| Show T THE DESERT DES RT tI L Lm IT m MOON MN aw CJ r MYSTERY f E h b Z v I KAY AY I CLEAVER EAVER i I ST STRAHAN RAhAN f I a P X DORAN CHAPTER XIII 12 12 New Clews Clew When It came to helping In the kitchen that girl was wal more more help In to five he minutes than han Belle Delle Sadie Sadle and GoMIe all three of ot them together had been bee In half a day She didn't ask questions She didn't say any where Is II this and how bow do you yon do that She pitched In 10 as It If she bad had been workIng work work- Ing In that kitchen with me for tor the past put twenty sea years How she knew where I 1 kept the potatoes potatoe where the he heat best t paring poring knife lived and ond the particular par kettle that won was bl best beat t for tor cookIng cook cook- In tog Ing the tho potatoes In I dont don't know and andI I never shall hall know Most Moat mystery stories especially of ot late hate have an clement element ele cle- ment went of ot the supernatural In 10 them 1 tell you that KII Kill I knowledge of my ways oy am ani the manner In which she took hold In the kitchen are as 01 supernatural su eu as 81 anything ever brought to my notice The Tile first thing 1 I knew she was peeling the potatoes and peeling them thin and clean She didn't ask bow many would be enough When eon II got them peeled and washed she put them on In hi boiling water with no Inquiry o as to where I 1 kept the tho salt She did not talk tolk as 01 she Bhe worked I 1 as 1 Kind glad of ot that for tor otter after throe three solid hours of at converse convers tion I 1 needed a silent space I 1 wanted to thInk Those last lost words of ot hers utter nonsense In answer r to Sams Sam's statement k kept pt ringing In my eo ears ra I 1 tried to think whether hether there was an any way a person could get upstairs without coming through the bouse house We had hod no fire lire escapes There were no notrees notrees trees close enough to the bouse house that anyone could swing to an upstairs window from one ol ot them There were no vines growing on the house boule Without about a twenty foot toot ladder which we didn't have bove on the place and which would bo be bard to go 0 conveying con t i about to soy any nothing of ot disposing dis dla- I posing of ot It afterward atten there was not I any possible way for tor anyone to get getto getto to the second floor of our noose hOuse except ex I by means meana of ot the back or the front stairway Since Gab had been killed on tlc the attic stairway and ond since all who knew w about that sort of at thing agreed greed that thai she had pad ten been dead dad lit et t two Iwo hours when hen we found her Iler she Bhe must have hn returned to the house sometime between between be be- tween four tour and five Ove o'clock and hue hire stolen upstairs with none of ot us UI seeIng see set seeIng Ing her br Since she ahe could do that hat there was no reason to eup suppose that thaI someone rise could not nM hove have done dnn Ih the same thing either coming In with her herat at nt the time lillie or coming before or after otter she he did dill I had bad to conclude that tho t an another another other person certainty certainly had done don Justy Just y t that had entered tho th house and an had gone upstairs UI during that hour Who The person whom she had been fear fear- Ing Not Nol one of ot us ut that seemed a II certainty And yet ret Miss 1 mald had said I 1 remembered again her strange mad action actions after she sheI I had received the co cote code l letter I remembered re reo remembered how she bm looked In the hall that day tillY when I 1 had told lold John that I thought I had seen the ghost 1 of ot Sin In Onby's Gahy's r rote ole to nanny Danny she had written tint that she had purpose purposely kept her fears fars and her danger a secret secret se cret from Danny Undoubtedly the he secret was written In la tie the code letter lint Had she told Danny nanny partly the truth about the contents of that thai letter or had she told loll her falsehood falsehoods from beginning be bt ginning to end Or fr Jr hud had Danny tollus toll told us ns only a part of I the hI tru truth h Vh Wh did we ve oil nil ke keep p forgetting bow bl Dunny Donny had tried to call Only buck k when Catty Gaby hud hall started on In that hlll total walk I 1 have audd before and I say guy a again 1 knew that Danielle tutu lUll I Inot not murdered her tier sister Hut Bul I knew to ton tat that Li R she had some reason some better than Ihan I could x ul l eon con for bopping keeping for tor not nul lellIn tell lell tellIng tellIng In Ing everything she knew kle Danny was Wall wasa a I capable of tit so Sa doing I remembered our talk In her room on the morning of ot the fifth of If July I how she had acted when Ien her engage oge engagement ment meat ring had hoel slipped trim from her Rn On ger and ier-and and I l tried to 10 my ml thoughts Into different channels There was Chads Chad's and his confession It could be he po w that thaI he had bad killed himself became he had loved Gaby H I that hut would not nul account ac aim count for tor his bis confession to the crime rime It Jt could mean but one Olle thing thing thing-s H H desire de desire sire to shield some lume one Would he have bate cared about shielding some un unknown unknown unknown known