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Show lit: '. . 1 by OCTAVUS ROY COHEN 'V2. Copyright by Ontavns Roy Contn. WNTT STyMf. , thing more until I am downstairs with Meester Farnum and Meester Gleason and they say, 'What the matter, Mike?' And that is all, sir because anything else I do not remember re-member because I am so afraid when I see that blood." Reagan relaxed as the story finished. fin-ished. He glanced at the prodigious prodi-gious detective to see what effect it' had made. Hanvey was lying back in his chair with eyes half closed, apparently oblivious to everything. And when he spoke it was in a casual almost disinterested voice; and about something else. "Who did you like best, Mike Vernon or Thayer?" Carmicino did not hesitate. "Meester Thayer, sir. I like him most best." "Why?" The swarthy face turned brick red, but the man did not evade. "I like Meester Thayer best, sir, because I feel like him and me, we are partners." "Huh? What you mean: Partners?" Part-ners?" "I mean ... I do not like to say this, sir, because you are policemen, po-licemen, but 1 promise to tell the truth, Meester Thayer and me, we do much business with each other." "What sort of business?" "Whisky." Reagan sat up very straight. This was something entirely new to him. "You mean," asked Jim, "that Thayer was a bootlegger?" Carmicino made a gesture of horror. hor-ror. "Oh no, sir. Meester Thayer, he is one fine feller. He only get the orders and I buy the whisky for him. It is me which are the bootlegger." boot-legger." He paused for a moment in obvious embarrassment, and then made a further explanation. "But I am not common bootlegger, Mr. Hanvey. I get whisky only for the college fellers, and always I am careful that it is good stuff." Jim Hanvey appeared to be absorbed ab-sorbed In the' mechanism of his pat- HAPTER VIII Continued 10 'nodded approvingly. "Fine ,lohn. I never could under- ow you detectives manage to 'b;f all those things." t: kidding, Jim." , Vt kidding: on the level, I Jsow me I'd have come in ''id looked the body over and Ilered how it lay. But I tti7ould have'been positive sure n hat because It would Just k'en my memory. I can see etc' '"pened the door and stepped as :i hail. From where he stood At d see that section of the '"'lark which denoted the po- f Thayer's feet and ankles, raj'i's what Carmicino says he ftn." ist;. . . ." Hanvey walked J fc the room and Reagan fol-1 fol-1 dosing the door again, id :you look over his papers?" , ie fat man. de v " anything?" .nk so. I found his bank re fi- one thing. He's deposited neFge amounts and there ain't 1 Ejestion that he was getting jm Max Vernon." i!tot.othei deposits?" eTjB. Some small, and others as I ''a couple of hundred dollars. MD-'e ain't any record of where 0B fjie from." letters?" 5P." girls?" y. Especially from Ivy Larry's sister. Want to ). 1?" Jty?" iy. And how! The kid was uSout that bird and no mis-'-.He was her first love and 1 sort of thing. There wasn't IJiJft In the world she wouldn't emtlm." -ebm.anvey was staring Into the -madt1 Deyn the closed win-sanitnere win-sanitnere was a queer, soft light 5siially expressionless eyes, pjjon I won't read 'em, John. JJ could get a whale of a -Tit of love letters." eliefw hMiticj flushed. He knew Han-"Vt Han-"Vt meant to rebuke him . . . goshl who ever would have d that mountain of flesh of ? sentimentalist? r was an awkward silence, eagan broke. ; now, Jim?" ? Golly I I dunno. What do :on 1 ought to do?" f Reagan felt baffled. There iments and this was one gr believed Hanvey was su-'. su-'. nt:tuPid- a(jend you like to see Farnum xiodiason?" :rvof I reckon not." omen: you want to tak tQ Mjke 110 po? I guess he knows a lot m .."wyer and Vernon both." ractyes lighted, as though ..t pi(I;;3d very pleasing idea. - Shtj-s a swell thought, John. s:J:; we find this janitor?" . blocnted Mike Carmicino In UJpcmcnt of the fraternity wupengan explained that Han-sSd' Han-sSd' In charge of the case and Oito question him . . . and ""e was silence for several during which the swarthy . eyed the expressionless pA&nee of Hanvey with won-JRJ won-JRJ bewilderment. When Jim tjt'X his tone was quiet al-:oCr al-:oCr whisper. Sojjwere here all day on May pOQ-.ke?" :entii,-1"s face beamed. Wo es, sir. I was nowhere else "irse you knew Mr. Thayer oll, didn't you?" Ttpino made an expressive 1 "I know him very good. Kt e flne feller." inlltMr' Vernon?" JU;lie Is a flne feller, Meester "7u know Miss Antoinette " .'jhlack e'es of the Jani-,Sced Jani-,Sced with enthusiasm. "I W gr good. She Is" She Is a fine feller. I un-s un-s J ;" J'm produced his golden '? i( and toyed with It. "Was "I was cleaning hail on the second sec-ond floor." "That was when you saw him go into Thayer's room?" "Yes, sir." "Did you notice anything queer In the way he looked? Anything different from his regular expression? expres-sion? Was Mr. Vernon mad?" "How I know was Meester Vernon Ver-non mad? He go into Meester Thayer's Thay-er's room, but always he do that on account those two fellers is very fine friends forever. No, Meester Hanvey I cannot say was Meester Mees-ter Vernon mad because I was