Show y THREE SHUTTERED RED HOUSES By y BEN IEN AMES WILLIAMS I Copyright SERVICE CHAPTER PTER XVI Continued XVI Continued 15 15 Is dead Rab-dead dead Lissa asked pleadingly ly Rab Miss Moss echoed You mean Asa Lissa straightened quick hope in her e eyes es No no she protested Rab is mine Is he all right Miss Moss tried to collect her wits nab flab is hurt but he will get well weIl she said then and she felt new life me flow into this girl But Asa is dead Oh Im I'm glad Im I'm glad Lissa cried and she demanded to know what wha t had happened Miss Moss told her swiftly as much as ns she knew and hn having ving done so she ventured a question in her turn So Lissa clinging clinging clinging cling cling- ing close to the older woman poured out all her story Rab nab and I were married over a n near year ear ago she confessed Father and Mother knew but we didn't tell anyone else because Rab's people would disown himI himI himI him I knew Asa too and he used to tomake tomake tomake make love to me So finally to tomake tomake tomake make him stop I told him Rab and andI I were married But it didn't do any good He kept after alter me just the same and when I threatened to tell Rab he said if I did hed he'd tell teU old Mrs Bowdon we were married So I didn't tell Rab Rate but last night Asa kissed me and nab flab saw him and was furious with me so I had haa to tell him Then he was wild at Asa Asa Asa- She broke off for they were come suddenly to the top of at Kenesaw Hill HilI to the Taine Tame house Inspector Tope hurried across the lawn Miss Moss saw how tired he was and held him hard for a moment dear dearman dearman dearman There she whispered man And she asked Where Is Clint Where is June He pointed to the Bowdon house a little way off where there was a alighted alighted alighted lighted window on the second floor asleep up there Miss Leaford is in bed with a blanket over her Clint in a chair beside her holding holding holding hold hold- ing her hand There was a deep exhilaration in her then turning to Tope she said So it was Asa You know I picked Rab all the time Tope shook his head He was in Providence last night when the fire started he reminded herI herI her I thought he might have gone down m there and registered register d and then come back to set the fire raced back to Providence Providence again There was vms time No hed he'd put his car up for tor the night Tope insisted He was wasI I there all right He added awkwardly awkwardly awkwardly awk awk- I didn't tell you but he had a girl with him They registered registered registered regis regis- as man and wife She remembered suddenly Lissa Lissa Lissa Lis Lis- sa Thayer and turned back to the car Lissa and her father tather were no longer long long- er there so Tope and Miss Moss went toward the house They met Doctor Cabler with Mrs Taine Tame in inthe inthe inthe the hall Doctor Cabler explained Im sending Mrs Tame Taine to bed She must rest Mrs Taine Tame protested wearily Rab needs me Hes all right the Doctor Doctor- assured assured assured as as- her His wife is with him And he and Mrs Taine Tame went on upstairs His wife Tope echoed Of course course Lissa She was the theone ther r one with him in la Providence she whispered Tope and Miss Moss withdrew un un- un- un noticed They went out on the front porch together and Tope sat down He shook his head helplessly Well that's one on me he confessed I Iguess Iguess 1 guess Im I'm getting old I was sure she was married to Asa So was I she admitted eager to comfort him now novel Till she told me the truth on the way up here Now tell me about tonight And she listened while he recited the talc tale I 1 blame myself he hede de declared de de- declared declared at last for holding oft off waiting waitIng waiting wait- wait Ing to be sure And he said in a somber tone Asa was mad drunk with killing He had a ladder ready over there He must have meant to come back tonight climb to Junes June's room kill her and bond old Mr Hurder too And he explained Mrs Tame Taine gave June milk tonight I th think Asa had drugged that but t butI I spilled it like a clumsy fool Cabler says Rab flab can talk now Heale told them a little later Rab had a twisted frown Crown between his eyes Lissa bent over him and Miss Moss Moss Moss' saw his fingers tighten on her hand Wheres Mother I 1 dont don't want her to hear bear Asleep Doctor Cabler assured him The hurt man nodded Wheres Asa he asked then No one answered answered an nn him but he seemed not notto to notice this neglect It was about Lissa he repeated You see she and I were married We kept it secret secre secret se se- cre cret because Asa and June and 1 I weren't supposed to get married without permission It was in Grandpa Bowdon's will and Grandpa Grand Grand- pa Hurder's too that if any of us I married without Grandma Bowdon's Bo consent we were outcasts disinherited 1 And he said But Asa was was was-mak- mak making ing love lo to Lissa whenever he caught her alone I didn't know It it till I saw him kiss her last night Shed She'd been in Providence with me We used to go away together whenever whenever whenever when when- ever I had business out a of town He looked up at the girl beside him with a deep fondness I saw him kiss her he explained And she slipped away and I found her crying I in 1 the woods behind the barn Hed He'd hurt her his hands on her arms So she told me how hed he'd persecuted her for months and I came back to to-do to do something to him His eyes met Inspector Heales And then you told me someone had killed Aunt Kitty and set that fire and I forgot about Asa for a aTo aTo ti tir r ri i y dr a ah h c cf r f i To arouse Clint and June while But tonight I meant to have haveit it out with him So on the way home I made him stop and we went into the garage out of at the rain I told him hed he'd got to leave Lissa alone and he laughed at me said If I made a row hed he'd tell the folks talks we were married He hesitated continued grimly But I found out last week that Asa had been stealing trust-funds trust in the office I told Grandpa Bowdon Bowdon Bowdon