Show amm rm cc HL rm IL 0 a n ELM 0 E U T P C K M M W LP oh W n MJE M ON mum mm 5 em 3 y AMU am WILLIAM 1 CHAPTER chamat XIII continued 14 but it must have been a quarter of an hour after clint heard beard the garage door roll back before he saw a light in the garage then he heard a starter grind and a car backed out of the garage its headlights swinging as it turned clint stood frozen in attention the car followed the drive around the house on this side the lights for an instant shining almost directly toward where clint aunt stood then it went on an toward the road so asa was gone clint felt a faint relief he wondered what had become of inspector tope and he be hissed a signal but had no reply then he heard the car returning 1 lie he saw no lights but he did see dimly a dark moving bulk as the car rounded the comer of the house bouse yonder it moved fast dangerously so ile he heard a great crash a shattering of glass a tinny crumpling of metal a great crash then silence band and then topes voice yonder in imperious summons quick herel and a police whistle shrill thrill and long charter CHAPTER XIV after that crashing impact and topes cry and the shrill blast of his whistle silence descended clint took one bound toward where he guessed tope to be then he checked and turned june from the window him spoke softly clint you all right better come he said hoarsely it was a matter of sec ands only until she stood beside him Her fingers caught his it here ere you take she bade him and pressed topes old revolver into his hand f he saw tope kneeling beside a man mag who lay here on the ground the flashlight illumined his countenance rab talner his cheek was smeared blood from a cut on his head had flowed out over his earl and trickled down his brow and face he lay limp and lifeless dead clint asked hoarsely tope shook his head his hand wason was on babs wrist feeling for the faint pulse that fluttered there not ded yet he said june pressed close to clint clant and she said miserably its asa oh chatis what Is it clint what happened clint shook his head staring at asa taine who sat here und under erthe the jammed wheel of 0 f the car asa was unconscious and there was soma something mysteriously aff righting in his post posture are his hands hung down limply laby lyby by his sides and the bent steer ing column pressed the wheel itself against his body so that he be seemed to bulge in the middle his head was in a grotesque and unnatural position cricked bricked to one side it rested against the frame fiame of the i edoor door his head was erect even tilted backward ackward bl but his bis chin seemed to be pressed down on his i chest it was was as though he were frozen in the very act of a hiew cough tope said reflectively as though thinking aloud 1 I guess ho he piled into that tree faster than he meant to he must have seen me and that aou would id surprise him I 1 guess he be lost his head bead stepped on it he mean to hit so hard rand band and another policeman emad la in uniform came panting through the rain what happened rand gasped without explanation tope said crisply one of you watch the other house rand you go call inspector heale if hes not too sick to move get him up here since e they first discovered asa here inspector tope had not eft the mans side had kept him fixed in the flashlights beam now they saw that hi his slips lips began to stir and mumble then he be blinked the light was in his eyes june cried softly wil we get you out in a minute asa mrs taine came running out of the ki lichen kitchen door brushing past rand as he entered drawing some wrap around her she reached the side of the car asal she cried and caught athis at his shoulder tugging at him ivah oh he whispered it was like a whistle of pain my head neck dont touch mrs taine whirled on the inspector quick she commanded 4 get him out of there and she looked all about where Is rab she cried asa muttered through stiff UPS lips his bis lips were blue sorry mother he said and tried to smile he dodged in front froat of me I 1 ran right into him I 1 help it his aps closed and opened again 1 I coulden couldn coul help it he repeated repealed we both dodged the same way 1 I 1 was going to town 1 asa murmured but my headlights went out as boon soon as I 1 hit the road I 1 came back to get a new fuse his words were ivere spaced widely there were long pauses between them mrs balne did not understand what does he mean she protested where is rab tope said gently hurt too maam well need the doctor bad quick you call him cupl up understanding she obeyed him she hurried away and after a moment they heard her voice demanding that rand yield to her the telephone asa As asked some hoarse question indistinguishable my neck hurts he complained rab hes dead I 1 tried to miss him and tope answered him in slow stern tones you hit rab asa he said 1 I pulled him away in time I 1 pulled him away from aw its asa ob what Is it clant what happened the tree where propped him api upi up his voice had in it the inexorable ring of doom hes alive asa ask asked ed slowly ca carefully careful refu his mouth twisted hell come around said tope hell be all right by and by without any movement of his head asas eyes swung to seek out their countenances he peered in the darkness anahis and his lips writhed so that his teeth were hideously bare then removed be he moved it was as though he leaped as though he would have sprung to action his lips set hard bard his bis shoulder rose his whole body contorted one hand darted down it whipped up and an dagun a gun showed in the flashlights gleam inspector tope leaning into the car sought to seize the gun but before he could touch asa could grasp the weapon the need for action passed when the hurt man thus leaned sharply forward his head bead was was tardy in following his movement it seemed to hang back and then to be jerked aside as though by an invisible hand fiand and this was a strange unnatural thing to see asas head turned at a grotesque angle as ait it had slipped and instantly asa himself was smaller like a pricked balloon and quite still clint whispered for gods sake inspector Inspect orl Is he dead tope nodded slowly yes dead he said in a low tone CHAPTER XV for a moment more these three stood silently by the cir car witha with a dead man at the wheel then rand returned heales coming he reported right away tope nodded this man erfan in the car Is dead he said stay by him dont touch anything and he turned back to where rab lay on the ground then mrs balne came running from the house doctor cabler will be here at once she gasped and she cried wheres asa what have you done with him june put her arms about