Show lip FEATURES CHAPTER I 1 outside the sidewalks were damp and slippery it was late february the sky was blurred with an approaching pro aching storm mccale walked up stuart street slowly stopping to buy an early morning paper at the corner comer hed just had some m midmorning mid id morning mornin g coffee with a couple of 0 erstwhile private eyes and told him in great detail of how miss adelaide bigelow of 0 the Bige lows had been traipsing from office to office tor for the right detective just what the she needed a detective for they know but it looked promising to mccale it looked like hokum besides he interested he did not at the moment realize that the first pebble had started to roll that even then he was being gently prodded into the relentless avalanche ot of a big case he stopped for cigarettes at a drug store and stood at the counter idly turning the pages of the newspaper B were at home over the jap mainland and the american fleet was tickling jap shipping where it hurt there was a complete blackout planned tor for the coming weekend on page ten mrs atkinson keye socialite was off to reno again business as usual A mrs mulligan of roxbury had given birth to her twelfth child and wait a minute under a misty photograph of a very debby deb the caption clydla prentice of marlborough threet et and magnolia one of the brides attendants at the wedding next saturday of veronica perkins bigelow to curtin Vallain court so oil all it was A society wedding he laughed souna soundlessly lessly as he thought of leach and garrity making a big story over some k old ld blue blood who was no doubts doubt hooking looking tor for a couple of dicks presentable sen table enough to mingle with a crowd of gilt edged guests while they kept depta a sharp eye on the wedding pi presents he did riot not have to be much of a sleuth to figure that one out he chuckled at the mental picture of either of his so called pals straining to look to the manner born in such a situation how ff ow mccale became e a private detective As he folded the paper his eye caught a word or two in the gossip column after dark it read at the latin quarter last night curt the handsome lad who Is to middle aisle it with veronica bigelow next week waited in vain for her to appear he ended ails vigil by lapping up zombies with sharl lynn the torchy singer from the floor show we know they knew each other mccale frowned at the last BUU allu slon too bad these keyhole lads had to spice everything up so macales Mc Cales office and living quarters combined were vere on st james street a bit far uptown for that sort of thing they were to in a block of old brown brownstone tone houses the last that remained in that vicinity here while they lasted anyway mccale was able to cling to the illusion that he was a cut above the average detective tec tive he admitted that it was probably psychological a complex with him his background surely was worse than most born in the scummier scum mier part of chicago he had been brought up among thieves and mobsters at fourteen he knew all the answers to himself he often admitted that he had a criminal turn of mind but bill some peculiar twist had saved him from putting it into practice it may have been the merest glimmer or craving for ro m ething finer than the obviously lef splash made by the racketeer on top today shot full of holes tomorrow but at sixteen he went into the world to find out it if there was any good in it somehow he discovered that he had a love for books and a real aptitude for leaen learning he worked his way through a midwestern college he took summer courses here there and aher estr he heard of something that might interest him and he was interested te in many things he woke one morning knowing that detection would be his career thin then he took a course in criminal efty at a famous university sat in at lectures at police college talked himself into a job with a run rundown down detective agency after that he had t himself up as a private invest tor cynical over police methods a he found them in practice tick sick to death of the breaking jobs the divorce work the undercover bribery the questionable ethics of many of the men masquerading as honest investigators it was the only thing tor for him to do only a few clients had come his way but it was worth it mccale was small and dark and smoothly articulated his hair was shiny and black bis hiis eyes inclined to be withdrawn one minute would quicken with a pecullar peculiar glint the next his was too large for or the countenance it graced and in repose a trifle sardonic but when ake h smiled or laughed lauf hed it lit up his bis whole face in a most cisar disarming in g way the domin dominant tnt I 1 feature of the complete picture of duke mccale seemed to be a nerveless quiet but often there would come a fine italian like gesture fleet beet as an arrow that bespoke the closely guarded energy of a colled spring lie he was nearly at his own doorstep when he noticed it an antique limousine broad in the beam and high filah in the was drawn to the curb before his door mccale opened the waiting room door and stepped inside the room was empty the faded carpet and real leather chairs stared at him blankly the wine velour draperies dia perles were pulled back to let in what daylight there was there were fresh yellow flowers in a squat white bowl on his secre desk but she there he was thinking that it looked very quiet very nice not like a detectives tec tives waiting room at all when ann marriot came in she closed the door of the inner office giving him a warning look ann marriot was the type of girl you might pass by at a first meeting but when you knew her better it 5 I 1 1111 fiss bigelow Biff elow ills his sharp eyes took her la in at a glance you became aware of her attractiveness ti veness her features were nice gray eyes set tar far apart a straight but