Show I I- I CHILD OF EVIL O 0 OCTAVUS SERVICES SERVICE ROY I COHEN By OCTAVUS ROY COHEN THE STORY SO FAR Beautiful young Kay Forrest has been employed by Christine Maynard photographer to pose for a series of pictures the background of which will be exquisite Cathedral Gardens famous Southern resort Unknown to them one Jeff Butler mean unscrupulous swamp swamp angel has led a friend to spy on the two women Kay of necessity Is scantily clad while posing for the camera studies Kay frequently stays with Mrs Ruth Hamilton her son Barney of whom Kay is 15 very fond and her daughter Margaret Mrs Hamilton a remarkable woman conceived the tRe Idea of the Gardens following the death of her husband One night after a local dance Kirk Reynolds a neer ne'er gambler of Beverly a resort town and Kay go for a ride Kirks Kirk's car collides with that of Harvey Jackson and during the ensuing argument Kirk whips out a gun and kills the young oung popular engineer Kay is completely stunned by the tragedy Kirk threatens threatens threat threat- ens to drag her Into the thing if she tells even her father Terror stricken she agrees to remain silent However the next time she goes out with Barney he realizes something is wrong She tells him nothing Mrs Emma Forrest Kays Kay's mother is firm positive and demanding Her father Is exactly the opposite kindly and unassuming While at home Kirk Reynolds calls for her and she is forced to go goI I with him despite her family's protests He tells her the circumstances make it necessary necessary essary for her to marry him so she cannot be forced to testify against him if he is accused of Jacksons Jackson's murder They drive to a neighboring town and are arc married The next time the they are arc together Kay tells Barney she loves him but is married to Reynolds She refuses to tell him why she married the gambler but he promises to try to understand Meanwhile Miss Sonia Babe Henkel Beverly beauty operator of questionable morals and intimate friend of Kirk Reynolds berates him for marrying Kay i CHAPTER V Continued V-Continued 7 i- i 7 Babe was thinking aloud loud So you did kill Harvey Jackson He spoke acidly Pipe down on that She was with you that night What of it Plenty Now get this Kirk and I get it straight I dont don't give a hang what you do with other women but when you throw the harpoon into me I get sore So what So USo plenty I know why you married married married mar mar- ried this girl And there are some things Im I'm not standing for This is isone isone isone one of them I Youre not threatening me hope Take it any way you want Where is she now None of your business It just happens I dont don't mind telling you that she went out to the Gardens I with that Hamilton kid Making you look sappy eh I Her voice cut into him He shrugged If that doesn't suit you you you- you you-It youIt It UIt suits me all right What doesn't suit me is that you didn't tell me what you had up your sleeve Since when did I start shooting off my mouth to you Now grab this Babe Im I'm in a tough spot and you might as well know it Okay In uIn this State he said flatly a ua wife cannot be made to testify against her husband She s said sad You did kill him didn't you Im telling you for the last time Lay Layoff off th that Im I'm not to anybody anybody anybody any any- body see not even you Id like to help Then keep your trap closed Im I'm saying nothing Let the saps talk if they want But dont don't you join in the chorus He looked up at her And dont don't go soft on me I uI wont Ive I've played around with you a pretty long time you know Yeh i know Youre You're on the level and Im I'm glad youre you're not doing a run Though if you feel that way way way-go go to it She said I uI dont don't though Its It's just that this marriage of yours aint easy to swallow all of a sudden Also whether you like it or not I dont don't enjoy the idea of you being ina in ina ina a jam He took her hand with what was for him a great demonstration of affection Youre not so bad yourself yourself yourself your your- self Babe So snap out of it I will She waved and went out the door So uSo he ditches me for a country kid Her fists clenched Well he cant can't get away with it CHAPTER VI The Lotus Gardens were nearing completion It was understood that they would be ready for the public as soon as the azalea season had passed its peak More reclaimed swamp greater and more bewildering bewildering bewilder bewilder- ing beauty More fore tourists Business Business Business Busi Busi- ness men were delighted non busi ness persons didn't quite know how to accept it and godly souls who lived in the very rural districts considered it a disgrace Country preachers declaimed against this imported iniquity from the pulpits of roads cross-roads churches hands were held high in horror the name of the Devil was bandied freely and with unction And town And town and country country country coun coun- try alike the alike the people pointed unwaveringly unwaveringly unwaveringly at what had occurred since the completion of Ruth Hamiltons Hamilton's scheme to beautify ugly swampland and at the same time earn a fair income for herself and her two chil chil- dren There had been for instance the murder of Harvey Jackson on a lonely country road The Harvey Jackson Mystery It was called that