Show I one she GREEN GREED CLOAK I I 1 i STORY FROM THE START v Dr Ronald McAlister Ister psychologist psycho psycho- ogist undertakes to solve the mystery of ot the murder of or a re recluse recluse re- re cluse Henry Morgan The deadmans deadman's dead deadman's deadmans mans man's papers revert reveal I that he had been In New Zealand where McAlister Mc- Mc Allster AUster had lived In his youth Will wm Harvey testifies to seeing al a l woman In a green cloak at the Morgan home the night of ot the murder Doctor McAlIster Is la asked to see sec a young youns woman patient patient pa pa- tient In a hospital In her delirium de de'- she mutters In a strange language which only McAlister understands He suspects sh she may know something of ot the murf mur mur- f der A carefully hidden map IP Is discovered ered b by McAlister and Assistant Assistant As As- District Attorney Ashton In Morgans Morgan's home While the they jare are searching a young oung woman enters the house In the darkness and escapes leaving behind at a 8 agreen green cloak The name of or Jane t I 1 Perkins a housemaid Is brought Into the case and McAlIster beI believes believes be be- I he has a clue CHAPTER VI 3 I After our conversation with Ashton n n the morning which had terminated ith th a n practical declaration of war lEi MJ n our part upon him his visit to tolEf tour tour lEf ur laboratory took us rather by hy sur stir wise I think perhaps that he lie intend intend- It that way and that there may maye lave Jave e been lurlin lurking g In the bottom of lis mind the idea that by coming upon is In that unexpected way he lie might some secret we were holding holdin rack ack from himI him I Well Well he said cheerfully In anwer an- an to our greeting I Just met liar Har- Harey ey ey coming away from here In Mallos Mallo's Mallo- Mallo gs is s 's como convoy I suppose with such an r ray of instruments as this he lie heed raved aced ed his hits hand to Include pretty prett auch ouch everything e In the room youve b In getting the truth the ole truth and nothing but hut the truth vt jut cent in-cent of him How now about It Is he In In- r cent or guilty 1 His ls mockery was perfectly good but the depth of his sleep cism made it possible for Doctor Mc- Mc to be perfectly frank with him HG e II Is Innocent said he lie had hadr r o more connection with the Oak I e murder than vou you had t H He sa says so o hims himself lf p presume sume ob observed served ved ter-ved Ashton Exactly replied the doctor The telephone bell rang Just then d I answered it I heard n a voice om m somewhere Inquiring If this was wn actor fictor McAlIsters McAlIster's laboratory and on ont t if answering in the time affirmative time the oice asked If Mr III Ashton had arrived ed et Dt Hes here now I 1 said Do you yon ant to talk ith tt-ith him Then rhen Then I turned away and called Ashin Ash Ash- in n to the thc phone As h he hp started across 7 e room ni my mj chief spoke e to him I I see an evening evenin paper sticking out r your our pocket said he lie Let me live ive a n look will you ou while you ou anthe are arc the telephone Ashton handed It to him then ossed the room and picked up tin the celver The doctor beckoned to me For Fore e moment he seemed ver very little con con- with the news for he turned me Ie e front pages rapidly until he cameI came I I the lost and found section In th the ossified advertising Once there hl his hi L 1 je e pounced like Ille a n hawk upon time the em he lie wanted His long bony tinge linger minted r It out to me m Found A A green cloak Owner can live lve the same h by Identifying and ond in mgt of or this Insertion A ii il I I wonder If that halt bait has brou brought hr 1 iy my nibbles this afternoon the do doer doe doe- rr ir r whispered Then n before I could reply relly he hp my rimy arm tightly anti and nodded ward ard Ashton A woman worman you say soy I heard m exclaim with eer every appearance f IliA 1 excitement DId she l Identify f It What Fort sort of woman An Anything usual about her There here was a n little silence while II he 1 for the description Then In Incredulous tone we heard him ex ex- alm r l An EIl English housemaid I And Anti she sheve hf ss ve e her name as Jane Tane Perkins Did Didot ot olt Identify the cloak be beyond ond a aal atop al o Whet address did she sHe give ier fa oe that Three Three seven seven 0 og I Wh Why you ou Idiot tints Hints my li min fiJn ln n address 1 I That's The Meredith Meredith to toed you let hem hei walk wull off lIT with that over o her firm arm after she had lr ren n you that t address 1 He waited for no IlO nn answer w r replaced G te e a receiver on the hook with ii II n a Jerk jerl In fc d whirled around upon us his face 1 with an anger er J Gentlemen dont don't you vou think you bo ve e carried this Joke jole a little too i he demanded li I suppose the unwarranted d r n might ml ht have ha mad muo 1 me lt un angry l' l If 1 o. o