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I HEAD Ol EJ T j 4 I ISABEL ABEL S 5 A BEL 1 VV VA A ITT IT T. v W N U RELEASE Rt lEAS J THE TeE TI STORY STORT SO Se FAR Judy Jason r J II telling the story story receives an anns ank k ns letter enclosing OO and ask f g C be to bid for tor an abandoned church floe be the e next d day y She sus sus- peels V In turn each of the Cn guests t at al the Inn here They are the Reverend Jonas Jona DeWItt De Lily Uly Kendall Thaddeus Quincy Albion Potter Hugh Durb Norcross and hi his sister Bessie nessle Other possibilities are Aunt Nella NeUa anc and Uncle Wylie owners of the Inn Judy bids for we the church and jets gets It Ie That night she Daa lands a hand protruding from an old sea lea chest ebest ny By a ring she recognizes It u as Roddy Lanes A new guest Kuest Victor Quade arrives Now Continue with Judy's story CHAPTER III Wylies gone gone to the e village to see about gettin the sink drain fixed Aunt Nella murmured drowsily That meant Rockville beyond Pirate Pirates Pi Pi- rates rate Neck where the rest of the boarders probably were I went down the two Auntie nights Auntie 5 Auntie and I Inave have nave rooms in the attic attic and and re re- re- re ported Well just have to wait Mr Quincy said Its Ils after ten Someone will be along soon No celebration in Rockville to keep em late late fireworks fireworks display or silly bon bon- fire I could walk it t Mr Quade ob 01 ob- ob Only four tour or five miles Isn't It If U you do you'll take Miss Jason and push me young man Victor grinned and I felt completely com com- b disarmed No man with lovely teeth like that could be a cold blooded villain Maybe youre you're right he said Youre sure theres there's nobody at the castle catle who could go I What do you a stranger know about the castle ensUe Nothing except that the garageman garage garageman garageman man said it was empty I could have the whole grounds to work in He also recommended Mrs Gerry's pies Cant Can't beat that combination- combination solitude and good pie pic Someone was coming down the stairs We all looked up to see Hugh Norcross pausing to smooth his slick hair and straighten an already meticulously meticulously meticulously me me- correct tie before he be en en- Did you knock on my door a while ago aeo Miss Jason Why yes I did You didn't an an- ewer Iwer This is Mr Quade Mr Norcross Nor Nor- cross Hugh bowed swiftly and then turned again to me I thought it was my sister Next time its it's you announce yourself young lady Nice brother Well theres there's such a thing as self sell defense Bessie's very nervous Had three fits this evening Wanted meto me meto meto to thrash Lane for for for-for for what he said to poor Mr De Witt Said shed she'd fix him if U he ever came around here bere again Tell him a thing or two her sel self Why he broke off ofT what makes you all look so funny tunny Anything Any thing wrong Thaddeus Quincy spoke up Wheres Bessie now Sound asleep thanks be bel I just peeked And I suppose you were reading between fits Victor Quade asked nonchalantly I 1 was Ethics of since you ask Was he telling the truth Before we bad had a chance to tell him about my gruesome discovery in the basement of the church Lily Kendall came toddling into the room and plunked herself hersell down on the nearest stuffed chair Gee Im I'm tuckered She fanned herself hersell with a chubby ringed hand fingering her beads with the other Well Judy I see you beat me home borne OB Olt introduce me mel Another boarder Victor Quade received her ber melting melting melt melt- ing lug smile politely Mr Quincy cut in Miss Kendall youve you've been walking I take it thelong thelong the thelong long way round See anybody between between be be- tween here and the church Lily shook her chin Only you you you- down there at the steps Me I wandered all nil over through the Lane castle grounds She inquired of Mr Quade j Then en If U you mean the Lane rl feller no I didn't see him Nobody there looks like Why I thought the t the silence would never end Victor ictor Quade Just stared at Lily t s 's s again demanded Why What all so mysterious about know the Lane feller has bas ben bean killed I presume Kill Killed ed I Auto acc accident denU Murder Lilys Lily's pink beads eads broke and spattered spattered spat spat- in all directions Then her pleasant face lighted Oh Ob boyl boy Think of the publicity Wish my niece was here Pictures all ali over the newspapers and no fake stuff either Why WY you co couldn't buy it Interviews and everything e Who shot him Who said be he was shot t Victor threw