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Show "TIT?K,,air.il'ir-wwiiiii ! , . Tj-ijfii-i " i ffS K By SOPHIE KERR l! HIIII ' ' ' " ' I'UAVTl'U XI Continued U "I'll bo rUuI whon this is over and I c;m K-ve." "So will I. This one night out a .wok business Is no help at nil to mo. I've boon thinking that I'd Rot a job on the back elevator In your house and see you every day." "Our present back elevator men are very nice. And they need their jobs more than you do." "Aha, It is a social conscience! I wasn't going to gyp any worthy comrade out of work. I would pay a bonus for the privilege of taking his place a week or so, that's all." "Curt, you're crazy, but I hope you won't do anything as crazy as that." "It's not crazy to want to see you every day." "It would be unsettling to have you on the back elevator. Curt And it might make difllculties I don't know " her letter with a nourish, put it in the envelope and whacked the stamp tight with her fist. "Now I must get into my peasant costume," she said to Pink, "and hio mo back to the mountaintop. Listen, Tink, what do you think about Curt Elton?" Pink looked up from the page of copy she had been frowning over. "I could go for him in a big way if I could ever get him to look at me. He's tops, that lad. Those carna-' tlons, for Instance, do they suit yout What do I get from my suitors? Nothing but perfectly obvious corsages cor-sages made up by the florist by the dozen and wholesaled to young men with no imagination or flair for the right tiling. I'll bet Curt writes poetry." "He's never mentioned it If he does." "If he doesn't write it he reads it and that's all right so long as he doesn't read it aloud. I could mur- fur-lined coat, he ain't warm enough in the camel's hairl I wisht he was mine, I'd warm him with the business busi-ness end of a hickory rod." It was too late to put the slip of paper back into the overcoat pocket. pock-et. Holbrook and Roy were outside out-side In the hall. She slipped through the other door that opened into Mr. Cayne's room as they came In, before be-fore they could see her. She was troubled, uneasy. Perhaps Holbrook wouldn't miss the paper, perhaps it meant nothing anyway. But at least she would show it to Terriss, it was the only thing she had found that seemed to have the least connection con-nection with the theft CHAPTER XH Terriss and Rachel sat In the office of-fice of Peter Cayne, facing him as he stood. He was like an oak tree, Rachel thought, that had been undermined un-dermined at the root and she could cleaning. Towers would be glad to have her take that duty, the old chap wasn't very brisk, he didn't see distinctly but hated to wear his glasses. Mrs. Cayne went to the beauty establishment on Friday for limbering and general massage, a facial, a shampoo and wave set, and usually had a few' extras, a pedicure or a change In the color on her nails, or an elbow oil-bath. Those took time and would give Rachel an opportunity provided young Holbrook also went out. No one could predict his vagaries, he liked to lie in bed until noon, with his radio going, or playing his phonograph. On other days he went out early and stayed late. His habits hab-its were regular only in irregularity. The next morning, though he didn't go out very early, Holbrook did leave the apartment about eleven elev-en and told Towers that he wasn't coming in for lunch, whereupon Rachel, Ra-chel, with Towers' permission, went scarcely endure to look at him. tie held himself straight with an effort ef-fort and repeated again and again: "It's impossible, I tell you. I don't believe it." Terriss looked at the list he held in his hand at the top of which was clipped the scrap of paper Rachel had found in Holbrook's pocket. "But, Mr. Cayne, the thing's here in black and white. The address is that of one of the slipperiest fences in the city, I recognized it as soon as I saw the piece of paper Miss Vincent brought In. He's operating under the name of Mark Edelweis. but that's only an alias. Just like i.; 4T.rrtlT.TT rrAn'o a WinrV .Tewelrvl Into the room with a full array of cleaning implements and set to work. She pushed a chair against the door to guard against too sudden interruption and first searched the bed. Under the springs she found the same sort of dust as behind the picture frames, but nothing more. Now she attacked the dresser, dumping out the contents of each drawer, putting everything back in order. Holbrook's underwear, In color and variety, was something to marvel at. He favored lavender and pastel green, everything was silk, custom-made. Next she went at the desk. This took longer, but not so long as she had feared, for it held little but writing paper, many sorts, to be sure, with various styles of monograms mon-ograms and addresses, and books of sketches and a few harmless old letters and invitations and lists of art exhibitions. 