Show r vl s The h ill i V r r I 1 ra by X 4 ruma Myers I I WHO SHOT HER I Synopsis spa Nelson Is ocI occupying oc oc- I 1 the apartments of ot his I uncle great Rufus Rufu Gaston The Gaston Gastons leaving on a trip tell him about mysterious noises and whIspers whispers whispers whis pers that have scared them He Ie becomes acquainted with Barbara Bradford who lives In the same big building He Instinctively dislike dis- dis liken like and distrust distrusts the tho superintendent superintend superIntend- ent Wick The Tho mysteries s In his apartments begin with the disappearance disappearance rance of at th the Gaston pearls from the tha hew w wall ll safe Ho IIo decides es not to call In the police pollee but to do his own Investigating It 1 Is Ic soon evident that someone has access to his rooms Becoming friendly w with th Barbara he learns that her apartments apartments apart apart- ments are equally mysterious She tells him that se several eral years before her sister sister- Claire who lives with her had made a run away marriage marriage mar mar- with an adventurer from tram whom she was woos woos' soon parted and the marriage ma had been annulled Claire Clain Is 1 engaged to be married and someone some Borne someone on one one has has stolen documents concernIng concernIng concerning concern- concern Ing Ing the ilia affair from tram the Bradford apartment and ind nd Is s attempting t to blackmail the Bra Nelson takes floss Mies Kelly lellY the tho telephone girl t to to dinn dinner with the Idea of ot p pumping her Gorman n a a hotel detective de de- recognizes her as the wife of or Lefty Letty Moore a noted Doted burglar Nelson tells his story atory to Gorman and puts the tho case In his his' hands Nelson finds a secret passage with witha a panel door In his room He realizes real real- lies izes he loves Barbara He and Barbara bear hear a a. shot In the building build build- V ing CHAPTER VII VII Continued Continued 10 10 I sprang a after ter her bu but she slie moved so quickly that she was out of ot the win window dow dew and home home- before I could stop her Only waiting walting to see her off the ledge I r turned turned back and hastily pulling the panel Into place I dashed for tor the front of ot the house JI The e screams and the shots I was sure had come from the apartment directly below below be be be- low lathe mine I was certain certain that there here had been been murder done there and my mind was was made up p to Investigate it at once If It I moved quickly there might b be an opportunity to catch the murderer red handed ed I let Jet myself out ut end ond dashed down th the one flight of stairs As I arrived there the ascending ascend ascend- ing lug elevator stopped and Mr Wick V burst out followed b by an an excited elevator elevator ele ele- vat vator r runner runner Wick was carrying a revolver in his Ills hand p Did d you hear anything he asked excitedly ly V I heard a woman screaming In this ap apartment and then a ashot shot I heard it It too In which apartment was It itT Right here hete I said pointing t to the r door Miss Lutan's Luton's he said Lets goIn go go goin In Heres Here's my ray pass passkey You open oven the door Til rn be right b behind you with my revolver CHAPTER VIII V II Inserting the key Mr Wick handed me I turned it sharply and flung the thedoor thedoor thedoor door wide It revealed a luxuriously furnished apartment the front rooms of at which were extravagantly ablaze with light For a moment the three of us Mr Wick the elevator boy and my myself elt stood there with our ears alert for any sound from the apartment While I do not admit to being a yard coward the the unknown has its terrors terror for all of or us us and I must most confess that the knowledge that Mr Wick had his revolver olver drawn was Indeed comforting All was silence in Inthe the place John said Wick Vick to the the elevator boy toy you stand here right by the do door r tJ 1 r s. s r j c N 1 She he Has Been Murdered I Cri d. d I Get the Police at On Once e. e and keep your eye on tae elevator If anybody tries to sneak past post you you yon holler for us De Deed d I 1 will vim Mr Wick said sold the toy with Ch chattering teeth Ill holler d 11 right o ahead Mr Nelson s said aid the the superintendent su su- t IV In right behind Y you ou with the revolver Without waiting to explore th the e a front j m I 1 turned at nt once and ran ron down the long hall to the sitting room mom If It iJ t i rr C as r I suspected l. l murder had been done here I was confident that the scene of the tragedy would be the room d dIrectly di directly dI- dI under mine The screams I had heard and heard and the shot shot had had seemed to come from under my very feet teet Although h the lights In the front of ot the hall were burning the sitting room was in darkness As I 1 reached thedoor the thedoor thedoor door my fingers sought the button and as the flare of light illuminated the room I looked hastily about me mc There was no one there but my iny one quick glance showed me that the door of f the wall safe located similarly to the one In the apartment above wa was standing wide open I sprang to inspect the room corresponding to mine a room it will willbe willbe be recalled opening off orr the Uie sitting room Here too was as darkness and andas