OCR Text |
Show THE MAY DAY MYSTERY By OCTAVUS ROY COHEN CVeyrlght br CVlnvua Koy Cuhen. WNU SorvU-a. CHAPTER X Continued 17 "lie didn't toll us any untruths about that. Miss Peyton: he simply kept his imnith shut. It was on something some-thing more Important. He says tlmt when he loft the fraternity house, I'at Thayer was alive." "And why Isn't that the truth T" "I can't tell yon why. Miss Peyton, but 1 am saying that 1 am sure It Is a lie. I'll hot my right haiu! that when Larry Welch left that fraternity house. Pat Thayer was dead. And Larry knew It 1" She did not Indulge In dramatics. She merely sat very still and her body seemed to get cold as Ice. She stared at the huge figure opposite. op-posite. Hanvey met look for look. And she, earchlng the moonlike face for a vestige of reassurance, saw nothing tut grim honesty. "Then," she gasped, "you think Larry killed blm?" "I can't say that. Miss Peyton," he amended gently. "I do believe that he lied when he said Thayer was alive when he left. And now I know why." "Why, then?" "To shield you. He had Just learned your secret. He knew probably that you had been to see Thayer. And if he didn't kill Thayer, then he found the body when he got there and thought you had done It. It's a situation situ-ation as old as romance. Rut at any rate. It was a pretty fine thing for him to do. because by his own admission ad-mission Thayer was alive while he was there, which makes It certain that he must have done the killing." "Larry didn't do it, Mr. Hanvey. I feel that." "So do L But If he didn't who did?" She shook her head. "I don't know. ..." "It wasn't Larry, you say." "He couldn't do a thing like that even In a fight." "It wasn't you." "Is that Is that a question-. Mr. Hanvey or a statement?" The big man smiled slightly. "I don't know. Do you?" "I didn't kill him." Hanvey rose and shook his head. "This ain't any cinch. Miss Peyton. If I'm to believe what 1 hear: you didn't kill him and neither did Larry AVelch. It almost looks like if I carry the investigation far enough I'll find out he ain't dead." Suddenly he started forward : "I'm sorry. Miss Peyton. I didn't mean to crack any bum jokes. Honest, I didn't. I'm just a d d blundering jackass." Out In the courtyard of the jail. John Reagan turned admiringly to his companion. "I'll hand It to you, Jim: you're a marvel. But how in h 1 do you do It?" "Oh ! I dunno, John. ShootinE square with 'em. maybe. And maybe It's because they look me over and decide I'm so dam' stupid I wouldn't understand a lie if I heard one." "Hmm. . . . And now?" "What do you think, John: Welch or Miss Peyton?" "Neither," snapped Reazan. "It was Max Vernon, just like I said at first. It happened this way. and HI bet a nickel on it : Tony Peyton went there Just like she said. Then Vernon went to Thayer's room and killed him not meaning to kill him when he went in. maybe, but doing It in a fight. Larry Welch gets there a little later and finds the body. Thinks Tony did It. Pulls the hero stuff. What do you think of that?" "Sounds reasonable," commented Jim guardedly. "Anyhow, I reckon there ain't any objection to lettln' Welch and Miss Peyton out on bond, is there?" "None whatever," agreed Reagan. Be rubbed the palms of his hands together. "I feel like we're getting somewhere at last." "So do I," grinned Jim Hanvey. "The thing I am puzzled about is this: Where?' CHAPTER XI Hanvey gazed at the gray walls of the jail and nodded as though having reached a startling conclusion. "I believe our next move, John, Is to have a talky-talk with Mister Maxwell Max-well Vernon. "Good Lord ! Has it taken you all this time to think of that?" "Ch-huh. My brain was never strong on speed." Reagan was earnest "Quit kiddin', Jim. Why did you leave this palooka for the last?" "Because I wanted to hear what everybody else had to say. From what you tell me, Vernon is lying high, wide and handsome, and I wanted to form some idea about what was truth and what wasn't." "Sensible enough. Let's go." Back into the brilliance of the warden's war-den's ollice, and thence down the dimly dim-ly lighted corridor on which were the rooms used for those prisoners who seemed entitled to something better than the ordinary cells. The turnkey admitted them to a room Identical with the ones occupied by Tony Peyton