Show see MARCH MURDER WEDDING e A J by MONTE BARRETT 1933 by the tho Dobbs Merrill Co Service I 1 f t SYNOPSIS WaitIng In tho ministers minister's study while oj a wedding procession Is being mar mar- mar led aled Jim about to be mar mar- td to Doris CarmodY la 11 stabbed to th Callis Shipley one or of the tho brides Lids Is obviously In a to or of Peter n C novelIst and patter detective e or of some somo note with Kilday or of the New York po- po I e begin the official In e dagger used by the tho Is isad nd ad Franklin walling ailinG had any Iny among them his mis- mis 81 nn an actress Choo Choo Train s a Intended w ICe ife I 9 father Cather Ambrose Ambroso her brother n Belle lie D I His welt ell known knon kno n politician and nn an known Woman In a blue frock who Quarreled openly with Franklin r CHAPTER II Continued d 5 You wanted to see me a slender i ung man stood In the doorway novelists novelist's eyes took In n the geed eed clad figure of the bay before Nn fn In such strange contrast to the theore ore re formal wedding Attire ot of the ers Yes Mr Carmody his manner was we were just mentioning I believe J you ou came to see Mr Jr anklin at about t twenty enty minutes to nr Yes res I w lS is here II was the object of your visit y f bo i 1 Bylle hesitated and glanced at his either I n a minute Son the elderly laid l i detaining hand on the hung ung mans man's slee e The hind trem 1 but his voice was as firm as hea he a ed the no My son hid noth to do with he said Of that I 1 Ie e sure And r I am not goIng to permit to answer your questions e der ad from his attorney aI you are arc so sure or of his Innocence I r rr Carmody Carmod Peter Peters s voice as t zit t as do you want with Iamer min being questioned by the tHee has n a rIght to the Ices and of hIs attorney Carmod s 's Ice If-Ice ice rang defiantly through the tom 11 I agree with you Mr lIr Carmody m mer 1 ter er said his manner once more en warm nut But I am sure you 1 agree that there are times such this when the police pollee hive n a right i I expect the co or of hw abid f citizens In their efforts to Del pd n a it man who was to have hae been r son In law his been murdered 4 are only seeking t the e assistance of r j ry person who cia help us shed light on the circumstances of at crIme No one but the murderer self anything to fear from an anI I ering these questions May I sub sug st t that yoU step Into Doctor Aber hys hy's study and dIscuss the matter I matterI your son Perhaps that will 1111 fa ate matters he hc oM old mins min's clutCh tightened on eons eon's sleeve The color floodIng his I threw his snowy mustache Into Id relief An idea lie he 1 briefly and follo followed ed by Je ie he crossed to the study closing door carefully behind him ter fter a brief Ambrose Car Car- Carfly Carp fly p reappeared In the door doorway dooray ay My Iy has explained his reason for corn com here to me his eyes were on day as he spoke Obviously lie he 1 Sol no connection sith Ith the crime II er as there was a he heN hes is s it necessary to make mahe a brief state state- N J pt regarding It I e no tto to this but I reserve resene the right to the the the examination pending ad ade td e ot of my attorney should It In my mye e lon Ion become necessary In order to toe e guard my boys boy's Interests a ai lie Carmody standing behind hll hii i er shrugged impatiently Dont f a mountains or of mole hills Dad Id Then facIng the detective e ad n a with Franklin In Inor inor or Abernath e study a short time re rc the wedding It concerned an ans ans s celled Choo Choo Train whom hom I ti d Just been Informed was his ess I w was s angry I went g to apartment and miss miss- tin there I followed him on here ed him If the story I had haiJ heard beard true He admitted that It was v as then after s v I hur home In an effort to Intercept my myr myr r lei leir r and father before rore they e a church reel e sergeant clucked softly to him him- c You say ay Franklin admitted his with this woman oman 7 l 1 e a did to me lie He e even een en laughed uit tit t It Rylie replied bitterly lie He d me n a foolish kid and toM told me J i Jold old enough to understand such mch ail Thank God Cod I Im m not I The 31 Ups lips were quIverIng but lie he rushed I Re He laughed at me when I said saidi i p the wedding too tool I Stood there nt at me met I tut d he Inu laugh h v when hen you threatened l 1 him 7 the sergeant serge Interpolated aye e tone ore Id Idon on I 1 Ambrose Carmody d s Don t ans anser er that sort ot of Ion Son hy by not non The young men turned rot on his father Cather loll dont don't Ii I killed him do you ou i turned again to the detective dE e is ourse