Bow Bow- don about it the day he died It upset him terribly may have killed him But I told Asa last night that I knew about that and that if he didn't leave Lissa alone Id I'd send him to jail He grinned ruefully Asa didn't say anything I thought Id I'd stumped him and I was fool enough to turn my back ack on him and the next thing I knew my light went out This crack on on the head That's all allI I remember What does he have to say Inspector Heale was about to speak but Tope touched his arm quickly restraining him and Doctor Doctor Doctor Doc Doc- tor Cabler said gravely Youve talked enough Rab Get some rest now He cleared the others briskly out of the room Tope and Heale moved on through the hall to the front veranda and as they emerged there Tope said briskly Ive had my eye on Asa ever since he produced that bottle What reason had he to go looking for it inthe in inthe inthe the cellar in the laundry chute The answer is there wasn't any reason reason reason rea rea- son unless he had some other business business busi busi- ness in the cell cellar r. r You think he did find the bottle there Heale asked Tope said explicitly Yes Justus Justus Justus Jus Jus- Taine Tame dropped it down the chute He left the Hurder front door unbolted unbolted unbolted un un- un bolted that night slipped back over there to get some of Mrs Leaford's sleeping There were only two in the bottle so he took them and dropped the bottle out of sight in the handiest place With so few tablets in the bottle shed she'd miss them In the morning but if the whole bottle was gone shed she'd just think it was mislaid He added honestly Part of this is guessing part I know And he went on So heres here's what weve we've got Asa Taine Tame was a thief and he needed money You heard what Rab said that if it any of the young ones married they were to be disinherited Well Rab was married and Asa knew it and Asa bought June new clothes encouraged encouraged encouraged en en- her to marry Clint If It she did with the old gentleman dead and Kitty Leaford dead and June married married or or dead dead and and Rab married and so disqualified under the will Asad have all Bowdon's money and Hurder's too Heale listened grimly and Tope went on There are three elements in every every ev ev- ery cry murder he said Motive and opportunity and capacity Money was motive enough for Asa As for opportunity he had plenty of chances to steal some of Kitty Leaford's pills and he had a chance to drop some of them into her milk that night when he went to the kitchen for a glass of ot water And he had a chance to dope the milk the drank too He came for a cup of at tea in the kitchen kitch kitch- en that night night got got himself some milk out of at the bottle could have drugged the milk then I dont don't know whether he did that or not It doesn't matter But I know he started the fire He was alone on the ground floor of the Bowdon house his mother and Mrs Bowdon upstairs He slipped out and came over here Theres There's an electric light above the Tames Tames' back door You'll find the bulb is broken and the edge of ot the socket Is fused Asa Ma made a short circuit there and then he raced back and got into the Bowdon room dining-room again before Mrs Taine came do down do stairs And he proved tonight that he was insanely ready to kill that he had murder in him him- He tried to kill Rab and hed he'd made his plans to kill June and Mr Hurder too Asa convicted himself tonight He added sternly And executed And executed himself himself him him- himself self too Saved you the trouble Heale Heale stood silent awhile the day brightened and the sun began to burn away the clouds The man said at last You know I kind of ot hate this Im I'm sarI sorry for tor these folks talks up here Four of ot them dead inless In Inless inless less than a month They've had about enough it looks to me Tope smiled faintly Yes he agreed and he said gravely Outside Outside Outside Out side of a few people who wont won't talk this thing tonight might pass as an accident Inspector Cars have smashed into trees before As Heale considered this Tope added Youve never charged Mr 1 Leaford Lenford have you Nothing in the newspapers No just held him Heale repined re re- plied pined He vas was willing to stand for that wait till something happened Tope nodded and then he looked toward the road and chuckled A Acar Acar Acar car had stopped in front of ot the the house young Doctor Derrie swung to the ground and came briskly toward toward toward to to- ward them across the lawn The Medical Examiner greeted them cheerfully wrong Heale he asked More trouble up here Heale hesitated Why they had hada a smash up smash car car piled into a tree he explained Asa Taine's dead and Rab got a crack in the head Derrie nodded Bad he said gravely Then he looked at Tope and grinned I suppose youre you're trying trying trying try try- ing to make a murder out of ot this too he suggested In amused in-amused de de- But t Tope shook his head Why no Doc he said mildly No it was an accident I guess Matter of at fact he added Ive come around to your way of thinking on Mrs Leaford too Guess you were right Guess it was an accident just the way you said The young doctor chuckled Sure he agreed triumphantly I told you so Youve You've been seeing goblins in the dark old man He said Well Ill I'll go in and take a alook alook alook look at them He turned into the house and Inspector Heale looked a at t Tope What do you aim to do now Heale asked and Tope hesitated but Miss Moss 1 said cheerfully Why I think well we'll wake Clint and June and go down and get her father out of your jail and go home Heale chuckled Ill telephone down fix that for you about Mr 1 Leaford he agreed He went into the house to do so Tope stood still suddenly tired But Miss Moss 1 hugged tight to his arm and she smiled proudly up at him and her eyes were shining You know my dear she said youre a grand man He grinned uncomfortably wiped his mouth with his hand and she rose on tiptoe to kiss him Then they went together across the lawn to rouse Clint and June THE END |