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Show WVWVW1 The May Day Mystery By Oclavui Roy Cohen Cvfrrljut b iVttvu Knjf CVhao. WNlt g.rrloa. aaaaaaaaI synopsis AntMinatla Partea, aanior at laa I'alraralty a UI Wrhi. hmnIi P Mto 1 Vr ' attaa-! attaa-! Ivy al.-a, MnBlMi.)r4U caaU, a-l taara fal a (o o, j acaaa, taa taaakta aMng frail iail ay Maa Yarnan. aaar atuJattt. NvffckA 1 y Kv "afaaatn a dmtm" wits Warn. Taayar uj Varaoa taraalaa aaa alaar. rrW. Larry WaWa. Ivy' aratbar. U appaalaj by T aay ta mi ala lultr'i tvtaoda&ip with Taayar. Waka aaj Tatty ara tm fcov. Tany tall aim aha ta atarrtad ta Taayar. but U alta anly aaaia. Larry oVtarmtikaa to and Toayar'a aaaat-lattoa anla Ivy. Tatty aajiiiajM bun ta volt uaul aha baa appaaWJ to bar auabaad. Sha nuti bxaa at a frataratty Sana, Vaman, altar bar aiarrura, taavaa tba hoM, Kltai Waarb pn to Taayar, aaj altar ba laaraa. Carmktna, frat hauaa tamtua-, Aaaa Thayar M, ataboaj. Tba Mai land nana ta raofcao; tba rahhar aaraping with $100,000, aitar bacaff aba. Jim Haavay. lamaul ikmoc-ttva. ikmoc-ttva. i imii ia ta tavaatifata tba rSbirf. Kaa-aValpb Kaa-aValpb Flak a, tba bank araaijaat. taUa him ba aWarvaa Ma Varaaa atl1nf tba car ta araarb tba rahoar got away. THayar, Flaba aya. baa haaa rabhtna Varajoa ac larga auma, a eard gaaara. Vmat, apvaraattv. AnaUy raabilng It. Raagaa. Mariano"! polka chkaf. gaJlwaa Haavay ta taaa cbarga W tba aaufilcr aaa. awaraca ImoUcatmj Varaoa La both tba aaaraW and robbary. T.wiy Payton. Larry aa.-b. and Vcmaa ara ttaW arrant aa Tbayar aia-tatr suapecta. VYtL.b t&aiata Tbayar araa ajiva vhaa ba Irrt him. and Haavwy and Raagoa ara raavtacad ba La Lying. Hanvyy auaattaaa Carmictaa. tba aaitnr aba found Tbayar uaniarrd. Caranicina adraita furaiah tag Tbayar rtth ahiahy har KarbaiaWa rarala k tba trst bauaa. CHAPTER VIII Continued 13 Tt was thevsawar. iU-ester IT.in-Tey: IT.in-Tey: Alwajs soret-'.Im.'-s th? Ihts give a party which the faculty thoy i!o not otiiierstac'.l about, so thoy want llijuor. ilestor Thayer, he says ho knows where he can got real stuff which has tever been cut. So they give him the tcocey anj he orJers It fr-vn me." "I se. . . . Ar.J you anj he wou!J fp'-it the difference, eh?" Tes sir. For real thins, the fe'.lers they pay me one hun.lrel dollars a case. I ray for It sixty dollars a rase, and Meester Thayer he take twenty dollars and I take twenty dollars." "Then yea were close friend, eh?" "Oh, no. sir. Meester Thayer, he Is ter Cne Kentletr.aa and he would not be friends with no Janitor." "I see. . . . lie certainly was a Cne gentletr.an, Mike no mistake ebost that. Thayer and Vernon were pretty good friends, weren't they? Did jon ever hear them quarrel?" "No, sir. Not one time even." "They used to play cards a good ieal, didn't they?" 'Maybe so maybe not. I think maybe so." TernoD never mlied np In this llqtjor business, did he?" "No, sir. Just Mobster Thayer." "Him! When was the last time too bonrht liquor for him?" "Let me see . . . about one week ago, sir. It was a nice party. They lvanted two cases." "Two hundred dollars' worth?" "Tes, sir." "Did yon get It?" "Oh, yes, sir." "Did Thayer pay yoa for It?" "Eight away quick, sir, all except the forty dollars which he keep for himself." "He alway3 looked after yon, didn't he?" "Tes, Meester Hanvey; always he lees that I get my money ver' quick so the man from which I buy It off, he also does not be force' to wait" "Did Thayer agnail; pay yoa when he ordered the whisky or only after the boys paid him?" "After the fellers they pay him. Ton see, it Is for them and so he ehould not pay me until he get the money from off them." "And when he died, Mike did he "owe yoa anything?" "No, sir. Meester Thayer, he