ef- ef f d had lind leisure to tn in indulge In iii such Demotion emotion But all Ill my guy other feelings s sas rs 3 as t rn t n- n swallowed un up in h. astonishment II b b gut ut t one additional detail lIl supplied by lIy mS IS 1 ft tons ton's conversation over cr the tele- tele 1 ln In p iq one an nn at already ready hardly 3 t IC b 5 lIble coincidence to the time d i Dim Jane Janc 1 not ot only nl had lUll ee u e aed ed e sen en i cloa with o a l hl teh h collar hut but ls IsO bad had lost It and j f f seeing It nd cr in 1 Jed ed d as os found had m a promptly pone gone one anti and andol of ol min ui l IT gO sad and had gone os t a with t ts t ff BO BOP By YORKE m DAVIS DAVID F wm Service Copyright 1928 In It over her arm But the address oddress- well I admitted to m myself self that reduced reduced re reo the whole thing to a 0 farce For a moment all nil my belief In Doctor Doctor Doc Doc- tor McAlisters McAlister's theory in the validity of the time test we had performed upon Harvey in er e every scientific law I had hart felt surest of ten minutes initiates ago ngo tottered tottered tot tot- on Its foundation Some one somewhere in placid security from our suspicions and from the possibility of our detection was directing this ghastly farce and was OS permitting himself him self to laugh laug-h at us That girl in the hospital had been shamming Harvey Haney had been shamming Jane Perkins who had Identified the time cloak was per per- Imps hops a m myth th altogether I could Imagine Imagine Imagine Imag Imag- ine whoever played the part laughing as she walked walled away with that cleat I over her arm and picturing the effect effect upon all of us when we should learn the address she site had liar given ghen But nut to the district attorney the situation situation situ situ- atlon had a n very different look He had no doubt at all and all and on second thought I could not blame him that him that we ourselves were the center of a plot to make male him look ridiculous I got t time the e shock of another surprise when I turned to look at Doctor Mc- Mc lc- lc Alister Instead of the time Indignant rebuke rebuke re re- buke huke which I expected him to mete out outto outto outto to the time young man who had just accused accused accused ac ac- him him he lie spoke very quietly and with a mocking twinkle jn n his eye You cant can't expect me to pass my opinion on a joke Ashton until 1 J hear It he lie said You know altogether too much about it said the already attorney hotly This Timis precious Jane Perkins of yours answers my advertisement for forthe forthe the time cloak which you turned over to me She l identifies It ft beyond any doubt as ns an anyone one whom you had Instructed Instructed Instructed In In- in advance would be able to todo do do Identities Identifies It down to a missing button and a patch In the time lining How Ilow far back does the jol joke e go Did Ditl you find the cloak as you preten pretended ed you ou did In Oak Oal Ridge near the Morgan house or was the finding of It part of the game A little gesture of rebuke and protest protest protest pro pro- test from the doctor checked him vel very verv abruptly No I withdraw that he said That was an nn unwarranted thing timing to tosa sa say I believe belle that up to this mornIng mornIng morning morn- morn Ing when you JOU declared declare war upon me you vou thought that by Instructing the woman to g give ge e my own detective my myown myown myown own address as hers you were giving me a fair chance to detect the fraud It would be I suppose If if this were a game of chess But Put this Is serious business Ve We realize that as ns well as you yon do I started to say but my chief Interrupted me Cant you OU penetrate our fraud a n little further he asked and his tone now was openly derisive Does it occur to you ou that Phelps here with the addition of a skirt and a shawl might not be a sufficiently plausible Jane Perkins to deceive the astute gentleman you OU left in charge There was a little pause there for Ashton was too angry to answer The doctors doctor's manner changed as he lie went on What Phelps sa says s 's is true We Ve realize better than you ou do I think what is at stake stal here Were We're not tr tryIng trying try try- Ing to thwart justice In the long run We Ve are attacking this problem in our own awn wa way after giving you ou fair fall warn warn- ing We refused to guarantee that our wa way would not conflict with yours ours and we told toll you In so EO ninny many words that you'd ou do well to keep keel an e eye e on us Youve You've the law on your our side Youve You've all the power 0 of the mite state attorneys attorney's attorneys attorney's at at- torney's s office whereas we have no standing at all nil If you ou think weve we've got ot the time cloak search us search carch the laboratory Where here will you you begin 1 Still too angry to make any reply relI Ashton