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Show THE WEDDING MARCH MURDER by Monte Barrett O Copyright, 1933, tj the Bobbs-Mtirrill Co. WNU Service. SYNOPSIS Waiting in the minister's study, Jim Franklin, about to be married to Doris Carmody, is stabbed to death. Peter Cardigan, novelist, and amateur detective detec-tive of some note, with Sergeant Kll-day, Kll-day, begin the official investigation. Franklin, while waiting, had visitors, among them his mistress, "Choo Choo" Train; his Intended wife's father, Ambrose Am-brose Carmody; her brother, Rylie; Daniel Bullts, politician, and a woman in a blue frock. Rylie Carmody admits ad-mits trying to stop the wedding, aft-r aft-r being Informed by Webster Spears that Franklin was still friendly with Choo Choo, despite his approaching marriage. Kilday secures the dead man's keys. From Callis Shipley, one of the bridesmaids, Rylie's friend, the investigators learn nothing. An interview inter-view with Bullis is fruitless. Webster Web-ster Spears admits informing Rylie Carmody of Franklin's relations with Choo Choo, for Doris Carmody'B sake, In the hope of preventing the wedding. Fletcher, Franklin's man-servant, is reticent. re-ticent. An interview with Milo Dunbar, Dun-bar, Franklin's law partner, and search of the dead man's office, reveals nothing noth-ing of importance. Choo Choo admits her relations with Franklin were to continue after his marriage. She says he visited Franklin at the church because be-cause a telephone message from Fletcher Fletch-er told her to come. Fletcher denies calling the actress. CHAPTER VI 12 Cross-Examination "Do you thiDk Choo Choo Is lying about that phone call?" Kilday inquired in-quired as the two men started back down-town. "I can't figure her out" Peter puffed his cigarette meditatively. medita-tively. "She received a telephone call, I'm satisfied of that," he replied finally. final-ly. "Why else would she have changed her mind about going to the wedding? And she did change her mind. Franklin Frank-lin was surprised to see her. "However, it wasn't Fletcher who called. I can see no reason why he shouldn't tell the truth about it. What I am trying to determine is whether Choo Choo really believed it 1 was Franklin's servant, or Is only trying to make us think so, in order to conceal con-ceal the identity of the person who really did call." "She seemed mighty surprised that Fletcher didn't remember it," Kilday volunteered doubtfully. "I can't forget that she's an actress," Peter confessed. "I find myself wondering won-dering how much of what she said and did was sincere, and how much was only for our benefit." He lighted another an-other cigarette, blew out the match and holding it between thumb and forefinger, inspected It slowly, as though, in the charred match head, he might find the solution to the puzzle which was worrying him. "What if it were the woman in blue that would provide a motive for Choo Choo's visit, and for the crime. I don't think she was acting when she told us she loved Jim Franklin. It must have been that, or else," he still scrutinized the match, "the murderer knew of Choo Choo's relationship with Franklin, and telephoned tele-phoned her in an effort to bring her to the church. If that Is the case, of course this actress had nothing to do with the crime and was only drawn In, by the real culprit, in an effort to confuse con-fuse the trail." Teter shrugged. "If that's what happened, we're farther from a solution than ever." The car had reached police headquarters, head-quarters, and the novelist followed Kilday up the battered steps. On the Serjeant's desk lay the revolver discovered dis-covered In the rectory garden, the dagger dag-ger with which the crime had been committed, and the stained curtain on which the murderer had wiped the blood from the weapon. "Every blessed thing we have to go on," complained the sergeant disconsolately. discon-solately. "Except, of course, the thumb-print on the gun. The keys won't be much help now. The only one we haven't identified Is obviously not a door-key. It couldn't fit the apartment of our woman in blue." "Just because the pieces of the puz-te puz-te don't fit the first time we try them. Is no sign we don't have all the pieces," retorted refer. "I'm merely pointing out that the keys are eliminated as one of the pieces to the puzzle," exclaimed Kilday ruefully. "I was hoping that they would help us Identify this woman In blue, when we found her. But now," he tilted back his chair and gazed celllngward through the haze of ' smoke that clouded the room. "Now I think you have given me a hint that Is Just as helpful." lie drew another long, reflective puff on his stogy. "The trouble with this case," he began, be-gan, presently, "is too many suspects. Of course, there aren't many genuine clues, but we haven't needed clues so much. Not since we've had an opportunity op-portunity to talk to all these people. Peter, has anything struck you as peculiar about this case?" "Not unless it's the fact that you've Just mentioned too many suspects." The sergeant leaned forward, a smile warming the harsh lines of his face. "You've laid your finger on It," he said. "Now what would you say that Indicates? Indi-cates? No, don't interrupt I know the answer myself. Whoever murdered mur-dered Franklin purposely entangled some of these others in the case in order or-der to drag a herring across his own trail, eh? Isn't that the way you figure it?" Peter eyed his friend carefully. "It