OCR Text |
Show Hanvey folded his hands on his huge stomach. "You object If I ask you a personal question, Welch?" "Go ahead." "You're pretty keen for Miss Peyton, Pey-ton, aren't you?" Larry flushed. "I admire her very much." "Nothing more?" "I don't see . . . No, It's no more than ;hat" Amazingly enough, Hanvey did not pursue that topic. It seemed to Reagan that Jim was constantly tilt 7Ac MAY DAY ;yfl MYSTERY Jc If Ociavas Ro Cohere "My sister." "Miss Ivy Welch?" "Yes." "What was wrong there?" "Nothing . . . that Is, I didn't want anythln; to be wrong. I told Thayer that I preferred that he see less of Ivy." "Did you tell him why?" "I told him that there was too much difference in their ages. He was twenty-three and Ivy just a seventeen-year-old kid. I didn't think it was a very good Idea to let the friendship continue." "How long had Thayer been going go-ing with your sister?" "I don't know exactly. Several months, I guess." "Anything special happen recently?" re-cently?" Larry's eyes were focused on the floor. "Nothing." "You just made up your mind to see Thayer without anything special spe-cial happening, eh?" "Yes. When I say nothing special spe-cial I mean. . . ." He rose, walked across the room, and then returned to stand In front of the huge detective. "I spoke to my sister sis-ter first. I told her to lay off Pat Thayer and she said she wouldn't. I said that forced me to see him. And so I went to his fraternity house." "You saw him?" "Yes." "Alive or dead?" Larry's eyes widened, and Instinctively Instinc-tively he drew back as though to ward off a blow. "What do you mean?" he asked and his voice trembled. "Gosh ! Son I don't mean nothln'. You told me to ask questions, and I'm just doln' what you asked." "It was such a queer question." "Maybe so. 1 dunno. Of course you know he's dead now, don't you ?" "Yes," bitterly ; "I understand they're holding me for his murder." "Well, then what would be more natural than what I asked you? It 1 "Hmph I I think you're foolish and generous." Jim Hanvey spoke, but without turning. "Thayer was stabbed?" he asked over his shoulder. "Yes." "What sort of a knife?" Reagan shook his head. "That's one of the queerest things in the whole case, Jim. We've looked high and low for that knife and we can't find it anywhere." any-where." CHAPTER VII T ARRY WELCH was lying full 1 ' length on the bed when the door opened. He stared with amazement amaze-ment at Reagan's companion. Hanvey was mopping at his forehead with a purple and white handkerchief and puffing like a porpoise. His little, fishy eyes turned protesting-ly protesting-ly toward Reagan. "You shouldn't have done It, John." "What?" "Walked me all the way down here. I'm all in." The turnkey in the corridor closed It Was Reagan Who Was Forced to Remind Hanvey That They Were Supposed to Be Working on a Murder Case. THE STORY FROM THE BEGINNING Antoinette Peyton, senior at the University of Marland, resents Pater-son Pater-son Thayer's attentions to Ivy Welch, seventeen-year-old coed, and there is a stormy scene, the tension being increased by Max Vernon, another student, reproaching Ivy for "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, telis him he believes Vernon was driving the car in which the robber rob-ber got away. Thayer, Fiske says, has been robbing Vernon of large sums, in card 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. FhAPTER VI Continued U -9- g I this ain't less, Jim. There's ore. I arrested Welch the i If' I could get my hands on nd bad a long heart-to-heart ith him, and all I can tell m, is that that feller lied to i a sonovagun." i Absolutely. It was posi-ihameful posi-ihameful the way he lied . . . "u know as well as me, Jim, len a suspect lies all the way )rf he's either pretty deep or Jllwho is. Am I right?" rr't." if I first arrested Welch," continued, "he blanketed ling with lies. He started -denying that he had been to ayer. I proved that up on less time than It takes a eat a shirt. After admit-at, admit-at, he said that he'd never nythlng but the best of with Thayer. Then I told 'ksre was a chance for him , 'as Innocent because we al-fiad al-fiad two other people under He asked who they were )ld him. The minute I men-Miss men-Miss Peyton's name his jittitude changed." Reagan and chuckled. "And how 1" how?" 