Show x a I CHAPTER IX LX IX Continued 12 12 The back door opened softly Brooke held her throat tight In one hand band to stifle an exclamation f Tho light flashed on She closed y her eyes Opened them Was that Henri Henri standing in the middle of the floor with the blinking green parrot making queer noises under his arm or was this more nIghtmare nightmare nightmare night nIght- mare mare She was awake Sam was real as he stood with his finger on the switch Jed Stewart was real as S he puffed his lips in time to the wing swing of the chair he clutched Henri's Henris Henris Henri's Hen Hen- ris ri's ghastly face distended eyes and the savage invectives which gritted through his hll chattering teeth were reaL Cut that line Une linel Sam took a step toward the butler You should hould appreciate apprecIate appreciate ap ap- this little surprise party Instead instead in in- stead tend of acting as If H you'd stepped into a nest of scorpions It wasn't but a couple of hours hour ago I saw you in this very kitchen dressed dressed or or undressed un un- un- un dressed for dressed for bed Why did you go out Henri made a desperate attempt to steady his quivering mouth He I looked like an innocent prisoner prisoner prisoner pris pris- oner haled before an accusing Judge his expression was incredibly I grieved as he huddled the tho parrot under bis his arm and twisted his soft nat In one hand He appealed to Brooke I dont don't know why your brother should speak to me as if R I was a criminal Miss Haven't I the right to to go go out at night even l if I had started for bed He attempted to inject the virus of defiance into his uneven voice voce Of O course you have Henri but the papers are so full of burglaries and holdups ups that when we heard YOU stealing in we didn't know but what Nhat it was our turn Where did you find Mr Micawber why I went out Miss Couldn't go to sleep had him on oni i ny y mind Queer where I found him Everything's queer tonight Henri shuddered Nothing strange has been happening In this house has it I Nothing at all Henri nothing at atall atall atall all Sam assured quickly We sat satUI satuI satur UI ur talking and got hungry again Im glad of that Mr Sam that nothing strange happened I mean because I I-I I I found things terrible wrong outside Wrong Not until she felt Sams Sam's foot on hers was Brooke conscious of her explosive exclamation She noticed that the butlers butler's long cruel fingers shook as he passed them over his slack mouth I dont don't wonder youre you're upset Miss you'll be more so when you hear that the old madame's limousine sine is gone Gone where Sam demanded Henri shrugged thin sloping ders what I asked myself when I opened the garage door and the big car wasn't there What did you do after you discovered discovered discovered dis dis- covered that Mrs Danes Dane's car was missing asked Brooke I ran to the Other House you'll you'll excuse me Miss for going to Mr Mark first Ive I've always thought of him as being the being the heir you sec see Dont stop slop even to explain HenL Hen Hen- tL L Cant Can't you see that we are frightfully frightfully frightfully fright- fright fully excited Perhaps something more than the car has been stolen Did you find Mr Trent No Miss and theres there's something queer there too That Jap Kowa came rushing to the door when I kept my finger on the bell and he shouts Wheres my boss I been over house one two tree free time Boss gone He been I 1 fink Loud noise Mr Jed's room I run there quick Green parrot In th bathtub bathtub bath bath- tub swearing fine I ran upstairs for the parrot thinking the Jap had a bad scare on and Id I'd see Mr Mark some some- where But I didn't The Jap and I looked everywhere e but he was not there Tense silence in the white and green kitchen Chilled and exhausted exhaust ed by his foray into the outside world the parrot huddled within the curve of Henris Henri's arm making sounds in his throat like a tribal dialect The faint scent of bacon lingered In the stillness a stillness haunted by tragic conjectures and possibilities which turned Brookes Brooke's blood to ice Sam laughed from sheer nervous tension Jed Stewart lashed at him furiously You would do that Its It's all theater theater theater the the- ater to you Isn't it and aide Ide de splitting theater at that Wheres Where's Mark That's the only thing ling I want to know Wheres Where's Mark lark Present M Mark ar k Trent answered from ado adoM the ao do way Brookes Brooke's heart stopped raced on What had made that deep welt well across his forehead His face was colorless i r a S t I II I Henris Henri's thin voice broke the spell Havo you been hunting for the parrot too Mr Mark Mark Trents Trent's hand was unsteady as he held a lighter to ta his ciga ciga- rette His eyes reflected the flame as he looked at the butler Not for the parrot Henri Im I'm hunting now for the man who killed Mrs Hunt CHAPTER X Mark Trent flinched as ho approached approached ap ap- the white cottage It seemed days since he had driven away from this very house housa in the limousine filled with his aunts aunt's silver silver sil sil- ver days since ince the message had come to Cassidy's garage from the police that Mrs Hunt was dead and he had left there In a flivver with Mike at the wheel They had stopped at Lookout House