Show 4 tvr z-r z T i f r jf Vy A Z h T c i i r- r wf I ut e- e AMli M e. e R D Or i J I ir f 1 A rr k I j 7 It I 1 I c Q 1 tI UI P-I P 30 HE lad i x i ISABEL VV f lJ c Y WN U U RELEASE STORY SO FAR Judy Jason 1 I telling the story wry receives an au ons letter enclosing and ask ash to bid for an ai abandoned church I fi s auctioned the hext day She finds jW hd d chest the body of a man Roddy K Lane The body s few hours hoars later A fish shed apparently lining killing an old man rown who Is supposed to have Or here Judy finds Roddy Lanes Lane's dla it fin the handbag she he left at the 1 the the day of the auction Lily Llly Ken Ken- 71 f dead with laSh Hugh Norcross' Norcross neck The Thes The The- wrapped around her t. t have reassured themselves that thatIs Lane Is not cn an on tho Bead Head contInue with Judy's story i iraj I raj CHAPTER XIV I t can breathe easy He isn't l i We We e hunted from attic to eel- eel t sign of anything food anything food I It i Just t his open suitcase with the way I told you when dyed d up and looked in the wint win win- win win- Sat at t time with the Rev De Dea Deeres Deere's eres ere's a bird Hes He's stopped g g the atmosphere lately then a cowbell shaken vigan vige vig- vig r e bJ by an angry hand made us PI see my Aunt Nella at the J c ps eps nin right along m dear Uncle Wylie Piu too Not that I could eat stared miserably at the sea as well have the piea pie pie- a udy dy Shell She'll never want it ai js a poor time to speak of it i was vas tickled silly at the corni com com- 11 1 to paint her portrait Not 5 r. r tn very good at it he added Ill I'll leave the painting i J your door shall I 11 ii s. s ide de e my door V Would he sneak ii grab that nT lb ed Mr Potter for the paint- paint wonderingly as he walked toward the cowbell But the theT T ti were ere coming down the drive waited waited for them Mr Quincy Hugh was in the lead in rt I lt t as Quade said nothing I However he knew it He took fir far i ir from me Let me do Udy You look tired to death ra Ser ter r felt better in my life but 3 f go for some of that chow- chow St Str r asked Your uncle 1 get IX K Ir lined my head Gone in to Aunties Auntie's furious Better all p. p Whatever she's got ready tes to have it get cold eres ere's friend Potter De Witt Wetly j age ee e on ahead Feels pretty i about Jabout losing his commissions Miss iss Kendall gave him two 5 w but this good Boy Scout Jup up p for one of em Wouldn't pay for the church 2 rely ely ly to hang up in the kid- kid cS droom some day Judy and I II I pan bedtime stories about what s i sd fed ed there Hugh said idy udy Iy was amused Everybody the doldrums What dinner could be gay with a charred to m-to J to the right and a bruised m IR 1 1 d t 4 th 1 4 t U une LU LV o Lue e II e L. L y didn't he wait for us Vic Vic- d half to himself about the painting he weaving ving outside my door When fj Cached ached ched the inn my aunt beck- beck JJ a with a ladle up and look Victor whis- whis or shall I go Ive I've got to help serve 4 red ered ilOn Potter was coming down dO ll jj airs irs Hope you like it it-in it in f everything he smiled at nd passed on into the dining tor started up and I hurried out outi i scolding auntie trying to aup up f for r my absence by tell- tell tr the news I thought the cur curr cu- cu tr rr r dishes looked stingy and was fur V J another when she made mad me mey 4 y y finger with ank goodness there wont won't be k hore lore beads to sweep up gust goes to show how a round R Girders will make a person calR cal- cal K fished the cucumbers and took The guests were nearly jated ted munching the salted ers rs we served with the chow- chow t down Victors Victor's s chowder andr and r for myself My aunt had he she said and wanted me to i came came me presently and sat down of ie t me Moneys there he j fired sred Paintings wet Had to tol l t the e stuff of off my hands That's l was as so 0 long ne ate l Norcross was at absent sent want any lunch shed she'd told y ella She was going to take taping ping ing powder and lock herself tr r room Would Mrs Gerry d. d so so inform her brother J i 7 y Gerry erry did Took poor Miss s death awful hard She Sher r r her eyes out Kep sayi say- say i Hughie Ughie never done it iU As i if ed think you did ral al spoons were were halted in mid- mid everal Beveral pairs of eyes I saw Auspicious glances at at poor trying to eat his chowder chowder- I I. I fork tork ere re are plenty of policemen ve e say Mrs Gerry who might Tso so so lenient with Norcross as ase asre re c e squeaked Mr Quincy Hiso