Show MURDER masquerade by INEZ HAYNES IRWIN copyright rues laynea irwin service SYNOPSIS mary avery a widow ho live in the bar bo bor r town of mass mail with two negro maids maidi sarah darbe and bessie williams william writes write a manuscript describing the famous among second read head murder which occurred on her state next to mary live mr and mrs mr peter stow who isho every year give a summer bummer ade dc party parly one of the guests guest of this function it is murdered nearby live dr mid and mrs geary ceary and their heir married daughter edith and her bus band alfred bray doctor myron marden and lir his tep step granddaughter caro prentiss a beautiful young sirl girl vibo bo was wa born in france next live paul and nd lore liora eames and their daughter molly molly was wa engaged to the murdered man ace Bl baikie alkie she had been to wait walter treadway who had been the murdered nani mans secretary but the engagement was wa sud ud denly broken and he be had bad left town other neighbors neighbor are she he fairweather sisters Bi flora a hopeless hope lesi invalid and margaret all hut but the he tatter latter two attended the masquerade maryi year old niece sylvia sard is visiting ting her er for the me summer the wooded par part of ft marya mary estate ll is called the spinney in it is a tiny tin log cabin near a stone wall is a tiny circular pond called the merry mere here this Is ii the day of 0 the masquerade and excitement is high mary decides to take sylvia silvia rho is 13 an unusually observant t child caro prentiss and molly eames drop in in during donna the after nom soon blaikie BIa ikie doctor warden and bruce hebson a friend of aces arrive molly is impatient to leave and they all excuse the themselves melves at the party sylvia identifies identified each of the masked guests as they arrive r F ive ace comes garbed as julius caesar molly eames appears as a snow queen accompanied compa nied by a man in armor arenor whom sylvia sivia identifies gentines den tines as walter waller treadway they dance together continuously cao prentiss and marden arrive dressed in revolutionary costumes costume the doctor wearing jeweled shoe buckles when the guests unmask ace walter and moly mo ly have disappeared when mary avery leaves the party a little after two neither molly and walter or ace blaikie bad returned sarah darbe confides confide to mry iary that someone apparently parent ly had bad spent the night in the little house and returns ing she has found ace blaikie stabbed to death la in the spinney mary summons ammons patrick obrien chief of police who had leeo been a schoolmate of hers bees and aces acea her manuscript recalls early impressions of ac ace how he had been wealthy the roost most popular boy in n town how he had gone to paris to study medicine became an aviator in the world war returning to practice in low how he was recklessly generous and the principal in scores of lore affairs eruce bruce alexon had come back from the war with ace ile he was a lawyer a man of private means and bad got re religion become a virtual recluse sarah tells patrick that someone had slept in the little rouse house the night of f the murder patrick batrick reveals that ace had gone to the spinney to meet tony Torri torriano atio his bootleg bootlegger to talk busin business esc he does not believe tony guilty he be also dit djs cloies cloes that walter waller treadway had keen been in the little house meanwhile walter waller end and molly come to marys marya house uri unav aare iare of the tragedy walter readily admits he had op pent e ut the night in the little house since he be had come to town secretly molly and walter waller are re thunderstruck by the news mews of the murder SUNDAY continued 9 did you hear anything the little litile time you slept not a thing 1 I 1 was dead to the world you heard of the murder until you got here no where were you yesterday in plymouth what did you go to plymouth for for for purely private reasons when did you go saturday morning how did you go in hollys roadster did you stay there all day yes what time did you start from battit Ba about half past nine where did you and molly meet up Is at the marden house what time did you go to the marden harden house walter about a quarter to nine I 1 should say where did you breakfast there with molly and caro then about half past nine you and molly set out for plymouth yes entrance at his moment created a diversion she was wheeling the tea wagon on it wei e the coffee things back of her came bessie bearing my biggest silver tray on it was wall a stack of waffles mrs avery sarah explained 1 I thought au all be hungry by this time oh sarahl sarah I 1 exclaimed bless you for this clairvoyance molly suddenly came alive Hun hungry gryl she moaned hungry gryl im famished oh ch please everybody stop talking about his awful tragedy long enough for me to tell you aunt mary walter and I 1 were married yesterday morning in plymouth for a moment there came a shocked silence I 1 stared at molly I 1 did not know whether or not patrick stared certainly he made no sound no move my thoughts went wild ace dead ace murdered and molly eloping in innocent triumph on the heels heel of his trag tragedy edyl and yet as I 1 kissed her I 1 was conscious of the first sense of letdown let down since sarah discovered aces body in in the spinney for a tiny interval I 1 was happy patrick seemed happy too he gripped walters hand hard and to molly he dropped an abrupt im so co glad that you know your mind at last working swiftly the two maids had cleared my big round maple table transferred our second breakfast to it we drew about it 1 J poured the coffee the telephone rang As sarah started toward the hall I 1 said you answer this can call sarah but if its for me ill answer and from now on ill take any calls person al ones onea i mean I 1 heard beard sarah take off the re beiver her son soft voiced dellol Hel lol IP and then her oh yes sir ashes here sarah reappeared at the doorway its mr she announced in a happy voice I 1 jumped to my feet just as sylvia is my favorite niece hope still blaine is my favorite nephew he is the oldest son of my oldest sister I 1 ran to the telephone oh Hop estill my dear boy I 1 called into it YOL dont know how glad I 1 am to hear your voice you cant imagine how it comforts me you would have heard it much sooner if I 1 could have got fiot to you Hop estill answered the moment we read the papers this morning mother mo ther and I 1 decided that id better beat it over to your place and stay with you ive been trying to get you the whole morning but I 1 been able to make a connection until now I 1 suppose every body in the worlds been trying to telephone you everybody I 1 replied but until an hour ago id spoken with nobody and until