| Show BLACK 0 h clifford CLIF rORD KNIGHT HT 93 9 3 ermice WJ elsa els chatfield HOUY hollywood houswood WOOd artist Is Us aunt kitty who died inherited by her of morphine hunt fro rom an overdose sleuths 90 0 o nigerian no boeer gerian and barry madison mexico to solve what they to Maz atlan chatfield s murder believe to be g kitty on arriving they find that elsa elss s party had bad preceded them by plane during a fiesta at the ranch ol of sum sam chatfield chesebro Is murdered elsas father james lombardo mexican police chief arrests reed barton but he Is later ater re leased while fishing for or martin marlin sam chatfield has a strike As he Is about to land the fish Ws his swivel chair gives way and he topples topples out the marun carlins mar lins s capler like sword drives through him and he sank below the waves CHAPTER XIV I 1 saw the black wicked point emerge through the white te shirt on his back and then instantly in m one mighty threshing of foaming water sam chatfield impaled upon the cruel weapon sword swordfish fis h and all sank belo the depths of th the e sea we stared horrified fron from i the rocking launch at the spot where they sank for some moments huge billowing masses of bubbles streaked with blood came boiling up to the surface finally even these ceased and the dancing sparkling waters of a blue sea held no sign of what had happened rogers accompanied dwight and reed barton that afternoon when they went solemnly into the lounge to break the news the rest of us were purposely occupied with getting the launch stowed on deck and preparing to weigh anchor for we were of course returning immediately to Maz atlan dwight came out at last followed by rogers and reed barton the latter two joined me at the rail while dwight walked slowly forward to the bridge barry rogers said speculatively could this afternoons tragedy have been entirely an accident do you think youre wondering it if someone could have tampered with the chair with the expectation of causing an accident exactly well perhaps without waiting for my reply rogers walked aft to the launch which was stowed in its cradle we paused beside it in the dusk have you a flashlight barry ill get one 1 I can reassemble assemble re the mechanism rogers remarked after some tinkering if hold the light for me barry he gave it to me and I 1 directed the rays while lie he fitted together the several parts he soon had it complete except for a nut k I 1 am not much of a mechanic but rogers had demonstrated that tha he was quite good at it and soon we had the chair back in what seemed normal working order the swivel seems to work all right sit down in it barry and let me watch the mechanism I 1 sat down as he requested now rock back and forth in it and swing round and round in it I 1 followed his instructions while he lay flat on his stomach and with the aid of the flashlight peered underneath der neath suddenly and without warning the seat collapsed under me and I 1 fell with it in a heap rogers exhibiting extraordinary agility for a man so large managed to escape escape unhurt hurt you did it barry he inquired sitting up hugging his knees my back had suffered a slight wrench and I 1 said so im sorry he apologized but you were nearer sam Chat fields weight than 1 I 11 do you think then that somebody tampered with the chair what about george last night while we were anchored and before any of us had gone ashore elsa and 1 I were at the rail somebody was loafing in the launch alone and in the dark elsa asked me who was down there I 1 thought it was some one of the hands perhaps and then george rumble climbed out and came up the ladder rogers got slowly to his feet shifted his legs outside of the launch and stepped down upon the deck of the back yacht I 1 followed holding my 1 I think that teat we should have a talk with george he said A little group of household servants clustered about the huge studded door as we drew up at the ranch willing hands helped berta from the taxi scurrying feet went to prepare the way while berta round and plump and widowed made a pathetic figure between elsa and margaret as they helped her to the seclusion of her room in the great house rogers and I 1 hung our hats on the rack at the entrance and prepared to wait in the big living room until we could in decency depart to a more cheerful atmosphere rogers offered his cigarettes and lighted one himself its all very puzzling barry said rogers with a sigh 1 I dont make much of it to get back though ho he continued to the case of kitty chatfield everybody has been frank to confess a motive of sorts ranging from elsas bitter hatred of her aunt down to rumbles unpaid bill again in the death of chesebro rumble has a well defined motive reed barton and dwight nichols have motives equally good and elsa the other day while still very angry threatened to kill him whatever it was that roused her to to such anger she has not divulged to me do you know what it wasp was 4 it no you seem to have elsas confidence to a greater degree than the rest of us barry im proud of that fact hunt but ashes not told me what was between her and chesebro that day rogers yawned dawned and looked at his watch 1 I wonder he said if we well ill have time to look up rumble if X i N 7 ashes gone to sleep was the calm answer when we go back down town tonight 1 I should think so hell be around so somewhere me where of course rogers got up and went out into the living room he was growing restless and I 1 suspected that he was hoping to catch a glimpse of margaret or elsa and if possible hasten our