'banted to know right away should think anything so frus as that Tony Peyton hayer. I told him it was beetle be-etle had visited Thayer's 'ust before he Welch got I could see he was doing 'Ost thinking. He finally called n fool, which wasn't very ad wanted to know how Miss j could have killed Thayer h had been there after she ie and Thayer was alive. I j ip to him that that wasn't 7l healthy stand for him to ia cause If Thayer was alive (ie visited the fraternity y.hen it certainly put Miss in the clear but made It ar him. 1 also was think-ugh think-ugh I didn't discuss it with at it cleared Max Vernon, Sj cause Max left the frater-ise frater-ise before Larry got there." surely," snapped Fiske, "a n't going to put his own a noose, unnecessarily, Is e," answered Reagan calm-ipl calm-ipl eclally If he's a young fool jSilch and Is crazy about a 1 thinks that she did the ff vy s sof drawl b.'oke In. about Max Vernon?" n flushed. fernoni The darn thing has Q;oofy. As soon as I get one s three crazy kids tied, up is, I remember something ne of the others and start c. again. The more 1 think know and the less I know 7Ier I get." j , . ie done marvelously, In- .inndolph Fiske with consid-l;" consid-l;" yVehemence. "It seems to ''.'..I've discovered everything CL;.J know-" pt the Identity of the mur-" mur-" .finished Reagan dryly. "Up f'polnt I've done swell." ide: K7 rose and waddled to the 2 where his tremendous coming to the verge of vital disclosures dis-closures and then going off on another an-other tack. "Were Thayer and Miss Peyton very friendly?" "I don't think so." "You're not sure?" "No." "She hadn't ever mentioned him to you? You haven't any Idea why she went to visit Thayer at the fraternity fra-ternity house, have you?" Larry seemed troubled. He raised his voice and spoke vehemently. "You seem more Interested In Miss Peyton than in me," he accused. ac-cused. "It's perfectly ridiculous to think that she had anything to do with Thayer's death. She left that fraternity house before I got there. When I arrived Thayer was still alive. Therefore she couldn't have killed him!" "Dog-gone If that ain't right, Son. I just plumb forgot that. I sure did. Well, good-by, Son and much obliged." "You you don't wish to ask me anything else?" "Nope. I reckon you've told me about everything there is to tell, haven't you?" "Why why, yes ... I guess so." "Well, by-by, and good luck." The door closed behind them, and Larry Welch, thoroughly bewildered and not a little ill at ease, stared at the mute panels. In the corridor John Reagan faced his companion. He could contain himself no longer. "Welch was lying!" he announced." an-nounced." Jim Hanvey smiled. "Sure he was, John ; sure he was. But that ain't what interests me. What I crave to know is how much? And why?" CHAPTER VIII SUMMER had settled down upon the Marland campus. While every man and woman connected with the college was vitally Interested Inter-ested in the Thayer killing, their interest could not very well be termed excitement. The students, as a whole, could not believe any of the three suspects sus-pects guilty. It was a nasty mess all around the college agreed on that. A half dozen undergrads who were lounging on the lawn tn front of the Lambda Theta Pi house saw John Reagan drive up in his shiny little car. They saw someone else, too an astounding fat man who lay back In the seat next to the driver and complained bitterly about the heat. Later someone passed the word that the fat man was a famous detective and was greeted with an outburst of derisive laughter. T" at bird a detective ! Ha-ha ! Hanvey's fishlike little eyes looked everywhere and appeared to see nothing. Reagan waited for him to do something and was disap pointed. Jim merely stood in one spot, breathing audibly and mopping mop-ping the back of his neck. He finally turned, and Reagan prepared for a pronouncement of importance. "One thing I'm sure of," said Hanvey. Han-vey. "What?" "I never have felt no hotter weather !" It was Reagan who was forced to remind Hanvey that they were supposed to be working on a mur der case. He directed Jim's attention at-tention to certain chalk marks on the floor. "Who made those, Reagan?" "I did." "What for?" "They outline the position of Thayer's body as it was when I got here. That straight line where you're standing Is the mark to show how far open Carmicino says the door v-as when he spotted the feet of the body from the hall." (TO BE CONTINUED.; the door, and Reagan performed the introductions. "Mr. Welch this is Mr. Hanvey ; Jim Hanvey. He's in charge of this case." The youth hesitated, but Hanvey's Han-vey's fleshy paw came out and Larry met it with a firm grip and a quick, friendly