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Show THE WEDDING MARCH MULDER l.y . Monte Barrett O CVr-vrlsht. 1JSS. fcy lha IL'l-Ua Ucillll CX W Nl) SorvU-s. SYNOPSIS W!t!ns In lh minister's slinty, Jim Franklin, about lo be nmrrlfj to l'orls CarnuHty, Is ataM'td to death. Cnllls fchlpU-y, ons of the bride smants. Is obviously ob-viously lu a slate of anxiety. IVter CArdlsaiv. novelist, aiu amateur deteo-tlve deteo-tlve of some note, uh Sergeant Kll-d Kll-d iy, of the New York police, besrln the crnclal Investigation. The ttiigKer uaej by the nmrJerer Is found. Kranklln, hlle valttni?. h.td many visitors, a-nong them his mistress, an actress. Vhoo Choo" Train; his Intended wite'a f.-.lher. Ambrose Curmody; her brother, 1'ylle; lan!el Hullla, well-known noil-tu'ian. noil-tu'ian. and an unknown woman In a b'ue frock, who had quarreled openly w.'.h KrAnklin. Kylie I'armody admits trying to stop the wedding, after belt be-lt s informed by Webster Spears that Franklin was still friendly with Choo Choo, despite his appro.u-h:nff mar-r mar-r a;e. Kilday secures the dead man's keys. CHAPTER III 6 Callis Shipley's Story Tetor was not pre iared for Callis Shipley's Ship-ley's loveliness. He masked the Intent-cess Intent-cess of his stare with an apparent Interest In-terest In the room about him. "You wanted to se me?" she was making an effort to be politely casual, but the novelist noted the tremor of her hand. Sergeant KUday waited for Peter to begin. Tor reasons of his own, he had suggested that the novelist ask the questions. "Miss Shipley" Peter was holding a chair for the girl "did you wear a blue dress this afternoon?'" "Why, yes." Her surprise was evident. evi-dent. "Of course you know" reter took a chair opposite her and leaned back, crossing his knees "what happened?" "Well, cot exactly. It must have been something something very serious, seri-ous, to have Interrupted the wedding." She was sitting very straight; her hands, resting on the arms of the chair, gripped them nervously. Peter found her exquisite, but In spite of his fascination, he was annoyed. His attention at-tention was wandering from the questions ques-tions he must ask. "Of course," he agreed, his voire still gravely quiet. "But has no one told you what happened?" She hesitated. Only the whiteness of her knuckles, where she clutched the chair, betrayed her Inner turmoil. tur-moil. "No," she said distinctly. "No one has told me what happened." The novelist changed his line of attack. at-tack. "'Who brought yon home. Miss Shipley?" For a moment, she did not answer. Then. "What have I to do with this, Mr. Cardigan?"' she asked. "Why have you come here to question me? The butler said you were policemen." "Sergeant Kilday Is." Peter Indicated Indi-cated his friend. "I am Just a sort of ex-off.cio assistant" His brief smile warmed the lean Irregularity of his features Into friendliness. "There Is no cause for alarm, I am sure. We have only come here because we are sure yon can help us." The rigidity of the girl's figure did not relax. "Help you?" She waited expectantly. expect-antly. Peter wondered whether that were a question or a challenge. "By telling ns who brought you home," he said. She did not hesitate now. "My chauffeur." "Oh! And you came straight home?" "Yes." "Without ever waiting to find out what had happened?" Peter's tone was slightly incredulous. The girl shrugged. "There was nothing I could do," she explained. "Doris had left. Every one else was leaving." "Didn't you even ask what was wrong? I should have thought you would be curious." "I was. Of course I wanted to know. Every one did. But no one seemed to know." "And the other members of the wedding wed-ding party where were they?" "They why, they Just broke up with the crowd, I guess. I don't know." "And so you came od home by yourself." your-self." "With the chauffeur," she corrected him. "I have already told you that" An unexpected bitterness surged up within Peter. Why should he be so unaccountably angry because she was deceiving him? He surveyed her gravely. "Do you mind If I speak to your chauffeur. Miss Shipley?" he asked. Warm spots of color flamed In her cheeks. "I'm not accustomed to ask-in? ask-in? the servants to verify my word." she said. "I'm sorry" Peter was standing now "but circumstances make It necessary. nec-essary. If you have told us the truth, then Rylie " "Kylie 1" She bit her Up, and then continued inoro calmly. "What did li.vllo toll .vmi?" "I would rather j-oti told us, Ml.m Shipley." Cardigan nut down again, "l'ld )uu see Hit this ntternoon'r" Yes. 1 n:iw 111 111. I - I didn't tell you tint truth. 