Show THREE SHUTTERED HOUSES By BEN AMES WilLIAMS Copyright Copyright SERVICE CHAPTER PTER XI XI Continued Continued 11 11 And Mrs T Taine line added in her herslow herslow herslow slow precise fashion We h have no information to give you My mother moth moth- er was in hi bed and asleep I 1 was with her My son Asa was asleep in the dining My husband was at home My son Rab was in Providence Miss Leaford was was was-I I dont don't know where I knew nothing till the electric lights went out and andI I 1 started to look at the fuse fuse box box o and saw the flames from rom the pantry window Rab insisted Gentlemen you cant can't annoy these l ladies They have suffered suffered- suffered But Mrs Taine Tame said quietly Nonsense Rab It is not a question question question ques ques- tion o of annoyance or of endurance I 1 do not choose to be questioned that Is all She repeated And I 1 wish this dangerous gossip stopped now She nodded toward the door in a gesture of dismissal Tope said gently I see you burned your hand Mrs Taine Tame eyed him steadily Yes when I 1 lighted one of the lamps she said The match- match head head- head But Rab cried bitterly Gentlemen Gentle Gentlemen men I wont won't permit this You must go Tope looked to Inspector Heale for guidance and the other yielded So the two men came out together and out of doors in hi the lee of the house sheltered from rom the rain Heale mopped his brow Hearing his name Chief Chic Mason stopped and t turned d and Tope with witha a nod t toward ward the ruins of the thc burned houses asked You think you can find anything in hi in there It will be a piece of luck if we wedo wedo wedo do the Chief confessed Arsons always hard to prove He added There was a gas-explosion gas sure And by the way the fire ripped up through that laundry laundry chute chute I should think oil had been poured down the chute or gasoline Its It's not likely well we'll find anything but we might And he said grimly But Ill I'll go through the ashes with a sifter If theres there's anything there I 1 mean to get it Old Denman Hurder was a gentleman He always had a word for any man on the street I 1 liked him i Hes still alive Tope Top a pointed out Hes full of smoke and gas too Mason replied Must have had enough gas to kill him No UNo chance It was accident Tope asked soberly Might have been the Chief grudgingly assented There was a leak gas-leak somewhere The cellar and their room must have been full of it And crossed wires sputtering might have set it off The place was a firetrap Mr Hurder had had electric lights put in hi with a decent decent decent de de- de- de cent installation but then the thc others connected up to his line and did the work themselves Poor job ably Its It's a wonder they hadn't had trouble before Tope nodded and he asked Then how do you know it wasn't just crossed wires and a leaky union inthe in hi hithe inthe the line gas The Chief said honestly I dont don't know how I 1 know But when youve you've been in hi this business as long as I 1 have there are some fires that dont don't smell right that's all aU You get a hunch they're wrong without knowing knowing knowing know know- ing why The Inspector looked at him ap ape He had observed something something something some some- thing of the sort himself so many times He inquired I Chief were you slow in hi answering answering answer answer- ing lug the alarm tonight Dont think so the Chief assured assured assured as as- him I ul wasn't there but nobody said anything about a de de- de- de lay Id like to know what time tune the alarm came in hi Tope told him And what time tune the first apparatus got here Ill get it for you the Chief promised He turned back to the dying fire Tope and Inspector Heale went wenton on to the police car beside the road and Heale confessed in hi an irascible tone Weve got almighty little to togo togo togo go on Tope No place to begin I ul like to find out as much about th the tho time things happened as I 1 can Tope suggested Lets drive down downright downright downright right now and check up on that thai telephone telephone calL calL Nothing to do here till daylight anyway Heale agreed so they departed on this mission Heale phoned to ta ask the Providence police to make inquiries about Rab flab Taine Tame and they got from Fire Headquarters a to record record record rec rec- rec- rec ord of af the alarm Then Providence called bak bath Heale answered am and ami reported to Tope with a dry amusement amusement amusement amuse amuse- ment Heres something Rab Tame was there all right but he wasn't alone Mr and Mrs Registered in under his own name late last night checked out about midnight after he got a phone calL Tope felt his pulses quicken and Heale commented Pretty coo cool proposition going off of on a spree with his grandpa dead at home He seemed to see no more in hi th the Incident than an nn ugly Intrigue and Tope offered no comment So presently presently presently pres pres- they drove back up Kenesaw Hill There they could only wait walt while the embers of the Hurder house still smoked and steamed Inspector Inspector Inspector In In- Heale went presently to sleep here beside Tope in the car A gray and miserable dawn came at last through the drenched and sodden