Show A I 1 chae e MAY DAY M ya 51 T ERY BI ocalas oci adms roq cohere cohen C lall L all W w M U CHAPTER X continued 13 jim chuckled dont mind me kid im just dumb find and the less I 1 say the smaller chance there Is of anyone finding it out john reagan laughed kid yourself jim if you want to lie ile said hut but dont try to kid me at their destination the undertaker conducted them into the cubicle chefe Th thaders Thay ayers cra body was being held under police orders IIan vey was frankly frightened by the sight of death and even look at the body as reagan keagan gave a clinical dissertation on the killing tell me that later suggested janvey hastily 1 I want to get out of this place quick good lord jim if you want to look things over what did you come here for to find that diamond ring you see john at the time pat thayer was killed he was wearing a diamond ring which ivy welch had given him I 1 want to see if hes still wearing it reagan keagan bent over the body when tie he straightened his bis expression was one of complete bewilderment you sure you got your dope straight jim yeh reh then theres something darn funny because thayer aint got anything on tits his fingers except a signet ring with some foreign letters on it hanvey turned reluctant eyes on the body its gone nil all right john ill say it has reagans tore fore head was creased with intensive thought suddenly he smashed his right fist into the palm of his other hand and you know what it means jim that diamond ring being gonell gone what does it mean john just this thayer was alive when larry welch went to see him larry saw the ring and knew what it meant he had it out with thayer and killed him then he took his sisters ring oft off thaders Th ayers finger because he be knew it if he left it there it could be traced back to her am I 1 right burned it if I 1 know john but whether you ire are or not you sure sound reasonable 0 the marland jail bulked forbiddingly against the full moon ot of a perfect may night citizens of marland were proud of their jail of its staunch concrete walls of its marble portico of the heavy iron bars which proclaimed almed to an erring world th that it it would do well not to err here jim stood at the curb and commented in complimentary fashion on the building thereby bringing a thrill to the heart of the local detect detective lve then they walked through the big gates and thence to the wardens office the big man was to have access to the prisoners at any time the warden conducted the two men to the little room which was occupied by antoinette peyton you understand miss peyton said bald hanvey quietly you dont have bare to talk if you don dont t want to 1 I have no objections to talking she a answered calmly n good I 1 shall have to ask ques que 8 tion alons which might be kind of well direct Is that all right yes the big man reached tor for the golden toothpick and clicked it open it seemed impossible for him to talk unless his pudgy fingers were busy with that ghastly instrument im riot not going to waste your time with a lot of silly questions miss peyton I 1 reckon I 1 could start at the beginning and check up with you on all the things I 1 know already just to see if tell me the same story but I 1 wont thank you said sald tony gratefully im only going to ask you about those things that nobody else can tell me A broad eng engaging aging grin s split jims lips enough aint it yes 11 she found herself warming to this big man lie ile seemed honest genuinely deeply honest 1 I know continued jim softly that you overheard a sort of love scene between mr air thayer and ivy welch you butted in and a general genera era row followed it dont matter just what was said the point is that y you u and thayer and ivy were all sore you lyeki yes X now 0 w the first important thing ive got t to 0 find out Is this miss peyton what was your relationship to put pat tha er what I 1 mean Is what right nad you bawling him out for making love lore to another girl tonys face flushed and for an instant her eyes unshed flashed she answered rather coldly 1 I think youre presuming abood deal arent you mr air hanvey no maam honest I 1 aint as dumb as I 1 look I 1 know there was something between you and thayer maybe it was jealousy maybe something else but its awful important that I 1 find out why because De cause it if 1 I dont know the truth ive got to figure things nay my own way you see theres a sort fort of link in the chain got to be welded and one of the most important things to Is what there was between you and thayer 1 I dont see 11 im sorry 1 if you dont pleaded Ilan vey because it aint helping nobody for you not to tell me tile the truth even it if I 1 know the truth it hurt you tiny any worse than having me think things lings ti that Is unless you really killed him yourself good G d dl 11 1 I say you did dut but listen miss peyton put iut Y yourself in my place what do I 1 find out you run across thayer making love to it a pretty little blond you give him film thunder and its clear theres something between you at the end of that interview youre threatening each other then a little later you walk up to ahny ers room in the fraternity house and a little while after you leave they find him dead could the real truth hurt you much worse than that tony rose and walked the