at her Was he Search me Maybe somebody tuck snick a j rife knife in his back Somebody Some body odY Y wanted to last night all rightie what I heard And I saw heard hard 1 q I I i what b hat a et I saw saw- I st aint n t noth- noth Mr Quincy but you did leave I g th the IS' IS tabie table first and I did see you at the church a little while dO down ego ago Thaddeus Quincy's s lip curled T TOh surely I down In Oh Ob Oh wheel chair and knifed ned n ed shim him say looking at Quade now Then He wa was s T I cu cut cutwa t the telephone wires so the poil po po- t be notified could il lice Youre You're sure you didn't see any any- skulking about during your u ilk dy Ik Mr Quade asked Lily No N Why ask me i Wheres Where's the rest of the gang Gone to the movies Nothing else doin in Rockville so I decided to stay home They ought to be back pretty soon if U they have Hugh said offering of ot fering cigarettes to everybody say you and I wander down the road to meet them Mr Quade A muffled boom that was not the sea rattled the windows of the old house No cannon crackers ever made that noise either What was that we cried in hi uni Uni- son Sounded son Sounded like an explosion Victor Victor Vic Vic- tor Quade said A moment we sat petrified as the rumbling noise of an explosion came cameto to our ears i Hugh Norcross tore up the stairs as Aunt Nella tore down Judy wheres where's your Uncle Wylie Wylle Wy Wy- lie lle She stood just outside the door but we could all see her ber bare feet reet What was that noise We dont don't know Auntie Why dont don't you go back to bed Just somebody celebrating the Fourth Why should she go back to bed Mr Quincy wanted to know in this thing too Dont Mis' Mis Gerry know hes he's been killed shrilled Lily Aunt Nella keeled but caught her her- selL self Victor sprang to help her into the the room while we all explained at once once it wasn't her ber husband who'd been murdered Lane Lanel Aunt Nella sat up trem trem- bling Bessie And I dont don't blame her a mite Trust the Head to remember remember remember re re- re- re member a year old scandal Hugh was back Keep my sisters sisters sister's sisters sister's sis ter's name out of this She didn't hear bear the the the-the the explosion thanks be Get your aunt dressed Miss Miss Miss-is is isit I it Jason Come on you Mr Quade grabbed hold of Hughs Hugh's arm Lets s 5 r 1 l la a 1 l 0 2 t td IK s d f jI fir P i i J Victor Quade received her ber melting meltIng melt melt- in Ing smile politely investigate Something happened down the road Accident probably May need help Wait Want my first aid aid kit Good girl Hurry I ran upstairs to the medicine closet where Id I'd marked a shoe shoe- box on a top shelf shell first aid ald It had sterilized gauze adhesive tape an iodine swab and vaseline in it But the kit wasn't needed after all Id I'd barely reached the front hall when two cars brought home the rest of our guests They joined the others while Lily Hugh Mr Quincy in his chair and Aunt Nella who'd managed to get into her robe but stood shivering in bare feet plied them with questions I began to count them all talking at once about the explosion Albion Al AI bion blon Potter and the Rev Jonas DeWitt De DeWitt Witt but where was Uncle Wylie Wylle Wheres Wylie lisped Aunt Nella I put my arm around her Hes all right or they'd say so The explosion wrecked the bridge What bridge I dont don't remember a bridge between here and the main main- land Victor Quade said Dark when I came in The fog log and all You wouldn't notice it at nt night Hugh said Just a short affair over overa a bit of the Neck Pirates Pirate's Head is really an island Mean a person could walk across Marshland isn't it No Not there Rocky Dangerous Dangerous Dan Dan- currents Regular rip tide Take a mighty strong swimmer that gap The water swirls and eddies into a regular whirlpool Darned narrow escape they had if 11 you ask me It was difficult to find out what'd happened when all made such a din But the bridge had blown up not long after the two cars had crossed safely over They'd both stopped and gone back but had seen nobody nobody no no- body and so come on All agreed the bridge was out of commission either by a bomb or dynamite The murderer did it ft of course shrilled Lily sos he could make a getaway before we called the po lice Murderer They gasped wide wide- eyed Oh dear dearl Wheres Where's my husband bus bus- band piped Aunt Nella The Reverend De Witt stood up Dont Don't be alarmed alarmed- my good wom wom- loman an Hes He's out In the car He He- boomed on all occasions even now Is he hurt