Show e A pt cm oc e MAY 26 AL DA DAY MYSTERY IL 10 jh r octavus oc roq cohen coheir C NU CHAPTER VIII continued 11 funny hunch but at that I 1 guess its more sensible than collecting stamps or art things ile he blinked youve looked all through the room john everywhere im sure I 1 bliss a tiling thing you never can tell just to make sure though well make one more search reagan started with the dresser ile he rummaged through the drawers and into every corner ile he inspected every ornament and spot of dust on the mantel he ie looked behind pennants and pictures which were tacked on the wall ue ile opened the door of tile the hanging closet where he commenced a systematic search into every pocket of every suit of clothes it was a tedious job and reagan glancing occasionally into the room was quite sure that lion hall veys suggestion for a new search had not been entirely without ulterior motives the prodigious body was settled snugly into the big chair the pudgy hands were folded contentedly across the massive mezzanine and jim hanvey was or far as the naked eye could discern sleeping superbly sleeping I 1 or was he the long er reagan keagan was with hanvey the less he understood tile the big man at times he appeared to be obtuse at times brilliant and at times just plain dumb reagan returned to his task it if hanvey wanted anted a search hed darn well get one rea gan had been over every inch of the ground before but he was determined to do this job as thoroughly as he had the first and then the silence of the room was shattered by a sharp cry from the closet eyes slowly but lie exhibited no other excitement even when reagan leaped I 1 into tile the room holding something gingerly between tits his thumb and forefinger good G d chief look here jim eyed the trophy curiously doggone dog gone its a knife and theres blood on it too you find it john in tile corner of the closet on the floor I 1 1 dont understand jim because I 1 looked there tiny day before yesterday tie lie was more excited thon than lie he cared to show lint weve got something here chief no matter it I 1 did overt overlook ok it before with this it ought tobe to be plain sailing how come john because snapped reagan triumphantly antly Is the knife that killed thayer and chief ive got another iden idea good for you john what Is it reagan stepped swiftly to the mantel ue ile designated a spot on the wall whom the papering was a lighter color unless li im i all wrong llan vey he sald this knife belongs right in that spot and if it does there aint a int in ciuch I 1 tell question but that max vernon Is the man who used it CHAPTER IX Y deigned to become interested te ile he and reagan regarded the weapon it was a powerfully delicate tiling thing and beautiful as a poisonous onous snake tho handle bundle ans of polished metal w whether nickel or sliver silver neither knew the suard guard was exquisitely carved vid iid the blade which was unusually long and perilously keen wits of the finest temper tempered ed steel at tile the moment it was not rt a pretty sight however tor for tile the steel was covered with blood which lind had clotted almost to blackness uan hart vey moved away you find it on the floor of the hanging closet in tile corner you look there jay day before yesterday yester dily sure I 1 did You yourself yes 1 I thought you said there anything there 1 I 1 did jim but I 1 suppose I 1 overlooked it though im darned it if I 1 see how I 1 did shrugged those things can happen all right its queer though nothing I 1 was just thinking jim seemed disinclined dis inclined to corn com further and reagan did not force him As a matter of fact the chief of the plainclothes force was elated its like you told flake alm jomn a dick can malze malo a dozen mistakes provided he be does the right thing just one time the crook cant afford to slip once true enough john you ou sure dont get any argument out ot of me but it la Is runny funny you see that knife when you first looked in the closet unavey rummaged around in a dresser drawer until he found a collar box lie ile emptied this and then waddled into the bathroom from which he returned with a roll of absorbent cotton he be lined the collar box with cotton and then gingerly places placed the knife in the box bom but tie be did not immediately look up nis his eyes were used fixed steadily on the weapon funny he said at length what the handle of that knife john its polished metal and yet there a fingerprint on it well ill be darned it if you nent right jim what you reckon cinch max vernon had enough sense to polish the prints on off the handle you sure think fast john reagan looked up sharply but the face of the fat man told him nothing ayou think im wrong seems like you must be right it just looks kind of funny though that you find that knife day before yesterday reagan was disturbed lie was certain that he had looked in that identical spot the afternoon of the murder and lie had bad found no knife his brain was racing and suddenly he whirled on his companion ive got it chief got what tile the answer to that knife first theres the off chance it was there all the time and I 1 just find it I 1 hate to admit that but its possible tile the second theory Is that max vernon 1 had I its it with him and when he came back yesterday evening from