Show un oil r r tj hasti 13 B icila 1 e 0 s SERVICE E avi c W fa t fy BA con P co c SYNOPSIS leila seton beton young and beautiful and an expert on paintings Is corn cc m to KO go over the collect collection i on ot of paintings in the home 0 of th the wealthy Hf kellers illers in now york where aher A party Is in in progress from her window she witnesses a man in another room strike a woman shortly after mrs keller sends UP word midriff asking her to join the party at dinner leila jella hastily dresses and goes down she Is in seated between mr peck dock a critic and monty mitchell Ml ft a noted lawyer introductions fo follow there are mr Ilar riden miss mig letty van alstyn mrs crane mrs watkins and prince and princess prince guests leila finds she Is taking the place of nora harraden Har riden pan dan leaves the table and mitchall Ml explains he has gone up to see nee how his cifes headache to la ile he returns shortly peck deck saying he must put in a call leaves upon his return he begs leila to secretly take AMOS A message Jaue to nora to take no steps until I 1 see you leila consents lella leila the liar harreden Harrl riden den rooms empty and so informs peck deck coming out she passes parses letty harridan asks princess to run up and see nee his wife the princess prioress cess reports the absence 0 of f nora search to 1 fruitless Il n admits that he had a row anson rnald mald reports seeing deck near noras lorils room roam letty tells tella of seeing leila come from the room leila accuses Itar riden of having struck hla his wife this don denies les from the window leila sees see what proves to be noras lifeless 0 body A ghastly heid head wound cause caused d death pan dan says bays she was lying on her bed when he went to dinner an and d when he ha ran up later the room w was dark thinking she was asleep h he left without seeing her mrs keller or comes upon ft a pool of blood in the closet A diamond chain Is missing donahey Pon ahoy police inspector questions the guests Har harraden riden brands leilas story of seeing a man strike a woman a lie anson tells tella of seeing seeing peek dick outside the Ilar harreden Harrt riden den door peck deck says says he passed by in seeking alost a lost handkerchief balkins a not ant tells deck ahrea threaten t mrs earlier in the day CHAPTER V continued 5 aw malleis Dona 0 nal hoys leis headman head was thrusting out like i turtles we well 11 mr deck rila ills me and then ho he sold 1 I dont remember and lits his lips alpa twitched in a n ackery mockery of a smile you dont remember not knot n word I 1 wag wad quite tight before dinner I 1 the faintest recollection yf ct an anny y thing setd downstairs donahey ground out yet yon remember ant you wont went up early to your room you said ohl remember hut deck said jauntily Jaun tili 1 I got to my room nil all right he went on ond nd the cold water revived me put everything that went on downstairs la Is just a i total loss do you happen to remember said the inspector with terrible ear sarcasm liny any reason why you could have said ilia words you have no recollection recollect loa oi of saying to mrs alar alden I 1 deck was silent what was between youk you donahey shot allot out 4 friendship 1 said deck I 1 know that I 1 felt I 1 could not bear to look nt flar riden and yet I 1 looked at him and saw him standing like a man of stone hla his grim blunt profile toward that younger roan tile the sheer beauty of peck pec it seemed deemed somehow in insolent and flaunting before that husbands haggard eyes I 1 felt a sharp cleavage of sympathy terror for deck and anguish for tant bereft roans mans pain it was tile tho easing casing of a physical strain when turned and walked out of the room il 1 I remember a dull surprise at t finding it was only half past tw two ilo when I 1 was in ray my room I 1 was so spent emotionally that I 1 was conscious of nothing but ft crushing depression there was n no denying the reality of elkins high 0 strung words and I 1 hal my own corroboration of decks desperate message taip no steps for till all my exhaustion I 1 could not sleep my thoughts kept willing milling about in id confused conjecturing had deck been the man atthe nt the window had find lie he followed tier her up to finish the quarrel there it might have heen been deck I 1 thought ile iia might have slipped away when he heard come in the nex room she might have hae promised to meet him as soon as possible in the gallery then she did not come perhaps her husband bad stayed too long in the room what was jhc thc lr quarrel about I 1 wondered my temples throbbing heavily against the pillow was she threatening to leavet bilm hirwas was he mad with jealousy woman ai on gods clods earth had be gone up from dinner to 0 tocarra carry out his mirent Pi rent ff V oh no fio no no nol I 1 only to see see her to plead with her for lie he had sent we me up later to try to get word to herto her to urge her to takeno take no steps oh ob fool that I 1 had been not to speak out before 1 then my story might have carried conviction but now it would seem a lame invention of mine to save him or had hla his sending me on that errand c been merely a ruse on his part to matte it appear that he mill believed her in her room when till all tho the time lie ho knew that room was untenanted