Show J eMILy y ss FICTION CASE CASEy E Z 7 IS OP SONS lI I 01 dont don't bellevo vo wo e can work ork together Mr Truitt Molt Mott said rl ising Youre too ready to pick flick me on-me on iNot Not at not all all not at t all Mr Ir and nd Steve ste looked I I have only Just ta- ta taK Kin 1 a- a K n hold bold ot oC thi this thin thing you OU see sac and It IC I seem scorn to In question your deductions Its It's it only to get got at what there Is 19 back of oC them Veil w v shall i J ct again soon oon and perhaps we wc 11 both have some some- hinc hing to tell Thus Thu practically went awa away and Steve Stevo Truitt look look- looked looked ed d at his friends friend I I had to fire Iro him lim ho said Bald ald apologetically I 1 dont don't want to antagonize him but I 1 cant can't work ark with him Now Ted Tad leIs leI's go coo coo- 0 er cr to the tho Heath house I 1 cant can't go any further until wo we do All right and Iho the two men off ocr leaving Bunny Moore 1 Mooren n better spirits than aba ho sh had ad hen ben since sh she had learned ot oC o tho he tragedy Inman alone save for Cor tho hi servants Ito Ho II met them theta with a pleasant word but with Ith a worn tired look ns as a It 1 the Iho afternoon had hall been beena II a terrible mental strain train for him him And smalL wonder vander Truitt hought to lo himself It 1 ho i la Is the murderer heIs Now Mow well we'll see sea If IC he Is Dut But Inman learning that Steve Stee Truitt Truit was an authorized invest invest-cator gator at once oneo assumed a non non- noncommittal non committal committal attitude He Ho was WI ready to answer questions question up Ul to a n certain certain tam tain I point but It they thoy be became ame per per- personal per personal or or lending leading l ho tool took refuge per per-I behind a blank wall ot of chilling courtesy and either evaded the tho Inquiry or sat In stony silence You ma may as ns well Veil admit going downstairs at two o'clock that night Truitt said at last last a n little sharply for Cor Miss Moore saw you OU watch her come up and the cook has said sho she saw you OU go co down It does doea clinch it doesn't It Larry almost smiled milled rut But Cut I didn't know Miss has said she went vent down What hat did she go co gon fn n n Merely and solely to get her vanity amly case which she sho had let left letdown down in the th studio What did you co goo for I r went down to learn what hat It could have hav been that Mis Miss Moore had bad seen downstairs to send her herup herup up In such a pitiable state ot of o fear and trembling Truitt looked him squarely In Inthe Inthe Inthe the eyes Mr Ir Inman he ho said eald the whole Investigation turns on whether that spee speech h you just lust ut- ut uttered Uttered ut uttered Is the tho th truth or not Larry looked at th tha detective with a a nod almost a II quizzical Glance And Truitt with that queer trick he ho had looked back at him with so similar an expressIon expression sion zion that the th two t men seemed to look alike Tod Buck Duck observing marveled mar but said no word Y YE Vis s Truitt resumed if it that thatIs thatIs thatIs Is true then you OU did not know what was sas In the tho studio and con can con you OU are aro not no not the mum mur murderer derer darer It If not true then you OU have ha spoken falsely to deflect from yourself I 1 do not ask you OU Is the tact fact t but I 1 pro propose paso to find out for myself But Dut it I were the Iho murderer Larry Jarry said evenly would I fool fool- fool foolishly IhlY fo goo back to the scene of oC the he crime when such Ii a proceeding might easily lead lead to discovery ry You are cever dever Mr Inman Truitt said speaking as It If of ot another so 0 I 1 can can- cannot cannot can cannot not predicate what you ou would or do But Dut whoever killed Mrs Heath Is diabolically clever cleverand An I J haven't entirely rely sized ou ou p yet et It Jr Larry Inman resented this dissection ot of himself and ils criminal capabilities he made thade no spoken objection Ho merely shrugged sh rugged his shoulders shoulder lighted another e and sat placidly silent I What do you OU think of Mise Moores Moore's tory story Truitt shot chot hot at him suddenly I I think It Is i all right rl lt It Is I true Larry returned his face Caco comber