not not I 1 n never ner er made any sr tf is C u just told us you threatened to lie he wedding 5 Ie shrugged ImpatIently I 1 mean gl never entered kid Iud I 1 only to Inform u- u tier ther of this t s Oman omun i 1 hat would r have bave been sufficIent to stop the wed wedding wedding ding And did your lYS tone o 0 I arrived ed home too i de My father and sister had left for forthe forthe the church Peter Interrupted him Didn Ddn t It occur to you that they would base e left It was already twenty minutes of four I It didn t occur to me answered the boy I I guess I had lost all trick of time Did Did anyone see ee you at homei home 1 eq lice butler lie He told me they hid been gone full fully fifteen minutes So So I suppose you time on back to the church Yec Yes DId you ou intend to hilt the wed wedding ding I Yes Defiantly lio Hos lioi i I I was going to tell Doris and Dad n I knew about Choo Choo 1 That was the only thought that had bad entered your mind up to that time Peter urged gently That was the only thought I ever the curtly hid replied boy Ah And when sou ou arrived here how does It happen that you never saw your sister or your father I I w v is too or lite at least I thought I 1 was Rv R lie leaned fon forward ard eagerly now When I got back bach I could hear the Wed Wedding March on the organ I thought everything e was 0 over er Then whit did Sou ou do There was nothing r I could do The young man shrugged helplessly You You didn t enter the church No Then where hi e you been since I I i I 1 r I Il l I II r ra I a l II I I 14 1 I A You Wanted to See Me the wedding Peter Intended the question to sound casual Rylie hesitated clasping and un unclasping unclasping clasping his hands nervously ner in his lap Ive I've 1 e just been driving around he answered finally But ot of course you youve talked to some someone someone one who was nt at the wedding At home perhaps No I haven't been home the youth denied Then how dId you know Jim lIn hn had been killed The question shot home like the 8 swift thrust ot of a rapier glanced nervously at his fa father father ther then back to the novelist The elder Carmod s 's knuckles showed white as he gripped his sons son's arm I don t like your tone he be Interrupted angrily Dont answer that question Son 1 I Carmody Peter had gro grown gron n sud suddenly suddenly denly stern you don t have to an answer saver but if you dont don't you ou are In very grove grave danger or of being accused of this murder The young oung man hesitated All right Ill I'll answer he stid at length I haven't ent an anything thing to hIde I should ha have hae e told you the whole truth In the hc first place Shipley told me about It it I hu hue have e seen her I took tooh her home from the church Eu But t Sou ou told us you ou ne never neer er got back to the church until after everything was over r Peter endeavored to shake his story I INo No the youth denied I 61 said that when I got back bach I heard the organ playing the Wedding March and thought everything was over I was standing across the street by my car and Callis caine running acro across s to tome tome me She asked me to take tahe her home Oh Oh I 1 And she told you ou had happened then Yes I came straight back here ot of course Cardigan arose abruptly Theres only one flaw In that that he said How could Callis Shipley have e n hoo what happened here he young mans man's face went pale InvoluntarIly he clenched his hands I I guess she knew just like eVer every bod body else he said nl His voice olce sounded strangled far a nut But everyone every one else didn t know Cardigan pointed out We have taken special precautions to see that no one else found out out There has not yet been any announcement con concerning death I guess didn't say ay there had been a murder the boy boys boy's voice was frantic She She just said something ter terrible had happened and that the tho tied ed din had been postponed I guess r I must have ha jumped at conclusions about the mur murder er Hather odd t it that you ou should Jump to that kind hInd ot of slon l No No I dont don't think so brushed the it tir back from his fore fon forehead head and swallowed nervously I dont don't think It was so odd It would take tahe something very unusual to stop n a aw w e edding wouldn t it Very Peter agreed And you lied h undertaken to stop this one lou think I did It don t you i The youth pointed a trembling finger at the tho I Ino no novelist loure re accusing me of dering him I 1 That's what these ques questions amount to Do you think I d dhave have bave come back here If I hid been dI I guilty Wouldn t I have run away Ills voice folce broke Wouldn t Ii I Cardigan