hurtT Why doesn't he comeIn come comeIn comein In Aunt Nella started for the door Albion Potter blocked the way Ill Ill get him Mrs Gerry He isn't hurt hurt A sort of sickly grin crept round his mouth Just slightly slightly- slightly slightly- under the weather Hell He'll sleep it off grinned Lily Kendall Mr Potter and I brought him home bome with us the clergyman said as Aunt Nella wriggled past him with a loud He spread his hand as ns if it be he were giving the benediction Now what's all this about a murder Suppose you talk Quade Thaddeus Thad deus Quincy said This young man Victor Quade is a writer He arrived arrived ar or- rived at the Head in a trailer to write fiction inspired by the inn pies and the Lane estate That right Victor smiled In a way Go on No you go on Tell em the whole business Were We're all here but Wylie Gerry and hes he's hors de com com- bat French for drunk Lily whispered to me Aint this thrilling thrillIng thrill thrill- Ing My Im I'm glad I didn't go to toBar toBar toBar Bar Harbor Victor Quade took the floor and gave the facts as be he knew them How hed he'd arrived after dark and waited in the inn parlor till we found him bun How Mr Quincy and I had gone down to the church formy for formy formy my to find a key kev to fit r Bessie Norcross' Norcross door and how Id I'd seen Lanes Lane's dead hand sticking out of the lid of the sea chest in the cellar How the wires of the phone had been found cut And now the bridge blown up Were trapped Miss Kendall was right Whoever killed Lane had no Intention of our getting back to town tonight to get the police Hugh said What are we going goine to do Were going to keep quiet and let Mr Quade talk Mr Quincy said thumping his cane The rest of us were just jUit one happy family till he came along Let him contin contin- ue Maybe hell he'll give himself away Right Victor showed those marvelous teeth of his In a smile which could make anyone believe him a saint The question Is is what are we to do I would have called the police but my car Is in a Rockville Rockville Rock Rock- ville garage Now your cars are useless on account of the bridge Its It's high tide Anyone feel like swimming swimming swimming swim swim- ming across and then walking the Just Just how far is it The bridge is about half ball a mile from the Head and four miles from town Hugh said he be was darned if U hed he'd leave his sister at a time like that Mr Quincy shook his head resignedly That left only the Reverend Reverend Rev who boomed his bis swimming days were over and Victor Quade It would be suicide for me Vic Vie Victor Vietor tor said Doctors orders This trailer business with the dabbling at writing Is because Im I'm recovering from a rec recent nt illness But the police will be here anyway anyway any any- way wont won't they De Witt said They must have heard beard the explosion explosion sion slon in Rockville The men doubted it Certainly It t hadn't sounded very loud in the inn parlor so close by If U they did hear it they'd put it down to shindigs shin shin- digs the night before the Fourth The milkman would be coming comine to the Head Head when when Not till around noon I Lets see see Its Its It's now 11 The explosion occurred when Quarter of oU We let it go at approximately that The movies close early in Rockville Rock ville vile and the two cars had come along together Perhaps the police will come Meanwhile why dont don't we all aU try to act as normally as possible until dayl p dayl He broke off as a shrill cry from outside came from Aunt Nella Wylie I We hadn't noticed that Albion Potter who'd gone out with my aunt bad had come back and was standing standIng standing stand- stand Ing in the doorway He lIe he he wasn't in the car Mrs Gerry he stam hunting all over creation creation cre cre- creation in her bare feet He cant can't be far No I 1 should imagine not boomed the preacher He broke brake off oU and suggested alter after some hesitation hesitation tion If U If if the water Isn't too rough I could row a boat Yes and escape escape es es- es cape I couldn't but think Hadn't Lane called him Smith Maybe he be was an ex convict ex-convict You could not not Mr Quincy said with finality any And that was that Im going after my aunt Will someone come with me Shell She'll know I wilL Hugh was on one side and Victor Quade on the other But the whole crowd followed We hadn't gone six yards before Aunt Nella gave cave a thin piercing scream that sounded down toward the sea Help I into the fog we ran Coming Auntie I called in ha answer answer an an- to her call for help TO DE CONTINUED |