did not owe me one cent." "Good." Hanvey hoisted himself to hi3 feet, and nodded to the Janitor. "That'll be all, Mike." "Yon do not ask me no more questions?" ques-tions?" , "Nope. Nothing else. I'm much obliged for everything." "Thank yon, sir." Eeagan led the way Into the hail and thence npstalrs to the main floor. Several boys, having heard that a new detective was on the case, were gathered on the veranda, struggling to appear disinterested. But all eyes were directed at Hanvey's ungainly figure as he and Reagan stood at the foot of the steps chatting. "What now, Hanvey? Would yon like to see Max Vernon's room?" "You've searched it, haven't you?" "Yes," "Find anything?" "Not n thing. But I thought" "My Gosh I you're a thorough bird. Well, let's go. But Lordy I how I hate those steps." Hanvey panted to the top floor and Ifeajan conducted him Into a small but handsomely furnished room, resplendent re-splendent with pennants, pillows, tennis ten-nis rackets and numerous lithographs depicting pulchrltudinous damsels In Tarion conditions of deshabille. Hut oVoi'lte the inrtrkrdly rolli'ijlnta tona, ttu-ro aa mora t tin ti a hint of taa(a 111 tho a11"1'"! tltTaUb'OltlOltt. la a convrr wna a dollcHta alntm-tta porchod on a tonkwood titboiirot. And otrr (tia mtitit t-1 wrta a collivdou of ctirto.ia woupona: A foiiclnn foil, a broadsword, a Malay krlg, an Arnb scimitar, a rusty rovolvrr of Civil war dins, a I'Mlli'i'lna boln, a bow and arrow of Kcnulut Indian origin. Iltinvoy glniu'o.1 at llirin. und then nt tha armnt'tuont of thtt room. It was ivy. In a youthful, linppy ito-luoky ito-luoky bolt of way. Hunvoy casually oi'i'iu'd the dros.scr dinwors mid ruin iimod Indifferently through the luasfiea of expensive linen. Mo oiened tlio door of tlm tmnnlni; closet and exclaimed ex-claimed over tlm in u H It into of tailored auilta disclosed. "Vernon aura must bo a anappy dresser. John." "l ooked that way U mo." answered KoMttnn enviously. "I always did wish I could afford them kind of clothes. I'll bet thorn ain't a suit In yonder that cost less'n a hundred bucks." Hanvey walked to tho window and atared off toward the sprawling town of Mnrland. Mid afternoon, and moat classes era finished, so that the shady spots under the trees wera peopled peo-pled with male students and coeds. They seemed to be doing nothing whatever and doing It with enthusiasm. enthusi-asm. Jim slithcd. "I used to think I missed a lot by not KoIn. to college. John. Now 1 know It." "Don't they have It easy? Just alt-ting alt-ting around under the trees and talking talk-ing to Klrl. . . ." "I wish I m young again and not so durn dumb. Somehow. John. I never could knock any book stuff Into my fat dome. I'd study the Idea and It'd sort of die before1 It reached my hraln. Hut man! I'd sure have hevn a whale at this laying around stuff." Hanvey sank Into a chair and lighted light-ed a cigar. "Ain't It tough to think of a kid like Vernon having It easy like he did and then getting ndjod up In a nasty mess like this?" "You tell 'em. Jim. That's one rea son I was glad to get you on the case. They're a nice sort, these klds. I didn't used to think so. I thought they were a bunch of crary high hats but. by golly! they ain't. I haven't met a one who didn't strike me that he'd be a real guy If he wasn't o dam' educated." Hanvey moved his head laboriously toward the mantel. "What's all the military equipment?" he asked, referring to the knives and swords on the wall. "I asked attout that." said Hengan. "It seems Vernon has traveled a gnd deal and he's sort of collected these things. That funny looking one Is from where the Malays live. I think they call It a kris. And that one over the clock Is a b"!o, or