just cleaning hall and I do not know." "You like Mr. Vernon? You wouldn't want to see him in trouble, trou-ble, would you?" "No, sir I do not be happy to see Meester Vernon in trouble." "And so you wouldn't likely re-, re-, member if he was mad or not?" I Carmlcino's black eyes narrowed i as they flashed to the face of the detective. "I would not say something about Meester Vernon I do not know, Meester Hanvey. If I know he Is mad, I say he is mad. If I only see his face, i do not teli you I guess he is mad, because Meester Vernon he is always nice to me." Hanvey nodded approvingly. "Fine boy, Mike. You and I ought to get along great. Now, you say you saw Vernon leave the fraternity house?" "Yes, sir, I see that." "Where were yon?" "I was work' downstairs back of the house when I see Meester Vernon come down before he leave." "Was he in a hurry? Was he walking fast?" "Yes, sir he come down the steps pretty fast." "Do you remember if he had anything any-thing In his hands?" "Not in his hands, no, sir. But he have a bundle under his arm." "Do you remember if he was wearing the same suit when he left the fraternity house that he had on when he entered?" Carmicino hesitated. When he answered an-swered . it was as though honesty was distasteful. "I feel mos' sure he was not wear the same suit." "You think he changed his clothes between the time he visited Thayer's Thay-er's room and the time he left the house, er " "I think, yes. But I do not know for sure." "Do you know Mr. Larry Welch?" "Yes, sir. He Is one fine feller." "Did you see him on May first?" "No, sir, I did not see him any." "You didn't see him come to this house or leave it?" "No, sir, I did not see him at all. Of course I hear everybody talk that he have been here to see Mr. Thayer. But me, I don't set even one eye on him." "Now, suppose you tell me what happened after Mr. Vernon left the fraternity house?" "I was work' In the back downstairs down-stairs when I see Meester Vernon go away. Then get my mop and , floor wax and go up to second floor. I do not see anybody when I go up there, so I start waxing the floor and after 'while I look over and I see Meester Thayer's door Is a leetle bit open. I look again and I see his foots and also his legs, and 1 think right away' it is funny he should be lying down on the floor because that Is funny thing to do. "Then my mind says to me that maybe Meester Thayer, he is drunk, and I think I will put him on the bed so he can sleep it away. I do not want the other fellers to know Meester Thayer Is drunk in the fraternity fra-ternity house because that Is not nice except when they have a party I walk to the door. . . ." The chunky frame of the Janitor seemed to shrivel at the remembrance and there was a wild light in his eyes: "I go In the' room, Meester Han vey, and right away I see that Meester Thayer he is not drunk, because his throat his throat . ." The janitor covered his face with his hands and rocked hack and forth. "He Is all blood, Meester Hanvey. I touch him once, and I see he Is entirely dead and then, Meester Hanvey, something take hold of me here and I get frighten' fright-en' scared and I do not know any lars a case, and Meester Thayer he take twenty dollars and I take twenty dollars." "Then you were close friends, eh?" "Oh, no, sir. Meester Thayer, he is ver' fine gentleman and he would not be friends with no janitor." "1 see. ... He certainly was a fine gentleman, Mike no mistake about that. Thayer and Vernon were pretty good friends, weren't they? Did you ever hear them quarrel?" quar-rel?" "No, sir. Not one time even." "They used to play cards a good deal, didn't they?" - "Maybe so maybe not. I think maybe so." "Vernon never mixed up in this liquor business, did he?" "No, sir. Just Mr. Thayer." "Hmm I What was the last time you bought liquor for him?" "Let me see . . . about one week ago, sir. It was a nice party. They wanted two cases." "Two hundred dollars' worth?" "Yes, sir." "Did you get it?" "Oh, yes, sir." "Did Thayer pay for it?" "Right away quick, sir, all except ex-cept the forty dollars which he keeps for himself." ( "Did Thayer usually pay you when he ordered the whisky or only after the boys paid him?" "After the fellers they pay him. You see, it is for them and so he should not pay me until he get the money off them." "And when he died, Mike did he owe you anything?" "No, sir. Meester Thayer, he did not owe me one cent." "Good." Hanvey hoisted himself to his feet, and nodded to the janitor. jan-itor. "That'll be all, Mike." "You do not ask me no more questions?" "Nope. Nothing else. I'm much obliged for everything." "Thank you, sir." Reagan led the way into the hall and thence upstairs to the main floor. "What now, Hanvey? Would you like to see Max Vernon's room?" "You've searched it, haven't you?" "Yes." "Find anything?" "Not a thing. But I thought" "My Gosh 1 you're a thorough bird. Well, let's go. But Lordy! how I hate those steps." Hanvey panted to the top floor and Reagan conducted him Into a small but handsomely furnished room, resplendent with pennants, pillows, tennis rackets and numerous numer-ous lithographs depicting pulchri-tudinous