theold the older woman held her away rab needs you no now w she urged rab aunt eab asa the older woman demanded hes dead june told her mercifully frank who killed him there was a dreadful challenge in the slow soft tones he was alive a moment ago talking to me who killed my son lle he just died june told her please we must take care of rab nab now but Mr swung toward the car tope with his flashlight bent on the hurt man on the ground heard the mother brooding over asa calling his name pleading with him then june compelling her to turn Us this way there was strength in the girls tones she was able to command aunt evie at last to fetch her here where tope and clint knelt beside the unconscious man well carry rab to the house bouse said the inspector out of the rain clint you take hit his legs they bore him into the house where tope knelt beside him and with careful fingers appraised his hurts mrs taine stood still as ice watching and june held her fast tope looked up at last just a bump on the head maam he told mrs taine 1 I L i cant feel that the skulls broken t mrs balne began suddenly to cry and this was a strange thing to see in that woman of iron june said ill make her lie down she led mrs balne submissive away when they were gone clint knelt by the Inspect inspectors drs side asked the question he had bad not dared ask ark be fore he nodded toward the door toward asa outside in the rain you think he did it he be whispered tope assented gravely but I 1 liked him film clint protested he was the best of them all the doorbell rang clint went through the dark hall lighted the gas opened the door doctor cabler 1 cuni clint came back with the physician on his heels and doctor cabler with no more than a nod toward the inspector knelt beside the man on the floor presently he finished tipped back on his heels concussion he said 1 I shall make a spinal puncture try to relieve the pressure on his bis bram brain otherwise the young man may die without recovering consciousness and he directed help me puso those two tables together put water on to boll wheres mrs taine in the front room said tope with june and he be explained asas dead in the car outside ile he ran into that pine tree neck broken I 1 believe auve alive at first talked then he tried to move his head bead twisted to toone one side and that thai was the end of him well such things have happened the doctor confessed after a moment some shock dislocates the vertebrae vertebrae without dislodging a an attempt to turn the head and the big neck muscles drag one vertebra aci across ross the other like a pair ol of shears snip th ecord doctor cabler and mrs taine clint and june could do all that was needful here tope watched i them tor for a moment then he went to the telephone called miss most morn and told her guardedly that rab bab was hurt and asa dead she whispered asa dead yes he said Is his wife there miss moss asked elssa Ll and at topes negative ati ve she would lantto want to be she has a right to be im coming out ill bring her he was full of a deep comfort to know that she would come all ali right he assented do he looked at his watch and returned to the veranda As he did so inspector heale came hurriedly across the lawn from the road heale exclaimed tope happened here tope said slowly hurt got a bad chackon cra crack ckon on the head bead doe tor callers Cab lers working on hirn him he added and asas out in the car with a broken neck broken broken neck heale echoed his voice was husky Is he be dead just as dead as if hed b been een hanged tope assented he said it with something like contentment in his bis tones as though he perceived a seemliness and order in the world they don dont bang thang in this state any more but I 1 always said tt it was the thing tor for murderers I 1 mean heale ejaculated murd murderers aers and tope told him briefly yes he and rab had an argument to night in tho the karage barage he hit rab with a monkey wrench propped him against that pine tree treeby by the corner of the drive got out his car he drove to the road and turned around and came back again he meant to run into rab finish him but I 1 was there before alagot back id dragged rab away from the tree asa saw me seeing me must have startled him so that he stepped on the gas anyway he rammed into the tree so hard it snapped his own neck heale stood in an incredulous amazement and tope concluded kill him right off he come came to he thought hed hit rab nab and aad he told us it was an accident that rab nab dodged in front of the car when itald him he be that rab was alive he gun but when he moved his neck snapped Finished heale was almost wordless gun he repeated here it is said tope and de asas weapon to the other man then doctor cabler came out to them gentlemen 11 he said satisfaction in his tones rab Is showing signs of returning consciousness hell live tope asked oh that certainly the phyll physician confidently agreed and I 1 think by morning he may be able to talk to you he went back into the house a and nd heale roused from his paralysis of surprise you think asa did the rest of it he asked ive known that since this morning tope replied why you tip me knowing proving tope reminded him and heale ruefully as assented 1 I guess ill call derrie he decided at last have him up here in the mornings morn and andee he confessed a little grudgingly youve made a double tool fool out of him inspector CHAPTER XVI the inspectors call halcome had come to miss moss like unexpected an expected summons before she dressed she telephoned for a taxicab tax leab and when she cams came out it was at the door the providence road she directed ill tell you when to stop when she rang the doorbell of the house behind the garage etwas it was far into the small hours the rain still sheeted down opened above her head and thayer called a question 1 I must speak to miss thayer hilss miss moss explained the garage man himself came to the door with his daughter sleepily protesting and bewildered miss moss hesitated un unwilling willingto to betray to him the girls secret unless she must yet there appeared no other way miss thayer V she said 1 I have bad news for you young mr taine she saw elssa white in the dim lit hall lie he is hurt miss moss explained gently ill come said the girl quickly thayer put a swift protecting arm I 1 around his daughter so that miss moss understood he be had known the truth if bissas going so am I 1 thayer suggested send your cab away ill take my car miss moss assented and presently they started up the hill thayer driving in the seat behind miss moss held the girl close clase there there my dear she whispered comfortingly TO BE CONTINUED |