Show rt F i- i S wT PIR HE D ISABEL M. M 0 W U N N U RE LEASE STORY SO FAR FAK Judy Jason Is telling the story receives an anous ous letter enclosing SOO and asker ask- ask v er to bid for an abandoned church tt te tk auctioned the next day She finds w old Id chest the body of a man r 1 ast Roddy Lane Lanc The body i. i a few hours later A fish shed V apparently killing an old man mant 1 t d Brown who Is supposed to have haveS S ld there Judy finds Roddy Lanes Lane's dla dla- it in the handbag she left at thet the tho thoOn t On 1 li the day of the auction Lily Ken Ken- r Ys 2 fi found dead with Hugh Norcross' Norcross around her neck Albion Potter i Judy a picture of the church he hei i lust Unshed flashed JP F continue with Judy's story t CHAPTER XV RV at pt a good lookout too I could 11 cle Wy Wylies Wylie's lies lie's bent figure down downIn J bridge In the living room f than the porch themen were fired red still talking talking- things over dally aUy lly they decided to get out east i ast damaged boat boal and try to toto to shape Victor agreed king ing was better than idly wait- wait Mr r. r Quincy could sit on the theand theand and wave his flag to try to ata ata at- at a a passing craft t tt the beach For the first firstI I saw Mr Quincy staring at atwith b d with genuine suspicion h isn't visible and you know J could finish me off offe t e ethere there No thanks Ill I'll stay I can be seen by all Then one ne killing occurs you cant can't cante 1 me e. e He told me afterward fj e men had left the room really ally begun to think Quade JUr killer Stark fear had reis ret re- re t his is former bantering man- man 11 first I only half suspected he said But its it's all too die re e turns up from nowhere and He could have done J it The letter the money ire re re and the killing He found founds s Kendalls Kendall's body Judy stay your our aunt I dont don't trust Victor SS 1 4 r. r ill ll I do I returned with i feat eat I guess a womans woman's inis ind in- in d is worth more than thant than than- l t do that unfortunate Ken- Ken oman much good did it it lure re letting this get you Mr y Perhaps I did it Perhaps did d. d But Im I'm sure Victor how it is it'd d felt the blood flooding my ij before it crept all over my now Ill get you a red table- table from the linen closet and tie tied tend d a broom That do i eelY cely elY he said Then will you me down the ramps right i I tell you fp I clipped up the stairs 1 en closet adjoined the bath- bath I found the faded old cloth f ted ed d and was about to run down when the sound of crying red ced me from up the hall Poor seT g. g e Norcross No wonder she tnt mt n t sleep Dipped i Ped on her door The weep- weep topped immediately I tapped The least I could do was to toper l per her brothers brother's message And Andr r ast she could do I thought was 1 tern how he was I tapped a bit i. i Er piss iSs Norcross Rap-rap-rap Rap 1 fie sie its it's Judy eard rd her stirring and waited die h e didn't unlock the door lassie ssie sie Ive I've a message from Open the door Suld Uld hear her bedsprings creak- creak I pain r gain in Then footsteps She came cameto to O the door This time the cry- cry Commenced again Jm l y all right Judy For 0 i sake ake ke go away And give this to 1 police olice lice when they come fazed i zed I waited for her to open G Boor jo or Instead I heard a und on the floor and saw at att rest et t a white envelope I picked and md said Did you say say say-po- po pots pot's t mt's ats at's t's ts what I said Have they t yet i p o u I said backing away as a aWig Wig if of horror came over me Sell Fell ll they w will ll And they'll keep keepf f wake hours asking questions dons ns questions Ive I've got to tos ifa s and the medicine wont won't may r f She was fairly raving at me jh lh h took the rest of it away Judy J dy beg him to give you just those darn darn him f was as already heading for the theis yS is Ill try But I had no in- in ion 6 of getting or any- any r t else What kind of a person she to help trap her own broth- broth r n rI never heard of anything so blooded in my I life e. e Her tone she said Hugh had taken her hert stuff stuff t had be been n. n fu full of h hate te He such UCh a good brother to her now now in his necessity she not I docked Blocked herself in but helped the ate Je ome me here quick Bessie Nors Nor- Nor s thinks her brothers brother's guilty i she's written to the police actor shushed me when I told bout about Bessie's letter Bless Want the crew upon us He ged his dark head at the men 4 l ere standing around trying to lehow to get the boat out of the J t oft loft without a moments moment's hesi hesitation tation or r tore open Bessie's letter Jetter I 1 