Show I v FICTION V SONS CHAPTER CHAPlEn He lic smiled usually smiled at sight eight of ot sunny Bunny 1 Sleep it if you like ilke he said said and his voice olee was gentle Ill t watch It It you ou were smaller I 1 should take you to be Mr Nr Truitt she said meditatively for tor even sitting down It was AI as plain to be seen cen that the stranger was a very ery long per person son I i I I am Truitt he le said It Is Bucks Buck's favorite jest to tell lell Im I'm a a dwarf or pigmy and then he thinks It funny tunny when they are surprised You see ace he said saW ris- ris risIng Inc Ing I 1 outgrew myself my lf as a boy and never got over It lt He lie was wa unusually tall several Inches over six feet teet but he car car- car carried ried himself well and with no trace of awkwardness or self conscious ness What Is the girl like to whom hom you ou are arc t 1 asked Bunny letting her eyes travel up to the tho ery top of ot this Elf tel Tower ot of humanity Im not engaged That's an- an another an another other I 1 daresay of Todds Todd's tar tar I suppose hes he's afraid flirt with me Do Io wont won't you Probably I 1 usually do But Mr fr TruItt sit down here by me Im I'm glad to talk tall with you alone alono alonea a moment You ro hero to look In Into to th Iho Heath case arent aren't you 7 Yes Yea I 1 am a detective as well as a friend of Bucks Buck's I want todo to do dolI all I 1 can for tor him course you do Im I'm Bunny Moore foore a friend of the Heaths loathe I Iwas was In the house at ot the time ing and I 1 am suspected of being the murderer There was no trace of a 0 smile on Bunny's Bunn s face fael Her Ifer eyes ees looked Into those of Truitt and he saw that she had hod serious knowl knowledge edge of the matter malter whatever It ml might he It seems Incredible he lie said salol not perfunctorily but with a seri seriousness that equaled her hel own Will YOU tell me a few details or shall shallI I wait walt until Tod comes cornea home I X will talk taik to you until they come You dont don't 1001 look like a de- de de detective Mr Truitt I 1 did until I 1 changed all nit that The first duty dUly of a det detective Is not notto notto notto to look like Ilka one I 1 was helped by my height of course No Xo eon con con- conventional detective was ever as tall talt tallas tallas as I 1 am Then I 1 cultivated a habit of looking like the person I om am l to See I 1 now wear ear a smile like yours His ills face Irradiated Into a smile that W I though In no way a mockery of Bunny's own so much mucho so ao o that she Blared and anti gasped ISs Is a knack he lie le said salol Quiet nuiet ly Iy And It gives me the advantage advantage tage of a of countenance countenance countenance ance My My good heavens shi ox- ox ex I 1 never saw anybody liKe liKo ou Probably not XO Now talk It If I youre you're our going to 10 There Thero j only one I way for a detective to o learn thing and that that's for him to make othi r tall to to him Mm I thought you used clues and evidence and al el that Material clues cities are aro eli all very well tt It they're real ones and vital I to the case ease Evidence Is of course But the real stuff Is what hat t poured out b by the he human ton tongue ue Give me a lot of babbling people an Ill I'll solve 1101 your our ease case How much ought I 1 tell leI you vou Every bit of a thing you know I 1 am very verv i In n earnest when r I work or Miss Mio Moore re and I can can- cannot cannot not can not always Impress on popi the desirability of telling all Now never neler mind about the general facts the pint points pints or thc outstanding det details details lIs Tel Tell me yOU know th b t no one else know ou saw MW What you OU heard leord that others didn't hear What Whit you sur surmise mise miss that others ont ilont even oven AUS- AUS sus KUS t Those are ore the thing things that will help me to solve the th mystery want It tt solved dont don't you ou Yes Tee Te I 1 do now no Tills This Thi morning I 1 sure put lut sitting here and about mv my trl friend nI whom J I loved and win her fun going on yes I 1 do want ant her mur mur- mur derer murderer d whoever discovered discovered whoever he Is I I You didn't kill her herNo Xo No and Bunny Dunny spoke poke quiet quietly I I ly showing no resentment at the Question Do you Know who did didI I I am not sure sl As you wilt iii learn as os soon coon as you loam learn any any- anything any thine thing about the case case ense- Oh I know the main facts facts- Then you ou know