trees to reveal the desolation desola desola- tion here Where the Hurder house had stood was a black pit now with embers and half burned timbers scattered all around Firemen were bus busy and steam still rose from rom the embers Dawn became day and Inspector Inspector Inspector In In- Heale woke and took Tope away to breakfast and brought him back again They could only wait watt and it was pear noon when they got back to Kenesaw HilL The Chief Chiet at last came swiftly toward them with something in hi his hand He extended extend extend- ed it triumphantly There look at that he cried Tope saw what it was a large fuse of the sort used in hi electric circuits circuits cir cir- cir cir- cults designed to carry a considerable considerable considerable consider consider- able current It was a cylinder J 1 1 Youre fine Miss liss Leaford Tope said This is hard lor tor you and I know it and understand some ome three inches long with brass brassor or copper ends of heavy waxed cardboard composition At one place this tough tough composition tion ion harder than wood had been whittled with a knife till the soft metal conveyer within was exposed This metal now was fused The composition composition composition com com- position was smutted all around the opening pening The whole was set as though it had lai lain 1 in hi water And Chief Chiet Mason cried triumphantly trIumphantly triumphantly tri trI- There you are That's how it was done Tope turned the thing hi m his hand Just how do you mean he asked And the Chief explained lined Someone turned on the gas in hi inthe inthe the he cellar let it run for a while then hen he short circuited the light wires somehow and blew this fuse The flash would set off the gas And he added It coIt was a piece of luck uck we got this The explosion must have blown it off the wall and it fell in hi a drain ditch full of water vater didn't burn Inspector Tope felt a quick premonition premonition premonition pre pre- monition of success It was such accidents as this which had betrayed betrayed betrayed be be- murderers before and would again He looked at Inspector Heale wondering whether the other had bad the he same thought but Heales Heale's eyes were fixed on someone a n little distance distance dis- dis tance ance off and when Tope swung that way he saw the man whom June had called Uncle Jim approaching approaching approaching ap ap- them at sw swift t long strides He came near and he cried Wheres Miss Wheres Miss Leaford Heale said harshly you been Ive I've been looking for you made an impatient ture Is she all right he in in- 0 Tope S said gently Yes she's all aU allright allright right Mr Leaford And at that word He Heale ale swung toward him then back to the other man You Mr Leaford he demanded demanded de de- in a quick astonishment There was a n long silence the other other other oth oth- er at last lifted his hand helplessly Yes Yes When Kitty died I 1 went away Came back yesterday But I didn't know about this till just now Where were you last night Heale Beale demanded In my cabin down there wake up up No uNo Id I'd lost sleep lately Heale Beale made a gesture of ot tion I COl guess youre you're the man I 1 want he said Junes June's father stared at him with narrowing eyes What are you talking about he demanded It was Tope who answered We think Mrs Leaford was murdered think this last night was murder too he said And Heale added In a complacent tone So that's why I 1 want you Mr Leaford Youre You're going for a little ride with me CHAPTER XII June woke to strange surroundIngs surroundings surroundings surround surround- ings to a room she had never seen before a bed bcd she did not know She woke and lay with wide eyes remembering re reo remembering and for a while she was content to stay abed putting her thoughts in hi order assorting all her horrified impressions of the night before At last she heard someone stop outside her door and stand still there as though listening for tor a moment she shuddered with vague terrors then decided this must be a n friendly step and called Come in hi So Miss Moss opened the door and June saw kindness in hi her and strength and affection The older older I woman came gently to her bedside she said quietly Good morning Miss Leaf Leaford ord Did you sleep well I 1 must have I 1 think June con con- What time is it Past eleven cleven Miss Moss told her gently Stay COStay in hi bed Ill I'll bring you some coffee But June sat up quickly Oh no So late latel And she asked Wheres Clint Sound asleep Is COIs he all right Yes yes my dear Perfectly Just a few burns and blisters He was so brave June whispered whispered whispered whis whis- proudly and Miss Moss said smilingly Hes sleeping like a child chUd He took Inspector Tope out there last night after you went to bed but buthe buthe buttie he tie came back soon himself and I l' l took care of him June Jime nodded Youve always taken care of him haven't you Since his mother died yes Of Of him and of Clara The girl insisted on arising and she and Miss Moss had a long hour hourt I t together gether before Clint woke at all moving quietly speaking in hi half half- whispers so that he might not be disturbed Once the telephone rang and Miss Moss answered it June heard icard her speak