pulchri-tudinous damsels in various conditions condi-tions of deshabille. But despite the markedly collegi ate tone, there was more than a hint of taste in the general arrangement. arrange-ment. In a corner was a delicate statuette perched on a teakwood tabouret. And over the mantel was a collection of curious weapons: A fencing foil, a broadsword, a Ma lay kris, an Arab scimitar, a rusty revolver of Civil war days, a Phil ippine bolo, a bow and arrow of genuine Indian origin. Hanvey glanced at them, and then at the arrangement of the room. It was cozy, in a youthful, happy-go-lucky sort of way. Hanvey cas ually opened the dresser drawers and rummaged indifferently through the masses of expensive linen. He opened the door of the hanging closet and exclaimed over the multitude mul-titude of tailored suits disclosed. "Vernon sure must be a snappy dresser, John." "Looked that way to me," answered an-swered Reagan enviously "1 al ways did wish 1 could afford them kind of clothes. I'll bet there ain't a suit in yonder that cost less'n a hundred bucks." Hanvey sank into a chair and lighted a cigar. "Ain't it tough to think of a kid like Vernon hav ing it easy like he did and then getting get-ting mixed up In a nasty mess like this?" "You tell 'em, Jim. That's one reason I was glad to get you on the case. They're a nice sort, these kids. I didn't used to think so. I thought they were a bunch of crazy high-hats, but, by golly I they ain't "Are You a Regular Bootlegger, Mike?" ent toothpick. His eyes were fo-cussed fo-cussed on that device when he spoke again to Carmicino. "Are you a regular bootlegger, Mike?" "Oh, no, sir. I would not do nothing noth-ing like that only for the college fellers." The janitor's eyes flashed to Reagan's stern face. "1 hope I do not get to jail because I tell you that, sir." "You won't," promised Hanvey. 'Will he, Reagan?" "Whatever you say, Chief." Hanvey pursued his Inquiry. "How was this liquor thing worked, Mike?" "It was theesaway, Meester Hanvey Han-vey : Always sometimes the boys give a party which the faculty they do not understand about, so they want liquor. Meester Thayer, he says he knows where he can get real stuff which has never been cut. So they give him the money and he orders it from me." "I see. . . . And you and he would split the difference, eh?" "Yes, sir. For real thing, the fellers fel-lers they pay me one hundred dollars dol-lars a case. I pay for It sixty dol- fl pton In this house the day fkjj.ver was killed?" !lr; she was here." 'JU you ever heard of her com-Ml com-Ml before?" . . sir. Ladles, she do not fiaternity house." rrovou see Mr. Vernon on May ifi'"t half-pnst one o'clock?" tl sir." Ivors'. what?" ebScv him doing two things. First , oyn go into Meester Thayer's ? lonS time beyond that I jjOlleve the house." didn't se him leave Mr. HV1 room?" ir." were you when yon first i THE STORY FROM THE BEGINNING Antoinette Peyton, senior at the University of Marland, resents Pater-son Pater-son Thayer's attentions to Ivy WeW-h, seventeen-year-old coed, and there Is a stormy scene, the tension beiiVB Increased by Max Vernon, another student, reproaching Ivy tor "breaking a date" with him. Thayer and Vernon Ver-non threaten each other. Prof. Larry Welch. Ivy's brother. Is appealed to by Tony to end his sister's friendship with Thayer. Welch and Tony Peyton Pey-ton are In love. Tony tells him she Is married to Thayer, but is his wife only In name. Larry determines to end Thayer's association with Ivy. Tony persuades him to wait until she has appealed to her husband. She does so. visiting him at a fraternity house. Vernon leaves the house almost al-most Immediately after her departure. Welch goes to see Thayer, and after he leaves Carmicino, frat house janitor, finds Thayer dead, stabbed In the throat. The Marland bank is robbed of $100,000, the robber escaping with the money after being badly wounded. Jim Hanvey. famous detective detec-tive comes to Investigate the robbery. Randolph Fiske. the bank president presi-dent tells him he believes Vernon was driving the car In which the robber rob-ber got away Thaver, Fiske says, has been robbing Vernon of large sums in csrd games. Reagan. Marland police chief, induces Hanvey to take charge of the murder case, evidence implicating Vernon in both the murder mur-der and robbery. Tony Peyton, Larry Welch, and Max Vernon are under arrest as Thayer murder suspects. Interrogated by Hanvey. Welch Insists Thayer was alive when he left him, and Hajvey and Reagan art convinced con-vinced he is lyins- I haven't met a one who didn't strike me that he'd be a real guy if he wasn't so dam' educated." Hanvey moved his head labor iously toward the mantel. "What's all the military equipment?" equip-ment?" he asked, referring to the knives and swords on the wall. "1 asked about that," said itea gan. "It seems Vernon has traveled trav-eled a good deal and he's sort of collected these things. That Tunny looking one Is from where the Ma lays live. I think they call It a kris. And that one over the clooh j is a bolo. or whatever It la the Filipinos use. Vernon was a mil ! about "em." I (TO JBK CON'TINTED.) |