Show PI I AD a y iSA 13 EL 1 A I T T r WN RELEASE TILE TIIE STORY STORT SO FAR Judy Jason who Is the story receives an no anonymous letter enclosing SOO OO and ask In log Ing her ber to bid for lor or an abandoned chur church h to be auctioned the next day She finds In an old chest the body of 01 a man Identified dent dent- fied fled as toddy Hoddy Lane The body disappears dIsappears pears a few lew hours later A fish shed burns apparently killing an aD old man named Brown Drown who Is supposed to have bave lived there Lily LUy Kendall M h found lound dead with Hugh Norcross' Norcross scarf around her neck Albion Potter Totter gives Ives Judy a picture of the tho church he be has bas Just finished Bessie Des Bes ale sie Norcross writes a confession Hugh Insists that his bIs sister only confessed to save him Now continue with Judy's story CHAPTER Auntie was urging me to go back to the house The boat was already at the waters water's edge I wanted to see the final splash and learn if it it would be safe sate I hoped Victor Quade wouldn't get into it when with a mighty shove It slipped into the bay As a matter of fact nobody did I Just then Thaddeus Quincy let out outa a yell and waved his red table cloth like anything Sure enough a sail sall sailboat sailboat boat was making for our wharf She had no tender but as she came about the men hastily tied the Eleanor Eleanor Eleanor Elea Elea- nor and stood shouting till its it's a wonder anything could be made of It Ahoy there yelled the man Lane ready Lost my tender So hed he'd come expecting Roddy to go sailing with him And Roddy hadn't kept the date Lanes not here I shrilled Quin cy Theres been aDe a aDe aDe a- a De Witt held up his hands Let me my friends Then he bellowed Send the police at police at once Murder Understand The man let go the tiller a second to megaphone with his hands Not Lane Did you say say murder murder When he didn't show up I came after aHer him You want the police I was sure he was going to capsize capsize capsize cap cap- size but he benighted righted his craft and sailed slowly oh it seemed so slowly slowly slowly slow slow- ly toward town across the cove It wont won't be long now Potter said and Im I'm utterly glad Sorry for Norcross though Uncle Wylie pulled at his old corncob corn cornn cob pipe a moment Nella wheres where's my pipe You know the one I like Where the police pollee cant can't find it Howd How'd I know confess I I-I I I burned it Dang bang It Burned my best pipe That was a smart thing to do dot What'll the police think when they find youve you've deliberately burned some of the evidence Uncle Wylie was mad I Let em think what they please I Aunt Nella swept up the steps with dignity Come along Mr Nor Nor- cross She had no intention of ot sharing sharing sharing shar shar- ing her precious elderberry wine with all of us But Hugh sank down In a chair I his head slumped forward and a dazed expression on his face as Uhe if U he could no longer take It all in I sat in hi the next chair Be a relief relic to be let alone in a anice anice nice quiet cell he said to nobody in particular Only my own nerves to consider for a change I believe It'll be a rest Maybe poor Bessie will snap out of it iL Help her Judy And know this before they come If things hadn't turned out this way I was going to tell you something It doesn't matter now You wouldn't want to hear it from a fiend like me I could coWd still see the sailboat disappearing disappearing dis dJs appearing in the opposite direction The sun was hot Below us lay the charred place where the fish shed had stood with its gruesome exhibit ex ex- hibit Beyond poor Lily whom the themen themen themen men had thought best to leave where she was was cruel cruel as it seemed to us all There are plenty of people on this porch who could be convicted on evidence against them the same as you it seems to me Hugh Personally Personally Personally Per Per- I cant can't see what you could have to shy say s y to me after the way you tried to Involve me In fn this awful affair I said to him Nobody c could uld pin phi allY anything thIng on you on account of the I sent you In 50 bills He let it ride I wish they'd come and take me away Suspense is terrible Hughie why did you put that gloss glass bead in my powder compact and leave the bag for De Witt to find You must have known it would implicate me Oh yes the bead It was a anice anice anrce nice one I found it Thought you could give it back to Miss Kendall Always picking cm em up for her So you were Pretty kind to a person you'd planned to kill Wed We'd been almost whispering but now I got up to go into the house Fraid it wont won't wash Hugh Norcross Norcross Norcross Nor Nor- cross any more than the pool of ot blood Bessie says was at the foot of the church steps No one else saw any traces of it IL She's covering for tor you and youre you're