| Show synthetic gentle gentleman M an Y by I CHANNING 1 POLLOCK Channi tiff pollock service I 1 xa CHAPTER VII continued 14 her voice broke RIdder ll be free in a few weeks she pled pied walt alt sir gilbert you yon dont know how bow many innocent people you may any drag into this harry barry hesitated lie he now BOW remembered that lie had told pat lie he loved tier lier it get me anywhere carry barry thought tho it never will im not oven even sure that she heard me but IM glad I 1 spoke all the same aloud lie he said ill wait pat slie site glanced up at him gr gratefully not until the trial though lie he warned tier her 1 I wont take that chance I 1 wont let this girl peggy go on suffering until then put nut now I 1 believe I 1 know who murdered kelly rel I 1 r someone who came into the house house while your fattier father was there gome someone so full of the thought of it that site she bungled the new lock on the front door you think hambidge began 1 I think hy it blew open and I 1 think too that revealing your visit now would be merely tipping our hand the person I 1 suspect has already covered her tracks pretty well then pat said almost incredulously then youre not dot going to repeat this story not even to winslow ue he much more faith in ID my sleuthing than you have well leave him to work out ridders bidders defense for the present lets agree on an armistice mutual silence if the time arrives when I 1 feel I 1 must speak ill come to you first Is that fair quite from the very beginning carry barry had suspected sirs mrs kelly she sued sued ir for divorce recently and withdrew the case peter ieter winslow had told him do you think that might indicate that she killed tier her husband barry did and one discovery after another confirmed the idea but bat as carry barry had reminded his city editor mrs kelly was to in harlem slie she went to a dance ever hear of faking an alibi r narwood harwood had asked advising a check chieck up that sounded promising until as the first move more in his investigation barry dug up the herald tribune of the morning after the body was found mrs kelly bad told him that paper contained a full record of her social activities and it did at the time of the murder mrs kelly who sued for divorce recently and withdrew the case was awarding prizes at a fancy dress ball of the crosstown Cross town chowder and outing club in harlem gardens this was at midnight and the other judges were kelly killed it at midnight I 1 parry arry realized ile he wa ant killed until two hours after midnight if mrs kelly got through with mill tier her prizes well barry exulted climbing loto into the subway what net nest say nothing and saw wood what one wore more link in this chain and im going to change a lot of peoples winds minds about we roc and my sleuthing ill monday morning barry dropped in on peter winslow lie he was still carrying the ridder check for 2000 1000 and lie wanted peter to take part of it as it a retainer and bank the rest reit for peggy peter did accept it as a matter of course though he waved aside the offer of a retainer im in no hurry lie insisted walt wait til 1 I do something I 1 know youre good for it obviously lie was doing a great leal deal got the defense all planned lie declared showing parry barry a thick sheaf of memoranda loose leaf memoranda it was in the most literal sense scra scrawled wed on waste paper and the backs of envelopes order may be natures first law but it this lawyers no im not neat peter smiled intercepting epting larrys barrys glance except per fco Eo nally and julles achievement julles sirs mrs winslow of course and the bhe buys all my clothes lays lem em out for me too even the bouton were I 1 often ask tier her if she wants me to look like a gigolo dont worry about this stuff though indicating the sheaf of memoranda miss clarell Clark ll have that straight by night miss bliss dark cark was ills his secretary women keel you in order lie ile went on smiling about the only thing I 1 have against em theres nothing to this case lie he continued come to trial la in a few weeks now and be over in a few hours want to hear what im going to its ask that filipino listening carry barry felt again that his own activities had been merely foolish A dozen questions disposed of all the evidence the butler bad biad given so far and made it apparent that what he actually knew of young visit was exactly nothing you heard a quarrel A violent quarrel and you were alarmed alar why you came upstairs rogers left then and the lights were still burning in the front room if you were alarmed why you knock at the hie door to make ke sure your master was all right not so very much alarmed were you in fact you alarmed at all until you saw what had happened this was the beginning ot of nn an inquiry that twisted