steel city he dumped it in there before I 1 stuck him under arrest lie ile was in this room when I 1 grabbed him unavey iveys s big head nodded slow blow approval now youre ta talking is ng john I 1 you iou think im right it sounds mighty reasonable question la 19 are you sure it Is ver uon s knife we 1 1 ask him one way of finding out ands and in the second place look nt at that spot 0 on n tile the wall its like this see reagan stepped to the mantel mante and removed a scimitar which hung there notice how you can see on the wall paper just where this hung jim yonder Is the lie place tile the dagger was hanging it its fits that eliat spot exactly and you iou can tell its a foreign tiling thing 11 aint aln t any question about that it sure dont don t look awful healthy for mister vernon it dont don t and im I 1 ni sorry I 1 be aleve the kid has gotten a lousy deal all round this thayer evl dently t a thing but a plain high class hustler its a cinch that he must have been trimming vernon nt cards and we know that he was gypping tits fraternity brothers on the liquor game of course car thinks thaler was waa a line gentler gentleman nain but he would think that As a matter of fact thaler was a dud and we both know IL it we e sure do hut but that dont make vernons Ver position any lin happier tipler ile ho quarrels with thayer about a girl we know that thayer thaler had bad trimmed him good and plenty tY we know that hint vernon was desperate for want of money we know tint that he went to thaders Th ayers room and that shortly afterward thaders Th thai ayers era dead body was found now we locate the knife with which he was killed we find it in ver room and identify it positively or will pretty soon ns as being part of Ver Vernon vernons 3 collection of scap deap ons we have every reason to believe that the kid went plumb loco anti and tools took part in a bank robbery because he was desperate the robber probably made a deal with him that all he be had bad to do was drive a car figuring no one would ever suspect a college students car in a college town even it if it was hitting sixty on the road were sure vernon was mixed up in that because we know lie he have a thin dime before the thing happened yet the very next day he buys a new car and pays the difference ot of twelve hundred dollars in cash and I 1 also know that he be has lied like the devil a bout about everything since I 1 put him film under arrest jim whistled softly it sort or of makes mister blister vernon out to be a pretty tough hombre john he that I 1 just think ho be went nuts maybe so hut but be sure staled crazy a long time reagan was a trifle annoyed it did not please him to have his damning summary greeted with even the slightest semblance ot of skepticism wrong with my case jim janvey arched his eyebrows in surprise golly johni john I 1 I 1 say anything washid was did I 1 but accused reagan you dont really think it was max vernon I 1 who says I 1 dont do you pretty near what do you mean pretty near well hanvey drew a long audible breath 1 I sort of just happened to remember larry welch yeh what about him vernon had left the fraternity house before welch got there yet welch says that he had a long talk with thayer now it sort of seems to me john that if thayer was already dead larry would have noticed it he humph I 1 reagan was crestfallen 1 11 I think larry lied why to shield miss bliss peyton lies iles goofy about her ber youre right but then if hes sticking tits his own neck into a noose to shield her dont it strike you that hes got some mighty good reason a reason we dont know for thinking that she killed thayer 1 I know jim but weve got vernon dead to rights hes bound to have done it provided neither larry welch nor miss bliss peyton did reagan heagan frowned then broke into a disappointed laugh you win jim I 1 kept running into snags like that all the time THE STORY FROM THE BEGINNING antoinette peyton senior at the university ot of marland resents paterson thaders Th ayers attentions to ivy welch seventeen year old coed a and d there Is a stormy scene max alax vernon another student reproaches ivy tor for br breaking e ak a date with him thayer and vernon threaten each other prof L larry rry we welch ch avys brother la is appealed to by tony to end his sisters friendship with thayer welch and tony peyton are in love tony tells him she to Is married to thayer but Is hla his wife only in name larry determines to end thayer thaders Th ayers a association with ivy tony persuades him to wait until she has appealed to her husband she does no vernon visibly excited leaves the house almost immediately after her departure welch goes to see thayer and after he leaves carmicino trat frat house janitor finds thayer dead stabbed in the throat 1 1 he bl marland arland bank Is robbed the bandit escaping ping with fl after being badly wounded jim Ilan hanvey vey famous detective tec tive cornea to investigate the robbery randolph make the bank president tells him he believes vernon was driving the car in which the robber got away reagan marland police e hief chief induces hanvey to take c harge charge of the murder n ca case e evidence ealden e a imp implicating li catan vernon in both the murder and robbery tony peyton larry welch and max alax vernon are under arrest as aa thayer