scoundrel who bad bod crept Into Inlo the house bouse and killed the girl whom Chad loved lo Had had Chad then IhEn enly suspected Mn Martha rl ha or Su Sum Sara rn or John and killed himself and left the note to aid old tune tine of them Not o. o likely Men Meu do 0 not no kill themselves leaving u II written confession to a s crime crImp of which they ore lire Innocent lK because of some Borne mere i my conversation with Hubert hood In the ball hall that lug Ing ug What was It that he be had U thought ht I I had overheard In the cabin and had bribed me not to tell It W was l reasonable reasonable rea rea- enough to suppose that at that time Ume he had hod hoped to keep his bis entire story his prison records his hll reason for tor coming to the De Desert ert Moon his relations with lib Mrs Mra flicker IUcker and end Martha a see secret just as I I Md hoped to keep the fact tat of ot finding Sams Sam's pipe ashes oshel a 8 secret Sams Sam's pipe ashes again If someone some Bome- someone one IDe had put them there In an effort to Implicate Sam It would have had hod to be someone who knew Sams Sam's ways woy My aty thoughts were off ott again You Vou cantI contI cant cont I told lold myself get gel shod shed of a 8 following tollo shadow by running away awny from It You have to turn ani face It It before you rou can cnn go the other way I faced It John lie He had left the ranch at ot two Vo lie He could easily have gotten back bock hy by four tour or shortly a after fler Sup Suppose Suppose pose Unit that he had left the machine down the rond road quite far down clown the rood road In the time spot where the tire tare truck tracks I showed that the machine had been boen en Stopped slopped and ond started again the spot Ilot where we thought he had hilt changed ed n R tire Ho Lie could have climbed the fence token taken n a short shoat cut rut to 10 the hOIl house e and and gotten ollen here In half or three quarters of ot an hour He tie could have ml met Gaby could coul have stolen into the house with her lie He could hn e killed her and stolen out of ot the house again A short cut apt across the fields and a drive to the I. I house douse Ollie would get him here by six o'clock o'clock- the time line he did get here If It he could he wicked enough to murder he could be he wicked e enough to arrange dews dew to throw suspicions on his hi father and his hIli sis Ills ter If It he were low enough to do du tint that he would be low tow enough In to rob roh her herot of ot a little money mOlley In other wordy word grant that John Juhn Is 18 a Monde and you youcan youcan can go along and grant raDt that he hns has blue eyes and tow hair It was allot all of ot It false I told lold myself from Its wicked beginning to Its wicked end false and unfaIr lot Hut I had faced faed It Now I could turn anti and go In an another another other direction I 1 had out not realized how deeply I had been thinking dawdling over my work In consequence until I 1 saw lOW that lint Mw 8 MacDonald onald had taken up the he pork chops chop and had find them In the oven warming and ond was wall making gravy ns os smooth anti tasty misty looking pan gravy as I 1 ever lr saw sow Good lands I I 1 I said Ive ve certaInly certainly come to one conclusion It sit Is a little curly early for tur conclusions Isn't It II o she asked It It Is a lot too loo late fur for this one Please she sale begun but bUI for or once I got the best be t of berMy her ber Sty My conclusion Is I said that by hy book or crook Sam Stanley luis has got gol to 10 get me slime some help In Inthis inthis this house When I I think of what Ive I've put lUI up with all ull these years Inthe In Iq the wn way of help and then see the he way WilY you pitch In It makes wakes me ale mad mild all over u I l wish she sold said that I might drop tills this case right now and stay here lIete for tor all time line und amid be he your tant and u a thoroughly domestic per persus SOD sus and und forget that hlll there herl were crimes und and criminals In III the world ld I I 1 said eagerly a rl but know IOno knowIng tag Ing of course ourse that M II was too tilt good to come true Irue wh when n youve you've 11 II it 1 with this case rase you could conic do that of our anti and Sam You'd oud be hc one our family would pay well pity well I guess anything you'd ud care to ask No Nu site shut smiled alt It Is tempting tempting- now Hut But thin that desire of mine to give up my profession hD Is ha u II phrase phase Hint I If pass through ut III the flue beginning of each Ith lUS case In a II few r. days davs I when hn I begot begin to 10 get gel l hold fluid of fit hl und and when things begin hio to 10 take mike shupe all nil my toy love In oh III the Hie t work rk will It U is 1 only at ul I when wit u I 5 si-em si to 10 be tie beIn In a II maze of m mystery like hike tits this that I get so su discouraged I always Oh do It II it right at lit II und and I at think that Mere lucre 1 U is 1 the Hie henSl case of ut I mil I to 0 make muke an on absolute failure Have Ilave you IU ever er failed on a cose I asked Indeed I have hll on tin several st It II Is U queer r though In le each case that thai has hns been a 0 failure allure It has tins that hut the he solution W. W written o plainly from frum the Ihl start It written was