about doubled on itself and was likely to leave any jury on earth too uncertain to convict anyone of a capital ortense offense particularly anyone with it wife and child peter said reggy peggy was in hiete here friday lie be added she looks as though shed been dragged through a knothole knot hole I 1 wanted tier her to come to us ns for the lie weekend week end but were in town most of the time im going to talk to the about bating basing her out there that would be great barry kindled be company for each other it do pat a bit of harm barm to learn how the other half lives right 1 peter exclaimed heartily rii ill vail call rat pat today in spite of himself RS as lie was leaving in harry barry mentioned his harreal theory peter listened intently well he said you are a shaw be surprised if I 1 landed mrs 11 rs ke kelly you no peter replied smIl ln again but id be terribly surprised it if you begin suspecting someone else ten minutes afterward CHAPTER VIII the more barry thought of it the more certain lie he became that the judges story and the revelations in harlem arlem II removed the only reason for questioning harwoods IIa hypothesis when the divorce action was filed kelly had bad promised not to see betty barclay again that promise had induced the withdrawal of the petition and then betty barclay had phoned while kelly was out and just as mrs kelly was going in harwoods IIa own words mrs kelly went wild falling to get legal counsel site she taxied to harlem and there site she got madder and madder just after midnight she drove home and found kelly alone alon e drunk and with the accumulated wrath engendered by two trying interviews ter views there were ere words and a handy decanter the design began being almost too nearly perfect 41 ile he found peggy doing some mending in tier her dingy room she had bad lost flesh and seemed to be always staring at nothing its jacky she confided in larry im worried about him the youngster looked pale and ill look here peg will you have lunch with me tomorrow at the astor I 1 want you to meet somebody miss hambidge yes 1 shed turn up her nose at me like an elephant reaching for peanuts 1 I dont think so anyway I 1 want you to know each cadi other the appointment was made at last one and barry called pat well the trails hot all right tell me about it 1 I dont dare oer eier the wire you tou know operators come in and lunch with will me when tomorrow at one pat was eagerly anxious to hear his news and there was no other way but it if lints nose remained static when she learned slie she was to encounter peggy lier mouth straightened why what have I 1 in common with this gill well narry barry answered ansi veried flatly youre keeping her husband in prison rat pat hushed flushed you owe tier her something for that dont you think you being so high lint hat about this girls mrs john clarae wilder bidder jr you know im not being hl high h hat only naturally just now dow I 1 dont feel much like meeting strangers especially strangers with whom I 1 have no community of interest lunching together however it soon became evident that there was a community of interest pat warmed to this painted chorus girl fearful for tier her husband exactly as pat was fearful for her fattier father though peg know it their fate hung on the same thread both heard barrys account of ills discoveries nith ith regard to mrs kelly it seems pretty conel asje int at said 1 I neer thought of that dame 1 I mean woman peg added would that get jack off quick barry explained hla his understanding understand inz that if there were dennite definite proof of another persons having committed a crime anyone in custody was released immediately the district attorney moves for a dismissal of the indictment I 1 believe he told them gee peggy said with the tears in tier her eyes pat was no fool and she found herself respecting and liking tills this night club hoofer she was mrs wilder after all whoever the girl might have been it was the tears beginning to dissolve the heads beads that stirred pat she had never seen anyone cry that way before cry with tier her lips twisted into a smile youve certainly stuck to your husband pat observed why not when you really love anybody you dont care what they do or have done or what they are its what they are to you that counts youre not thinking what youre going to get but what youre going to give that Is the right kind of 0 girl Is gosh ashes trying to help me with pat barry thought the upshot was that pat tool took peg and the youngster to southampton the next morning peter sug suggested estea it site she told barry and of course coue youre right I 1 do owe them something it wn nt the debt that did it barry realized it was jacky peg wanted PatrI patricia cla to see him and the house was so near there really any good