Show u J biej W ti H U BM j ISABEL kui L i WAITT VV XA I 1 T 41 N wm 9 STORY SO tah PAR judy jason who I 1 Is telling the story atory receives receive an anonymous letter enclosing SOD goo tad d lik ik ing her to bill bid for or an abandoned church to be auctioned the next day alter after the auction the body ot of a mm man identified a a roddy lane li is found in a chest la in the basement ol of the he church but disappears a lew few hours hour later to make matters matter worse none the telephone wires nave have been cut lad aud the bridge to the mainland blown up victor quade finds a golt golf club near the che chert L the fish thed shed burnt burns apparently an alm old man named brown who li is sup up posed to have thed lived there and eincle aylies wylies pipe is found near the tha do de moll shed bed abed now new continue with audys story CHAPTER VII potter offered to drive as many as could crowd into his car down to the wrecked bridge and the rest of us started for the inn victor whispered to me to search the absentees rooms for that square diamond too valuable to be left quincy says I 1 felt glad he trusted me to do it I 1 got a look into nearly every room not thorough of course but a glance in in the most likely places uncle wylie bumped into me on the stairs seen my pipe judy he fished fariley from pocket to pocket and then went on down to the kitchen to hunt I 1 followed him down to the kitchen aunt nella began hissing at him right before lily kendall gone out to talk with auntie because she want to be alone uncle wylie went down to the ruins of the old shed he was lifting the shawl when I 1 called to him not to touch anything then he just walked around eyes on the ground hunting for the pipe victor had in his pocket I 1 told him about it because I 1 want to alarm him too much with implications hed know soon enough but now I 1 started after him only to see the car coming back tossed a coin to see be left behind albion potter was chosen but he seemed so reluctant ait to stay alone that the preacher volunteered Linte ered As to the bridge itself it just any more all the old wooden planks had been blown to splinters and washed away by the swirling waters below you see it had to be a time bomb victor had explained or else have one of the cars stop and someone get out and set off the dynamite fuse or whatever was used and the cars stop no one jot got out but why wh someone from rockville have blown up the bridge right after we crossed somebody asked 1 I was told about this afterward that of course was possible on account of the darkness or it might have been one of those at home on the head that evening hugh or mr quincy dumcy or victor quade or lily or aunt nella or I 1 I 1 felt I 1 could eliminate my aunt mr Q victor quade and myself after all I 1 was only sure of my self I 1 the general con census was that either mr brown had blown the bridge after killing roddy or vice vice versa only after the identification of that charred grisly corpse could one be sure victor said lets try to lo help one another shall we sit on the porch judy go get your uncle so I 1 called uncle wylie who came slowly back looking rather sheepish before his guests sitting in the hammock the porch rockers and even en on the steps up panted the minister had he too gotten gotte n cold feet said held hed get his field glasses and could see anyone approaching from the inn piazza we were still at a standstill although so early in the morning it ag the air was warm A land breeze had sprung up w which was rapidly dispersing the fog at victors d request I 1 got aunt nella to join us only get clam chowder for lunch she scolded untying her blue checkered apron and taking the chair hugh norcross brought her go ahead with the third degree only I 1 set s et the fire and neither nels neis did wy my husband heres his pipe bless herl as victor would say she held up an old corncob id never seen my uncle smoke in my life wylie gerry flushed not the one my dear mine is is a little briar had it in my pocket when I 1 went to town smoked it au all the evening down to the pl abin shop with the boys until he contemplated his shoes a minute and then lc looked quade squarely in the eye wait I a minute victor quade in interrupted reaching into his pocket Is this your pipe mr gerry uncle wylie reached for the dirty old thing then he beamed all over why yes es yes it he it comfortably between his teeth S you fird it ive hunted ev cry re down by t h fish shed during the fire certain its yours im sartin however it Sartin Jm got aunt there nella 92 gasped sped and began to bristle all over but before she could the minister cried say therel anything what more do you want gerry lav jay on the bench and his pipe roll rolled ed out of his hand and started the h e fire fi r but B u t lie h e smoking albion protested 1 I ought to know he was in my car you ought to know too de witt you saw him sitting in t the j ie car when we rushed into the inn ian excited about the explosion it the pipe set the fire why it get burned I 1 asked the bench was burned to cinders how could the pipe have set the fire hugh norcross cut in no pipe stays lit that long besides while we were all down there I 1 dropped my cigarette case had to light a match to find it Look edall all or around 0 und that bench and see any pipe victor was looking at him coolly coody so you lit a match what of it nothing only you told us you were over by the lane castle right after dark when judy and mr quincy spoke to you take another stroll in the same direction and light another match later did you hugh nearly fell oft off the railing say what is this youve got a nerve insinuating a thing like that in front of all these people I 1 had a score to settle with lane ill admit but not the way things have been turning up around here im not a killer nor an incendiary bessie got up and linked her arm in his ill just tell you this much those of you who dont know rodney lane and I 1 were engaged five years ago we we broke it off hugh thought he treated me rather shabbily but there was nothing more to it roddy even appear to know me the other night and I 1 certainly thanked my stars he married me what id like found oil out t is who snitched snatched snit ched hughs ba blue U e silk down by the fish shed during the fire scarf from my