Ifs as as I turned on the lights I stood aghast with horror On the floor close up to the Inner wall wail lay the contorted body of pf a beautiful beautiful beau benu- young ung woman Her ner eyes were vere wide open and staring One arm arni arm was twisted under her and the other hand was clutching at the front of her bodice where a blotch of ghastly red redIn In indicated the path of ot the snot shot that I had heard Its Miss Lutan said Mr Wicks Wick's voice behind meShes meShes meShes me been murdered I cried get the police pollee at once As I bent over her to see If there w waS was s any any evidence of life Ute I saw ImprInted Imprinted imprinted Im Im- im- im printed in her tender white throat the marks of her assailants assailant's brutal lingers fingers Come Co e I said help help me lift IUt her on onto onto onto to this couch and then telephone at once for a doctor Mr Wick had been all aU the while standing there staring at the body as asIf asif asif if stupefied by the tragedy but he obeyed my ray directions and with him at ather ather b her r feet and I at her head we laid her herd d down wn on the couch where I proceeded to loosen her gown and to try by artificial arti arU- respiration to restore her blood to circulation Get the doctor at once I 1 commanded commanded commanded com com- again and phone for tor the po po- po- po lice John cn called le l out Mr Wick go goto goto goto to the phone and tell Miss Kelly to send for Doctor Hunt t to come at once Tell her to get the the police too I Insisted And let the burglar escape ape while were we're doing it It objected Mr Wick Come on lets let's look through the apart apart- ment He may be hiding somewhere still Together while the boy was phoning phonIng phoning phon ing we went from room to room peerIng peering peering peer peer- ing Into closets and under bed beds There was no one there and no traces of ot the murderers murderer's presence Even Eyen the servants servants' servants servants' servants servants' ants' ants quarters were untenanted Only one thing happened that struck me as pec peculiar As I started up the hall ball to search the bedrooms I looked back and caught Mr Wick furtively closing the wall safe His action in surreptitIously surreptitiously surreptitiously closing this without saying anything to me m made de me suddenly suspicious suspicious sus sus- of ot him I I recalled that DetectIve Detective Detective Detec Detec- tive Gorman had put Mr Wick into his circle of or suspects along with the burglars burglar's burglars burglar's burglars burglar's bur bur- glar's wife Could it be possible that t the superintendent of the building himself himself himself him him- self was In connivance ance with the band of ot criminals who who had been harassing the and me I determined to watch his every move Theres no one here I said as we Ct completed our round of the various varIous rooms The murderer has made his escape Hasn't that boy phoned for forthe forthe forthe the police pollee yet et Mr Ir Wick seemed so averse to earnIng carryIng carrying carry carry- Ing out my JY suggestion about the poll police e that I think he must have sensed the suspicion In my voice I think I had bad better ask Mr Kent Rent KentI ab about It It fi first t he e said Id n nervously I Mr Kent I demanded My thoughts were so taken up with the unexpected d tragedy that the name at first meant nothing to me Suddenly Suddenly Suddenly Sud Sud- denly I remembered It was to the apartment of ot Mr Henry Kent that Miss Kelly had phoned last night I when she was d dining with JU me I recalled re re- r recalled called too that Gorman had charged me me to find out all I could about him Mr Kent I repeated sharply he lIe got to do with it Iq Hes lIes the owner of the tile building explained explained explained ex ex- Mr Wick VIck He doesn't like the to be mentioned in the papers He says fays any notoriety Is bad for Tor its exclusiveness I dont don't believe hed he'd want t the police called In In fact ta-t sir Im I'm sure ure he Whether Whet er he ho wants want It or not not I said firmly Its got to he be done You Yon cant can't keep murders out of or the paper Either you call the police right away or else else I will My Aty threat forced him to telephone against his will wUl I could quite under tinder stand his employers employer's aversion to havIng haying hav hay ing a crime in the made public But there was no help for It There had been a dastardly crime committed com com- and the police must ne oe e In In- formed Yet It was not to the police pollee that Mr Mt Wick was telephoning it evl evident Was to Mr Kents Kent's t 8 apartment In the building Miss Lutan's been shot by a burglar In her apartment I h heard beard ard him sq y q Mr Nelson r and me Just discovered her body What's that sir Just what hat Mr Kents Kent's reply on hearing hear henr- hearing henrIng ing the shocking news had been I had of or course no means moans of ot knowing but whatever It was over the superintendents superintendent's superintend superintend- ent's face came an on expression of or In Incredulity Incredulity incredulity In- In credulity and amazement What do you think said Mr Wick turning to me he hc says for me to call callup callup callup I I up Headquarters at once Of O course I said It is the only thing ing to do