murder suspects welch insists thayer was alive when he left him hanvey questions carmicino ile he admits furnishing thayer with whisky tor for forbidden revels in the frat rat house he and thayer dividing the profits wily I 1 wanted to pass the buck to you ile he eyed the big wan man keenly your idea about the tiling thing 41 1 I had an idea in a month they dont come to me swift like they do to you but you surely think something yen yeh true enough and the first thing I 1 think john Is that I 1 aint hardly talked to anybody about this affair until I 1 see some of the others I 1 wont know where I 1 stand and after you do see them be absolutely bughouse I 1 know believe me I 1 do ill try anyway who firsta farst vernon noo no o I 1 think ill have a chat with ivy welch reagan conducted janvey to the office of the dean in the main building doctor boyd was startled by Uan Hat veys iveys appearance and appeared somewhat skeptical of the mans ability but he was courteous and readily acceded to harveys Uan Han veys request that ivy welch be summoned the door opened and a figure of vivid youth entered the room she wore a white sleeveless dress and a short revealing skirt the dean introduced her and then excused himself promising that they would not be interrupted while he bowed himself out ivy stood eyeing the two detectives she showed the effects of the ter ler rifle shock to which she had been subjected tragedy grim and stark had invaded her life early and left her peculiarly matured there were dark circles under tinder her eyes to tell the story of tearful sleepless nights and she twisted her hands nervously when the dean had sone gone she addressed flanrey with courageous directness are arc you in charge of this case now yes miss welch 1 guess so well im glad this man here slie site jerked tier her bobbed head to ills Is absolutely dumb ahe Is he really I 1 ril 1 say he Is else why would lie keep my brother in jah any 1 body could tails to larry and see aw that be the kind who would kill anybody that Is anybody but a cop I 1 hanvey turned gravely to his companion you see what the public thinks about you john and seeing that we dont need any solid ivory around here suppose you run along and let me talk to this young lady alosie alone very well reagan rose without resentment find and started for the door hanvey followed ile he spoke this man here she jerked her bobbed head toward regan is ie absolutely dumb in guarded tones just had bad a hunch bunch I 1 could do more with her alone john suppose you take this knife down to the jail and ask vernon if hes ever seen it before and then come back and come in I 1 got a hunch she and I 1 will be pret pretty ty g good 0 od buddies by then reagan marched off and hanvey reentered entered re the deans office closing the door behind him lie he liked the trim little figure althou although gli she somewhat frightened him she was sitting now in a straight chair and her legs were crossed disclosing a frank expanse of pink flesh between the knee and the hem of the dress hanvey felt himself blushing but ivy seemed totally unconscious of her display he settled comfortably in the deans swivel chair mopped hla his forehead and the back of his neck and then grinned disarmingly at the girl garl answer me one question miss bliss welch aint I 1 the terri blest look ing detective you ever saw the girls blue eyes opened wide and a truant dimple appeared well I 1 say you were a sheik 1 I aint this bad in cold weather heat just knocks me for a row of tin cans now reagan yonder 11 he lowered his voice you get sore fit at regular dicks miss bliss welch he be advised confidentially it if they slough everybody bound to have tho the right one me 1 I dont hardly ever make an arrest and ray my job now Is to turn loose at least two of the three reagan has got in stir jim was using po police it ce vernacular in a deliberate effort to impress the girl and he knew that he was succeeding she was sitting forward tensely completely awed by his authoritative manner one thing miss welch I 1 want you to know im on the level I 1 try to put nothing over on you cross my heart and hope to die it if I 1 would it if you dont believe that why there a int aint hardly no use for us to talk 1 I think youre all right said ivy firmly thanks its real nice of you to say that and now that weve started olt off so good lemme lemine tell you one thing more I 1 aint a regular bull I 1 aint got the slightest d desire e to make a record and id rather never slough anybody than do any harm to the wrong feller youre sure your brother do this thing I 1 sort of agree with you but theres a whole lot of lying going on and while I 1 dont want to make you sore miss bliss welch it aint any secret that your brother Is doing more than his aba share re which aint helping him a bit I 1 want to locate somebody who knows something and Is willing to talk straight hL will you or wont you ivy hesitate 1 I good girl now I 1 want you to tell me about mr thayer and yourself just whatever you feel I 1 should know tile the girl bit her lip 1 I feel funn fenny about that mr Ilan vey ive arley tried to tell one or two people even my brother and they all laugh or sneer when I 1 say I 1 was in love with him 1 I laugh mrss alsa welch im a sentimental 0 old d b bird r and I 1 believe in |