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J 51 ji 1 r. r r L R a Jf o r. r i lly w rr Jt Y n f. f y PIRi J 0 f II g i L rw t f. f R t k kW WAIT ISABEL J Y R W THE STORY SO FAR Judy ludy Jason luon who Is ts telling the thi story receives an anonymous letter enclosing SOO and askIne ask ask- in Ine Ing her to ro bid for an abandoned church churchro to ro be auctioned the next day She finds ends In an old chest the body of a man Identified Oed fied as Roddy noddy Lane The body disappears disappears disappears pears a few hours later A fish shed burns borns apparently killing an old man named Darned Drown who Is supposed to have hn-e lived lI there Judy finds ends Roddy Lanes Lane's diamond dla dia mond mood In the handbag she left at the church the day of the tho auction Lily Uly Kendall Rendal Ken Ren dall dal Is found lound dead with Hush Hugh Norcross' Norcross scarf around her neck Albion Potter rives gives Judy a a. picture of the church he be bebas has bas Just finished Now y continue with willi Judy's story CHAPTER XV XVI I kept a good lookout too I 1 could see Uncle Wylies Wylie's bent figure down at the bridge In the living room cooler than the porch the men were gathered still talking things over Finally they decided to get out the least damaged boat and try to put It Into shape Victor agreed anything was better than Idly wait- wait Ing Mr Quincy could sit on the beach and wave his flag to try to attract attract attract at at- tract a passing craft Not the beach For the first time I saw Mr Quincy staring at Victor with genuine suspicion Beach isn't visible and you know It Anybody could finish me of off down there No thanks Ill I'll stay where I 1 can be seen by all Then if some killing occurs you cant can't blame me He told me afterward when the men had left the room hed he'd really begun to think Quade was our killer Stark fear tear had replaced replaced replaced re re- re- re placed his former bantering mannel man man- ner nel At first I only hall half suspected him he said But its it's all too pat He turns up from nowhere and trouble begins He could have doneaU doneall done doneall all aU of ot It lt The letter the money the fire and the killing He found Miss Kendall Kendall's s 's body Judy stay with your aunt I dont don't trust Victor Quade Well I do I returned with some come heat I 1 guess a womans woman's instinct instinct in in- instinct is worth more than than than- do that unfortunate Kendall Kendall Kendall Ken Ken- KenI I dall woman much good did it Youre letting this get you Mr Quincy Perhaps I did it Perhaps you did But Im I'm sure Victor Quade Quade- So that's how it is If U Id I'd felt the blood flooding my neck before it crept all over my mylace face lace now Ill get you a red tablecloth table table- cloth loth from the linen closet and tie it around a broom That do Nicely he be said Then will you wheel me down the ramps right where I 1 tell you Uh I clipped up the stairs The linen closet adjoined the bath bath- room I found the faded old cloth I wanted and was about to run down again when the sound of crying reached me from up the hall Poor Bessie Norcross No wonder she couldn't sleep I tapped on her door The weeping weep weep- ing stopped immediately I tapped again The least I could do was to give her hel her brothers brother's message And the least she could do I thought was to learn how he be was I tapped a bit louder Miss Norcross Rap Rap Rap-rap-rap rap rap-rap Bessie its it's Judy I heard her stirring and waited but she didn't unlock the door Bessie Ive I've a message from Hugh Open the door I could hear her bedsprings creaking creaking creaking creak creak- ing again Then footsteps She came close to the door This time the crying crying cry cry- ing tag commenced again Im all nil right Judy For heavens heaven's heavens heaven's heavens heaven's ens en's sake go away And g give ge e this to the police when they come Amazed I waited for her to open the door Instead I heard a shoving shoving shoving ing sound on the floor and saw at my feet a Q white while envelope I picked it up and said Did you say say pO po police lice what I said Have they come yet No I 1 said backing e away as a leeling of f horror came over me Well Wen they will And they'll keep m wake hours asking questions qt q is questions Ive I've got to slew sIc and the medicine wont won't work She was fairly raving at me Hugh took the rest of it away Oh Judy beg him to give you just one of those darn darn him himl himlI I was already heading helding for the stairs Ill try But I had no intention in of getting or anything any any- else What kind thing of a person was she to help trap her own brother broth er I 1 never heard of anything so cold-blooded cold in my life lite Her tone when she said Hugh had taken he her dope lope stuff had been fu full of hate He was such a good brother to her and now in his necessity she not only locked herself hersel in but helped the police Come here quick I Bessie Norcross Nor cross thinks