whatever It Is the Filipinos use. Vernon was a nut about 'em." "Funny hunch. . . . But at that 1 guess It's more sensible than collecting stamps or art things." He blinke-L "You've looked all through the room. John?" "Everywhere. I'm sure I didn't miss a thing." "You never can tell. . . . Just to make sure, though, we'll make one more search." Reagan started with the dresser. He rummaged through the drawers and Into every corner. Lie Inspected every ornament and spot of dust on the mantel. He looked behind pen-Dants pen-Dants and pictures which were tacked to the wall. He opened the door of the hanging closet, where he commenced a systematic syste-matic search Into every pocket of every suit of clothes. It was a tedious Job and Reagan glancing occasionally Into the room was quite sure that Hanvey's suggestion sugges-tion for a new search had not been entirely without ulterior motive. ' The prodigious body was settled snugly Into the big chair; the pudgy hands were folded contentedly across the massive mezzanine and Jim Hanvey Han-vey was or far as the naked eye could discern sleeping superbly. Sleeping! Or was he? The longer Reagan was with Hanvey the less he understood the big man. At times he appeared to be obtuse, at times brilliant bril-liant and at times Just plain dumb. Reagan returned to his task. If Hanvey Han-vey wanted a search he'd darn well get one. Reagan had been over every inch of the ground before . . . but he was dermlned to do this Job as thoroughly as he had the first. And then the silence of the room was shattered by a sharp cry from the closet. Hanvey's eyes uncurtained slowly, but he exhibited no other excitement even when Reagan leaped Into the room holding something gingerly between be-tween his thumb and forefinger. "Good G d, Chief look here." Jim eyed the trophy curiously. "Dog-gone. . . . It's a knife. And there's blood on it, too. Where'd yoa find it, John?" In tne corner oflhe closet. On the floor. I I don't understand, Jim because I looked there day before yesterday. yes-terday. . . ." He was more excited than he cared to show. "But we've got something here, Chief no matter If I did overlook It before. With this. It ought to be plain sailing." "ITow come, John?" "Because," snapped Reagan triumphantly trium-phantly "that Is the knife that killed Thayer, and Chief I've got another Idea." "Good for you, John. What Is It?" Reagan stepped swiftly to the mantel. man-tel. He designated a spot on the wall where the papering was of a lighter color. "Unless I'm all wrong, Hanvey," he said "this knife belongs right in that spot And If It does there ain't much question but that Mai Vornon la tha man who lineal It." CHAl'TER IX Hanvey deigned to hero ma Interested. Inter-ested. Ho and Hengnn regarded tba weapon. It una a powerfully delicate, thing and beautiful aa a poisonous biiako. Tho handle wan of polished metal, whether nickel or silver, neither knew. Tho gtiard was exquisitely i-Hrved, and tho blade, whloh was unusually long and perilously keen, was of tho Mucst tempered steel. At the moment It was not a pretty sight, however, for the steel was covered cov-ered with blood which had clotted almost al-most to black nesa. Hanvey moved away, leaving' th knlfa lying on the table. "I hate to look lit anything ULu that, John." "I don't." "You're hard boiled." "Oh, h 1 1 It Isn't that, Jim. Hut I Ilka to find something when I'm on a case which meana I don't have any farther to look." "I ee. ... I reckon that'a natural, nat-ural, John." Hnnvpy placed his hands behind his back. "Where'd you find that?" "On tho flior of tho hanging closet-In closet-In the corner." "Didn't you look there day before yesterday ?" "Sure I did." "Yourself?" "Yea." "I