looks that way," he admitted. "All right, then." Kilday made no effort to conceal his exuberance, "Let's find out who seems to have been manipulating the herring. Let's find out who seems to have been Involved in this ease by some one else. When we eliminate this class, perhaps we'll have the murderer. First," he began the enumeration of the suspects on his fingers, "there's Choo Choo. She claims some one phoned her, saying he was Fletcher, and told her Franklin wanted her to come to the church. Royce heard the argument, after she arrived there. Franklin wasn't expecting ex-pecting her. Of course, she may not be telling us the truth, but Just at present, she seems to be telling a straight story. And Franklin wasn't expecting her. So it looks as though she was part of the red herring that the real culprit dragged across the trail to throw us off the scent. We'll eliminate her, for the time being. "Then there's Fletcher. He hasn't been an Important suspect, up to now, but I'd say that this eliminates him from further consideration, too. Why? Because who ever called Choo Choo was the murderer. If that was Fletcher, Fletch-er, he wouldn't have given her his name. "Third, Ambrose Carmody." Kilday turned down another finger. "He was .dragged into it by that anonymous telephone call. Very similar to the trick employed to bring Choo Choo to the church. Strike him off. "Fourth, Rylie Carmody. He was drawn into it by the story told him by Webster Spears and now we're getting hot." "Hold on," Peter objected. "If you follow this method through, you'll eliminate every one, won't you?" The sergeant, enthused over his idea, shook his head smilingly. "Not so you can notice it," he retorted. "Don't overlook this fact. We don't know who called Chpo Choo. We aren't certain cer-tain who phoned Ambrose Carmody. But we do know who told Rylie. It was Webster Spears. And If Spears involved one of them, what's to prevent pre-vent him from being the one who involved in-volved the others?" "Only one thing," the novelist replied re-plied soberly. "If he was clever enough to draw these others into the case without revealing his identity, why did he tell Rylie Carmody personally? Why didn't he telephone him, or write him an anonymous letter? If he took these other precautions to remain concealed, con-cealed, how did he happen to slip up here?" But Kilday had an answer ready, partly born of his enthusiasm for the new theory, partly hatched from the relentless logic of his own experience. "They all slip up, sooner or later. I've never known It to fail. There aren't any perfect crimes. This Is the flaw in this one. It only required a little reasoning to discover it." "How about the others?" Peter was still reluctant. "How do you explain the presence of the woman in blue? What was Callis Shipley doing back there?" "The woman in blue could have been drawn into it Just as Choo Choo Train was. Spears only needed to know another woman with whom Franklin had had an affair to add a new note of mystery to the case which would keep us puzzled and throw us off the track of the real criminal. As for the Shipley girl, I don't know yet. But I will, before long. I've sent for her. She lied to us about Rylie taking her home. Either she lied to us about Spears' remark in the church, or else Spears lied. Personally, I don't think Spears would have made such a remark, which obviously would draw suspicion to himself, later. Not If he had already planned a murder and arranged all this false evidence to throw us off the track. This girl is golug to have to explain to me how she knew there had been a murder, too, and what she was doing at Webster Web-ster Spears' house Inst night. I don't know how she fits into this case, but she fits, somewhere. I'll soon know where." Reluctantly, Teter realized that his friend was only giving expression to the misgivings that had been troubling him concerning this girl. Only he had not before thought of her as an accomplice ac-complice of Webster Spears. He had associated her with Rylie Carmody, for whom she had seemed chiefly concerned. con-cerned. And he had preferred to explain ex-plain her evasions as her anxious effort ef-fort to extricate Rylie from the evidence evi-dence which seemed to be entangling him. In that light, he had been able to find an explanation for the fact that she had lied to him. It offered a possible explanation for her visit to Webster Spears the previous evening a visit which the latter bad denied. de-nied. For, in spite of himself, he had been stirred by the girl's defense of young Carmody during that interview with her. Her courage had quickened his sympathies. He thought again of the manner in which she bad appealed to him. He recalled the nnxiety mirrored mir-rored in her blue eyes. Surely this girl had had no part In the murder of Jim Franklin. She was scarcely more than a child. He thought of that second deep knife thrust that had ended Franklin's life. Could that blow have been guided by a girl's hand? Yet, in spite of his misgivings, and partly because of them, too, for he realized that he was not an Impartial judge where this girl was concerned, he grudgingly admitted to himself that Kllday's arguments possessed a gTeat . deal of logic. By all means, have the girl down here. She had some questions ques-tions to answer. And he was curious to see what his own reaction to her answers would be, this time. He would not again be fooled by a pretty face, "How does Dan Bullis fit into your new theory?" Peter