her brothers brother's guilty I Look she's written to the police Victor shushed me when I told him about Bessie's letter Bless you Want the crew upon us He wagged his dark head bead at the men who were standing around trying to figure how to get the boat out of the barn loft Without a D moments moment's hesitation Victor tore open Bessie's letter I Iwas Iwas Iwas was tickled mauve that he dared yet I couldn't help wondering why he didn't let Hugh do It A fleeting suspicion crossed his mind If U Hugh were right and Victor guilty guilty I 1 End Justifies the means Judy i j Ii i I He began to stroll away sway from the barn while from the piazza Thaddeus Thaddeus Thaddeus Thad- Thad deus Quincy waved a red cloth from the end of his cane and yelled at me Just a minute I 1 yelled back at him Oh please Mr Quade Does Doess s she e say he did it It I said to Quade Victor gave a a low whistle This beats the Dutch Listen Judy Its It's a confession Not Bessie Bessie Victor made a quick survey to be sure he wasn't overheard overheard overheard over over- heard and then commenced to read in a low tone I Elizabeth Norcross cross being of sane mind do hereby of my own accord accord ac ac- cord on this Fourth of July confess to the murder of Rodney Lane Jr and Lily Kendall But I did not have anything to do with the death of that poor old man recluse they ca call Brown whom I 1 never even saw nor nol the burning of his shack nor the explosion at the bridge I feel sure though there were no fireworks atthe at atthe atthe the Head the night before the thc Fourth both were accidents The bridge may have collapsed I dont don't know But my brother Hugh did not have a hand in any of this murder business nor know that I had Heis He Heis Heis is entirely innocent in every way although several things might look suspicious I can account for tor fill all ll three The initialed golf gol club the blue scarf and his being seen before the crime of Roddy's death in the vicinity I mean by Judith Jason and Thaddeus Thaddcus Quincy He told one onelie lie lie to Jo save me He said when he went out having missed me last lh V s F l t j jt t y yF F He lie fell Cell down the stairs and must Lave have struck his head on the granite floor night about the time Judy spoke toa to toa I a shadow that he saw my light come on in my room so he knew Iwas I Iwas Iwas was all right He couldn't have My room is on the other othel side of the house Go look for yourselves He did it to protect me me We glanced at the Inn bedroom and saw she was telling the truth Then continued Now about the spot on my coat Its It's blood Hugh tried to save me there also He didn't borrow any turpentine from Mr Po Potter tte 1 I 1 did I tried to clean clears off ofT the blood but made It worse I Iguess guess Mr Potters Potter's door dool was open a crack Hed He'd gone to town I too took k the bottle from his table Please wont won't somebody help m me e down the ramp I heard Mr Quincy Quin Quin- cy holler again but this time I di did d not turn around Let him quilt Victor said resuming resuming rethe re re- suming the letter To make this horrible story short Ill I'll say that my motive was wa s vengeance Five years ago Roddy Lane jilted filled me after a summers summer's s courtship in this very place M My Y brother was just a boy but he sa same saw w me have a nervous breakdown an and d vowed hed he'd get even with Lane some som c day Id I'd reserved that same pleasure pleas pleas- ure for myself I take the Rockville e paper Just to keep track of Roddy When the auction of at the church wa was s advertised I hoped he might show v up Got Hugh to vacation here ostensibly ostensibly ostensibly os os- to prove I could again visit t the scene of my broken heart and an I show him the wound didn't bleed blee d any more Hugh fell for It Hes He's s been a good brother to me I 1 tol told d him bim the sight of the Castle where Id I'd laughed and danced and had m my Y romance didn't give me a pang pang an any Y longer longel It wasn't true When Roddy walked Into th the e dining room at Gerry's all of old d sweet bitter-sweet love came back again And he didn't even pretend to recognize recognize recognize nize me met mel Id I'd never wronged him m I 1 dont don't have to bare my heart an any y more The old adage about a woman woman wom worn an scorned is enough I 1 determined determine d to go through with it Hed He'd never neve r live to break another trusting hew heart I left the table passing but no not t speaking to him I couldn't bear i it t if it he greeted me like an old friend in that casual sneering way o of his which was the way he be treated his castoffs Id I'd studied his career and found it full of things hed he'd neglect neglect- neglected ed to mention such as his wife Id I'd never dreamed he vas was already married while making love to me I picked up the club Mr De DeWilt DeWitt DeWitt Witt Wilt had been using os the lawn and went for a strolL Everybody nearly nearly nearly near near- ly had gone