Show T THREE F IREE SHUTTERED HOUSES by BEN AMES WILLIAMS copyright Copy rIeM SERVICE SYNOPSIS young well to do clint zeales who Is managing the jervies estate after the marriage of his former guardian miss moss to his dear friend inspector tope TOM Is driving home through et a torrential rain he c picks I 1 C k s up a carl g irl scantily clad runn running ingi lip in t terror e r rop s stricken t ri acken fright down the road he offers to help her she rides a short way leaves the car and runs into the woods clint continues on his way deciding to tell inspector tope of his experience in three shuttered houses all gloomy and forbidding on Ke genesa nesa hill near where clint picked up the frightened girl lived three fa families mi in one house lived old danman hurder his wife who had been ella kenesaw and his daughter kitty leaford and her daughter june living in a second house was aunt evic mainc uncle justus and brothers rab and asa the third held old matthew bondon and his wife living on the estate was a man known only to june as uncle jim following their usual custom the three f families adur atur I 1 Ca gathered in the hurder home sn saturday night kitty junes mother retired early with a headache she was given warm milk and insisted on taking two sleeping tablets one more than usual strangely upset june slept fitfully and in the middle of the night went in to see her mother her uncomfortable position warned june that her mother was not sleeping she was dead panic stricken J june une ran from the room out the unlocked door and into the storm to get doctor cabler cabler clint tells I his as story to inspector and mrs tope CHAPTER IV continued G that was inspector ecale tope said at headquarters out there he even hea heard rd about mrs leaford being dead I 1 guess its nothing he grinned at clint son he demanded what do you mean coming in here and stirring us up this way cant a girl go for a walk in her nightie along a country road in the rain without starting so much talk I 1 dont believe there was any girl anyway how much did you drink last night young fellow clint chuckled had one high ball he confessed it bores me to see these kids lushing it up t the he way they do he spoke to miss moss this girl I 1 took home mabel alabel she was tight bound shed kiss me good night wanted me to stay miss moss at the austerity behind his words shell be grateful to you today she suggested tope said in a mirthful tone and you no sooner get rid of her than another one comes out in her nightgown to waylay you clint what is this strange power of yours clint laughed and then the telephone rang tope went briskly across the room he said hello yes inspector 11 A silence while he listened then yes thanks another silence and then tope said why ill come out and see you and bring him along sure he put up the receiver and turned back to them and miss moss saw that his eyes shone what is it clint demanded inspector heale tells me he be called up the medical examiner tope explained doctor derrie had had no report on the death so heale called the family doctor doctor named cabler he says mrs leaford died from an overdose of 0 some sleeping powder he added after a moment accidental accidental miss moss repeated in a flat tone there was vas a moments silence and then he added inspector heale wants to know how I 1 knew about it and he be wants to talk to you clint I 1 think better drive us out there CHAPTER V 4 clint swung the car off the main thoroughfare this is the road he said ill show you and he drove more slowly studying the way woodlands shut them in on either side before he be stopped at last where there was a path and a house among the trees this is where 1 I let her out he explained tope nodded looking toward the house probably doctor cabler lives there he suggested how far had she ridden with you 1 I was coming down this hill clint explained and he drove on said presently it must have been along here somewhere that I 1 overtook her tope commented no houses a anywhere near on top of the hill clint replied he put the car swiftly up the grade and the three houses bouses came into view tope said in a low tone as though he might be overheard drive slowly clint ill stop clint amended he pulled up the car beside the road and got out under pretext of inspecting spec ting the tires but at the same time under the brim of 0 his hat he arm q under the pretext st of inspecting the tires clint looked attentively at the three houses looked attentively at these three houses by the road so did tope and miss moss too there was an undertakers garland attached to the door of the house in the middle and a car with a doctors tag stood beside the road the day was warm and fine after the shower yet nowhere did clint see a window open some of the shutters were closed and at other windows thick curtains hung behind the houses the woods were dark and still when clint presently drove on he looked at tope to see what impression the older man had received well there they are he said what do you think tope answered with a slow smile why I 1 get notions fool notions maybe clint but ive got in the habit of believing them it feels to me as if the people that lived in those houses were afraid the girl was afraid clint agreed but what would they be afraid of well tope reminded him his tone suddenly grim A woman died of poison in there last night if shed known it was going to ha happen p shed have had a right to be afraid so clint was silenced and they came on into the suburban town that was their destination and found police headquarters miss moss elected to stay in the car while they went inside inspector heale came to meet them he was lean and gray and his brows were extravagantly bushy he shook topes hand and spoke some hearty word might have known be around he said humorously you old buzzard buzzar dl how do you hear about these things so soon I 1 even know mrs leaford was dead alu you called me up done anything tope asked seriously rl riou U sly inspector heale bade them come into his office and closed the door and he shook his head no he confessed doctor derkics Derri cs gone to look her over of course doctor cabler notified him cabler was called in late last night slept late this morning why ho he phoned doc derrie he said there any hurry and he explained mrs leaford had been taking this dope for years she took an overdose once before and came near passing out this time it was nearer than that dead when doctor cabler got there tope inquired before that I 1 guess heale explained pla ined and he looked at tope and then at clint inquiringly but I 1 want to know how you heard about it he reminded them and topo tope bade clint tell the tale of at his adventure the night before so clint repeated his story and inspector heale listened without interruption ter till he was done the girl was miss leaford he explained then mrs Lea Leaford fords 3 I 1 daughter she found her mother dead and the telephone was out of order on account of the shower so she ran to get the doctor he grinned 1 I know she made the trip in her nightie he admitted a queer lot up there and ashes as queer as the rest of them that way about everything inspector heale insisted you take electric lights hurder put them in his house here a few years back and then the others hooked his meter to save meter deposits the light company kicked but those folks on the hill they mostly get their own way when they want it old mrs bowdon ashes seventy it if ashes a day you can argue with her till youre blind and she dont give an inch and mrs as bad heale continued ashes one of these thin stringy women in a black dress and she talks in a kind of whisper as if butter melt in her mouth she can strip the hide off you and never raise her voice ashes a worker too shell put on overalls and go right at it do anything for instance she wired her own house and bogdons Bow dons and hooked up the wires in harders Hur ders cellar if I 1 know they had money id think they have a cent the way she works clint began miss leaford the inspector said guardedly why she might be all right fo for r all I 1 know ashes always slipping around through the woods alone like a wild animal and she never speaks to you passes you right by someone knocked on the door and he called an invitation hello doel he exclaimed then rising to make introductions tope this is doctor derrie derne our medical examiner out here and this is mr jervies doe doc he gave miss leaford a lift on her way to get doc tor or cabler last night doctor derric looked at clint with a sidelong eye ive just been talk ing to miss leaford he remarked he was not much older than clint where clint asked on his feet feel instantly at the house the medical ex ammer explained 1 I went up with doctor cabler she was the last one to see her mother alive and she was the one to find mrs airs leaford dead so I 1 had to talk to her the others nodded and inspector heale asked find out anything doc what do you think doctor derrie replied a little pompously mrs leaford had a headache when she went to bed and took some tablets he explained one of the acids he added like one who must be discreet to protect his hearers doctor or cabler had furnished them to her for or a number of years once be fore ore she took three and was very ill last night she took two miss leaford eaford prepared them for her TO BE CONTINUED |