was written all wrung wrong Judging from that I should be un unUsually unusually usually successful In th this Is once case Pl Poor four girl no wonder that hoot she was Tal discouraged She the has hUll given glnn me leave lea now that It Is all ail over I to use UIe any of her ber notes flutes hunt I t ca care can to use In the Ibe writing ol of this story be It from trow Lynn MacDonald she said suld when I asked her about lUI us usIng usIng using Ing the tae notes to 10 refute refuse p advertisement advertise nt ment of lf one line ol of ber her binner banner cases lasS Sly My Iy rivals rl will say any that I succeeded In Inthis tips this because e as os often happens my luck link stood stand by me nil Hut you and I 1 I. I we understand shout about luck dont don't we WI Mary If you arent aren't afraid I 1 said that your our notes note play may give ghe away sumac some ol oh the secrets of that thai luck cl of yours ours oura so 80 tt tint your our rivals rival will be able to fo to lay 1111 their bands on sane BOlLe of ot the same Bome brand She Bhe laughed i 1 never nefer write down downa a II secret That Is I. a safe late enough b rule for or an honest person who plans to remain remain re re- main hone honest L For Tor a II dishonest person or for tor or one ore who contemplates any sort lort of ot evil or admits the possibility of ot such a 8 course the safe rule would woold be bet Never ever under onder any circumstances put pen pee o ny pencil to paper As AI Sam flam would say It u Is I. a poor pout rule rile that wont won't work both ways WaL The notes that Miss MacDonald bad made mode before this conversation of ou ours that bat day In the kitchen ane end and on the evening of ot that same day dOl July Jull diet elev eleventh each are as aa follows tollow Jul July 7 1 Sow Saw bod body In cr crematory late Inte tonight Cause Caule of ot death ton Ion Probably work of ot an sn expert Look k for tor Japanese on ranch Broken fingers on right hand costly gown lingerie etc fie Indicating wraith wealth and good rood taste July R 8 Rose nose my assistant shadowed twin sister dater reports nothing ver on suspicion She attended services service at al crematory Evidence of genuine grief Returned l to hotel hutel One telegram sent scot to Desert Moon MOlin ranch roach Received no company Malted Mailed no let let- lers Jere ers Did no shopping t I received rel telegram from Desert Moon lon ranch engaging mo me un on case cUlle Ex Es Explicit directions concerning train probably pro ably ihly due to Inconvenience e of ot trains In rural community and oat not dUe dua to 10 a desire to have hn me on the same train main with lIh Miss OL Cf However note Telephoned to 10 coroner and undertaker under under- undertaker taker Inker requesting theta them to 10 give ghe me conference In to Telko A Also Is' Is had hall cure coro eor coroner net ner veri verify fy list of ol names u us Of published S t t. t i I It t e e eY Y 1 Good Lands Land I 1 Said Sold Ive Ivo Certainly Come to One Ono Conclusion I of ot all oil In person present on ranch nt III time of murder Note Nul ol of all roach h employees at ot the time lime Note Note extreme extreme reluctance of ho both h coroner and undertake to give Information or to 10 meet me In Telko Jill July 9 U Spent day In shadowing Miss bliss ll s O. O l myself Its Ins observations as lII usual excellent Ruses Hoses research through hack back flies Dies of Nevada Ne provided pro following Information Samuel Stanley ranch owner Very wealthy Exemplary character High standing sto throughout state of ot Nevada Philanthropic John Stanley adopted son Ion of S S. Stanley himself on University of ot Nevada football tea team 1916 1910 1017 1917 Enlisted In air service for forwar forwar forwar war 1917 1017 Mathers Mather's Field Fled when armistice was wo declared Hubert llama Hand Winner o of chess tOu tournament rna ment held In Reno lieno 1014 1914 1015 1915 1 Mrs rs Otile Ollie nicker Ricker No o report No report e ex eJ mention as os guest nt at Desert Moon ran h. h Mary Ma ln No report Danielle I No Nfl report except mention of tier bur arrival with sister ut at ranch last loal May MIlY Inspection of Miss l Vs Os a room ritual In hotel hoel after ufler she had turned In ID her ber key revealed re no nil clew c Unusually neat nellt and an orderly person empty Newspapers folded on In table Maga line Ladle 1111 lIe Home Journal on table taMn No o heavy henvy perfume Hotel soap un nn vv rapped wrapped Fastidious Silver dollar left lIf on un table for fur chambermaid Rose luse reports Miss Musa C n C. went wen I from fromn hotel to III terry Ferry building In n Crossed alone on tin ferry Spoke to 10 no one oue Hoarded Boarded train ut ul eight o'clock and went nt III once to u her hermit berth Jul July ID 16 Afternoon with Miss C C. this morning No eon con convert CIt vert 11 All the he evidences e of ot good gooc breeding lad had conference with coroner and undertaker Think Chink that hunt they strongly suspect John Stanley because of their repented efforts to 10 k keep p me from sharing the suspicion Information gained from them GIrl GIr murdered on attic attle stairway Position of ot hod body anti marks on throat prove an attack ullock from the Ihl rear Members of household declare that thaI rl rigor or was complete |