to make sure that the tho were safe late I before they had burned up the road to get here But it hadn't been days daJ's not much more than an hour had passed No use waiting he must go in As he entered a small living- living room Inspector Harrison was kneeling by the fireplace His ills piercing piercing piercing pierc pierc- ing eyes glittered as he looked up and nodded to Mark They got her all right Mark Trent stepped forward blindly for an instant He sunk his teeth deep in his lips to steady them before he looked down Lola LoIn the woman who had been his wife lay on the floor She was dressed for the street street had had she been about to drive away the limousine full of silver The question flashed through his mind only to be instantly instant instant- ly submerged in a flood of pity She looked so young so shabby so BO hap hap- less Her shabbiness hurt him most she had been so exquisite He was glad that he had made her that hat allowance Her hat hat har fallen off A current of air stirred a lock of her dark hair Her hands were still now One gripped an open bag aag the fingers of the other were bruised He dropped to his knee beside the inspector Cant something be done Cant Can't Cantwe cant we move her to a couch No Nol No not until the coroner I comes What happened They got her rings She had rings hadn't she She had when I saw her her her-a a few days ago Valuable rings Other jewels too Then I guess we got the motive Better come away boy you cant can't do anything Inspector Harrison suggested in his persuasive voice Life hasn't seemed as smooth as asa asa asa a trotting park to me to date Bill but tonight it seems a terr terrifying ying horrible thing I know boy I know Bring her herin herin herin in Tim The Inspector spoke to the policeman with ears like clinging bats who appeared at the door Its the Cassidy girl he explained explained explained ex ex- ex- ex to Mark Kinder tough to bring aring her Into this room but there dont don't seem to be any other place Weve We've waited till her father got gothere gothere here lere before questioning her Mikes Mike's a grand fella lella and me friend since we were lads together Here you are Maggie The hint of joviality in his soft voice missed its mark for the sixteen six six- teen year teen year old girl who entered the room as l if dragged by unseen hands lands regarded him with terrified Irish blue eyes eres The Inspector placed a chair with its ts back to the still figure on the floor Sit here Maggie As she sat down Mike Cassidy laid aid his heavy ham-bone ham hand on her shoulder The inspector cleared his lis throat t. t Now dont don't be frightened Mag gie Aint I just the same Bill Harrison Harrison Har rison who's been chumming round with your dad ever since you was a n little girl and aint I got kids of ol my own All you got to do is to tell me what happened in hi this house to night Course I aint afraid of you inspector the girl replied more at ease case Ill tell what I know I sleep in the attic its it's got a dormer back and front I was dead beat when I went to bed what with the housework an an havin to run out to fill tanks The boss was sick till afternoon an an Drunk wasn't he Tell it straight Maggie Marmie All right Inspector he was 1 I dont don't know what time it was when I was woke up by a car stopping at atthe atthe atthe the garage sounded like a classy car We dont don't have much late trade an on the boss told me today that the he crowned heads here that's what he ie said sid crowned heads had put him out of business business so so I 1 got up and looked out to see sec what all about I can see into the garage ara c from my back window Check up on that Tim Yes Yee Inspector The policeman with the ears vanished into the hall Go on Maggie You looked down and then what I 1 see a swell dressed fella fen a talking talking talk talk- talking ing to the boss I couldn't see lee his face cause his hat was pulled low you know the kind you sea see in the classy ads Could you hear what they were saying No That window was closed I open the front one in cold weather an gee has hs it been cold in that attic What did you do next Went back to bed bcd Inspector The girls girl's voice had cleared Rising Rising Ris Ris- ing excitement was driving out fear I must have gone gono to sleep asleep again for the next thing I knew I was sit- sit tin up straight in bed calling out U Who's I switched on the light and ran to the front window and I saw a big car going split down the road The policeman appeared at the door Okay bout the back window and garage Inspector All right Tim Stay where you are What next Maggie I I 1 stood looking out a n minute thinking that the big car must have fired sack an an what a hick I was to think the sound was wall sho 0 tin when Id I'd d grown up In a garage an an then I had a kinder creepy feeling you know enow the kind when they say a rabbits rabbit's walkin over your grave grave- Dont shiver Maggie there wont won't be nothing walking over your grave for lor years yet dont don't the papers papers papers pa pa- pers say were we're all going to live to tobe tobe be JQ a hundred hundred barring barring accidents Then what Then I began to wonder what that hat big car was wa doing out here in inthe inthe the he middle of the night and then I began to ta think of ol hi an on 