bureau and mr potters turpentine I 1 think weve got a maniac a kleptomaniac and a what do you call em pyromaniac for a moment we all sat trying not to look at poor bessie norcross giving us the lowdown on her unhappy post past I 1 felt awfully sorry for her pretty tough to go to a place where romance has touched your heart and then come back with it broken to see lf if it hurts any more thank you miss norcross that Is what I 1 mean victor said talking rapidly to give the girl a chance to control herself by admitting that affair to us being frank and open about it youve helped us to understand some otherwise ambiguous remarks the police may not even have to know about it the pol police icel 1 bessie stood twisting her handkerchief to knots she looked as it if shed have another breakdown any minute tall dark angular too thin she had none of her brothers good looks hugh turned to her what quade means is that it if we all come cle clem an this murder will OUT evidently he thinks its one of us just as some of us think it mighty funny HE should turn up when he did victor looked at me gue guess Ss ill have to tell them judy it might be better mr quade victor came around where he be could see us all im not riot too flattered none of you recognizes me he said anyone ever read blood on the necklace lily kendalls Kend aUa opal beads scattered on the porch 1 I have gee it was swell why you aint now dont tell met mel or window ledge or ghost in the chasm victor rattled on ive heard of them bessie said and ive read em all mr vidor vider quinn mr de witt saoko up tip mighty good reading A fellow loaned them to me in once states czi prison an did he mean his face was purple would he h explain I 1 wondered but he there shuffling till was en an uncomfortable victor went on suavely youre right im vidor quinn but my real name is quade victor quade the others just a pseudonym and I 1 am recovering from an attack of rheumatic fever therefore the trailer and the rest by the sea you can verify that much later chose to come on an my own name for a little seclusion so I 1 could do another book well youve given me the book you mean youre goin to put us all in a book how thrilling lily squealed 1 I dont know if I 1 do it would be nothing personal nothing not wish that your friends might identify you by A writer can change a story so you recognize it as ever having happened to you but not here nor there being vidor quinn give me an alibi ill say it quincy shot at him however victor ignored the interruption ter it does place me give the rest of you something to go on how do we know you cook up the whole thing get even with lane and hide behind your vocation I 1 was ashamed for mr quincy victor only smiled and showed his rine fine white teeth at me miss jason hinted something or other of the kind 1 I did not I 1 stammered 1 I never really thought in your eyes my dear I 1 told her as ill tell you that when I 1 plan a murder I 1 wont park my trailer on the spot and leave my car to get away in down in the rockville garage id just like to say this aa as a manufacturer of mystery stories stones there are certain aspects of this one which are only too apparent used them myself in fiction now do you wish me or shall someone else act as spokesman so we can clear up some of the muck believe me the police will run the gamut of all your our lives there was a unanimous decision that he should go ahead even mr quincy appeared to have less animosity he banged the rail with his cane ive been hoping mr quade if we let you talk give yourself away now youve done it and theres a chance youre 0 K what do you want to know ill spill the beans after you show us a few credentials denti als qan can you do it 1 I dont know victor said fishing in his pocket lie he pulled out a billfold but stuffed it back again guess youve got me thought I 1 had a statement from my publisher but I 1 must have left it at home when I 1 dumped the rest of my pock ets a good one ydun have to take me on faith mingled with doubt of course unless its in another pocket in the trailer shall we go see lie he shrugged personally I 1 can think of a dozen more important well I 1 cant you come to the head and hell busts loose give judy and norcross the keys to your trailer ind and let em look only take a jiff mr quincy tapped the end of each sentence with a cane all ali we needed was direction no sooner said than done stuff to relieve the tension the two of us ran up the pasture to the lovely new trailer id never been inside one before compact why it had everything ery thing everything but the publishers letter wo we locked it up again and hurried to report no letter norcross said puts you on the same spot with me mr quade except that he did have a typewriter aldand there was a sheet of paper in it I 1 sald said hugh norcross said accusingly go on miss jason tell what h hed ed written it said it said there was just a title in capitals yes and the title was murder on the bluell hugh finished for me now was that a coincidence or was that a coincidence thaddeus quincy thumped furiously either hes the maniac or it lets him out and he is vidor quinn mystery story dont you see I 1 move we let it lie and go on mr quade will have to stick around where we can keep an eye on hint him anyway what were the dozen more important things you spoke of a moment or two nuo ago albion potter leaned forward wide eyed may I 1 say cay something he seemed awfully self conscious speaking up before us all its bout about think me foolish at a time like this perhaps but but dont forget he took my turpentine if id only discovered it before I 1 went to town I 1 could have bought some more moie I 1 saw victor give him a half glance then turn his attention iori to bessie norcross the fire does make that missing turpentine seem more portentous you you try to clean that spot off your white coat with a little of mr potters turpentine did you miss norcross what spot bessie twirled around to look where we were all looking there sure enough was a big black greasy looking smudge fading away into yellowish rings good griedl how did I 1 get that on there she p pulled at uie the offending skirt and murmured regretfully my new white coati clatl hugh stared fixedly at the spot my doings he said sorry arald traid I 1 made it worse beta bea TO RE BE CONTINUED |