length of her cell then she stood in front of jim hanvey and gazed intently into his round face and kindly gray eyes 1 I feel that I 1 should speak frankly 1 I 1 I have a hunell hunch that youre not trying to trick me thank you kindly maam and youve got me right I 1 swear you have she bit her lip then spoke sharply you are wondering how bow I 1 a long pause 1 I had bad to protect ivy I 1 knew pat int thayer wits was married but she ebe 1 I 1 sa see and ana of course you were not jealousy jealous were you I 1 of him slie she gave a short bitter laugh ile he la Is dond dead now and this may not sound well but I 1 despised him that explains a good deal it was as though hanvey was talking talc to himself of course no one could be expected to guess that you were vere thaders Th ayers wife and nobody else knew it did they M miss Ss pey fey ton no the color flooded her cheeks you mean not then prompted 1 Ilan vey reagans head jerked up tip sharply y lie ile saw paw the girl start with surprise lie ile saw her cheeks blanch then he looked curiously at linn ilan vey the big man seemed totally disinterested rie ile was gazing fondly at the gleaming toothpick ap patently parent ly unmindful of the vital question he lint naked asked reagan had just concluded conclude that jim even know what he be had stumbled upon when repeated tits his question q tion in a conversational tone even larry welch t know then that you were thaders Th ayers wife did he and now tony peyton was defiantly on guard ner her tiny fl fists t were s c clenched and she was sitting forward w ard tensely THE STORY FROM fhe BEGINNING antoinette peyton senior at the university of marland son thaders Th ayers attentions to ivy welch seventeen year old coed and there Is a stormy scene max vernon another student reproaches ivy for or breaking a date with him thayer and vernon threaten each other prof larry welch avys brother Is appealed to by tony to end his sisters friendship with thayer welch and tony peyton are in loye love tony tells him she bhe la Is married to thayer but la Is his wife only in name larry determines nee to end thadera Th ayera ayers association with ivy tony persuades persua dea him to wait until she has appealed to her bus husband band she does so vernon visibly e excited ile cited leaves the house almost immediately after her departure welch goes to see thayer and after he leaves carmicino trat frat house bouse janitor finds thayer dead stabbed in the throat the marland bank Is robbed the bandit escaping with after belne being badly wounded jim Ilan hanvey vey famous detective tec tive comes to investigate the robbery randolph fiske the bank president tells him he believes vernon was driving the carin which the robber got away reagan marland police chief induces hanvey to take charge of the murder case evidence implicating ver vernon on in both the murder and robbery tony pe peyton ton larry welch and finx hinx wax vernon are under arrest as thayer murder suspects welch insists thayer was waa alive when he left him questions carmicino ile he admits furnishing thayer with whisky tor for forbidden revels in the trat frat house he and thayer dividing the profits reagan who had previously searched vernons Ver room finds there hidden in a closet a bloodstained knife hanvey interrogates s ivy and apparently Is pleased with conclusions he draws from the story the girl tells him vernon admits the knife ta Is hla his dared to goto mr thaders Th ayers room lu in the fraternity house when L knew it would start the whole campus gossiping arent you therefore you know I 1 had a good reason for going there it miss peyton because no matter what you went tor for or W what hat happened after you got there it was a cinch that you were going to start the whole campus talking that announced tony bravely Is precisely why I 1 went there to start gossip just that why so the truth would come outs out and when it did pat would be forced to let ivy welch alone the truth what Is the truth miss peyton tony did not evade her answer came in a firm acol voice 1 I was pat thaders Th ayers wife 1 jim blinked and fumbled for its his toothpick there was an audible gasp asp from john reagan and then as aa they listened in stupefied silence sll enre tony told in a level emotion emotionless tone of how site she had happened to marry pat thayer and of nhat had bad occurred since that time when she finished site she seated herself limp and frightened suppose she had done the wrong thing suppose her eyes quested hungrily for jira jim Ilan hanvey vey lie he seemed so comfortably friendly there was something in hla his stolid calmness which compelled one to avoid evasion one gathered that he instinctively knew truth from falsehood that ile he respected the former and despised the latter the girl took a deep breath her brain told her that she had erred instinct said eald that she had bad done the best thing and so BO you see she said atter after no she said sharply lie know nut but suggested jim you told him blin a few minutes later ater you I 1 who says I 1 did gosh goehl I 1 miss peyton I 1 say eay anybody sold said so I 1 was just asking till nil and please dont get nil all worked up think I 1 was trying to trap you I 1 alin nent t honest bonest I 1 aint but you 11 1 I 1 just suggested that you went