1 ml.ed 1!) lie to bring mo Inline." "W hrre did you meet It) He? He am't In Hut church." "When I ciniie out, I n' Mm." Oillla avoided Cardigan's eyes. In sleinl she seemed Intent upon the handkerchief she was twisting between nervous fingers In her lap. "Somehow," "Some-how," she continued, "1 hud become separated from the rest of the wed ding parly. Outside I saw Itylle and iislti'd Mm to taho me home." "What did he think of the wedding being postponed?" Peter's voice sounded sound-ed only politely curious. "lie," the girl fullered, "why, he whs stunned, Just as I was. of course." "lint still neither of you knew what had happened?" Callis shook her head. "Then w hy didn't he go back to the vestry and find out? The brldo was Ills ulster. It would have been very simple." "1 guess we didn't think of that. We wer netted. Kvery one was," the girl protested. "I imagine you were," declared the novelist. "You were excited because you thought you already knew what had happened. And you were right. Miss Shipley. Jim Franklin was dt'Hti." "Dead!" The girl whispered tho word through stiffened lips. "I tend!" The steel went out of Cardigan's eyes and his tone was gentler when he continued. "Didn't you know?" Callis did not reply. Peter found himself regretting the beauty which held Biich a fascination for Mm. Confound Con-found It, she couldn't have committed Wmm Peter Was Not Prepared tor Callis Shipley's Loveliness. the murder. He thought of those blue bruises at either end of the wound which had ended Franklin's life. P.nt of course, there was Kylie Carmody. He had the strength. And the motive. He had said he was going to stop the wedding. And It had been stopped. But what did this girl know shout It? Why had she lied about that ride with Ityiie Carmody? Why had she visited the sacristy? She why. he was scarcely more than a child, he reflected re-flected bitterly. Of course, there were those keys. Could there have bwn anything between her and Jim Franklin Frank-lin Jim who was notorious for his weakness w-here women were concerned? con-cerned? That was ridiculous, and yet she had been In the vestry. Could that have been the real motive for the murder? If Rylie Carmody loved this girl and discovered an Illicit affair between her and Jim Franklin, he might be using Choo Choo Train as a pretext. That might explain this girl's evasions, and yet, as he glanced at her, so slender and erect, he found It hard to picture her In such a role. He glanced at Kilday. hunched forward in his chair, twisting an unlit cigar between his lips. The sergeant, he knew, would have no qualms where a pretty woman was concerned. He had. In his long career, arrested too many of them. Peter wished that he had left the questioning of this girl to him, even while he scoffed at himself him-self for his too-ready sympathy. He turned again to the girl. "You didn't supect he was dead?" His voice was still gentle. "No I didn't know." The answer was evasive, Peter thought, and the warmth faded from his eyes until their blue was the chilly color of bright steel. "And why," he asked quickly, "did you run back to the sacristy Just before be-fore the wedding, Miss Shipley?" The girl hesitated, as though searching search-ing her mind for an answer. When she did not reply, Peter added, add-ed, "We know you were there, Mr. Royce saw you. You must remember that." "Yes," hesitantly. "I saw Mr. Royce. I asked him where Rylle was." "Why were you looking for Rylle?" "Because I was afraid," Callis replied re-plied suddenly. "I was afraid. I I had to find him before the wedding." She afraid? Or did she only want them to think she had been frightened. Peter had the feeling that the girl was acting a role. And yet he found himself him-self wanting to believe her. "You think a great deal of Rylie, don't you. Miss Shipley?" Once more his voice was unbelievably gentle. "I love him," the girl answered simply. "Then I think you can help him a great deal Dy telling us the- whole' truth," he urged. "J I in Franklin Mo been killed. Itylle hud threatened I-Mop I-Mop the wedding. It ii i it y help him n great deal If you will tell us nil you know ulmiit It," " 1 tut I don't know un.v thing," the gill protested. "You know Hint Ityli didn't like Franklin that he was trying to keep his ulster from marrying him, didn't you ?" "Yes, I know that. Itylle told me about ii 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 r woman, an aetrem." "When was that?" 