tickled tickled mauve that he dared II If t couldn't help wondering why M nt let Hugh do it A fleeting scion ion crossed his mind If Hugh q right and Victor guilty guilty- justifies the means Judy rid i ii He began to stroll away from the barn while from the piazza Thaddeus Thaddeus Thaddeus Thad- Thad deus Quincy waved a red cloth from the end of his cane and yelled at me Just a minute I yelled back at him Oh please Mr Quade Does she say he did it I said to Quade Victor gave a low whistle This beats the Dutch Listen Judy Its It's a confession Not Bessie Bessie Victor made a n quick survey to be sure he wasn't overheard overheard overheard over over- heard and then commenced to read in a low tone I 1 Elizabeth Norcross being of sane mind do hereby of my own accord accord accord ac ac- ac- ac cord on this Fourth of July confess to the murder of Rodney Lane Jr and Lily Kendall But 1 I did not have anything to do with the death of that poor old man recluse they call Brown whom I never even saw nor the burning of his shack nor the explosion at the bridge I feel sure though there were no fireworks at atthe atthe atthe the Head the night before the Fourth both were accidents The bridge may have collapsed I dont don't know But my brother Hugh did not have a hand in any of this murder business nor know that I had He Heis Heis is entirely innocent in every way although several things might look suspicious I can account for all three The initialed golf club the blue scarf and his being seen before the crime of Roddy's death in the vicinity I mean by Judith Jason and Thaddeus Quincy He told one onelie lie lie to to save me He said when he went out having missed me last lasts s 3 x J i 1 w C yc i air r 1 He fell Cell down the stairs and must have struck his head on the granite floor night about the time Judy spoke to toa toa toa a shadow that he saw my light come on in my room so he knew I Iwas Iwas Iwas was all right He couldn't have My room is on the other side of the house Go look for yourselves He did it to protect me We Ve glanced at the inn bedroom and saw she was telling the truth Then continued Now about the spot on my coat Its It's blood Hugh tried to save me there also He didn't borrow any turpentine from Mr Potter I did I tried to clean off the blood but made it worse I guess Mr Potters Potter's door was open a crack Hed He'd gone to town I took the bottle from his table Please wont won't somebody help me down the ramp I heard Mr Quincy Quin Quin- cy holler again but this time I did not turn around Let him quilt Victor said resuming resuming resuming re re- re- re suming the letter To make this horrible story short Ill I'll say that my motive was vengeance Five years ago Roddy Lane jilted me after a summers summer's courtship in this very place My brother was just a boy but he saw me have a nervous breakdown and vowed hed he'd get even with Lane some day Id I'd reserved that same pleas- pleas n In for mv myself I take the Rockville ure paper j just t tt t to ke keep tra p-tra track k- k of R o-i-R Roddy dd When the auction of the church was advertised I hoped he might show up Got Hugh to vacation here ostensibly ostensibly ostensibly os os- os- os to prove I could again visit the scene of my broken heart and show him the wound didn't bleed any more Hugh fell for it Hes He's been a good brother to me I told him the sight of the Castle where Id I'd laughed and danced and had my romance didn't give me a n pang any longer It wasn't true II When Roddy walked into the dining room at Gerry's all the old sweet bitter-sweet love came back again And he didn't even pretend to recognize recognize recognize nize me I Id I'd never wronged him I dont don't have to bare my heart any more The old adage about a woman woman woman wom wom- an scorned is enough I determined to go 50 through with it Hed He'd never live to break another trusting heart I 1 left the table passing but not speaking to him I couldn't bear it if he greeted me like an old friend in that casual sneering way of his which was the way he treated his castoffs Id I'd studied his career and found it full of things hed he'd neglected neglect neglect- ed to mention such as his wife Id I'd never dreamed he was already married while making love to me I 1 picked up the club Mr De DeWitt DeWitt DeWitt Witt had been using on the lawn and went for a stroll Everybody nearly nearly nearly near near- ly had gone to town so I thought Hugh was in his room I saw Roddy coming down the Castle drive He wanted to talk to me he said to tell me how miserable hed he'd been the been the mistake wed we'd made of our lives Could we ever forgive ourselves es And begin again I 1 had to steel myself against his passion