straight to larry welch and told him the truth aint that a fact act 1 I think id rather not discuss it tiny more air im afraid ive already said bald entirely too much jim argue lie ile rose ponderously derous ly nud and bowed with a queer courtliness all right miss peyton I 1 promised you I 1 try any police tricks on you and I 1 wont im trying to help not hurt and I 1 cant help unless I 1 get the truth but I 1 aint advising you to tell me a thing you dont want so me and mr reagan keagan will say any much obliged rand and good night ile he moved toward the door reagan reagain inwardly seething at harveys Han nat veys iveys stupidity followed reluctantly As AB jim opened the door the girl walt please yes ves miss she faced them bravely 1 11 I suppose im a fool she said nut but I 1 believe I 1 can trust you it if you dont mind staying a little longer ill be glad to tell you the whole truth even yet jet hanvey did not press his advantage reagan was fighting to restrain his own impatience and meeting with little success here was waa the big chancery chan chance ceRn nn opportunity to gather important facts from a woman who had been locked up for two days and was willing to talk but reagan was a good sport it if he be understand llao HaIl veys slow friendly ponderous methods he could at least follow them since tie he himself had offered the case to the fat nun man they seated themselves once more and tony spoke in a brittle voice what Is it first mr janvey Uan vey I 1 we e ell suppose we start with your visit to larry welch what did he say when you told him you 1 were married to thayer was he sore noo no o I 1 say bay that exactly the thing seemed to shock him did he say eny anything about seeing thayer Tb ayer yes lie ile wanted to go right over but I 1 begged him not to why I 1 because I 1 wanted to see sec pat first for what reason miss alias peyton bemuse because well theres another detail we left out larry was quite determined that pat should not go with ivy any more I 1 had a right to sea seal his lips about my marriage to pat but I 1 had no right to say that he keep him from going with ivy so I 1 asaei him not to go over ever until I 1 had seen pat my self why she met jims kindly eyes levelly lc velly 1 I 1 was afraid of what A fight pat flat thayer was a big man larry la Is perhaps more powerful so far as I 1 know mr thayer was not a coward and no man can very well permit another to order him away from a girl without well without resenting it 1 I see and why were you yon afraid of a fight because of the scandal she answered promptly lurry larry la Is an instructor tor here ile he Is about to earn hla his masters degree it have been nice xou afraid of any serious seris couyou s results that Is physical results no of course my sympathies were all with lorry larry and I 1 knew he could handle air thayer jim focused focus eil his eyes on tile the toothpick you are in love with larry welch her cheek check grew white but she did not evade yes does docs tie he know it yes ilow how long has ho he known it 1 I think he has known it for a long time but I 1 put it into wo worda r Is until until day before yesterday 11 1 I see day before yesterday larry learned that a married man was tooling fooling with tits ills kid sister bister lie ile learned that you could no not marry him because you were married I 1 what right had you bawling him out for making love to another girl 7 to another man the same man ile ele learned of the me petty blackmail which thayer had practiced on you it makes a rather raither damning lineup it miss peyton yes and ive told it to you straight because I 1 believe larry la Is innocent 1 I hope so now would you mind telling me what happened when you went to see thayer at the fraternity house 1 I went there with a definite object in mind mr nancey A girl cannot visit a mans room lu in a fraternity house without starting all kinds kind of gossip I 1 told him that I 1 had done that so ho I 1 would have no choice but to announce our marriage you sou see I 1 felt that I 1 could spike his guns guna that way for what so that hod hed have to drop ivy welch or else she would drop lim him and that would make it unnecessary for larry to interfere you yon were still afraid of what might happen between larry and thayer yes and I 1 regretted laving having told larry but things happened so fast and I 1 had bat been under such a strain for so long a time 1 I 1 I just wanted someone to talk to while you were in thaders Th ayers room nc he was furious of course WO we quarreled bitterly I 1 suppose I 1 was as angry as he was wag and then I 1 left where was he be when you left miss peyton standing benr ne arthe tho dresser alive she caught her breath sharply of course surely you do t think r r 1 I bad to ask you that im sorry did you yon know that larry welch has been arrested 1 yes yea she spoke almost in a whisper do you realize that everything you have told me serves to binate him yes site she flung her head fiend back 1 I dont believe the truth can it hurt u r I 1 anybody I 1 know larry do I 1 it t just as I 1 know that I 1 ive told the plain straight truth and all its what larry would have me do it what tie he has done sald said jim softly lie ile been honest with us ile he be ile he rave gave roe me his word that lie he tell anybody I 1 |