'Rachel ran these through and stuck them back. There was no account book, but behind a sheaf of florid correspondence cards she found several unpaid bills. She noted the shops, the date and amount of purchases and put these der people who read poetry aloud. These radio mushtraps! The quiver of emotion in the voice, the sell-conscious sell-conscious elegance of the pronuncia- ,( I ..flnH s ,:,r. VV.M'.V..V, ii "I thought maybe you might need me sometime hi a hurry. And I'd be there." "That's your Imagination running wild. Isn't it? This job isn't dangerous." dan-gerous." "Lord, no, if it had been I'd never nev-er have let you take it." "Oh. phooey! You wouldn't have let me take it indeed!" "I couldn't have bent you to my will, I know that, proud beauty, but I could have worked on Vinco and Terriss and " "How is Vinco?" "Mourning your absence. You'll find welcome on the mat when you return, though he'll pretend to be sore at you." "I'll be very sweet and grateful to be back then." "Don't be too sweet and grateful. Vinco's dealt with sweet young ladies la-dies before. He might give you a wage cut just to keep you disciplined." disci-plined." "I talk about being back as though it was ve y near. I hope it is. I'm not going to stay at the Caynes' much longer no matter whether the thief's discovered or not." "But you're going to search the boy's room. You owe that to Terriss." Ter-riss." "Yes, I suppose I do. Yes, I'll search Holbrook's room. I hope I rlnn't find anvthins? " HID JtVYCUJ tJI.-j w His stock wouldn't fill a quart measure. meas-ure. I went in and asked to see him private and told him I wanted to know about these things and guaranteed I'd make him no trouble if he'd give me the information. That was just a bluff, we couldn't make him trouble anyway, for everything ev-erything your son took there was a legitimate sale. I said legitimate sale or not these articles were stolen and he'd better clear it up, for even if he could prove it was legitimate, headquarters was just aching to get bacK too. "Before I begin on those bookshelves book-shelves I'll go through his suits," thought Rachel and forthwith entered en-tered the deep closet. Holbrook's wardrobe was nearly as comprehensive compre-hensive as his mother's. Rachel took the suits and coats in order, something on him and this mignx lead to an investigation and then where would he be? So he give me the list. Everything's there antique gold buckles with rose .diamonds, star ruby pendant, gold wrist watch, turquoise and diamond ring, silver cigarette box with silver ashtrays "You're still thinking about his parents, but it's far better they should know the truth if he's a bad lot. Every time I go past the library li-brary there at Forty-second street I look at that motto: 'But above all things, truth beareth away the victory." vic-tory." Truth may hurt, but it's curiously curi-ously satisfactory." "Write a good book sometime and put that in, Mr. Elton," said Rachel Ra-chel flippantly; but she thought: "That's so, I can see it for myself. If I hadn't gone to the Caynes' and seen and known my own mother, it would have ruined everything between be-tween Anne and me. Whereas now" she went on aloud, "I've got to go back to the apartment and see "Those Crooks Are Always Feeling Feel-ing Around for Suckers," Said Terriss. tion, the unnatural pauses and dramatic dra-matic swoops! Did I say swoops? They darn near give me the oops! Shoot 'em at sunrise, along with the singing guys and gals who come on humming through their noses!" Pink threw down her pencil. "I've been listening to the radio too much, I wish you'd stop being a punk detective de-tective and come back home. But I suppose you'd be galloping about with Curt all the time even if you were here." v "I'm going to quit being a punk detective very soon. I'm sick of it." "But you haven't found out any- to match, -seed pearl and pink topaz to-paz earrings, jade and diamond brooch, diamond dinner ring, set of six rose-cut diamond buttons, three dozen antique silver spoons and the sapphire bracelet. He had your son's name and address, he described de-scribed him to me " "Oh, for God's sake!" cried out Cayne in torture, "shut up. Let me think." "You don't suppose I enjoy doing do-ing this, do you?" asked Terriss. "Don't take it so hard, Mr. Cayne, the boy didn't know how serious it was, he didn't realize in a place like yours with so much fancy goods lying around loose why he shouldn't sell something that wasn't needed feeling in every pocket, nandicer-chiefs, nandicer-chiefs, cards, loose change, pencils, packets of gum, pocket combs, a gold knife and gold pencil, a sample bottle of brilliantine, but nothing that looked like a pawn ticket or anything else clandestine, until in the inner pocket of the fur-lined overcoat which he usually wore, she discovered a small folded piece of paper, just a scrap, on which was lightly penciled an address on the lower East Side, followed by a list of "dates. Rachel glanced at this and was putting it back when she realized that the last date was the day the sapphire bracelet was stolen. sto-len. She was about to take the scrap of paper to a