thought you said there wasn't anything there." "I did. Jim; but I supposo I overlooked over-looked It. Though I'm darned If I ace how I did." Hanvey shrugged. "Those things can happen, all right. It's queer, though. . . ." "What?" "Nothing. ... I was Just thinking." think-ing." Jim seemed disinclined to comment further, and lteagan did not force him. As a matter of fact, the chief of the Marland plainclothes force was elated "Ifi like you told Flske. Jim a dick can niake a dozen mistakes provided he dios the right thing Just one time The crook can't afford to slip once." "True enough. John. You aura don't get any argument out of me. Hut It Is funny yoa didn't see that knife when you fimt looked In the closet." Hanvey rummaged around In a dresser drawer until he found a collar hoi. He emptied this and then wad-dli-d Into the bathroom, from which he returned with a roll of absorbent cotton. He lined the collar hoi with cotton and then gingerly placed the knife In the box. Hut he did not Immediately Im-mediately look up. His eyes were tlxed steadily on the woa;on. "Funny." he said at length. "What?" "The handle of that knife. John-It's John-It's polished metal, and yet there Isn't a fingerprint on It." "Well. I'll be . . . durned if yoa ain't right. Jim." "What you reckon ?" "Cinch. Max Vernon had enough sense to polish the prints off the handle." "You sure think fast. John." Reagan looked up shandy, but the face of the fat man told him nothing. "D'you think I'm wrong?" "Seems like you must be right. It Just looks kind of funny, though, that you didn't find that knife day before yesterday." Reagan was disturbed. He was certain cer-tain that he had looked In that Identical Iden-tical spot the afternoon of the murder, mur-der, and he had found no knife, nis brain was racing, and suddenly he whirled on his companion. "I've got It, Chief." "What?" "The answer to that knife. First there's the off chance It was there all the time and I Just didn't find It I hate to admit that, but It's possible. The second theory is that Max Vernon had It with him and when he came back yesterday evening from Steel City he dumped It In there before I stuck him under arrest. He was in this room when I grabbed him." Hanvey's big head nodded slow approval. ap-proval. "Now you're talking, John?" "You think I'm right?" "It sounds mighty reasonable. Question Ques-tion Is, are you sure It Is Vernon's knife?" "We'll ask him that's one way of finding out And In the second place, look at that spot on the wall. It's like this, see " Reagan stepped to the mantel and removed a scimitar which hung there. "Notice how yoa can see on the wall paper Just where this hung, Jim? Yonder Is the place the dagger was hanging It fits that spot exactly. And you can tell it's a foreign for-eign thing." "Ain't any question about that It sure don't look awful healthy for Mister Mis-ter Vernon." "It don't and I'm sorry. I believe the kid has gotten a lousy deal all 'round. This Thayer evidently wasn't a thing but a plain, high-class hustler. It's a cinch that he must have been trimming Vernon at cards, and we know that he was gypping his fraternity fra-ternity brothers on the liquor game. Of course, Carmlclno thinks Thayer was a fine gentleman, but he would think that As a matter of fact, Thayer was a dad and we both know It." "We sure do." "But that don't make Vernon's position posi-tion any happier. He quarrels with Thayer about a girl. We know that Thayer had trimmed him good and plenty. We know that Vernon was desperate for want of money. We know that he went to Thayer's room and that shortly afterward Thayer's dead body was found. Now we locate the knife with whlctj he was killed (TO BB CONTINUED.!1 |