an hour ago id seen nobody but patrick obrien and mattle mattie stow and now moll molly Y eames and walter treadway cadway Tr are here walter waller and molly treadway I 1 should say they were married saturday morning but perhaps I 1 have told you ill tell V ary 11 ri 4 1 4 IVA al j im so glad that you know your mind at last you about that later I 1 shall love to have you come dear boy molly married mar riedl im well you tell her im jittering jitt jit ering terina over the chonel where are you I 1 asked week ending at the abbots ill be over there sometime in the next half hour I 1 said yet how awful we think it is nor given you any ot of mothers messages ashes prostrated you know she was very fond of ace blaikie everybody was I 1 put in its a terrible business hope still went on but I 1 wont ask you any questions now ill be there as soon as the speed laws will let me and ill stay as long as you need me im glad Hopes Hope lills stills coming molly commented you need somebody here aint mary and hopes such a swell kid chos that patrick was sitting with his back to the piazza and lie he spoke without looking around then I 1 heard the sound of a motor sarah appeared miss prentiss would like to see you mrs avery I 1 looked at patrick lie he nodded tell her to come in sarah I 1 said caro appeared good morning mrs avery she said to me hello there you two she said to the treadways Tread ways good morning mr obrien eril she said to patrick an awkward pause intervened I 1 did not want to make hollys great announcement if she wanted wanta d to make it herself apparently she wanted to make it herself caro darling come over and kiss mel me she ordered finally since I 1 saw you yesterday I 1 have become mrs walter treadway caros face grew radiant but she did not seem surprised oh im so glad she exclaimed she rushed over to molly kissed her kissed walter im so hap then as one remembering As happy as any one can be molly shivered the light drained out of her face ive just heard idill ill 1 I brought these flowers for you dear mrs avery caro said prettily 1 I knew have no time to fill your vases today and I 1 cant imagine your house without flowers rs you angel I 1 exclaimed were dashing 01 oft in a mo gentl molly said just as soon as ive got hold of myself where are you living may I 1 ask mrs treadway cadway Tr at present mrs avery with my husbands people molly answered they dont know it yet but I 1 think take us in were going to look around for the tin tiniest house we can find in ia and I 1 shall begin presently to experiment in cooking 1 I shall give you a dining room table for a wedding present I 1 promised old maple if I 1 can find IMP it that will be grand aunt mary molly approved miss prentiss patrick took over the conversation again 1 I find that I 1 shall have to ask you some more questions I 1 hope you wont mind I 1 bother you its merely a matter of routine oh please asif me as many as you want mr 0 brien caro replied simply patrick fumbled in one pocket and found a little leather notebook 1 I have to warn you again that anything you say now can be used against you and that there are witnesses present lie ile fumbled in another pocket darn I 1 a pencil on me do you happen to have anything I 1 can use walter walter handed him a fountain pen patrick held it poised over a notebook his eyes fixed intently on it miss prentiss did you know that walter and molly were going to be married no mr obrien not definitely e I 1 suspected it when did they beave your house saturday morning somewhere between nine and ten about half past nine perhaps did t they hey tell you where they were going 1 no did you ask where they were going no patrick made a few notes in the notebook handed the pen back to walter did you know you were going to elope with walter when you went to the masquerade molly my suitcase was all packed in in i my car heres Hop estill patrick exclaimed again without looking around the runabout crunched to a stop outside and came striding into the room he is a big tall stoop shouldered lad ad my nephew not lanky exactly but angular perhaps the most noticeable thing about him are his eyes steely gray and deeply set with his characteristic long swift step he crossed the room to me 1 I never thought id see you on such a tough spot aunt mary he exclaimed putting his arm about me oh im all right I 1 answered 1 I 1 had all told about six hours of good sleep last night and ive just had h ad some strong coffee have a cup you bet he turned to the others hello there you two what do you mean C getting tied so suddenly congratulations I 1 ile he kissed the bride hello pat he be concluded he shook hands with patrick youve got your work cut out for you youl ill say patrick wrung wrung hope stills hand glad to see you I 1 think your aunt needs a man about ive transferred police headquarters to her house its a ghastly business busi Ill hope still commented soberly gee you read about murders in the paper with the greatest calm but when it strikes home well you suddenly realize wat youve never really known what it meant before the way I 1 feel hope still I 1 agreed a little drearily youve never met miss prentiss my nephew mr blaine caro Hop estill strode to caros side shook hands with her we all sat down Hop estill ensconced himself on the couch his ees following fc caros movements molly and walter arose 1 I think well be going aunt mary molly said unless patrick you want us no patrick answered in a meditative tone 1 I dont think I 1 wan want t you any more at present however walter I 1 guess ill have to ask you to stick around for a while I 1 may need any time walter gave him a quick intent look he nodded ill be at the house he announced briefly could I 1 go down to the spin ney Hop estill asked patrick after the treadways Tread ways had left id like to see the spot oh yes pateick permitted its ball now weve taken all the photographs we want go down there and root around as much as you like if you find a few clues ill be grateful may I 1 go too caro asked suddenly 1 I dont know that ive ever been in your spinney mrs avery and people are asking me so many questions by all means I 1 answered 1 I dont w want nt to go with you hope still you understand that it will be a long time before of 01 course not aunt mary ill go down with you patrick offered ill be back in a moment mary he called over his shoulder to me patrick was back in a few moments apparently he took only the time to point out the spot where we found ace and to give them the ghastly details ile he took up his hot hat with a long sigh those two are down there examining every inch of ground but all found so far is a four leaf clover ah ab 11 I 1 thought Hop estill I 1 he was one of those madden maddening ink people who rick nick out four leat leaf clovers everywhere HO RE BE |