Nevertheless as ns Mr Wick waited for the number he kept shaking his head hend and muttering under his breath something that sounded like v To UTo think of his telling me to call callIn callIn callIn In the police I I With the doctor octor summoned and the police sent for there seemed to bo little else for tor us to do but wait walt so soI I Wick and I sat down together in the rear sitting room with the elevator ator boy I still on guard at the door Who was Miss Lutan I asked Why Daisy Lutan the actress said Mr Wick in s surprise I supposed supposed supposed sup sup- posed every one kne knew v v h her r. r Ive I heard beard about her ber I hastened to sn say but I had no Idea that she lived in the Did she live here alone She Site keeps a maid an nn- old woman that has been with h her r for years Wheres the maid tonight Out to the movies movle I 1 spose e. e That's That where here she goes every night when Miss Lutan Isn't playing When she Is she g goes goes es to the theater with her Then Miss Lutan Is not not playing i Not for the last month Had there been any anyone one here with her tonight ht Ill ask the elevator boy John says she came In alone about fifteen minutes ago said Mr Ur Wick when he came back She She SheY went Y nt out 1 w ws W IY i I II I fi I ry Aar Women of Her Type Always Have a aLot aLot aLot Lot of Men Friends about seven Her own chauffeur was driving her then but when she came back she was In a hired taxi That's something I cant can't understand How do you suppose the murderer escaped Iwas I was trying every avenue of questioning questioning questioning ques ques- 1 to see If It I could not surprise I Wick Into some damaging admission i I was beginning to suspect that he knew far more about Miss Lutan's murderer than he was telling I felt somehow that his whole search for tor the theman theman theman man who had killed Miss Lutan Luton had been heen entirely perfunctory a bluff blutt to deceive me In my growing dislike for tor the man I felt that It would not he be beyond ond the range of pro probability for tor forWick forWick Wick Wick- to have ha been standing guard at atthe atthe the door joor while a confederate rifled the apartment Im no detective c he answered non- non All AU I know Is that he heh h has l gone He certainly aint here Inthe Jn In the apartment I f fIt It was on the tip of my tongue to suggest est that we look In the secret passageway passage I felt that the shock it would be to Wick to learn that I knew about this might lead him to open open his lips 1118 I felt certain that it was is s b by way of a similar passageway to the he on one I J had discovered in my room t that at the murderer murder r had escaped But before I could make up my mind to speak the doctor arrived ed lIe He made a hasty inspection and then I n nn said sard tersely Theres nothing here for tor me Ole to do This Tills woman has been d dead ad for fol some tl Um How long Jong I asked It is impossible for me to Judge judge- maybe be twenty minutes perhaps on an an h hour tr I should say that death was practically Instantaneous She he was 1 killed by a bullet p penetrating netra the heart Who shot her He looked sharply from me to Mr Wick as ns If It suspecting that It might ight have been heen one of ot us usA us A A bur burglar got her Just n a few n m utes ago Mr Wick explained Mr Nelson Kelson and me heard a scream and a n shot We let ourselves In here with my pass key and found her here It must have been a burglar that she surprIsed surprised sur stir when she entered the apartment apart apart- ment It looks like It it assented d the phy There are marks on her throat thront where he tried to strangle her screams Have you notified the P po po- o lice Yes said Mr Wick Theres heres here's nothing more that I can do then said sald the doctor making his preparations to depart I Would you not Ilot wait until the tho police po po- po police lice come suggested the superintend superintend- ent eni They 11 be here any minute am and probably they'll want a n statement from you u welt wait Very well t sold said the tte Doctor Ill Til waL r I I As we waited the three e of ot us Vs chatted chat chatted ted about the crime and about thE dead actress From the conversation I learned that at the height 0 of her meteoric meteoric me mp- career on Broadway roadway Daisy Lutne Lutas had become the wife of Ute the young oung son of ot a very rich family Ills Ilia parents Insisted Insisted In is' listed that she had hud trapped him Into matrimony and after long legal wrangling wrangling wran wran- gling lIng she had been heen divorced about a year car ago She had received a large sum In settlement and this with her ber her to earnings s as an actress enabled live JI In luxury nowr I t sh she n a sweetheart now asked Better Detter make It plural sneered the doctor Women of ot her type al always have a lot of or men vien en friends hereIm here her No men ever came to see rm Im positive of or that tnt hat said Mr Wl Wick k Of course n no n said the roctor sarcastically sar sar- The reputation of ot tho the Grand Grandc k apartments must be protected protected pro pro- at nt all costs As we talked two detectives In plain plainclothes plainclothes clothes arrived They vl viewed wed the body and proceeded to question the doctor n How nV V was this |