at tables supper-tables at meetings club-meetings at church socials It was thus dubbed in yard front-yard conversations conversations conversations con con- and at gathering places liko the Fair Play Store and the Bon Ton Pool Room It was denounced as a shame and disgrace and the public inquired frequently and vehemently vehemently ve ve- why Gabe Dixon didn't do something about it it Mr Dixon was Solicitor of the Seventh Judicial Circuit of which Beauregard County was a part He was a resident of the town of Beverly Beverly Beverly Bev Bev- BevI I erly a man who was tall lean and and nervous He had misty shifty eyes and large restless fingers and feet He W was s addicted to stiff white collars collars col col- lars and rj culo s little white wash wash- ties In times of stress his emotional emotional emotional emo emo- reactions were betrayed by an excited bobbing of his collar but ton beneath a prominent Adams Adam's ap ap- He was a keen politician and a member of a family which controlled controlled controlled con con- trolled at least half the votes in BC Beauregard County He was shrewd keen and conscientious conscientious conscientious whenever and wherever conscientiousness was not calculated ed to deprive him of votes In a room court-room his very awkwardness made him effective and he held the reins of office tightly doing the major major major ma ma- jor portion of his job with astonishing astonishing astonishing astonish astonish- ing efficiency For instance he was genuinely anxious to find and convict the killer killer killer kill kill- er of Harvey Jackson That he felt would be an excellent move Harvey Harvey Harvey Har Har- vey Jackson had been one of the most popular young men in Beverly son of ultra-respectable ultra middle-class middle parents an able young engineer and anda a man highly regarded by maidens and others And because Mr Dixon was sincere in his desire to convict convict convict con con- vict he he-at he at first said first said nothing about the odd little compact which had been found on the road beside Harvey Harvey Harvey Har Har- vey Jacksons Jackson's dead body Of course the whole town knew about the compact compact compact com com- pact and discussed it avidly The Theman Theman Theman man who had found it failed to keep the secret Solicitor Dixon investigated shrewdly endeavoring to make sound evidence of that compact He learned that it possibly belonged to Katherine Forrest daughter Forrest-daughter daughter of Andrew Andrew Andrew An An- drew Forrest He couldn't prove it of course not course not then then because because he understood understood understood un un- that it was a type of compact compact compact com com- pact which could be purchased in any of several New York cosmetic shops the sort of compact that touring touring touring tour tour- ing ladies might have carried Then he discovered that on the night of Harvey Jacksons Jackson's demise Kay Forrest Forrest Forrest For For- rest had gone riding with Kirk Reynolds Reynolds Rey Rey- The evidence was still too circumstantial but it indicated several several several sev sev- eral things to Mr Dixon He believed believed believed be be- that Reynolds had killed Jackson and that Kay Forrest had witnessed the affair Beverly's hard common sense plus verbose interpretation by Solicitor Solicitor Solicitor So So- Dixon gave a fairly proper picture of the tragedy Mr Dixon was quizzed You reckon Kirk Reynolds killed him Gabe He uHe might have Then uThen why dont don't you have him arrested No uNo chance of him Not Noton Noton Noton on what weve we've got You knew all the time that was Kay Forrest's compact Why didn't you light on him Lots of gadgets like that Any of these tourists might have lost one similar But you could have tried him couldn't you That wouldn't have been smart Hed He'd have been acquitted and then he couldn't be touched again Well with Well with a hopeless gesture gesture- Look what hes he's done now Hes He's gone and married her He sho has And I make her testify against him Smart boy this Reynolds you eh Gabe Mr Dixon was unperturbed o No I wouldn't be say sayin in that This here marriage with marriage with them not even livin together together tells tells us plenty Its It's just about the same as sayin that Kirk killed Jackson and Kay Forrest saw him do it They might's well weIl have advertised in the Gazette And listen listen listen lis lis- ten when you know a man has done donea a crime when you know it mind you its it's just a question of time be be- fo you git the evidence to convict him with Cathedral Gardens was bathed in silver glow Moonlight limned the theold theold theold old house sympathetically A sign tacked to a pine at the entrance to the Gar Gardens ens announced that inasmuch inasmuch in inasmuch in- in as this was the last night of the thc full moon no tourists would be admitted on succeeding days after seven A young man and a girl left the house and walked toward the water The young man was tall and straight and broad of shoulder He walked slowly and gazed through the almost almost almost al al- most unearthly beauty of the Gardens Gardens Gardens Gar Gar- dens with pardonable pride Jim Owenby landscape engineer had designed and built Cathedral Gardens To a Beverly man had been given the distinction of having created