey dont you think elmers awfully courageous nellie pleaded 1 I dunno whether hes courageous or crazy or a plain boob but whatever makes him go the way be does im for him well guess our jobs done all except that out of the bouse its jaspers day off tomorrow nellie informed him make elmer take me to luncheon and then you can run over and get the it I 1 were you I 1 d wind up the wire as far as the back of the bouse tonight otherwise elmer will find it in the morning you can coll it and conceal it in the grass fahey winked at lapowsky meanwhile nellie continued im going home ill send captain aliz gerald a copy of the transcript of my notes tomorrow why do you not as rest those wretches tonight were out of our own jurisdiction of course we can make the pinch it you want us to but well have to call in the local dacks and then the newa would be all over town in the morning better let us handle these birds in los angeles we might get their elyster lawyer too go to the head of the class mr fahey thank you very much good night she slipped noiselessly out the door into inazel drive on that street mid way between 0 and D streets she could see a man and a woman the man struggling along under the burden of a suit case and a bag so nellie crossed to the other side of aazel drive in order to place distance between herself and elmer should he chance to be standing on his front porch and hurried away in pursuit of alie couple she watched them turn in at the principal garage going to hire a car and go on to san jose for the night she thought find out she followed boldly into the garage not thirty feet behind them and stood listening to colorado charley bargaining with the night manager for a closed car to take himself and wife to san jose hen they started a few minutes later nellie cathcart hired another closed car and followed at a third rate san jose hotel which was however a first class hotel in comparison with the palace hotel in colorado charley and ills companion registered as mr and mrs joseph skidmore of los angeles and retired tor the night nellie immediately returned to allar atos and crept silently into the tully home at one 0 clock a m she did not go to bed immediately however but took down the telephone receiver and called tor mr fahey at the palace hotel the detective got out of bed and came downstairs to the telephone booth fahey talk ln this Is your female accomplice mr fahey please forgive me for getting you out of bed but I 1 have news of importance to communicate I 1 fol lowed those people they hired a car at the main street garage and charley told mr bass the night manager that he wanted to hire it for himself and his wife mark that himself and his wife go right down to see mr bass and remind him that he rented a car tonight to a man and his wife and see that he remembers it so well he walli not be liable to forget it that wife stuff Is good 1 well that couple are now asleep at the garden city hotel in san jose and registered as mr and mrs joseph skidmore of los angeles naughty naughty this Is a decent respectable county mr fahey we believe in conserving morals and protecting the home and we have no si apathy tor strangers who play fast and loose with the reputations of our hotels im scandalized im blush ln like a rose myself said detective sergeant fahey now lemme get the straight of this about nine tomorrow moraln them two indiscreet people will be boardly ln the shore line limited to return to los angeles well heres where I 1 miss a whole lot more sleep I 1 sup pose you want me to drive up to san jose have a confidential talk wit the chief of police an ask him aa a courtesy to a brother chief to pinch charley an mae on a charge of social vagrancy chuck cm into stir an make the ball the limit that 11 mean have to stay in stir until they can raise ball maybe they cant maybe they aint got friends that can be reached in a hurry still that lawyer of theirs might ball them out but on the other hand he might not hed probably get suspicious an figure your little boy friend had been too smart for him why of course hell be suspicious an drop that case like it was a hot stove ill see to that myself ill phone fitzgerald an bell phone that lawyer an tell him anonymously that his clients hare got all tangled up in a complicated with tha purity squad youre such a comfort mr fahey nellie coded cooed af course they wont have any defense unless they can produce a marriage certificate 1 1 I know they cant do that an it they do their case against elmer la a washout wash out its a wash out anyway well little partner we cant very well land cm for attempted blackmail without draggan drag gln your man into the case so I 1 guess we II 11 have to wait tilt next time but in the meantime he paused significantly les yes go on 1 youre doing fine mr fahey you were about to say well get them a quick trial in the san jose police court before they can get bail find cm guilty an send cm to the county jail for three months oh make it nellie pleaded with credit for good behavior be out altogether too soon it only costs a few dollars to file a suit and nothing at all tor publicity thit woman will do that for revenge as soon aa she gets out no matter what happens to her elmer can t afford it well heeln as how you ask it III make it six months the limit consider it donel me ive been bryin cases la the judges chambers for teu years the only way us dacks can get any justice or recognition good night I 1 sleep tight I 1 A week later nellie cathcart received by registered mall a small card board box upon opening it she discovered it contained a small gold shield bearing the legend honorary detective sergeant los angeles police department the shield bore a number also no 11 in fact that week everybody received something colorado charley and mac to their great bewilderment were given six months in the county jail and blamed elmer charke for it mae even wrote to him accusing him of it but bidding him refrain from thinking he was little jack homer since every dog must have his day alas I 1 mae was counting her chickens before they were hatched tor im mediately upon his return to los angeles detective sergeant lapowsky decided to strike a blow tor true lo 10 e he knew a burglar who was also an expert at opening ordinary safes so he burglarized the office of colorado charleys attorney and presently el mer butterworth clarke received by ordinary mail a large fat envelope it contained his love letters to mae alias doris simultaneously from another anonymous source he received a clipping biou a aan jose paper it contained the story of the arrest and conviction of joseph skidmore and his companion and since the story had been illustrated with pictures elmer was no longer in doubt of a very significant fact to wit that god had been very good to him indeed prior to the arrival of colorado charley and mae at his house that nobody not even astute nellie cathcart could have imagined the extent of elmer clarkel Clar kea terror and suffering he felt exactly as he had always felt in france when his unit was in rescue but waiting to be ordered up to the front once under fire however he would say to himself well heres where I 1 die I 1 cant escape this so I 1 might aa well quit worrying and make the best of it for the few minutes I 1 may have to live im not brave but act as it I 1 am this old comforting philosophy had animated him the moment he had come face to face with colorado charley and mae the sight of them as a matter of fact had infuriated him and fury displacing fear be had grown suddenly light hearted ills attack had completely upset the calculations of the blackmailers on the instant their plans crumbled As they disappeared through his door a feeling of peace after victory settled over elmer clarkel Clar kea sturdy soul elmer clarke retired to his virtuous couch and slept the sleep of the con science free and the healthy at breakfast next morning he had a telephone call from nellie who declared she was simply bursting with curiosity he must take her to luncheon that day and tell her all about his interview with those terrible people elmer accepted with alacrity and when he and nellie found themselves in a booth at the palace grill be gave her a detailed account of his adventure nellie noticed that elmer did not pat himself on the back 1 I was beaded to death nellie he confided but it would never have done to let them enow I 1 was so I 1 bluffed my way through do you think the incident Is closed nellie queried innocently 1 I do not im going to be tha laughing stock of this town sooner or later unless I 1 buy those letters from them im not stand for their fire it will be horrible but ill stand tor it you appear to have eliminated my point of view from your considerations elmer how do you know I 1 can manage to stand up under that ridicule of you don t you think it will hurt me terribly would it he queried eagerly fd like to think so id like to think you love me still with all rev faults do you darling you 11 have to go on I 1 have some womanly pride you know and you have jarred it frightfully TO BB asea |