strode out of the time room not ac DC- actually actually slamming the door alter atter him but shutting It decisively el enough to tn suggest that he felt like hike slamming slumming It and the next moment we heard his motor chugging away down the time avenue The doctor hurried to the window and looked out after him Presently he turned turnell toward me with a long breath of relief Were all right so far fur he said I Hes lines gone straight on without turnIng turnIng turn tarn Ing the corner He Isn't going back to The Meredith Just yet et Come along Well We'll have hove no time to lose even as It Is Ashton will have cooled down b by dinner time and when lies lie's cool ol enough to let his mind begin working again hell he'll become dangerous us Already he lie was struggling Into his overcoat I turned to go to the other othel room for mine when he lie called me back and sent me to the telephone I 1 think we had liar better have a n taxi tn he said save e some precious time and will enable us to take tale some of ot our traps up to the hotel with us I Some of ot Traps Inquired our instruments do you mean He nodded Time The chronograph and anel telephones he lie said I fancy the they'll 11 I Ibe be nil all well we'll need for an any real test we shall want to make but It will wit be bewell bewell bewell well to take something else for the time purpose of diffusing attention Here this piece of ot heavy artillery will Just serve the purpose Its It's rather cumbersome cum cum- hersome but that makes males it all time the better The Instrument he lie Indicated was one I had never ne seen before it having hayIng haying hay hay- ing come in only that day clay from the model makers The doctor was alwa always always al al- al- al wa ways s 's devising new instruments of one sort or another This one looked Interesting Interesting interesting In In- and I should have questioned Questioned questioned ques Ques- him ab about ut It had not my mind been so full of other things timings better telephone at once he lie concluded If ulf this sleet storm keeps up the wires are likely to be down before night ni h 1 Doth Both of us I think would have been a little surprised if we could have known how true that prediction was and how vitally Holly it was going to concern us You are going to make some tests up In our rooms in The Meredith 1 I asked I Imagine he lie said soberly though his e eyes es sparkled with excitement aslie as ashe ashe he lie spoke I ima imagine lne that our roo rooms will b be about the time only place where we will be secure from front Interruption I 1 could see it in Ashton's e eye e that he meant business and Im I'm pretty sure that if we attempted to come back here after dinner and bring anybody with us our little party would sustain a rude interruption All the time while he spoke e he was busy gathering things to together ether and as soon as I had finished telephoning I helped him Haste Jaste spoke In every ever movement he lie made made anti and it was not long before I was was was' thoroughly infected with his excitement although I had hind only a vague Idea what it was all about Not ot until we were seated in the cab with a suitcase full of instruments at atour atour atour our feet did he lie say anything that tended to clear up any n l part lt of the m mystery It was a n great piece Ilece of luck he observed then we were able ahle to send sentI Ashton away awa in such a n rage It wont won't occur to him for some time to begin making Inquiries about The Meredith You mean I exclaimed C that the address four seven four seven 0 Woodland avenue ave uve- avenue nue was given glen In good faith by a n real Jane Perkins who Is actually employed em era- there He lIe only lall laughed hed and told me to wait and see but the inflection of his voice and the time eager expectancy In his e eyes es made it clear that that was what h he did believe But I protested even cven If It it were possible to imagine Jane Perkins as having any an possible connection with the crime It is inconceivable that she I would go and risk ans answering vering the all ad I in order to reclaim the cloak and then give gh-e her own address I He vouchsafed no word of ot Mention or argument but I could see that m my objection had not shaken him himin himin him in the least So perforce I waited I with what patience I could assume to to see what would happen when we reached The Meredith The doctor octor turned over our bag toa to toa ton a n with Instructions that It betaken bo bl taken talen to our apartment Then he lie led the time way straight toward time tile dining room It was barely six o'clock a lull tull hour earlier than thun we usually dined and the room was almost empty empt It wont won't entirely destroy destro your appetite appetite ap up petite to sit down to dinner In t tweeds will it he lie asked We really haven't time for frivolities of that sort this evening TO BE fiE CONTINUED |