Show n TANGLED WIVES by PEGGY SHANE copyright by peggy shane service CHAPTER IX continued 16 doris took her hand shakily youre awfully sweet s she said beatrice sat down then lets talk quickly because I 1 con can see youre tired to death rocky has told me everything you know rocky Is just like my brother we spent all 0 of our vacations together as children childre n so I 1 hope ton rou wont mind his bis haying having told me I 1 dont think anyone else should know your father began doris no I 1 dont think so im sure hed approve but if anything comes up its better it he know I 1 have a small sitting room with a porch of my own downstairs you shall spend your time there I 1 have everything planned you need see no one except mary a maid chos been with us a long time and Is practically blind besides and rocky shall go and see your people but your wedding said doris yes im afraid I 1 shall be rather busy I 1 wont be able to see as much ot of you as id like but its not until saturday four days and oceans of time for rocky to get to new jersey and back hell take the train the bishop Is arriving saturday morning so hell be in time for the wedding rehearsal which Is to be rt t eleven on the day of the wedding and friday night my bridesmaid Is coming from froin mount kisco and several friends of fathers are coming the du vals of course will be here oh I 1 dont think we ought to stay said doris but well get away long before the wedding oh no I 1 you must stay for the wedding rocky shook his head bead gravely 1 I 1 will have to get doris away before then shell be recognized true it but surely have everything cleared up by then doris said it if I 1 do stay t I 1 write letters for you or do something useful an idea ill have about a million letters to write you are an angel she rose now you roust must sleep this is wednesday night rocky will get a train in the bornio morning and be with your family if it Is your family which I 1 doubt by tomorrow night ile he ought to be able to get back here by friday and you can leave then if you feel you must she took rocky firmly by the arm we must go now and let tho the poor child sleep 1 I dont know why v by boure all so considerate si of me said doris who was trembling on the erge of tears its it s rocky otho needs rest really ive dozed in the car a lot and hes bes been at the wheel since three this morning yesterday morning said rocky he stood for a minute looking down at doris when beatrice had left the room good night I 1 probably won wont t see you vou again until I 1 get back nig curt tone startled doris ile he was biting ills his lips nervously ills jaw twisted unpleasantly the matter said doris in astonishment rocky held out his hand goodnight nl ht lie he said in a businesslike tone doris bent her bead good night As the door closed behind him tears sprang to her eyes ile he had been so not exactly exactly unfriendly but so matter of fact she hardly knew what she had bad expected him to do but certainly slie she had not looked for this abrupt impersonal goodby good by she 4 crept between the sheets for loraly the tl sun was streaming in her room when she he woke e beatrice was ing beside her with a loaded troy tray its s ten 11 smiled beatrice and I 1 thought you might be hungry anria doris dona sit sat at up i opening and closing her eyes they still 1 l smarted from the strain tf of hg her long drive brive oh youre nice to bring up P abis but bt arent ent you terribly busy busy ym calming ng the maids think each individual one was nas being married herself hersel fl has rocky gone yes quite early I 1 have to run now nut I 1 doubt YOU this es the morning she s gave doris paper doris bead read it as she drank her coffee at birtt fi mgt she notice the story though it was on the front page then lM diane merrell errell caught her the name SL eyes she set down wn her cup with it a gasp it was a double c column heading on of a new york morning the front page had done paper some boneo so neo young reporter his best to make a n hum orous incident stopping of airs rockwell noc kwell out of the the road to rockwell st du val va on n gardens garden 5 house e the story was sym gym to doris and rocky lack pathetic ye of young mrs rocky du ing a picture 1 val I they had printed one of oscar du val with the caption wife taken taen in false fat arrest ison sons S it through twice it would oLe dorl read icen v nod dory story 1 abood good joke on the police if ohly obly she had ha been mrs rocky du val she finished 11 1 hed her breakfast slowly at the end of the story was a paragraph which said that mrs airs du di val was the fourth wrong dlane diane mer men rell to have been discovered why one of those girls have been dlane diane merrell instead ol of roe ins she thought as she got out ol of bed she would ask beatrice to get her some old new newspapers papers she would like to read about diano diane merrell she was bathed and dressed when beatrice came back bach im afraid ive been a long time but theres such a lot to do there was a busy little frown on her broad brow 1 I wonder beatrice it if you could oll dig up some old newspapers for me to read of course they went downstairs together to beatrices pretty little room done in flowered chintz this has been my own special place since I 1 was sixteen said sad beatrice im sure there are some newspapers in the basement ill send them up A few minutes later an elderly maid came in and put down a huge pile of old newspapers on the table doris rose unsteadily she felt a little faint as slie she put out her hands to touch them here lay her own story or did it would she have the courage to read it the first maryr was recent and yielded nothing As she continued her search with a beating heart she came upon great glaring headlines shoots groom after wedding society girl kills new husband and dis di appears note found she road read feverishly she had been married at at an afternoon wedding on may 19 to a man named howard howar d valery immediately after the wedding w edden reception which had been at her fathers home she had gone out by a side door where her own motor was parked loaded with her luggage the groom had been with her is As they were about to step into the car she elie had shot him and driven away As she read a stronger and stronger feeling of antipathy for this girl dlane diane merrell developed was it possible that she had ever been a girl capable c of all this she was a heartless cold blooded criminal for the note proved that the crime had been premeditated she studied the note again it had been found in the pocket of the poor boy whose body was discovered d sprawled against a flowering lilac bush it read HOWARD WARD this marriage cant go on it cannot you must be crazy I 1 dont don t want to kill you do something about it tor for hen heavens vens sake D could any girl have written such a note and forgotten it surely surely sure I 1 y if she were dlane diane merrell she would remember