there them are three principal suspects Mr Heath air Inman and myself Each of us ush hd d motive and opportunity opportunity-I've opportunity learned that line from the detec detectives I but tives but my motive was not a strong one and ond and I didn't make use of my opportunity It Il was Wll one ono of the men then It wa was one of the men Which one one-do one do you think I dont don't know she aho fidgeted a little and ond her cheek checks glowed pink pinker er or but she went ent on Oil think of It yourself A A man and ond wife wito and ond another man Tho other man and the wire wife Ife are aro desperately in love lovo with one another Which man le Ismore likely to kill the woman The husband o of oC course But the other man la Ls the woman's wo woman's mans man's heir hell He lie Is la Insatiate In his greed for tOr mone money He has haa about given up hope of winning the woman tor for his own But If It she dies he 11 will have o her fortune Now which one You make It very ery Interesting No Now what do you know I Only this I 1 went downstairs late that night I 1 found Mrs r Heath dead In tho the studio with candles burning at her head and ond feet teet touched her and ond her flesh suit warm warm- warm At this point Bunny's bro bravery vel gave way She faltered ed and became suddenly silent Understanding Truitt said no word but looked at her with a glance o of mingled compassion and And just at at- that time there was wasa waa u a commotion next door and the they saw the casket o of Myra Heath car carried nod ried out from the house she Eho Shad had loved so well The sight restored Bunny's Dunny's cour- cour courage cour courage age oge Indignation her fire tire of lion tion and caused her to resume her story They will 11 be coming home soon Boon she he said nervously and I wont want to tell toll you what I 1 know Mr Truitt because because-because because because yon have made mo me m feel tell It Is my duty Tell me mc only as os much or as I little as a's a you think best beet Do not be carried away by emotion at the sight of that casket But If It YOU wilt 11 tell ell me ins the truth Im I'm sure you will not regret It No Well Veil as I 1 came Canie upstairs I 1 saw Mr Inman peeping through the crack of his door He Ito must have ha heard me on tile the stairs taIr and ond opened It the tiniest mite Yes I 1 was wai so BO upset I 1 didn't know what I was doing but I 1 went vent blindly on to my own room and threw myself on the bed Wh Why didn't muni ou mu raton rat n n I alL alarm 7 Mr Hr Truitt you will think this strange But I 1 was afraid I feel years ors older now no though that was but a few ago alo but hut at that moment I 1 felt I 1 just couldn't do anything at all I 1 vaguely tea tea- rea reasoned Boned that If It there thero was an any alarm alarm- al alarming ing log to do there were people In that house better fitted tilted to look hook after atter It than L I That I as the youngest and least experienced of tho household had no call to take any ony oh initiative Initiative oil I know this Sounds BOunds foolish but Its It's the truth Ive I've never done anything anything- for tor my self myself never had any resPonsibility of any onY sort and I couldn't make I myself do anything I 1 see sec now now It was cowardly and and- and No Miss MIts Moore it was as natural You were stunned and moreover you OU had reason to bellevo believe that Mr Inman knew something of the tho matter motter or he would not be Spy ing spyIng on you You had reason to think Mr Heath was in tho house hadn't hadn't you OU 7 I dont don't know I 1 didn't thInk about Perry about Perry about anybody but Myro Myra I 1 cried and cried until I Itell fell Into a 0 sort of sleep But I kept starting up and listening c every ery few minutes And not another sound did I 1 hear In n that house all night long Toward daylight 11 I began to wonder wondel If It It hadn't been beena a dream I 1 got up and undressed and wont went to bed properly but I 1 waited almost breathlessly for tor hat hat the tho ht bring So when Carter Corter came to tell me the tho th newe news I 1 wa wo was sitting up In bed cry cry- ing crying Steve Truitt looked at ot her earn earn- estly but piercIngly j You were ero afraid to say anything any thing because you ou still feared-still feared that fear that Perry Heath was the criminal and fou you love him I did love lovo him then said Bunny simp simply I 1 dont don't now no noTo To Bo Do Continued 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