and tier her poor body shrouded in the shrubbery below I 1 did not know what to believe my aly mind went round and round in the mazes of its doubt ile he had been so long away from that table hut but that had been because he wits trying to reach tier her my defensive heart instantly declared lie had told me that tier room phone did not answer of course lie had gono gone to tier her door and knocked perhaps perli apa even tried it I 1 wondered it if lie he had bad peeped in and found darkness and ghostly curtains blowing in the wing wind or if lie fie had find found the door locked locked by an unknown assassin who was still inside I 1 determined to try to make deck confide in me since I 1 already linew knew so much since I 1 had proved stanch surely lie he would tell me the truth but it if his sending me had been a ruse 7 ity mind iv wearied earled from all this till wondering at last I 1 slept I 1 woke very suddenly I 1 wole woke to the instant Impre impression silon that some one was ln in my iny room I 1 lay there with my eyes shut not daring to open them trying to feign slop feeling in every nerve nerie that something was there something just within tile the bloor there had been some boun sound d some indefinable sound that had waked waited me every instant tha feeling grew I 1 knew then that fear could be paralyzing for fori I 1 lay there liter nIly unable to move or speak eleah simply helpless and ier terrified rIfled wal engfor something horrible boisve to gnp hd pen then there wai was a creak crak tit at the door and sofi soft steps down the hall bull J I 1 knew I 1 ans was not imagining those steps I 1 heard them though my own thumping heart bents beata sounded bounded louder to tome me I 1 suppose etwas it was only a moment or two really that I 1 lay in the grip of that helplessness then motion and sense ramo hack back to me and 1 I reached out nut wid ail managed to flash on the night light with fingers that rambled tum frantically for the tiny chain as it each instant ins trint of darkness was a danger then I 1 lumped jumped up and ran for the door I 1 forced myself to lookout look outi down te jie blackness of that halt hall I 1 saw nothing I 1 heard nothing I 1 aid bild not go out and look down the stairs I 1 dodged back and shut and locked my door should I 1 call somo some one on the house phone I 1 moved toward it but hesitated caught back by tile the fear of something hysterical and panicky it was easy for overwrought nerves to play tricks and in my half aseep condition I 1 might burnight havo have imagined those sounds within my door the steps though had been real but the steps easily be accounted for donahey had said the house was guarded and very likely one of the policemen was patrolling tile tho hall and finding roy my door ajar had paused to make sure roy my room was occupied I 1 persuaded myself that this was so what else could it be confidence had find revived with tile lighted room and I 1 told myself mi self thy the rustling had been only the wind playing ingrith with the folds of my satin frock left lying oil the chair by tho the door my very excess of past terr terror orand and my ashamed reaction against it swept me mo now too for in the other direction for I 1 did pot phone it was wai not easy to liet get to sleep cleel again but I 1 did ultimately and it was bright day when I 1 waked with the sun streaming across ilia dark polished door boor over the white fur rug to glow on the rose rei red of 0 the he drop deep cushioned chair but lie ILI sun could lift the depression of that past night or banish the pictures picture moving before my eyes eye sNora nora ilar limp gold clad body la in her husbands arms that husbands face rigid grief galef smitten decks defiant high held head and his bitter tormented eyes I 1 must get to deck I 1 tho thought excitedly and hurried into a cold shower shofter wondering what wits was done about breakfast in that house I 1 phoned the question and was informed that breakfast would be up coffee was my chief need black and hot and I 1 welcomed it all the more since the mald maid who brought the tray told me that the inspector would like to see pio 1110 as soon us as possible I 1 took alaia a lait look it at myself in tile the glass then went downstairs the halls balls were empty so too was the big entrance hall except for a policeman at the front door in ID the drawing room dohaney was behind his usual table lie ile nodded in response to my good morning mornin i then jerked hla his licad toward a couple of young youn 1 men at a table nt the far end of the room an and sent me to have my fingerprints taken that was to be expected I 1 thought and I 1 imd had noth ing to worry about except that I 1 was ans rather interested in tile process of print taking for I 1 knew something about tile the work so I 1 fell into chat with the two young men it was just a formality they said gald there was nothing to be gained from all this print taking unless they got the print of some insider for all the household had been over the room B except dick said a heavy voice beside us I 1 started and found harreden Harrl flar riden den staring down at Us ua out of red rimmed eyes tile the mans face looked us it if years instead of hours had passed the deep lines in it ft were ere accentuated till