doing the same for her A whisper came between us Shut up Judy Go on with the act Norcross Know your innocent but it'll throw the real you know off of guard Then aloud Victor said so 80 that the others could all hear Now that Norcross has bas cleaned his slate can any of the remainder of ot you throw any light on various angles Might keep some lome of ot it from the au au- au- au If it had nothing to do with the crimes that crImes that Is I saw my aunt turn her back and knew the teeth were being plunked in again Mr Gerry and I will not mind their questions Ill I'll own awn up to destroying the pipe Bet most wives burn up a smelly pipe or two Its It's silly to think even if it dropped out of f Wylies Wylie's pocket at the fish shed It could have set the fire led him wouldn't it t Why dont don't you come clean about your daughter Mr Quincy Cant Can't do any harm now Thaddeus Quincy pounded the steps with his cane He was sitting sitting sitting sit sit- ting In his chair down at the foot of tiem and now his face seemed strangely contorted as he glared gland at my aunt you leave her out of it he thundered He had a motive too He had a 8 stalwart cane He could get around alone for hadn't I blundered blundered blundered blun blun- dered into him in the church aisle Had his daughter been another of ot Roddy's victims And why hadn't my aunt told me A new respect for her came over me as Mr Quincy sputtered She had nothing to do with this Six years ago my only child fell In love with and married married mar mar- ried that cad Lane while I was in Baden-Baden Baden taking the cure I was only gone nine months but I never saw her husband until night before last when he walked into the dining room here Hed He'd gene through the little money my daughter had received received received re re- re- re from her mother and deserted desert desert- ed her for another woman before 1 f came home You cant can't imagine the refined cruelty he practiced on my little girl before she went to Reno and divorced d him Now she's happily happily happily hap hap- married again You can see 4 1 f 1 a cT r. r I 1 Be a relief to be let alone In a anIce anice anice nice quiet cell why I dont don't want her mentioned She waited three years for tor him and when he came crawling back after the Lane Bank scandal she saw reason reason rea rea- son and divorced him Hugh flamed It wasn't my sister sister sis sis sis- ter Bessie wouldn't have anything to do with another womans woman's hus hus- band III If she knew it Quincy added Dont have a fit Norcross It wasn't your sister Happened out West West- Th The woman woman woman-I I wont won't mention her name name but but she dabbled in magazine magazine magazine mag mag- azine Illustrating She was married also at the time Deserted her too Led her a terrible life Ive I've heard There was a motive a yard wide wide wide- a man who's abused his daughter ought to be killed Mr Quincy himself himself him him- self sell said so the next brea breath tho It was lucky Lane had kept out of his sight But I didn't kill him nor that pestiferous Miss Kendall Ill I'll admit admit ad ad- mit I came to the Head to try to get back my daughters daughter's Roddy told her after alter hed he'd been inking drinking one day he had a personal bank hidden a at t the Head but not in inthe inthe inthe the Castle Hed He'd fooled the police at atthe atthe atthe the time of the search but if it shed she'd take him back hed he'd get it and repay her The depression left us us-espe- us espe especially her and her twin babies babies- shed she'd remarried after the divorce divorce- hard up Id I'd seen no mention of Lane In the Rockville paper I determined determined determined de de- de- de to come to the Head and have a look The auction of the church set me thinking That would be the very place to hide wealth Inan In Inan Inan an unused church So I c came me I didn't know whether Lane was still afraid to show up here or had taken the money away or not My 1 daughter daugh daugh- ter refused to have anything to do with him or his money Did you send me the cash to buy the church He poin pointed td his cane at Hugh He did Me Im I'm poor I bid bid but It was a relief when you got It Judy That would give me access wIt without out suspicion No its it's clear as a brook The recluse died by accident The bridge collapsed Norcross avenged his sister And Miss Kendall fell All we have to do is wait walt for the police police po po- po- po lice who should arrive in in- in he took out his watch about fifteen or twenty minutes Victors Victor's hands pat caked silent silent- ly Iy Very very interesting Mr Quincy And the wind tied the blue scar scarf around Lilys Lily's neck You should know I wasn't down there Wed We'd all left the church and gone to the bridge You stayed a awhile awhile awhile while didn't you y you u I Yes With Judy Did Lilys Lily's I