was still exploring explor-ing the possibilities of the detective's argument "He doesn't fit," the sergeant admitted. ad-mitted. "The nearest I can figure, his part in the affair was accidental. He was anxious to see Franklin, and his arrival at the church when he did simply played into the murderer's hands." "How about Nick Royce? Another accident?" "Accidents don't come In pairs. No, Royce was best man. Where else could he have been? He tells a pretty straight story, too." "Except at one point," Peter pointed point-ed out. "He claims Franklin asked him to go out In front and find Milo Dunbar. It was important that he find him, because Franklin was worried after his Interview with Rylie Carmody, Car-mody, lest the youngster interfere with the wedding In some manner. Yet Royce never found Dunbar. He says he couldn't find him. Dunbar tells us he was there. We know he was present, because he Joined us In the study, after the crime was discovered." "How much Importance do you attach at-tach to that?" exclaimed Kilday Impatiently. Impa-tiently. "There were hundreds of people peo-ple out in front There's nothing very surprising in the fact that Royce couldn't find one man, In all that crowd." In spite of his reluctance where Callis Shipley was concerned, Peter was compelled to admit that the sergeant's ser-geant's theory was the best that had yet been advanced. It dovetailed into more of the known facts than any other. "What do you plan to do next? Arrest Ar-rest young Spears?" Sergeant Kilday made a wry face. "Not too fast Don't forget who he.is. I've got to have my case copper-riveted copper-riveted before I dare go that far. The Shipley girl will be here before long. I'll see what I can get out of her. In the meantime," he pulled a cigarette case from his pocket, gingerly, and carefully unwrapped the handkerchief In which It was swathed. "Here are samples of Choo Choo Train's finger-prints." He pressed the buzzer on his desk, as he continued, "Spears Is my man, but I'm not overlooking any bets. I'm going to compare fingerprint finger-print samples of every known suspect with those we found in the study. ' "Get plates on these prints, O'Mal-ley," O'Mal-ley," he ordered the assistant who answered an-swered his call, "and bring me the negatives of those you found In the study at St. Matthew's yesterday. Also the one of the thumb-print on the gun." Five sets of finger-prints had been discovered In the search of the room where Jim Franklin had met his death. Four of these, Kilday was inclined to believe, were made by men. The fifth set belonged either to a woman or to a man with exceptionally small hands. O'Malley was excited when he returned re-turned with the photographs. "We've identified the print on the gun with one of these sets we found in the study," he reported eagerly. "Look here, Sergeant." Side by side, he laid two negatives, as he indicated the similarity of whorls and lines which marked the two prints as identical. Kilday rubbed his hands delightedly. "Take a squint at them, Peter," he invited. in-vited. "Here's one time our fingerprints finger-prints are going to prove a case for us." The novelist examined the prints carefully. "But why didn't we find any prints on the knife, then? We know the murderer used it, but carefully care-fully wiped it off later. I don't understand un-derstand why he should have been so careless about the revolver, or about leaving finger-prints In the room. Where's the joker?" "You said It," exclaimed the sergeant. ser-geant. "Carelessness! He didn't think we'd take the trouble to look for a gun in the garden, after we found the knife. And some time or another, he must have left some prints in the study. If not, these two wouldn't match. Peter, I'm going to have the man who killed Franklin locked up by night." "I hope you're right." Cardigan looked doubtful. Kilday only grinned. "Here," he wrote down a list of suspects in the case, beginning with Webster Spears, then read It aloud. "Spears, Rylie Carmody, Ambrose Carmody, Callis Shipley, Choo Choo Train, Daniel Bullis, Nicholas Royce and Doctor Abernathy. With the exception of the woman in blue, that's the list. "I already have Choo Choo's fingerprints finger-prints on that cigarette case," he continued, con-tinued, "and Miss Shipley will be here before long, so you don't need to worry about her." He was addressing his assistant as-sistant "As for the others, I want specimens of their prints as soon as possible. Of course, you can't afford to be obvious about t Use cigarette cases and prefer f u want to question ques-tion them about something else. Understand?" Un-derstand?" O'Malley nodded. "Good. Clean it up as quickly as possible. Before you go, though, tell them to hurry up a report on Choo Choo's prints. I don't want any time wasted. "Now we're getting somewhere," he grunted as O'Malley left the room. Then he wheeled, with a gesture of annoyance, as his assistant returned. "Of course I wasn't in any hurry about those prints," he began, dourly. (TO BE OONTINXED.) The size of the humming bird seems very diminutive when compared with the world's largest bird, the ostrich. The smallest humming bird is found in Cuba, and its body is about one and one-fourth inches long, while the ostrich os-trich may be eight feet in height ad weigh as much as 300 pounds. The largest known humming bird is the "giant hummer," eight and one-half Inches long, found in the Andean mountains of South America. It resembles re-sembles our swifts. |