better light and copy it when she heard someone at thp door. Down on her knees she and wasn't used when he wanted an extra piece of change. Lots of kids do it. You'd be surprised. They just haven't learned the difference between right and wrong." "But he had a big allowance, I paid his bills, I gave him extra when he asked for it and I thought he ought to have it. And his mother gave him money sometimes, I shut my eyes to that. But to steal her trinkets and things from his own home and sell them! And how did he get in touch with this man Edelweis, Edel-weis, how did he find him? That's what I'd like to know." went and when the door was finally opened she was very busy wiping the baseboard of the closet. It was only Towers. "Come on and eat your lunch," he said; and then: "You certainly are giving it a turning out. I appreciate this, Rachel. I'll do something for you sometime if I can." "That's all right," said Rachel, "I'll be along to lunch as soon as I set the furniture straight. He might come in unexpectedly." "He's in now," said Towers, n.', eot that friend of his named Pink and write some ieuei. There's a fast boat sailing tomor-: tomor-: row and I want to send a letter t to France." At the door Curt said, "You don't I want me on the back elevator? j Sure9" S "It would be silly. After all, I'm J not exactly helpless." "Let me know as soon as you can if you do get anything on the brat, though. You might not need any help, but you might use some moral s support, spiritual sustenance, or 1. whatnot." , T ... "Coming in to see Pink? I might " give you some moral support and spiritual sustenance for that. But Curt went on his way and Ra-.h Ra-.h chel settled to her letters. It was e- the first time she had really been eager to write to Anne, the firs: ly time she had felt right toward her y since she had been gone. But even now she could not tell her about be- : v, rvne house; that story thing?" t x ' . , "I've found out a lot, but not about the thefts. I'm older, wiser and considerably sadder than when I started this nonsense. Well, here I go, Pink. I'll be seeing you for keeps before long. Be a good girl and don't let Genie borrow your false eyelashes." "Genie thinks she's going to Hollywood, Holly-wood, didn't I tell you?" "She'll do well there. Good night, Pinkie lamb." Towers and Lena were still up when Rachel came in, drinking coffee cof-fee and eating slices of Lena s special spe-cial coffee cake, a melting correction correc-tion covered with almonds and raisins rai-sins They offered some to Rachel out 'she refused. 'Til have a cup of coffee, though," she said and sat down with them in the kitchen. -Anything happened since I went out?" Rachel asked casually; sipping sip-ping her coffee. M(Wn special." The family s "Those crooks are always feeling around for suckers," said Terriss. "Well, Mr. Cayne, this case is closed as far as I'm concerned. You know where your stuff has gone. You can get the bracelet back if you'll pay Edelweis $250, it's not been touched. I saw it." (TO BE CONTINUED) Buckham in the library and he wants me to mix 'em up a cocktail I told him his pa had the key to the liquor closet. The nerve!" Td better hurry," said Rachel, "they might come in here. But aren't they going to have lunch?" "Oh no, they just wanted cocktails' cock-tails' And he's going to put on his '1 must be revealed only when it was Ter and she was back at Vinco's. 1 Then she would tell the whole thing, the start, the middle and the end There was no end to tell at pres ent Perhaps she would 1 wait jg Anne came home, written w so hard to use, the sense out to dinner and going to the theater thea-ter There now, I forgot t,o turn back the beds, you always doing it, Rachel, puts it out of my mind. Til do it," said Rachel. Si still, Mr. Towers. I'll do it right flShe hurried tbr kta changed Deiween , writer and the eyes , of t he . saden Moreover, tonight she had no tome to write a long letter, but she must tell Anne how dearly she loved her, how little she had appreciated her Mother'll probably think I ve gone fearfully soppy," sfh "und ?-or else that I'm trying ; to ge round rtrth-ina-rvelous Le?Suox dates lots . I ancing l and playing around. I U give a good hand, t0-" to write But when she began to 'about Curt an odd shyness eU on her. Maybe she was beg nmng depend too much on Curt m y he was beginning to mean i than she knew more than " i sure she wanted I wo am falling for him, s he -and if he's fallen s hard a seems to for me On the b J vator- Thld0LBcUyt" She finished pleasing sort of idiocy. the rooms ol tne eiuei n Holbrook's she lingered, looking a it carefully, wondering when randnhow h Ihould begin the prom-ana prom-ana now The desk, she must go mmm 3i f the night table drawer, be-closet, be-closet, the rut- i nowhere bind the Picture- ftere else. yes. "Pes 0h, it is --iVsVTAnd it, orri- bl0n an impulse she ran a finger behlnd TsfPdustyrimeronher was streaks f faxing of her hand and a slight . r apprehens.ons. No thmg rrrm an ostensibie |