looked at him bins ely why some men dont don't run wa n l li lie Ile he hc slid 1 slowly They think its les safer to fight It out then to run the risk of being caught once they start to run they Incite He cion don n lae Carmody gripped the arms of his chair I 1 m not afraid he said slowly ly I didn t do It You c m t con convict vilt vict me of something I t do Then how v were erp you ou so sure there would be no wedding Peter queried swiftly I 1 wasn't sure And yet you never tool took the trouble to dress for It the novelist pointed out You are arc wearing n a tweed suit R He glanced at his coat as though for tor the first time realizing Its exist existence existence ence His answer was deliberate From the time I heard about Choo Choo Train and Jim he said I forgot all about the wedding eddIng Ive I've told y ou about thit I came here to see Franklin lIn and then went home to try to catch Doris before she left railing In that I straight beck here I all You hive told us that se several eral times Peter Suppose you vou tell tellus tellus us hO you heard about thus actress Who told you i Once again n he hesitated Then Web told me he said Ile He told me all about It at the club after lunch Who Is this Web Spears Webster Why he s-oh s every erv one knows Web Ills His father wis my father fathers s partner before he died Weve We've been friends always s And was w there ever an anything be- be between between tween thus this young and Sour Jour sister Doris Any boy and girl irl of af affair fair Were ere they ever sn Yes reluctantly But that's all allover allover over now Since when I don t know some time though I m sure of tint Peter Peters s next t question was ad addressed to the senior Carmody I suppose you knew young Spears pretty prett well ell too didn t you Mr Car Carmod mod 7 or Of course I ye ve known him all hIS life Well nough to his voles vols over the telephone Well Ambrose Carmody pursed his lips thou I I dont don't know I might Peter followed ed up thIs question With another You told us earlier that some Borne one who refused to gh e a his name telephoned you this afternoon and told you about Choo Choo Tram Train Could that hive been Webster Spears The elder Carmody shook his heid doubtfully I don t l know now he said I hardly think so Wh Why Because Web would have gh en me his name declared the old man with dignity Peter was evidently through wIth the interview With his hands crammed In his coat cont pockets he ambled about the room hIs forehead corrugated In thought his blue e eyes es gleaming be- be bene ne their brows The sergeant motioned Peter to fot fol follow low him and strode Into the study lIe sure the door was shut be- be before before fore he spoke Nine suspects al already already ready and we know who eight ot of them are The devil of It Is we e cm show a motive for tor most of them Peter watched silently as his frIend crossed to the rectors rector s desk where the contents ot of the slain mans man's pockets had been m methodically arranged They had been few few-a bill fold some loose change two handkerchiefs one ot of them still folded and a leather en- en encased encased cased ring on which there were seven he key s KIlday picked up the keys weighing them Idl his eyes still clouded In thought Nine suspects and we know eight ot of them But this oman In blue if It was Callis Shipley then Doctor Abernithy Is tr Ing to protect her Why It If she was the woman In blue the detective continued dellb well have to find a way to shake hahe Doctor 8 story stor But If she wasn't again he ex- ex examIned examined the keys In n his these hand keys heys may tell us something It If the women In blue killed hIlled jeal jealous ous was probably the motive for the crime We know Choo Choo Trim n was his mistress He could have had another lIe He had a reputation for In- In where t omen were con concerned concerned U if tint that Is true then one ot of these keys heys fits the door or of her Peter those keys hes minute minutely minutely ly Tn Two 0 ere small or of the type fre- fre frequently frequently used for desks and tale The Theother Theother other five were larger Ans Am one of them mIght fit nn an apartment door mIght be on the right track How flow about young 7 the novelist t queried What do you think or of his story I afford atTon to think about It till Ull UllI tillI I check up on It the detective e re- re replied replied plied grimly Come on let lets 8 go visit Came Callis I e cc got to Ino know se if she bhe was the tho woman to In blue And he ns as th left by the door or of the one or of these keys may Lit at h her r apart apartment went ment You never can tell It STO nu DE co 1 |