her with doubt AI Al Cunningham came in then nd as an amateur detective him him- himself him himself self ho he was glad clad to see sea se Truitt there Al AI had no p petty Jealousy as Molt Iott had ho was only too glad to ho hao h o some one on to talk to about the tho things that waco puzzling him You see sec ho lie said after arter they the had bad mulled milled over o the th case cue the Gardens people suspect Inman- Inman In Inman man man- Larry WM Wl not In the tho room and room the hc Park people think the tho ho littie Irl IrI did dl 1 It They say that a I baby could have thrown a 0 bottle bailie like that with fatal effect And Amid Miss Moors prints finger era on the glass class glass On what part fart ot of the class asked TrUitt Lord man I dont don't know But Dut my dear sir lr as a detec detec- detective detective tive tl you should know See Sec here whoever wielded that bottle its ns II a In all probability grasped It by te he neck Why hy yes likely yea likely Not only likely almost positively Unless It was WIlS flun hung flung and the doctors say lY It was not then any number of ct people look look- lookIn look Inc In log In later might pick up pieces and finger them and put UW them 1 back where they nero found But ButI only emily the fingerprints ot of tile the lie one I who grasped It by tho the neck neele arc of any value Gosh Gol I never doped it out that way J the way OY of or it I I 1 see sto it Is la Is Sa Say I 1 Ili Ih h you'd you oUd o h a talk with my Iny principals Mr Forbe Forb 11 and Mr Anderson There They're about fed up with me and Ill I'll gladly turn the th lie thing thine over overto overto overto to you Ou U Why say I 1 let Perry Heath slip Blip through h my ringers fingers And a n little lUe shamefacedly Al AI Cunningham told laid about the tho In- In Interview interview in interview lIe lr had Iad had with Heath OIL Sam lIn Andersons Anderson's porch Tod Tad remembered tho the meeting In Inthe inthe Inthe the woods of ot Heath ileath and Bunny Dunny and he ho said 1 quickly Then Heath Heaths s Is still about about about You kno know hes he's my pick for the tho murderer No Al objected I 1 could tell by the tho way he lr talked to me that hl ho Isn't the tho lie murderer Why hy ho he loved his wife But Dut he told me Inman did It and so I J want to nail tho the crime on him him Id rd like to see Bee se those men you OU speak of Truitt said to Cunning Cunning- Cunningham Cunninghan ham Cunning han ham Can you OU fix it up for t- t tp- tp to night all ali be at atthe atthe Yes sure They'll the club or It If not we can get them them there All AU rIght Mr Cunningham Duck Buck will bring me mo over o at nt what what- whatever whatever ever er hour you say Now No It no- no nobody nobody no nobody body objects Im I'm going to give this house hous or some somo rooms In It the once over all alone by my- my myself my self and Ill I'll be b back at your house housein houseIn in time for dinner Toddy boy The Tho little littie litti group croup dispersed and Steve Truitt alone and unescorted unescorted ed cd made his unquestioned way wherever be he chose to eo go through the rooms of at the tho Heath house Ho lie spent most of at his time tn the tho bedrooms of at Mr and Mrs Heath paying scant attention to the studio or any part ot or the low low- lower low lower er cr house But Dut he ho wandered for some soma time up and do don donn n tho ho terrace the cast t terrace on which there thero was a small latticed window as well veli ILS as one long lone French window Truitt scrutinized the windows ns as other detectives had dono dona bo- bo before be before fore Cere him ind nd noted as they had bad done the absolute security of o matches and locks Suddenly he lie spied something and was about to Investigate fur fur- further further fur further ther when ho he h heard a cry from the tho Prentiss house next door Looking round quickly he saw Bunny at aL her window staring at him Good girl he ho called out gay gay- gayly gay ly ly Ill come corn right might over He lIe strolled leisurely back blek to tile the Prentiss home lome and found Bunny had come corn downstairs and wu was ready for Cor a conference Mrs rs Prentiss anI and Tod Tad were also waiting and Truitt described his search ot of the Heath house To Bo lle Continued n |