to town so I thought Hugh was in his room I saw siw saw Roddy coming down the Castle drive He wanted to talk to me he said to tell me how miserable hed he'd the been been the mistake wed we'd made of our lives Could we ever forgive ourselves And begin again I had to steel myself against his passion All the old feeling came rushing back I was beginning to melt like sugar He had to get something something something some some- thing out of the church basement before it was auctioned off olI he said I asked him if hed he'd meant it when he said at supper he was going to buy it it Buy it What for for he said I only came to the Head because because because be be- cause I knew you were down here I knew that was a lie Hugh and andI I had only just arrived the thc week before before before be be- fore quite unheralded We went into the church the church the door was unlocked un un- locked locked and and he told me to wait but butI I followed him Roddy are ale you asking me to marry you again I 1 said He took me in his arms and kissed me For a minute I was happy Then he said No more wedding bells for tor me Sort of comp companionate com- com p maybe darling We were standing at the top of the basement basement basement base base- ment stairs I was so mad I gave him a push away from me He fell I down th the stairs and must have struck his head on the granite floor Ugh I can see him bim now now all all smashed I dragged him to the chest and somehow got him in 1 I forgot about the golf gol club which must have fallen down into the pool of blood I heard somebody on the steps steps Miss Miss Kendall or maybe il it was Judy and Mr Quincy Anyway Any Any- way I ran out the basement door dool and home Judy will remember she heard the door squeak so I must have not quite closed it I 1 didn't know what to do I considered jump ing lug into the sea but hadn't the cour court I age Poor Bessie I 1 murmured Victor turned the last page I never Intended LUy Lily Kendal any harm She was a bore and f s pest always bragging about hei het niece that niece that Gloria Lovelace an ant anc I trotting out her pictures Gloria Gloris was her whole l life e. e but I 1 hadn't cometo comEto comE corm I Ito to the Massachusetts coast to heal about her Hugh and I couldn't take a walk but it was Gloria all the way I knew Lily had seen me earlier that fatal evening when shed she'd gone to watch the sunset but I before reaching the church oi of course I knew shed she'd seen me wearing wearing wearing wear wear- ing Hughs Hugh's blue scarf around my head Id I'd lost the scarf while I 1 Iwas Iwas was with Roddy When you all went to the bridge to connect with the milkman Lily didn't go Neither did I. I We took a walk together toward toward toward to to- ward the sea She told me shed she'd picked up my scarf and thrown it into the ocean but the wind had blown it back into the Pirates Pirate's Mouth She accused me openly of 01 killing Roddy I 1 got her to show me where and gave her a little push too She tell fell you know where and andI I rolled her toward the slit in the rock where she struck The handkerchief hand band kerchief was there all right but 1 didn't tie it around her neck It slipped out of my y fingers beyond reach into the crevice I had nothing nothing noth noth- ing to fish it out with and hoped hope when the tide turned it might be washed away But some wretch tied it around her neck to make it look lookas lookas as if my brother did it I 1 didn't strangle her She died just as Roddy Rod dy did from the fall If U she hadn't said I killed Roddy because be he jilted jilt ed me I wouldn't have pushed her in That word Jilted finished me crazy I gasped Oh no Victor said Just a little little lit lit- tle tie more of It And he read the last pitiful explanation of that awful night I was afraid I might be seen so I 1 crept out of the Pirates Pirate's Mouth up the other side the steep way crawling around the cliff dill back of the church and down to the strip trip of 01 beach to the woods back of Gerry's barn I got across the road to the inn and back to my room without being seen And that's nIL alL Ill I'll try I Ito to answer police questions questions-it if Im I'm I awake But before God In Heaven my brother is s innocent How Haw dread dreadful ull Victor sighed Yes bow how dreadful dread dread- ful fut What does she mean mean mean-if If she's awake Does she take sleeping medicine med med- feine all the time around and started back Hurry Judy She's pretty desperate Dont worry She begged me to beg Hugh for tor another pill or tablet or however comes And I heard her say h hed he'd d refused to give rive her any darn any darn him Her words not mine How she must love him Sounded pretty mad at him through the door dool Poor girl No wonder she wanted wanted wanted want want- ed sleeping tablets after writing all this she brave to confess Confess Why you Innocent little little lit Ut tle tie baby This document lets leu Bessie Bes sie sic off olI scot free TO DE CONTINUED |