departure he came back presently without having seen anyone As he stood on the threshold his gaze strayed to the shadows above the built in book shelves his muscles tightened perceptibly and an odd look came into his face he walked to the desk and lifted the oil lamp overhead the better to see it gave me a start barry he e said so natural it looks as if it its t S up there by this time I 1 was on my feet staring up at the mounted head of a marlin its long thrust out into the room the glass eyes eye s supplied by the taxidermist seemingly possessed of all the wickedness that must have shone through the natural ones when its owner swam the blue seas he continued for some moments to examine the trophy then climbed down replaced the lamp and resumed his seat gruesome thing to have around now he remar remarked ked casually his left hand strayed to the desk blotter where several letters and papers were tucked in the pocket corners fingering them idly rogers suddenly reached into the center of a small bunch of letters in a corner pocket of the blotter and drew forth a clipping from tho the rn to gravure section of a newspaper what have you found I 1 asked something yes something interesting he passed it across to me and I 1 took it and held it to the light 1 I have one like it exhibit A I 1 think I 1 called it youve told me that reed barton has one it seems that sam chatfield procured one also it was the picture of elsa and the baby which had so startled us all only a few days previously undeniably deni ably it was a most appealing picture rumble was right when he said it contained heart interest but those damnable cut lines underneath the picture elsa chatfield whose caricatures have recently won wide acclaim and her small daughter mary frances that was a lousy thing for rumble to do I 1 said his explanation was plausible and innocent of any intent to harm lousy just the same for the effect that it must have had back home I 1 wonder if elsa dares face it now it will revive among her friends and acquaintances the old story that once re echoed up and down south orange grove avenue in pasadena 1 I remember Dwigh ts telling us of it rogers put the clipping down and inhaled deeply of his cigarette he ba blew w the smoke from his lungs in a thin cloud before he spoke again unquestionably barry its Che sebros child he said you cant mistake it if you have even half an eye for such things we sat silently turning over in our thoughts once more the implications in this most amazing g of the many strange events that had occurred to us As we sat there in the study there came the sound of a motor car on the gravel outside it stopped and the motor was shut off there followed the sound of voices and footstep footsteps P s upon the graveled gravel ed approach A brief command in spanish was given at which rogers sat up quickly I 1 translated the words in the voice of the jefe del policia dolicia po licia bring the prisoner pedro the pulque seller stood in the living room between lombardo and the batters lat satellite alvarez he made a sorry looking figure in contrast to the neatly dressed dr miguel cruz who was in the party and the uniformed police his white cotton trousers were wrinkled and stained with dust his white shirt was so torn that much of his brown back was visible his sharp face was haggard his small dark eyes were dull with weariness he was bareheaded and barefooted I 1 had not noticed before now that the mans left arm was bandaged just below the elbow the rag was dirty and there was an old stain of blood upon it pedro I 1 noted kept that arm quietly and with a minimum of movement at his side pedro has reflected upon his conduct of that night he ran away he regrets that he did so eh pedro yes sir and he is eager now to coop co op erate with us yes sir you wish to go ahead with the enactment of course senor rogers may I 1 suggest that we are not all here senores cenores nichols barton and rumble are not present they are following us senor I 1 talked with senor nichols before I 1 started with the prisoner senor chatfield of course it is very sad the death of senor chatfield I 1 heard that he had died at sea but I 1 do not know the details senor ill teu tell you let pedro sit down rogers pointed to a chair and you and doctor cruz come with us into the study alvarez and the prisoner relaxed outside in the living room lombardo and cruz followed us into the study I 1 poured a whiskey and soda for them and we sat d down own rogers began a detailed account of the accident omitting however all our speculations as to the part rumble might have played in ii it t I 1 it is very sad senor the death j of so good a man as senor chatfield I 1 lombardo said when rogers had finished were the gentlemen senor nichols and the others coming immediately senor lombardo I 1 inquired 1 I believe so senor madison when I 1 mentioned to senor nichols that pedro had been returned to Maz atlan and that I 1 wished to proceed with my investigation he said that he would try to find senor the caballero with the very fine clothes and bring him along who knows and he shrugged his shoulders but what he is the guilty one we must have all who were here that night of the fiesta of course rogers answered the next moment a car rolled up to the front door the motor died with a cough and footsteps sounded I 1 briskly upon the gravel it is they se nores said lombardo rising and leading the way into the living room dwight nichols entered the doorway with reed barton at his heels they took in at a glance the fact I 1 that we had been waiting TO BE CONTINUED |