All the old feeling came rushing back I was beginning to melt like sugar He had to get something something something some some- thing out of the church basement before it was auctioned off he said I asked him if hed he'd meant it when he said at supper he was going to buy it Buy it What for he said I only came to the Head because because because be be- cause I knew you were down here I knew that was a lie Hugh and andI I had only just arrived the week before before before be be- fore quite unheralded We went into the church the church the door was unlocked un un- un- un locked locked and and he told me to wait but butI I followed him Roddy are you asking me to marry you again I said He took me in his arms and kissed me For a minute I was happy happ Then he said No more wedding bells for me Sort of companionate companionate companionate com- com maybe darling We were standing at the top of the basement basement basement base base- ment stairs I was so mad I gave him a push away from me He fell down the stairs and must have struck his head on the granite floor Ugh I can see him now now all all smashed I dragged him to the chest and somehow got him in I forgot about the golf club which must have fallen down into the pool of blood I heard somebody on the steps steps Miss Miss Kendall or maybe it was Judy and Mr Quincy Anyway Anyway Anyway Any Any- way I ran out the basement door and home Judy will remember she heard the door squeak so I must have not quite closed it I didn't know what to do I considered jumping jumping jumping jump jump- ing into the sea but hadn't the cour cour- age Poor Bessie I murmured Victor turned the last page I 1 never intended Lily Kendall any harm She was a bore and a pest always bragging about her niece that niece that Gloria Lovelace and trotting out her pictures Gloria was her whole life but I hadn't cometo cometo come to the Massachusetts coast to hear about her Hugh and I couldn't take a walk but it was Gloria all the way I knew Lily had seen me earlier that fatal evening when shed she'd gone to watch the sunset but before reaching the church of course I knew shed she'd seen me wearing wearing wearing wear wear- ing Hughs Hugh's blue scarf around my head Id I'd lost the scarf while I 1 Iwas Iwas was with Roddy When you all went to the bridge to connect with the milkman Lily didn't go Neither did I. I We Ve took a walk together to toward toward toward to- to ward the sea She told me shed she'd picked up my scarf and thrown it into the ocean but the wind had blown it back into the Pirates Pirate's Mouth She accused me openly of killing Roddy I got her to show me where and gave her a little push too She fell you know where and andI I rolled her toward the slit in the rock where she struck The handkerchief handkerchief handkerchief hand hand- kerchief was there all right but I didn't tie it around her neck It slipped out of my fingers beyond reach into the crevice I had nothing nothing nothing noth noth- ing to fish it out with and hoped when the tide turned it might be washed away But some wretch tied it around her neck to make it look lookas as if my brother did it I didn't strangle her She died just as Roddy Roddy Roddy Rod Rod- dy did from the fall If U she hadn't said I killed Roddy because he jilted jilted jilted jilt jilt- ed me I wouldn't have pushed her in That word jilted finished me crazy I gasped Oh no Victor said Just a little little little lit lit- tle more of it And he read the last pitiful explanation of that awful night I 1 was afraid I might be seen so I crept out of the Pirates Pirate's Mouth routh up the other side the steep way crawling around the cliff back of the church and down to the strip of beach to the woods back of Gerry's barn I got across the road to the inn and back to my room without h b nn sc non en And that's all nil t tr sing U ClU A 11 U ry J to answer police questions questions-if if Im I'm awake But before God in Heaven my brother is innocent How dreadful Victor sighed Yes how dread dread- ful What does she mean mean mean-if if she's awake Does she take sleeping medicine medicine medicine med med- all the time He jerked around and started back Hurry Judy She's pretty desperate Dont worry She begged me to beg Hugh for another pill or tablet or however comes And I heard her say hed he'd refused to give her any darn any darn him Her words not mine How she must love him I Sounded pretty mad at him through the door Poor girl No wonder she wanted wanted wanted want want- ed sleeping tablets after writing all this she brave to confess Confess Why you innocent little little little lit lit- tle baby This document lets Bessie Bessie Bessie Bes Bes- sie off scot free TO DE BE CONTINUED |