not too small nose and a good sled sized mouth she ran to intelligence and tweeds and her ash blonde hair always imparted the fragrance ok or carnations Alc mccale Cale caught a whiff of it now as she handed him an engraved calling card it read adelaide perkins bigelow wealthy IT old lady appears troubled miss bigelow is waiting in your office said ann why in there mccale askeli lowering his voice well she answered flushing slightly its nice in there ther theres a fire in the grate and the big chal chair r and books and things ah I 1 see you are duly impressed by the royal presence not at all she rather snapped ashes quite nice did it occur to you I 1 might want to impress her mccale smiled bless you my child he said as he went in there was a fire burning briskly in the fireplace throwing light and shadow on the simple decorations the big chair with its accompany ing side table well filled bookcases lining the walls the lamp on the desk was lit tor for it was darker in this room A little old lady quietly dressed turned in the act of reaching tor for a book to face ace him oh she said nearly dropping it miss bigelow his sharp eyes took her in at a glance she was small almost birdlike and nervous in a fluttery way she had a fine delicately modeled face too delicate perhaps to be imposing yet there was evidence in her carriage and in her manner of 0 dignity and stubborn strength mccole mccale was aware too of a certain uneasiness a lurking apprehension behind the too bright eyes that he could not attribute to surprise at his sudden entrance nor to her being out of 0 her milieu in a detectives office 1 I wa was 3 interested in your library she floundered 1 I expected you to look quite different mccale frowned row ned more like a doctor or college professor perhaps why 11 all right none ot of us can choose his personal appearance if I 1 could id be quite a different looking person I 1 assure you there was something ingenuous about the way he ba said it then he smiled and everything was quite all right it that at all she w was just as candid youre quite nice looking really its ita just that all the detectives ive ever seen that iser Is er heard about are rather big and brutal looking lookinland lookin gand and tough mccale wanted to answer that all things considered he was probably just as tough that he just big but he she seemed for or a moment at a I 1 loss 0 s to begin the old eyes searched ill his anxiously and were withdrawn as if 11 the brain behind them was confused and helpless he knew that there was desperation there that it was difficult tor for her to play a part but that she had determined to play it he waited and the silence in the room lengthened he saw that she was still searching for or an integrity behind the flash of his exterior he saw the light go out of her eyes and realized with chagrin that she would not tell him what was gnawing at her mind that she had decided to risk acquiring his aid only in part my niece Is to be married next week mr mccale perhaps you have heard of her yes indeed veronica bigelow her pictures are very lovely hed he d never seen onet one she brightened considerably she Is lovely my favorite niece mr mccale shell be very wealthy too my brothers child the wedding of course will be at trinity but the reception Is to take place at the fam ilys town house there are a great many beautiful and priceless gifts on display they will have to be guarded night and day guarding gilts gifts pays well the police ventured mccale pshaw I 1 the police she became more assertive we dont want plainclothes men all over the house stick out like sore thumbs I 1 want someone quiet and unobtrusive just just someone the old voice faltered and trailed off mccale looked at her attentively of course im quiet and unobtrusive and inclined to be helpful she dropped her eyes 1 I I 1 think youre the man I 1 want it exactly take brains t to 0 watch over a table of wedding pre presents s 1 I know that but it if something were stolen if 11 something did happen have to investigate you mccale glimpsed then for or an ln instant the whirlpool of events to come there was something in that remark alone that piqued his curiosity he made up his mind that mat will be twenty five dollars a day he said and added tor for guarding the wedding gifts but she would not rise to his bait she searched a moment in a large black bag that hung from one arm A hundred dollar bill crackled as she put it on his desk A retainer she said one moment miss marriot harriot will give you a receipt never mind it at all necessary will you come to tea this afternoon at five to tea yes please do the tired old eyes pleaded with him the family you should know them by sight and there might be something to talk over some arrangements you might want to make why yes he agreed sudden intuition quickening in his mind she seemed relieved turned to go one moment miss bigelow Bl gelow want me to assume responsibility r lity when oh right away that look had come back into her face again immediately but the wedding Is 1 I know id feel safer she baug caught ht herself that the gifts would be safe if you were to take charge today they keep arriving more and more most valuable some of them he cut in on her embar embarrassed flo floundering dering very well ill see you at tea all you want to tell me she looked wretched that all she said the door closed quietly after her mccale stood staring thoughtfully into the fire he heard ann marriot say good morning and the outer door shut ashes a nice old thing said eald ann marriot Marr lot 1 I hope you curt and distant with her she seemed to 1 be in trouble I 1 she wants me to guard he her nieces wedding gifts but he shrugged 1 I took the job he flipped the hundred dollar bili bill under her nose nice big retainer funny she seemed sort of lost to me ann aim mccale said that old lady is frighten edi TO BE CONTINUED |