His nd no o longer twinkled they gUtS gUt'S guth's gUt gUt- hs h's S 'S chair scraped backward S pulled it up again without a ai athe i when the minister added Let LetI Letis d who O is without evil cast the theY Y I first stone Personally and without recrimination on I think it looks bad for all of us For a moment I liked the pompous De Witt Did you look in the tent Aunt Nella Roddy's Roddy's Roddy's Rod Rod- asked Ive got a dys dy's around here somewhere hid hid- in ID Uncle Wylie for the first time was eating his repast with the guests Nothing short of murder could have made him bring in his dinner from the kitchen but there he was at a arear arear arear rear table Dont be Nella Looked in the tent every time I passed it today Hunted all over our barn Only place I aint been is Mr Quade's trailer He bit off a healthful health health- ful chunk of bread Could Lane conceal himself in one of your cubbyholes cubbyholes cubbyholes cub cub- he asked Victor Not a chance The trailers trailer's been searched I still have the keys The minister turned around in his chair Boathouse was locked too wasn't it Yet somebody's been there Is it likely Lane would scuttle scuttle scuttle tle his own boats Much as I despised despised despised de de- de- de him I cant can't but hope he just left the Head in a natural way The fire was as an accident which burned a poor old deaf man And Miss Kendall Albion Potter Potter Potter Pot Pot- ter was still bitter apparently about his lost commission to do her por por- trait Accident too Fell into the Pirates Pirate's Pirates Pirate's Pirates Pirate's Pi Pi- Pi- Pi rates rate's Mouth Hugh flung down his napkin Nice of you De DeVitt Witt Vitt but it wont won't go Not I r h l li i x r ov d i f 1 1 d 1 t l 7 ii i f i t Hope you like it it-in it in spite of ev ev- everything everything everything he be smiled at me when you know the poor woman was strangled with my scarf I caught an exchange between Uncle Uncle Un Un- cle Wylie who'd been about to say saya a word and Victor who shut him up just in time So all my Uncle really uttered was Sartin the Sartin the opposite opposite opposite op op- of what hed he'd intended Hugh tossed him a scornful glance Oh I admit it was my scarf all right At least Id I'd lost one of the same color Ill I'll tell the police if the chance ever comes in this isolated hole But and he fairly shouted it at us I didn't tie it around her neck I I-I I I liked the poor old girl He crammed some food into his mouth and nearly choked on it His glass was empty and I sprang to refill it for him Thanks Judy You tell them I didn't write you the funny letter either Or send you any money Truth is Im I'm hard up Had to borrow borrow borrow bor bor- row from my sister to afford this vacation Felt I was justified since it was on her account we weHe weHe we- we He was talking too much and knew it He drained the second glass But I couldn't tell them he or any of the rest of them hadn't sent the letterI letter I dont don't believe you did I said lamely clearing away the table Well I know I didn't chided Thaddeus Quincy Nor I. I Nor I. I I certainly The denial was vociferous and general general general gen gen- eral each guest gazing blandly around the table at the others Wylie aint got a cent so he couldn't Aunt Nella said virtuously virtuous virtuous- ly And you needn't look at me I Ilove Ilove Ilove love Judy moren any of you but I wanted that church for a bungalow in my old age Taint no place for fora a tearoom Why Rockville's chockablock chockablock chock- chock block a-block with and tearooms tearooms tearooms tea tea- rooms and only one of em makin ends meet Her head straightened straightened straightened straight straight- ened stiffly stilly And Id I'd thank whoever whoever who who- whoever ever busted our boat to have it re re- re- re paired That goes for the register too She flounced through the swinging door to the kitchen I sat petrified Auntie can be mighty insulting in a n polite way After all was said and done only ony one person was likely to be responsible sible for the damage Thaddeus Quincy chuckled and nd soon a nervous ripple ran around the tables Uncle Wylie rose to io help me with the tra trays s Dont mind Mrs Gerry Gerry Gerry Ger Ger- ry he half She gets uppity when her sau sauce e is lumpy At that we all laughed aloud and Uncle joined in It wasn't decent I It wasn't seemly but we couldn't help it Our nerves were at the breaking point The minister sobered us down again Judy is the rest of or the I money you received still where you left it I