'This afternoon." "Before tint wedding?" "Yes. I had an engagement with llylle. You see." the girl's manner was easier now, "the stockings which were sent to match my frock for this afternoon weren't quite the right shiiiln ami It was necessary for me to get others. Itylle was to bring mo home, but phi d, saying that he couldn't. That was when he told me ubout this other woman. He wanted to see Jim Franklin." "And did he see him?" "He hadn't then." "Hut that worried you, did it?" Tho girl nodded. "Why?" Kilday Interrupted. Then, without giving the girl opportunity to reply, continued, "That win when he told you he was going to stop the wedding, wasn't it?" The girl made no reply but the expression ex-pression on her fHce was answer enough. "Was that why you went to the sacristy Just before the wedding, Inquiring In-quiring for Itylle?" Peter continued gravely. "No." There was an almost Imperceptible Imper-ceptible quiver In the girl's voice. "I mean well, I went. to the sacristy, all right, but not because of what Itylle had said." "Then why did you go?" "Ili-cause," Callis' eyes w avered from one man to the other, "because of something Web Spears said." She was leaning forward, her nervous fingers twisting the handkerchief In her lap ceaselessly. "Web," she continued "left the church Just a few minutes before the wedding was to begin. The wedding party was gathered in the vestibule. I was standing by Doris, as he came out "'Aren't you going to stay for the wedding. WehT IVirls asked him. "'No.' he answered. And then he said, 'Where's llylle? If he were here there wouldn't be any wedding. That frightened me. I knew Rylle had been terribly angry at Jim Franklin, Frank-lin, since he had learned about this actress. And I w-ns worried tieoause he wasn't In the church. So I ran around to the sacristy to see If he were there. He n't there. "letter, after the announcement that the wedding wns postponed, I met Rylie out In front, and he brought me home. I was frightened. I thought that he had had something to do with It Thai's why Ityiie didn't go back to see what had happened. Ha thought the wedding had gone on, In spite of everything he could do. You fee, he had seen Jim Franklin, earlier, and then he went home, to try to stop Doris, before she left for the church. "But he missed her at home, and when he returned, he heard the wedding wed-ding nrch playing. Inside, and thought he was too late. And I when I saw him." the girl choked back the tears. "I Jumped to the conclusion that he was responsible, and asked him to take me home. letter, as soon as P.ylle understood what had happened, hap-pened, he hurried back to the church. "This Is the truth, Mr. Cardigan. You must believe me. I was frightened fright-ened for Rylie. That's why I didn't tell the truth, at first I didn't want you to know that I had suspected hhn of some part In this. Because he Is Innocent Y"ou do believe me, don't you?" Before Teter could reply, Sergeant Kilday Interrupted. "This still doesn't explain how you knew there had been a murder. Miss Shipley." "I didn't." The girl turned on him quickly. "I didn't I was afraid something some-thing like that had happened, but I didn't know." "And did you only go back to the sacristy once?" The sergeant chewed meditatively on his cold stogy. "Yes, of course. Just once. I've told you about that." Kilday rose abruptly. "Thank you, Miss Shipley," he said. "You've been of great help. I'll hurry along, Peter. Meet me at the car." Peter knew what that meant The sergeant wanted time to try Franklin's Frank-lin's keys in the door while there was no one In the hall, nis part was to detain the girl here a few seconds longer. He found the task distasteful. Against his better Judgment, Callis had almost convinced him of Rylle Car-mody's Car-mody's innocence, even while admitting admit-ting that she had suspected the youth herself. And she had lied to him, too, at first Could he believe the second story she had told? With reluctant re-luctant honesty, he knew that he wanted to believe her. ne rose to leave. Kilday had had ample time to try the keys. Had one of them fitted? He was detained by the girl's hand on his sleeve. "I've told you the truth," the girl declared. "Rylle couldn't have done It. He couldn't" "For your sake, I hope he didn't," said Peter, in pnrtlng. "How about the keys?" was the novelist's nov-elist's first question when he rejoined his friend at the curb. "Nothing doing." Peter was surprised at his own sense of relief, and yet, because he realized how the girl had appealed to his sympathies, he cautiously added, "Nevertheless, she was wearing a blue dress." (TO EE CONTINUED.) |