they seemed like seams deck in the room after tile the murder and dont you forget that he admonished grimly I 1 was impatient to see deck I 1 thought of phoning to his room then I 1 remembered that a policeman might be listening in I 1 thought of getting in touch with monty mitchell and trusting him with a message dut but donahey detained me then with more ques tlona dons and I 1 had to go over our what I 1 had said before and tell him more about myself and how I 1 happened to be there at all at the end lie he told me I 1 must appear nt at the inquest on sunday morning I 1 went out in the hall and wandered about a little irresolutely thinking that it if I 1 kept out in sight I 1 might encounter either alan deck or monty mitchell Ml without having baying to phone and betray my eagerness to the officials As a n pretext for lingering I 1 read the papers over and over the headlines were sensational society beauty murdered and the first pages were filled with stories of noras life and there was one account of the famous yellow diamond chain the pendant on it it I 1 was stated was a flawless jewel which had been worn on the turban of a royal turkish family for y g ta tz 1 11 I 1 t A f 1 I think Y you ou are wanted by the police generations the last heir had bad given it t to mrs airs instantly upon tier her expression of admiration a costly gesture which her husband had paid for later by persistent losses at cards the chain so the paper said ald had been asser assembled Aled by mr Il n to match the pendant bly eyes raced through the accounts of the guests there was no reference to alan deck except as a favorite in the long island set no reporter deporter je porter I 1 was sure had been able to got get in the house tile the papier paper had had to take the facts that dohaney had bad given out and the list of guests gut ats and do what they could with their imagination after the inquest I 1 supposed supposed decks threats could no longer be kept secret the papers would make what they could of that luckily he would have his own paper to give a favor favorable ale version but he would have hae to give an explanation of tits hla words and I 1 hoped berven fervently i y that the night had brought him counsel and inspiration restlessly I 1 wondered where he was keeping himself I 1 began to think that all of tho the guests were upstairs gathered intimately in the Rel kellers lers private bitting room talking things over by themselves I 1 felt so alone in that house that it was a comfort to see sec the prince Ranc till coming coining out from the long lounge just behind this en trance hall ho looked at me with the gatins quick interest tn in his big brown eyes a stalwart handsome some fellow with white teeth flashing in lila fits brown face as he smiled at me I 1 smiled back at him and he i came cama up op to me 11 A terrible business he said rolling out Ys ila ril ra very fervently I 1 agreed to ronke make conversation I 1 asked him if he fine bad known mrs Ilar riden well nell I 1 knew that he had inn landed d C d only a day or so ago but I 1 thou thought glit they had bad probably met abroad instantly his eyes changed ne ile looked at mo me n narrowly a ai as it if questioning what I 1 meant one has baa met but who knows anybody he be said with a shrug of tits ills shon I 1 said who indeed in his own italian lind and at that lie he changed change back to smiles and began to spout spoilt italian at me I 1 felt so sleager eager for some one ona human to talk to that I 1 told him why I 1 was there and he beclar declared C 41 that lie he must seo see that famous gallery he must learn something ot of the ways of detecting frauds lie he would go with we me to that gallery lie salt said it was when I 1 was saying but when could we go that its his wife glided to my side aloofly the princess Itan cint murmured 1 I think you are wanted by the police they asked me to tell you to come and began to talk in wearied tones to her husband as if I 1 L was is u dismissed Is missed I 1 thought furiously that she was one of the most hateful women I 1 had ever met 1 take time to wonder what donahey Don aliey wanted now I 1 just went straight to the table where he was standing with a little group about him there was a n ma man n in uniform I 1 noticed and the bellers rellers with dan Har harraden riden and monty mitchell Ml in the midst of my good mornings my eyes fell on a dress lying over a chair its folds training my frock frocia tile the ice fee blue satin frock I 1 bad worn too the night before I 1 have time for anything but astonishment when donahey spoke you recognize this dress miss bliss seton scion of course its mine for no reason that I 1 could name or help my voice sounded def defiant lant lie ile went forward and lifted a fold of blue satin disclosing the underside of the skirt there pinned by a safety pin hung a little sort of bag like a aled up handkerchief and you recognize this why no what Is it I 1 stam with slow deliberation lie he undid the pin and let the cloth drop in one of his palms from the opening folds his thick fingers picked up a chain strung with glittering stones lie he stared at it then dangled it before us all it was a chain of diamonds yellow diamonds CHAPTER VI V istook I 1 WAS too ast astonished to speak I 1 stood staring at the dress |