excuse for or not going so for the first time to in her life pat sniffed fried osh fish in an entrance hill hall and tripped on worn stair carpets and found herself stifling in a back room without air or sunshine shed known people lived like ilka that ot of course but somehow shed never thought much about it site she found herself thinking now if I 1 had to spend one night in this place the wat matter ter with the boy it was arranged g that it at evans was to drive them out and come back for barry on thursday when barry left rat pat at her hotel she lie bald fald you seem to be friend mr gilbert its a little hard to understand considering considering that im an adventurer and a nd an impostor imposter yes yes oyes carry barry repeated repealed but 11 liow ow you learn what friendship means that night harry barry went to the co chanut liar bar 1 I overlook anything he reflected there much to overlook in the cocoanut Coco anut bar not in the way of clothen clothing at all events the lobby was full OT of men more or less surreptitiously glancing at framed photographs of girls whose costumes might almost have been packed in a vanity case inside was aas a square dancing floor with tables about it like the sets about a prize ring above there was a balcony with more tables except at one spot occupied by offices there were three shows hows a night the amateur hawkshaw discovered froni from Ws his menu nt at seven eleven and one it hard to get acquainted with any of the girls one had only to look prosperous and incline his head an inch or two in the direction of a vacant chair were not supposed to ao this violet pane fane informed harry barry but luiss got a swell stand in barry had his expense recount account and his ingratiating grin and used both to the ll 11 limit alt it long before the blonde was telling the story of her life 1 I bin bill with lula luls ever since I 1 was a kid she bragged lies hes a swell guy you aughta know him ill give you a tumble after the next nest show luls luis was most affable A sentimentalist but a business man with a keen eye to spenders and a withering contempt for tight wads A flashy young fellow morano was who wore sporty clothes arid and much jewelry slim and dapper his shinie shining ebon hair was slicked clicked back from hi his forehead ue ile lind had a long iong thin nose and straight thin lips and a slight but rather curious impediment in ills his speech ills voice could be very soft at times tender hearted luls luis Is miss pane fane declared later ive seen him cry when ihen somebody sang about mother or the kid or sompin that loved her and lost ber stuff specially lie ile was married it take sure it took thaes why he cries the jane died or humpla know what luls luis did when lie got the coin I 1 mean bought the house they used to live in and went on there alone with a couple of servants gee aint that romantic ill say s so oi nes hes still got the hie servants too they all moved to a farm somewhere in jersey a coupled cou plea years ago would you believe it lie drives out every morning after the last show nuts kuts about horses luis is not to bet on just likes em learned about horses in fauquher Fau rau quler county luls luis said returning at that instant 1 I lived there tl til I 1 was nineteen and all they know go on VI buil boull be late 1 I never was ivas late for a show yet slie site retorted nor out of one not in all the alie years ive worked for you straight morano admitted as she nas aas leaving never been out of a show in tier her life ashes a swell girl vl VI there much to be got at the cocoanut Coco anut bar not that violet and morano willing to talk romance had left him a gentle melancholy or perhaps perli aps lie was only worried about business but it if lie he had an anything thang to conceal it certainly seemed to have no relation to kelly on that subject everything was open and aboe board JUSE a gorilla goril lj morano said of the big boss the next night when hen carry barry returned to the cocoanut Coco anut car bar oh mike was a right miss bliss pane protested sure PI tier her employer agreed lie ile do nothing worse than steal pennies from a dead baby pat pal of VIs though luls luis added v winking inking at barry yell yeh violet declared dryly until unfit that barclay dame came along ile he was in here that evening be barry asked yell yeh just a few hours before they croaked him film ile he had a girl pinched or some gome thing yell yeb morano repeated nice kid too took tier around to the station in them things 1 I dont blame the janes husband for getting sore morano continued though thou sli bumping a guy olt off tor for going a little too tar far kelly was soused doused MISS bliss P fane ane said yen yeb plenty and he be thought the kid was picking ills pocket to it TO BE CONTINUED |