death coincide with the gulls gull's cry I felt sure It had Victor changed the subject subject- Why Anything to add Potter The artist jumped his wide eyes bulging bilging wider vider Me Ie He shrugged lot ot a thing Came here to paint and a fine chance Ive I've had Never saw or heard beard of ot the place before Went to R Rockville first just as you did Quade and a fellow said when I bought some linseed oil and turpentine turpentine turpentine tur tur- If its it's scenery you want go to the Head So I came and liked it and now no wish I It was the longest speech Id I'd ever heard from him The mini minister ter wasn't saying a thing He stood by the rail his sermon sermon sermon ser ser- mon forgotten gazing out toward Rockville But he faced us quietly when Victor spoke to him And you De Witt want to add a word You mean my prison record It'll doubtless be raked up Ill I'll just say this I lost money in the Lane Bank failure several failure several thousand dol dol- lars I came here summers summers Rock Rock Rockville ville I mean mean and and preached there as well as in New York Because of ofa a scandal I was ousted from both churches Some of the funds for maintenance were missing The be police police police po po- po- po lice received an anonymous letter hinting that there might be a connection connection connection con con- between the embezzlement at the bank and the church affair affair- perfectly ridiculous I was accused and sent to prison and served nine months then one of my deacons confessed I always thought Lane might have sent that anonymous let let- ter No proof could be found There was a horrible interval of suspicion ion before the police accused me At Atthe Atthe Atthe the church everyone thought him guilty His father had come to me and Id I'd talked with Roddy earlier that Is tried to get him to do the right thing I If he had taken poor peoples people's savings or forged my name to a certain check I prayed with him to clear his conscience He told me to go to to Hades His father father father fa fa- ther my friend shot himself but that wasn't until after alter Id I'd been tried and convicted and served time Now you know and if you'll excuse me me- me He left leU us and went to his room Victor announced quite bluntly Several things sound fishy to me I wouldn't advise anyone to try to get away away in hi the Eleanor for in in- stance Including yourself cried Hugh Including myself He was rehashing his own O status when I went in fn I was a sight and the police were due any minute We might all be taken to Rockville for forque que questioning Id I'd fix my hair and jump into a clean dress That dotted dotted dot dot- ted blue voile would do I hurried to my room The money money Yes it was still there I II I started to open my closet door and saw Id I'd have to move the I church picture again Oh dear more paint But this time I was careful and turned it farther along the wall taking hold of on one corner and reversing the painting Suddenly Suddenly Sud Sud- denly I sat back on my heels and stared As plain as day the face of a funny little monkey showed through the plate where Id I'd wiped it with a newspaper a little while ago The only monkey I knew of as a pet belonged belonged belonged be be- longed to Gloria Lovelace Lily Lovelace-Lily Lily Kendalls Kendall's niece I I began to wonder what the rest of the picture looked like The paint was still wet As J I 1 swiped at it with paper a portrait emerged Nothing distinct but but a woman with oodles of ot curls holding a monkey If U I could get some linseed oil or even kerosene kerosene kero kero- sene maybe Id I'd have a portrait Two initials came to view view view-A. A. A P. P down in one in-one ene cne corner Albion Potter of course I recalled a picture of ot Lilys Lily's niece the the movie star star and and a monkey I knew I shouldn't but I deliberately went into Miss Kendalls Kendall's room And the first thing I saw was a photograph photograph photo photo- graph Id I'd often noticed before of a pretty girl with lots of hair holding up a pet monkey That was queer enough Had Lily given Albion Potter Potter Potter Pot Pot- ter a commission to do a portrait of ot her niece right light from the photograph photograph photograph photo photo- graph That must be it Yes there it H was A little linseed oil and anyone any one could see the subjects wele were the same The painting what I could see of ot it looked very good I 1 went up and put on my dotted voile volle and joined the others before belore the Ule police came That was a swell portrait you did of Miss Kendalls Kendall's niece Mr Potter I smiled at him OnlY I wish you hadn't painted over it it Wh why Wh I never did a portrait of ot her niece in my life But your Initials are on it 11 I persisted On the back of the picture picture pic pic- ture of the church you gave me mo TO DE BE CONTINUED I I I |