in hi a steady negation negation negation nega nega- tion to some insistent one and guessed the truth before Miss Moss confessed to her older older older old old- the That was your cousin er woman explained Mr Taine Tame wanting you to come home He said he would come fetch you almost almost almost al al- al- al Rab or Asa June asked most fearfully I uI dont don't know Oh I dont don't want to go the girl declared I Ul cant can't bear to go goback goback gojack back jack there You need not Miss Moss assured assured assured as as- her calmly You will stay here as long as you choose my rpy dear She smiled and lifted the receiver receiver receiver re re- re- re off the hook Well not even answer the telephone she de de- Glared Besides it might wake Clint He needs sleep I want to see him June admitted admitted admitted ad ad- her cheeks bright Miss Moss smiled and on a sudden impulse impulse impulse im im- pulse put her arm around the girl Later Miss Moss heard a buzzing in hi the telephone and it continued so persistently that she lifted the receiver This was Aunt Evie Insisting insisting In in- in hi her even pitiless tones that June come home But Miss Moss yielded not an inch and June when she heard who it t was cried I ul cant can't Miss Moss 1 Mothers Mother's I dead and now Grandma Oh I 1 cant can't go back to them Her voice was raised it may have roused Clint asleep in Inspector Topes Tope's own bed He came in hi pajamas pajamas pajamas pa pa- jamas to the door his hair rumpled his eyes drowsy still not fully waked But when June saw him there she ran into his arms and he held her close and Miss Moss said in a deep and tender mirth She wouldn't be happy till you did wake up Clint I couldn't please her June looked back over her shoulder shoulder shoulder der and said gratefully You were sweet to me But But I I did want Clint too So June was able to forget for a awhile awhile awhile while those horrors of last night she and Clint and Miss Moss laughed together over the table breakfast table and while they washed dishes after after- ward But early In the afternoon Inspector Tope came home The Theold Theold Theold old man was tired and worn and haggard and his clothes were sod sod- den Miss Moss seized on him and hustled him protesting away to change she would have put him to tobed tobed bed bcd but the Inspector balked June asked Clint desperately What Is s it dear What has happened happened hap hap- Why is he that he-that that way And suddenly Why do you call him Inspector Is he a policeman He COHe used to be Clint told herFor herFor her For years He thought uncertainly uncertain uncertain- ly to distract her attention and he ho said almost eagerly He can tell you the greatest stories about the cases he had the things he did I Iguess Iguess Iguess guess hes he's the greatest detective they ever had around here She stared at him with narrowed eyes Detective she whispered And Clint But why why why- suddenly saw the blood drain out of her lips and leave them white as marble but her eyes were steady Clint Clint she demanded does he think think- But he was saved the necessity of answering for Inspector Tope and Miss Moss came out to them again and June turned to the older man You think someone killed my mother moth moth- er she said sw swiftly Uy Clint protested something and Inspector Inspector Inspector In In- Tope stood uncertain but June turned to Miss Moss Tell me she insisted Is uIs it true Miss Moss answered her Yes June she said I think it is true Her voice was infinitely kind Junes June's eyes closed she seemed to grow tall she stood so straight and still She looked at them all again and said slowly You must tell me Oh tell me what to do Miss Moss and Clint were silent full of tenderness but Inspector Tope spoke in hi a deep approval Youre fine floe Miss Leaford he said This Is hard for you and I Ik k know ow it and nd understand I would like to talk to you he explained gravely If U you can stand talk questions Tope began with Mrs Leaford he came at last to the tragedy of the night before Your grandmother died he said Mr Ul Hurder Is still alive He ought to be In a hospital to have every chance but Mrs Taine Tame insists on keeping him there Attending him herself herself- He was silent for a moment ming frowning foreboding In his eyes Then h he went vent on Now youve you've already told me about your mother and the night she died You remember when I came out with Clint But Miss Leaford I 1 want to ask you about last night night- night night- about everything that happened before before before be be- fore you left leU the house to meet Clint who you saw what you did what other people did So June picking her words with care care- arranging her memories in order order or or- der began to tell him and while she talked he made an occasional note on a pad of paper till she con con- eluded at last And then Clint brought me away brought me in hi here Inspector Tope nodded with a deep approval fine tine he said and he explained Ive been trying to figure out the times when some of these things happened Ive I've made madea a schedule Some of this you dont don't know about but you and Clint look at it and see sec if its it's about right as asfar asfar asfar far as you know TO BE CONTINUED |