Pey-ton and Larry Welch. They stood in the doorway and Hanvey regarded the occupant through sleepy, half-closed half-closed eyes. Vernon jras seated on his cot. ne had doffed coat and tie, and his shirt was open at the throat. His long black hair was somewhat tousled and his chubby face wore an expression of belligerence. His whole manner even before n word was spoken was combative. Jim seated himself and smiled lazily at the prisoner. He felt rather sorry for the boy, fat. good -naturcd, easygoing. easy-going. , , . and now suddenly enmeshed en-meshed In a tragedy which ho couldn't quite understand. Jim's voice came soothingly. "Things been happening pretty fast, ain't they, Son?" Vernon looked up sharply. "What things?" "Oh. plenty." "1 don't know what you mean." "Shuh 1 Sure you do." Max rose and tried to look dignified. digni-fied. He succeeded only In appearing somewhat ludicrous and entirely pitiful "I haven't anything to say, Mr. Hanvey." Han-vey." "Well, what do you know about that? I haven't asked you anything, have I?" "No. but" "Listen to me. Son: answer me one question." "What Is It?" "Did you kill Pat Thayer?" Vernon's eyes closed. He pulled himself together with a visible effort. "No." , "Then I think you better talk to me plain and honest. Of course, if you "Like H I You Are! You're Trying Try-ing to Mix Me Up in Pat Thayer's Murder." did kill him, the best thing you can do Is keep your mouth shut. Now what say you?"' "Nothing. I'm not going to talk." "A' right. I ain't gonna argue with you." He reached inevitably for the golden toothpick. "Swell new car you got. Son." Vernon was stonily silent. "Swell car," repeated Hanvey. "Sure wish I could own one like that. But I wouldn't go buy one Just after I'd had a row with another man." "I didn't row with anybody." "No? Not even Pat Thayer?" Max was trembling. Boyishly, he was struggling to keep actual tears from his eyes. "You're trying to trap me! I know! And I'm not going to say anything. Not anything at all !" "That's up to you. Son. But suppose sup-pose you tell me this: What happened hap-pened between you and Thayer in the fraternity house day before yesterday somewhere about one o'clock In the afternoon?" "In the fraternity house? Nothing happened." "You went to his room, didn't you?" "No." "Aw, Son ! Yon know dog-gone good and well you went to Pat Thayer's Thay-er's room. Now why don't you tell ns what happened?" "I didn't go near his room," cried Vernon harshly. "I went to my own room and changed my clothes and then I left the house. I never saw Thayer for a moment all the time I was in there." Jim shook his big head. "I hate to see you fighting me, Son, when I'm trying to help " "Like h 1 you are! You're trying to mix me up in Pat Thayer's murder." "I'm trying to get the truth. Does that mix you up?" "No, but" "Just before you went to the fraternity fra-ternity house, you and Thayer had a big row on the campus, didn't you?" "Who says so?" "Several people. And also there ain't much question that you were pretty sore at him. Now I ask you this: Why?" "I had reason enough. I thought he was my friend. I've been buddies with him for two years. He's been winning all my money at cards. I guess I would have been a dumbbell all my life if I hadn't got sore at him over something else." "Stealing your girl, for instance?" Max looked up sharply, and became boyishly dignified. "I I'd really rather not talk about that angle of It, Mr. Hanvey," he said gently. "As you say, Vernon. But when this other thing happened you getting get-ting sore what then?" "I started thinking for the first time. And I began to suspect that it wasn't all just accident that Thayer had been nice to me so long as I had money; but the minute I went broke he lost interest in me and started going go-ing with . . . that is, doing things to make me sore. And It struck me that It was queer he had always won at cards. Oh! I was stupid iv-cgli, but I waked up all at once." "And you got about as mad as yon erer were In your life. You went to Thayer's room Id the fraternity house " "1 did not I I told you hefora I never went near his room." "So you did. I thought tnaybo you'd remembered that you were mistaken. Anyway, you were In the Iiouho at the-same the-same time he was. Af'er awhile you left there hurriedly