I glanced at Victor Yes I said Its lilts all there it occur to you Miss Kendall Kendall Kendall Ken Ken- dall for reasons unknown lo to us now might have sent it She apparently had plenty of this worlds world's goods ina in ina a small way of course judging by her clothes and her offer to Potter here of 50 for a portrait on top of ot the bid of twenty-five twenty for or the church And as I recall she was the one who wanted to search the basement Acted strange about the Pirates Pirate's Mouth investigation too Lay down on the rock remember remember after after Mr Quade said there was nothing there Would she bid against herself I asked She was the one who bid me up to three hundred at the tion Why If she knew she was certain certain certain tain to have use of the church through me anyway Just then I thought I heard a step stepon on the stairs I held my breath and listened Yes the old stair creaked Lightly Light Light- ly to be sure but someone was walking up or down The other guests didn't appear to notice They were probably too busy eating Victor was saying The liThe thing to todo todo todo do now now now- Excuse me I said and hurried into the hallway and looked up the stairs I caught a swish of a woman's womans womans woman's womans woman's wom wom- ans an's skirts and presently a door closed Bessie Norcross of course Maybe her sleeping medicine hadn't worked yet Shed She'd started to come comedown comedown comedown down to luncheon and finding the crew had not yet finished retreated That was it I retreated too re re- re- re Victor and the minister were having some sort of a powwow powwow powwow pow pow- wow over what to do next tI I I glanced at the room dining-room clock Why it still lacked three minutes to 1 I What a day Already Id I'd lived a hundred years How long would it take you to get one of those boats fit to cross cross' the gap under where the bridge was Victor asked Uncle Wylie The liThe cove you mean Gaps Gap's too tricky for us Headers Wouldn't take long if I had some help gettin her down But why dont don't the authorities turn up Potter ventured Even Evena a fool milkman would report an an accident accident accident ac ac- ac- ac wouldn't he he did But its it's dinnertime dinnertime dinnertime dinner dinner- time Aunt Nella interposed If you knew Pirate Headers the way we do you'd know they wouldn't miss their vittles come murder or orth orthe orthe th the Day of Judgment right that time my uncle said But therell there'll be a sailboat or along before I could patch up The Eleanor you all just lust take it easy till someone turns up Fixed me a megaphone but dont don't see as Ill I'll need it now Winds Wind's turned Carry what we say across He finished his last mor morsel l of cottage cottage cottage cot cot- tage pudding folded his napkin peat peat- ly and offered Ill go set by the bridge and wait Shall I 11 Trust Uncle Wylie to choose to lito set instead of repairing a leaky bottom Well come along and join you Gerry the minister said Want Vant me to push your chair Mr Quincy Quin Quin- cy No thanks returned Mr Quincy Quin Quin- cy coldly Ill keep away from cliffs and broken bridges till the police police police po po- po- po lice get here I move we go have another look at Mr Quade's trailer Hugh said Im remembering a few things besides besides besides be be- sides the scarf he added darkly Go with me Potter Albion shrugged Oh I might as well Nothing to paint paint now I wish to heaven the police would come so soa soa soa a body could settle down again Reluctantly he followed the leader as per usual Hugh stopped by my chair Judy Judy Ju dy if my sister should come down while were we're gone tell her everything's everything's every every- things thing's all right will you Of course Hugh He smiled at me wanly Darn the whole business I told Bessie she was a foci to pome ome here Old memories Couldn't she have settled settled settled set set- them at some other resort resort- Hyannis or Nantucket No she was anxious to see if she was cured of her affection for that that that-that that bounder Well Vell she's got her her her- He muttered something that sounded like tike bellyful bellyful bellyful belly belly- ful and immediately added Pardon Pardon Par don me Judy I dont don't know what Im I'm saying And went out with Pot Pot- ter Victor was having a word vord with Uncle Wylie at the foot of the front steps and Aunt Nella was me to help her Dishes Judy Please You bet Auntie Feel terribly guilty but but but- And I gave her all the dirt while we hustled through TO DE BE CONTINUED |