something now rut not a faint glimmer of recollection enlightened t lier her could it be that she had two sides to her nature and that that other darker side was hidden from her now sleeping quietly some lay day it might wake again and she would find herself a killer she would be capable of shooting somebody she loved capable of shooting rocky she was sick and frightened she lay at full length on the gently swaying couch then she propped tier head on her hands and took up another paper dlane diane merrell had driven drinen herself to new york her fier car had been found parked on forty sixth street the day after the murder she saw a large picture of herself i yes it looked very like her there was DO doubt about that she went back to her read reading inz there was a description of the wedding it brought back nothing at all doris tried not to think any more about diane merrell surely rocky would discover something that would help her lie ile must be nearing morristown by now she went to bed early the next afternoon would bring rocky babli that would have to settle tier her fate now she felt numb and exhausted tn in spite of everything she slept CHAPTER X blotky kooky did not come the next afternoon instead came a telegram saying that he be was catching a train that night and would arrive saturday morn ang ln that would be the day of the wedding doris had bad developed a streak of hopefulness rocky would have unraveled some clue and would bring back the mira miraculous culous news that she was not diane merrell or he would have discovered that howard valery had not been killed or that he be had committed suicide no that would not do the experts said that that was impossible she remembered reading that besides dlane diane had left a note but how stupid she had been to put down on paper such an intention and then to carry it out leaving the note for the police to find of course she meant it for the police friday passed in a stew of speculation she woke at dawn next morning with a heavy heart after breakfast she waited on the little porch beside the sitting room for rocky her feeling of uncertainty deepened after all it if she was diane merrell I errell what could rocky do for her whatever er happened a long life of loneliness stretched before her that or death mrs du val sees no one it was marys voice the butler answered 1 I have told her that the doctors orders are that mrs du val cannot see anyone 1 I told her but she wont listen doris started to her feet beet who could be wanting to see her was it rocky no it was a woman As she hesitated she heard beatrice come in to the sitting room A new voice sald said loudly but im going to see her where had bad she heard that voice before a strong husky girls voice believe me the voice went on better not try to me it if you know good for you doris peeked pecked in the girl was someone she had seen before a brown eyed girl in a tailored suit of grecu linen doris had seen her before but where plenty of good reasons whom did you wish to see beatrice was speaking in a crisp impersonal tone 1 I want to see sec the girl calling herself mrs rockwell du val the girl eyed beatrice unimpressed by the lack of cordiality in her manner plenty of good reasons why she dont want to see me I 1 know then why do you try plenty more why shed better doris recognized her she was the girl she had seen at the clam stand the friend of the real doris rocky had called her molly the big brown eyes looked full of determination she was looking beatrice full in the face belligerently theres no use trying to high hat me are you mrs du val no said beatrice quietly 1 I thought you I 1 have bare an idea who mho she Is and I 1 intend to go through every room in this house to find her if I 1 have to the quiet youthful voice of be beatrice trice byj was vms in marked contrast to hollys mol a insistent I 1 tones wont you sit alt down and tell me what it Is you want to see mrs du val about my business said id molly M 0 11 y sullena sullenly Y ta supposing you tell it to me like h 1 I 1 will then im afraid you cant see her hollys tone held a jeer oh yeah well supposing I 1 tell you im a friend of the real sirs mrs du val beatrice said nothing that gets you it now perhaps understand why I 1 want to take a squint at the girl who Is palming herself off as doris du val im afraid I 1 dont said beatrice quietly illow how did you find out about this doris saw it in the papers mrs du val arre arrested ted and that made her wonder as the saying goes she sent me a wire you are here then as mrs du vals vala agent am ito ijo understand that molly sat down and crossed her legs yeah about it IL ll where bere Is mrs du val my business too rocky said that doris had left him do you know where she Is supposing T do does doris want to get rocky to come back to her molly disdainfully inserted her tongue between opened lips and blew vigorously 11 II 1 no she remarked when she had finished the exercise im sorry I 1 dont quite understand molly searching in the untidy depths of her very large handbag hand bag brought out a paper package of cigarettes arett ar ettes es gee ive smoked my last one she crumpled the bright green wrapper in her fist have you got one beatrice rose and handed her a sliver box filled with the small white cylinders molly seemed cheered as she lit her cigarette and much more favorably impressed with beatrice tell you how bow it Is this is just between you and I 1 of course but doris wants me to dicker with the girl financially see astonishment showed in beatrices breathless dicker financially do you mean that mrs airs du val wants to get a divorce from rocky it I 1 knew get it it I 1 knew you d get it but 1 I should think that would be a private matter tor for her to discuss with rocky molly blew a smoke ring very carefully this done she looked at beatrice pityingly you look like a girl who would think a thing like that 1 I am awfully sorry im afraid think im a bit stupid cut but what financial transactions are you talking about in a couple of words baby alimony alimony I 1 doris could not stand any more she stepped out from behind the curtains id like to say a word or two beatrice rose her face was wag horrified hollys big brown eyes half closed in a veiled critical stare 1 11 I thought turn out to be the girl I 1 wrote doris about meeting you down among the clams and was sho she pleased ashes been trying to get something like that on rocky for months the du vats vals have got plenty and she shell take a big biff cash settlement and that will be the end you know ashes willing to be big doris was seething she clenched tier her hands together and spoke with difficulty 1 I have nothing to do with nil all this ibis oh now the use of taking that attitude some girls be generous like doris with what ashes got on you now she could get alimony for the rest of her life see but she wont say listen girlie youre in athe the movies arent you of course im not TO BE CONTINUE UX |