with a bundle- under un-der your arm, didn't yon? What was In that bundle, Vernon?" Max was nervous ; his pudgy hands were twisted together and his eyes roved helplessly around the llllle room. "A a Hiilt of clothes. Tho one I said I changed. I was taking It to tho Marland Tailoring company for alteration alter-ation and cleaning." "(lood. Now we're clearing up parts of tho mystery." Jim turned to Ilea-gan. Ilea-gan. "Suppose you check up on that, John. Just 'phone that company and make sure they have the suit, will you ?" "Sure." Reagan started to rise, but Max Vernon stopped him. The hoy's eyes were round with fear nnd heads of perspiration stood out I on his forehead. "Never mind," he snld hoarsely, j "The clothes are not there." "You didn't take them?" "N-n-no." "Where are they?" "I I don't know. I guess lost them." "You sure arc an unfortunate young man." murmured Jim. "Losing a good suit of clothes thnt way. Well, any- I way. after losing that suit, you drove on up to Steel City, didn't yon?" Vernon hesitated. Then he nodded. "Yes." ".Millie?" M.iv's cheeks were pasty. "Yes. A lime." "And when you got there you traded in your car on a now one. didn't you? And paid the difference of twelve hundred dollars In cash. Where did yon get the money?" "I have plenty of money." "But you Just said a minute ago that Thayer laid off you because you were broke. How could you be broke nnd also have plenty of money?" "I had it. ... I got It from Thayer. He owed It to me." "I see." Jim beamed approval. "That clears up another mystery. You and Thayer were really friends, after all. He loaned you the twelve hundred hun-dred dollars Just like it was nothing, eh?" "He gave It to me. He owed It." "When did he give It to you, Vernon? Ver-non? When you went to his room?" "I told you I didn't go to his room." "I see. I guess he sent it to you by special messenger or something. Never mind that, though. But there Is one thing I want to know: How did It happen that there wasn't any floor rug In the car you traded when you got to Steel City?" Again that hunted, haunted light In Max's eyes. "I don't know anything nbout any floor rug." "Wasn't there one In your old car?" "I don't know." "Gee! You sure are a forgetful guy. Now what about that knife Mr. Reagan Rea-gan showed you an hour or so ago? That is yours, Isn't II?" "Yes." "Where did you get It?" "In Sicily. I've traveled a lot and I've always collected queer weapons." "Did you have It In your hand at all day before yesterday?" "No." "Do you know it is the very knife with which Thayer was killed?" "I know that's what Mr. Reagan said." "You knew It wasn't on your wall where you always kept It. didn't you?" "No! How was I to notice that one of the things was gone? And I didn't kill Pat Thayer, Mr. Hanvey. I swear I didn't." Hanvey spoke softly. "Admitting that, Vernon: Why did you get mixed up In the robbery of the Marland National Na-tional bank?" Max stood rigid for a moment, then sank down on the cot. He buried his face In his hands. "I didn't have anything any-thing to do with that, either, Mr. Hanvey : honest I didn't." The two detectives faced each other solemnly In the warden's office. "Will yon tell me why," Reagan asked "when you had Vernon on the run, you didn't chase him? You knew he was lying, didn't you?" "Sure, John sure. And the more questions I asked the more lies he was gonna tell." "Well, I'll say this for you, Jim Hanvey: You seem to rock along with all the delicacy of an elephant but d d If you haven't learned a heap about this case." "What, for Instance?" inquired Hanvey Han-vey interestedly. "In the first place, It's a cinch that Max Vernon killed Pat Thayer." "You think so?" "Sure. Don't you?" "Durned If I know, John. I couldn't say for sure, anyway. There's still a lot of loose ends." Reagan changed his tactics. He pointed an accusing finger at Hanvey. "Anyway, Jim you think he was mixed up in that bank robbery, don't you?" The fat man reflected for a moment, mo-ment, then nodded. "Yeh I do." "And that," exulted Reagan, "is the first definite admission I've gotten out of you yet." Hanvey was silent for a njoment, then looked up brightly. "What'd you do with all the stuff Vernon had in his pockets when he .vas arrested?" "Right here. Want to see It?" "Yeh. . . ." CTO BE CONTiarUED.i |