smile. Hanvey blirked, nodded nod-ded and seated himself. "Siddown, Welch. I'd like to talk with you a few minutes." "Whatever you say, sir." "You understand, Welch, that you don't have to talk at all if you don't want to. I'm just tellin' you that so you won't think I'm tryin' to put anything over." "I understand, sir." "I could say that anything you mentioned could be used against you. Instead I'll just say that If you're Innocent, the more you talk, the more chance there Is of me helpin' you. If you're guilty well, that's a gray horse of another color. And my name ain't Sir, either." Larry grinned. "I understand." "I'll spout one thing more. Me and Reagan are out to find out who killed Pat Thayer and we ain't got the slightest ambition to hang an innocent man. Now shall I go on and talk to you or let you alone? I mean that if you want tc help us, maybe we can help you. If you don't then there ain't a bit of use wasting everybody's time." Hanvey's tone was gentle, his manner disarming. He seemed so guileless, so transparent. Larry paced slowly up and down the room. Reagan followed him with his eyes. Finally, the young man turned and spoke to Hanvey." "May I ask one question?" "Sure, Son sure." "Have you spoken to Miss Peyton yet?" "No." "Can I believe that?" Hanvey's eyes opened slowly "Gosh, Son I dunno whether you can believe It or not. We don't neither of us have to believe nothln'. But I haven't seen Miss Peyton, and that's a fact" Larry hesitated but only for a moment. "1 believe you," he said, and then added: "I'll talk." Jim yawned. "All right, Welch. Go ahead and talk." "I I'd rather that you questioned me." "About what?" "Whatever you want to know." Hanvey lighted one of bis oh noxious cigars and grinned at Rea gan. "Maybe that ain't such a bad idea, John. What do you think?" "I guess so. Jim." "You did go to see Pal Thayer at the fraternity house day before yesterday, didn't you, Welch?" "Yes." Larry's voice was low. It was plain that he was weighing words. "What about?" shapes up kind of queer, Son. If Thayer was dead when you got to his room, why it's a cinch you couldn't have killed him, ain't it?" "Yes. . . ." "But If he was alive when you got there, it don't look very nice because everybody knows that you were the last person in that room before the body was found. So I ask you again: When you got to his room, was he alive or dead?" The boy's face was white, but he answered in a level voice. "He was alive." "You're sure you didn't quarrel?" "Positive." "Thayer didn't get sore?" Again that strained, haggard light flashed In Larry's eyes. "No-o ... he didn't get sore." . "Not at all?" "I don't know. I was only there for a fjw minutes." "And there wasn't any quarrel?" Larry whirled on his inquisitor. "How many times do I have to tell you that we didn't quarrel?" "None," murmured Hanvey gently. gen-tly. "Gosh I Son you don't have to tell me a thing. Any minute you get tired of my questions, I'll quit. I ain't aiming to get you peeved np. Now, If you'd rather I wouldn't ask you no more questions " "I'm sorry, Mr. Hanvey. Please go on." I "Thanks, Son. And any time I step on your pet bunion don't hesitate hesi-tate to say so. It ain't my Idea to get any man riled at me." "I understand. What else do you wish to know about that interview?" "Nothing." The boy was surprised. "Nothing." "Noth-ing." "Not a tiling. You've told me all I need to know. According to the way I understand It: Thayer was alive when you got there and you and he had a nice friendly chat-that chat-that Is, It wasn't exactly friendly, but you didn't quarrel. Then you left Ain't that the way It was?'' "Yes. . . ." Larry was nonplussed. non-plussed. "Yes It happened just that way." "Good. That clears things up In my mind. Now can I ask you something some-thing else?" "Surely." "Do you know Miss Antoinette Peyton ?" Reagan saw Larry's figure stiffen defensively, and there was the briefest brief-est hesitation before he answered. "Yes." "Do you know Max Vernon ? "Yes." "Like him?" "He's a nice chap." "When you were at the fraternity ! house to see Thayer did you happen hap-pen to see Max Vernon anywhere about?" "No." "Or .Miss Peyton?" "No." 'V, l'' )i;ed with Amazement at Rea-va;:: Rea-va;:: Ban's Companion. almost blotted out the light eff- poke to Reagan in a guarded e really good, or just a bag " d, Reagan?" 4i"eyes of the Marland detec-m'ii-klcd. "He's the best in the os': Mr. Fiske make no mis-t-"ut that He knows more n t::his case right now than I lie l' |