3 r C z 4 l wf t s- s i kJ t f r f f w 14 s- s s. s Now Dont Don't Be Frightened Maggie Maggie- I kidnapers an bandits till un I thought Id I'd d scream an then I remembered Mrs Hunts Hunt's rings an an jewelry she jewelry she had classy jewelry The girls girl's voice had risen till the thelast thelast last ast word was shrill with excite excite- ment Mike Cassidy patted his daughters daughters daughter's daugh daugh- ter's ers shoulder Take it easy cast Maggie Tell the Inspector the rest that happened then Ill I'll take you home to your Ma Wont Won't I Bill Sure Mike sure What did you do lo after you thought of Mrs Hunts Hunt's Maggie I stuck my feet in slippers an an pulled on my blanket wrapper I Icat beat cat it downstairs an an come into this his room It was lighted an she she she- she he was lying there there just just like she is s now an oh an an oh gee geel Were almost through Maggie the he inspector encouraged What did you do when you came into this II room and ana saw saw saw- I HI guess I let out a yell first then hen I just flopped to my knees beside beside be- be side ide her I didn't touch nothing though hough I learned that in the ies es When I saw she wasn't breath- breath in n I beat it to the garage an I Inow know now I yelled then for the boss was wason wason wason on the floor face down his hands behind him an his feet tied I grabbed his shoulder an an turned him over There was a big bump on his forehead and his eyes were closed I shook him When he didn't say nothing I rushed to the phone and called Pop I guess you know the rest est Her lips quivered and for the first tim time tima her eyes filled tilled with tears The inspector patted her shoulder Good girl Maggie l just one more question and you can go Did you hear any rowing between the boss and herself hersel lately He was nice to her Sure Maggie but even folks who think a lot of each other other take take your Pa Ja and Ma now now now- he be winked at Cassidy have Cassidy have a cat and parrot fight ight sometimes dont don't they You know enow they do So Mr and Mrs had lad a quarrel had they What about The girl twisted her print dress dressin in unsteady fingers It war wan last evening late its it's its it's tomorrow now isn't It An shed she'd been phoning phoning-I I was in the kitchen you can hear plain In this house house- an nn I heard him so say loud this about a paper I couldn't hear what she said but jut he kinder shouted I didn't mind starting this joint to gouge money out of Trent but what youre you're planning now is differ ent It'll Wll be jail for or us if we we we- weThe Thedoor The Thedoor Thedoor door closed hard an an I didn't hear any mor more All fAll right Maggie Make a m cup of ot strong tea for her in the kitchen Mike then take her home Mike Miko Cassidy put hI his arm about his daughter as os they left leU tho the room Mark Trent watched them out of sight My hats hat's off to you Inspector That girl told you everything she knew without being beine frightened Into It it The Inspectors Inspector's eagle eyes retreated retreated retreated re re- re- re treated into bony caverns My liMy boy bout two thousand years ago a Man laid down a rule rulo for tor living that I aint never heard improved on Ive I've got gt a girl of my own and all the time I was questioning Maggie I was thinking how I would feel if 11 my been mixed up in this thi mess Has Hunt come to he demanded of an officer who entered The steel was back in his voice Yes Inspector but hes he's groggy Ill go to the garage Will you come along Mark Cripes Gripes I never can remember to call you Mr Trent Why should you Didn't Didn t you hand me my first and only summons for speeding Ill I'll go with you but you wont won't leave leave- he glanced at atthe atthe atthe the still figure on the floor Tim will stay The coroner ought to be here any minute now Come on Id I'd like to have you hear what Hunt has to say The garage was lighted by one glaring glazing bulb littered with tools tool and cans the floor wa was patched with oil stains and tho the air was strong of at gas On a pile of old tires a man was braced upright against the tha rough cement wall He Ho was blond a. a and id d must have been belen fine looking before before before be be- fore life and dissipation had dona done cruel things to his face He opened his eyes as 85 the inspector spoke to him He tried to smile Another dick Maggie sure called out the whole police force necessary Ill I'll be all aU right In a minute Didn't the man know mow what had happened in the house or was he ha acting Mark asked himself The inspector rolled an empty Gas cas can canon canon canon on its side and sat down Course you'll be all right As Asfor Asfor Asfor for Maggie calling out the force she got an awful jolt coming out here an an finding you all tied up like a n bundle of at old clothes Hunt put an unsteady hand band to his head Why did the girl come out here at this time of night She's never do it before His eyes narrowed He clenched his hand What are you doing here Trent You cant can't get Lola back Take it easy Hunt take it easy Mr Trent was ws with me In Cassidy's Cassidy's Cassidy's Cassi Cassi- dys dy's garage garage Im Im I'm Inspector Harrison Harri Harri- son in case you dont don't know when know when his daughter aughter phoned that |