this beauty spot Working from Mrs Hamiltons Hamilton's original idea fired by youthful ambition and post pos great technical skill he had planned and supervised Margaret Hamilton was young slender and unobtrusively beautiful Her hair was blond ash-blond and she wore it close against her small perfectly shaped head Her eyes were gray like those of her brother At the moment they were soft and gentle perhaps because her hand rested confidently on the muscular arm of the young man at her side He helped her into a little bateau which was tied informally to a stake He seated himself beside her and handed her a paddle Well i both have to navigate this craft he I said lightly Unless you want me meto meto meto to sit in the back A boat came out of the darkness and purled gently past them A womans woman's voice freighted with a sigh for the things that might have been came to their ears The voice said Did you see that young couple It must be wonderful to be young young and and to be here in the moonlight Margaret Hamilton touched the i hand of the young man The place I was overpowering in its beauty Un Un- believable Tiny islands flaming J c r all t t r a. a i 1 f t y ti A young man and a girl left the house with blossoms seemed vague and unreal There were no dimensions Jim Owenby propelled the little craft into a sheltered bayou Here they were sheltered by a midnight blackness and his arms went about the girl He said nothing He did not kiss her Here was a communion communion communion ion which transcended the desire for demonstration and caresses and if their bodies were vitally alive alive if if they were acutely conscious of each other that other that was because they were very young and very much in love And then he said gently I thought we could talk out here I understand Lets Let's go back because because because be be- cause we must talk They found a seat in an arbor which was mantled with wisteria and Margaret said Now we can talk He took her hand Its about Kay Forrest he said Margaret nodded I knew that Im sorry for her Sorry Sony as hell So are we all Jim Owenby hesitated Ive al always always always al- al ways known Kay Since she was a kid She's pretty swell Barney thinks so Well hes he's right Jim changed the subject slightly You know Barney has stuff I didn't think he had I thought hed he'd go under when Kay married this Reynolds but during the past week hes he's been taking taking taking tak tak- ing it on the chin like a man She nodded Weve Veve been watching watching watching watch watch- ing him too Mother and I. I Its It's tough on him but perhaps its it's what he needed A sort of tempering of the steel that we know is in him Im I'm terribly sorry for him Jim shook his head Why U did Kay marry Kirk Reynolds Margaret said You tell me Right and Ill I'll only be telling telling telling tell tell- ing you what everybody in Beverly is saying She was forced to marry him so that she couldn't testify against him if he happened to be tried for Harvey Jacksons Jackson's mur mur- der Of course She was with Reynolds that night She saw what happened Do you blame her for being afraid of him No She's just a kid And to see a murder She's in a rotten spot but that doesn't alter the fact that unless that unless were we're wrong about everything ev ev- Kirk Kirk Reynolds murdered Harvey and Harvey was my best friend I UI see sec And so And so he said bitterly I ul cant can't let matters stand where they are I want to talk to Kay want Kay want to see if shell she'll tell me the truth Margaret pressed his hand She said quickly You Why It isn't fair Kay came here to get away from the nasty gossip in Beverly She's our guest But suppose she knew that she was going to be protected I She couldn't know that Shed She'd only know that you'd be willing to todo todo todo do your best He said gravely In this State a woman may testify against her hus hus- band The law merely says that she sho cannot be compelled to to You mustn't Jim v a But I must Because Harvey was my best friend that's reason number one Secondly Im I'm fond lond of Kay Margaret was staring off into the night She hoped that her voice was steady Suppose you knew that Kirk killed Harvey What woul you do I Im not sure He paused brief brief- ly Iy Then Listen dear dear and and try to understand A man cant can't just sit back and do nothing I cant can't and neither can Barney Barney Of course Hes He's all shot by this marriage of Kays You and Barney have been discussing discussing discussing dis dis- dis- dis cussing it haven't you Of course As a matter of fact we haven't talked about much else And so We We feel like a couple of prime saps Or perhaps that sounds more flippant than I intend What Im I'm driving at is that that for for everybody's sake sake we we dont don't intend to let Reynolds Reynolds Reynolds Rey Rey- get away with this You know hes he's dangerous What of it This Jim and Im I'm trying not to be selfish The past few years haven't been easy for us You didn't know Dad Dad so so you cant can't understand what his death really meant Then the financial collapse and the sympathy sympathy sympathy sym sym- pathy of our friends which friends which waS waS' the wrong kind of sympathy And Mothers Mother's Mothers Mother's Mothers Mother's Moth Moth- ers er's worry over Barney which led |