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Show Empty Safe By RICHARD HILL WILKINSON (Associated Newspapers WNU Service.) A YOUNG man, looking frightened fright-ened and agitated, was waiting wait-ing at the Rubinson residence when the police car, bearing Detective Henry Baker drove up. "I'm Tom Darcy," the youth explained. ex-plained. "For heaven's sake, let's hurry. Every moment counts." "Why," asked Detective Baker, when they were in the police car, "didn't you phone us from your uncle's house?" "The line was dead. Whoever robbed the safe must have cut the wires. I ran over to Robinson's." "Exactly what happened?" "Uncle's away fur the week-end," Darcy explained. "I was alone upstairs up-stairs about haif an hour ago. I ' thought I heard a noise and came running down. I had reached the first landing when a man dashed from the library, sprinted for the front door and was out before I could stop him. I paused only long enough to glance into the library, saw that the safe door was swinging wide, ! then gave chase. As I came down the front walk the thief was just making off in a small gray sedan. than I give it credit for." "Possibly," Baker agreed, "you're right. For example, I think if we take a run over to Mr. Colby's boarding house we'll find him at home resting." "If you do it will mean that the man's much smarter than I think. But I doubt if it will occur to him that not trying to escape will make him less a suspicious character." Detective Baker scratched his chin. "Kid, you seem to have a faculty of giving no one credit for brains but yourself. Let me tell you something: In about a minute you're going to discover that you're not so smart as you're trying to impress me with being." Young Darcy got to his feet with easy assurance. "Well, well. Are you the gentleman who's going to show me?" "I am." "Can that be possible! Shall I prepare to cheer?" "You'd better prepare to spend a long time in an iron-bound cage thinking things over." "Meaning?" "Meaning that no one would be damn fool enough to try to open a safe such as this one with a pen knife." "Which gets us nowhere. The marks of the pen knife are on the safe, and proves that somebody must have been a fool." "The man who put the marks there was damn fool enough to think a smart detective would swallow the yarn. Also fool enough to think the same detective would believe a cock and bull story about chasing a guy in a gray sedan." "Why, blast your hide, I did " "Not! Either you didn't chase him or your story is cockeyed. Because Be-cause if you ran out of the house and down the walk and tore off in your car, how did you know the burglar bur-glar pried open a cellar window to gain admission. There were no cellar cel-lar windows open when I came up the walk. I must have been on the rear of the house, but if you went directly to headquarters " At which point young Mr. Darcy blurted something about showing who was smart, and reached inside his coat pocket. Whereupon Baker substantiated his own statement about the smartness of a certain detective de-tective by socking Mr. Darcy over the head with the reverse end of a pistol, which he'd had his hand on for five minutes. "For heaven's sake, let's hurry. Every moment counts." My roadster was out front and I leapea into it and followed, but I lost sight of the sedan in the heavy traffic." "I see," said Baker. "Aren't you in the habit of keeping your uncle's house locked at all times? Especially Especial-ly when he's away?" "Of course. And today was no exception, either. The burglar gained admission by prying open a cellar window." They had reached the residential district and presently the detective drew up in front of a brownstone dwelling. "This is your uncle's home isn't it?" "Yes." Young Darcy raced up the steps, hurried through the front door and disappeared inside. A moment later Detective Baker found him examining the opened safe. "You were certainly in an all-fired hurry to get inside, especially when you knew the thief had escaped." Darcy sank wearily into a chair. "I wanted to make sure just how much was missing. You see, I didn't return here after losing sight of the sedan, but went directly to headquarters." head-quarters." "I see," Baker nodded toward the safe. "I suppose you discovered the worst." "Worst is certainly the word. Not only are the bonds gone, but every other scrap of paper besides. The thief must have heard me coming and realizing that haste was necessary, neces-sary, shoved everything into his pocket." "Likely." Detective Baker stooped over to examine the safe. "Was there anything familiar about the figure you saw rushing from the house?" "As a matter of fact there was." The officer whirled around. "In heaven's name why didn't you say so? Did you recognize him?" "I didn't mention it,before," Darcy said thoughtfully, "because I didn't want to cast unjust suspicion. But " Suddenly he thrust out his hand, revealing re-vealing in its palm a small clasp pen knife. "That knife belongs to Jules Colby, uncle's butler. I've seen him use it a hundred times." "And how long," asked Baker, his voice hinting of sarcasm, "have you been carrying it around with you?" "I found it on the floor beneath the safe when I came in a moment ago. It it substantiated my first sasDicion that the man whom I had teen escape was actually Colby. He must have used it in his attempt to open the safe, and dropped it in his haste to get away." "Where's Colby now?" "Goodness knows. He's supposed to be at home resting. Uncle dismissed dis-missed all the servants while he was away. Sort of a holiday." "I see. And you think we oight to pick up this Jules Colby and ques- tion him." "If picking up is as easy as you make it sound, I most certainly agree. Look there." Darcy pointed at the safe. Near its outer edges were a number of scratches that had obviously been made by some sharp instrument, quite possibly a pen knife. "I see," said Baker. "But for the moment let's concentrate on Colby. I have an idea he won't be so difficult dif-ficult to find as you appear to think." "Possibly." said Darcy, his own tone betraying sarcasm, "the police department in this city is smarter |
