Show r murder MM 19 by uy inez haynes irwin copyright ines haynes irwig irilla servia FRIDAY continued 17 1 I wonder now why with a sword in his bis hand that ace brave man that he be was did not jump at me on the chance that I 1 would miss perhaps he remembered that I 1 was a swift and accurate shot but I 1 think ace realized suddenly what he had done to his bis own life he had come to the end of the trail A man naturally decent magna magnanimous nime and generous he had beco become so involved in debt and sin and impending disgrace that this seemed the only way out ace put the point of the sword over his heart lie he held the handle firmly with his two hands and tell fell forward his whole length upon it 1 I had warned myself over and over to remember about fingerprints there were grapevines hanging over the trees I 1 picked some of the long leaves and using them as a guard I 1 turned ace over on his face I 1 closed his eyelids I 1 composed his arms I 1 drew his tunic close to his body I 1 withdrew the sword from the wound wiped off both the handle and the blade and placed it by his side I 1 put the mask to one side I 1 smoothed out the hole bole the tha sword hilt had made in the gravel walk last of all I 1 carefully collected the grape leaves walked back over the lawn and vaulted the stone wall I 1 went back the way I 1 came rowed across the tha river and up to tho the island tamp camp on the way I 1 dropped the grape leaves overboard adah and berry never knew that I 1 had left the place there followed one of the insane passages wherein poor bruce seemed to be trying to justify himself the document ended poignantly 1 I loved ace blankle as I 1 have never loved another man god help me I 1 love him yett three days later patrick came over to call we talked the whole story over from beginning to end finally patrick I 1 asked what made you decide to go to bruce Hex sons camp that afternoon because I 1 knew by that time that bexson killed ace how long had you known it about a minute A minute when what how did you find and it out sylvia told me Syl sylvia vial I 1 sylvia really solved this murder but as we cant get sylvias name into this terrible business I 1 shall haye to take the credit I 1 want you to promise me though that when sylvias a woman let me tell her I 1 1 I I 1 acceded at once in a frenzy of haste go on pat well sylvia and I 1 were out on the piazza talking you were in the living room rummaging in your desk for something later I 1 dis discovered it was a list ot of books that bruce bexson had bad given you we got onto the subject of dorinda belle I 1 cant forthe ufa life of me ma remember how it came cama about but sylvia told me this story she said gaad that after marden mat den left the stow kitchen the night of the masquerade she he suddenly remembered remember d that she had left dorinda belle down by the merry mere she said aid that she bear to have dorinda belle bella stay out all night it might rain she want to ask you if she could go get her for fear you let her and so she too went out through the little garage door and ran as fast as she could to the merry mere it took her a few minutes to find the doll the ibe little cimpl I 1 exclaimed involuntarily but what she let drop was what established this case for mathat she could hear ace blaikle and mr bexson talking in the spinney that you see was my last link now I 1 have to go back and tell you that when we all went into the spinney after sarah darbe discovered ace I 1 found saw it and ive never spoken to anybody on the bark at the base of the nearest white bitch birch were three drops of what appeared to be green ink it was a loose piece oz or birch bark I 1 tore it oft off and put it into my pocket in the excitement nobody noticed both you and sarah were watching joe geary as he worked avei ace patrick drew out his billfold bill fold from it he nipped an envelope from the envelope he drew a piece of birch bark and handed it to me on it were here three green ink spots by hook or crook he went on 1 I managed to find out ii if there was any green in any house on the head perhaps you can remember now that I 1 got two of the witnesses I 1 examined in this house to lend me their fountain pens neither of them used green ink I 1 had asked ken winslow to hold up any letter that came through the post office written with green ink but none came when I 1 came in from my talk with sylvia on tho the piazza believe me I 1 was boiling with excitement cit ement there you stood with a written list of some kind in your hands and all the items on it were written in green ink when you told me that you had made that list st it bruce Hex sons I 1 anew it made sense with what sylvia told me but patrick I 1 exclaimed what were either of those men doing with a fountain pen that night well I 1 think I 1 know patrick answered but I 1 cant prove it and so BO im never going to say anything about this green ink youre the only person im going to tell mary and youre going to keep your mouth closed over it as long as you live I 1 nodded first place I 1 thought it strange that after doctor marden had mado mad his accusation of ace in bruce hex sons presence that bexson feeling as he did toward him let ace drive him back to his camp in the second place Hex sons account of what ace said to doctor marden in your spinney disagreed with doctor Alar wardens dens account according to doctor marden harden ace said that he bo was going to change his will according to bruce bexson ace said he had changed his will at once I 1 figured that Hex sons con bession entirely on the level he was trying understand me with the best motives he was trying to put something over and ana he has put it over ace blaikle blaikie did not sign that new will at bruce hex sons place the afternoon of the masquerade qu erade he signed it in your spinney bruce bexson typed it out carried it with his pistol and his fountain pen to your place lie he made ace sign it he gave ace his bis pen and ace did what we all do when he ha found the pen work at once he shook it it three drops of ink fell at the base of 0 that white birch THE END |