| Show T ti E E S E PT P T 1 17 ly 5 C L EAV E P COPYRIGHT by DOUBLEDAY OORAN cloran CO INC WN service CHAPTER XIII 12 new clews when tt it came to helping in ID the kit kitchen clen that girl was more help in five minutes ban belle sadle sadie and collie all three of them together hail bad been in half a day she ask questions she say day where Is tills this and how hov do you do that she pitched in as if r she he had been work ing in that flint kitchen with me tor for the past twenty years how flow she knew where I 1 kept the potatoes where the best paring knife lived end and the par nicular kettly flint was best for cook conk ing the potatoes in I 1 dont know and I 1 never shall know most mystery stories especially of late have an element ol of the supernatural I 1 in them I 1 tell you that kill girl knowledge of my ways anc am the tri annez in which she took hold in the kitchen are arc as su per natural as anything ever brought to my notice the first thing I 1 knew site she was peeling tile tie potatoes and peeling them thin and clean she ask how anany would be enough ewhen when ane got them peeled and washed she put them on oil in boiling water with no inquiry us as to where I 1 kept the salt she did not talk as she worked I 1 ans als glad of that flint for after three solid hours of converse conversa tion I 1 needed badly a silent space I 1 wanted to think those last words of hers utter titter nonsense in answer to sams statement kept ringing in my ears I 1 tried to think whether there was any way a person could get upstairs without coming through the fhe house we lind had no fire bre escapes there were no trees close enough to the house that nayne could swing to an upstairs window from one ol of them there were no vines growing on the house without about a twenty foot ladder which we have on the place and which would re ile hard to go conveying about to say of disposing of it afterward there was not any possible way for anyone to get to the second floor of 0 out our house ex capt by menne of the back or the front stairway since gaby had apen killed billed on tle attle attic stairway and since all who krich about that thai sort of thing agreed that she had been dead at least two iwo hours when we found tier her she must hilve returned to the hie house sometime between four and five and have stolen upstairs with none of us seeing her since she could do I 1 that hut there was no reason to suppose flint someone else could not act have hare done the same game thing either coming in with her at the time or coming coining before or after she did I 1 had to cur clude that an other person certainly had done just that had entered tin flit house ant anil had pone gone upstairs during that alinur who the person whom slip had beer fearing not nor one of us its that thai seemed a certainty certainly and yet miss la cDonald had find said non nonsense I 1 remembered again her strange mad action immediately offer slie site had received the hie coila code le letter ter I 1 re how she had I 1 looked 00 ked in the hall bull that day when I 1 ho had of told lid john that I 1 thought I 1 had bad seen see n lie he ghost of sin in gabys dote ote to danny she had bad written that site she had purposely kept her fears rind and her danger a secret from panny donny undoubtedly the secret was written in the lie code letter ind she told nanny danny partly tile the truth about the rif nf that flint letter or had she lot told her falsehoods from be ginning to eno end or had danvy toll told us only a part of tile truth why did we nil keep forgetting how hov danny had tried to call aliby back when gaby had started on flint filial walk I 1 have said gold before and I 1 say again I 1 knew that danielle Canne zinno had not murdered her but bill I 1 knew too that 11 she had so soma me reason some better reason flint I 1 could eon coll belve for keeping titter for not nol tell ing everything every alna slie she krefl kimi nanny was capable of so doing I 1 remembered our tolk in hor her room on the morning of the fifth of july I 1 relle how she had acted when her engage ment ring had slipped front from her fin ger and I 1 tried to tarn my thoughts into dIf different Terent chann Pis there was childs chads i and allot ills his confession it could he be p that hut he had killed himself linsell ti bee lISP lie ile lind lad loved ariy hr that ihil nor tie ar count tor for his contes slon to the crime it could cool menn mean hut but one n deore to shield sonie one would he have cared ab of some tin nn known scoundrel who ajia hn crept into the house and killed tile hie girl whom chad loved lad child then bell enly suspected martha martha or sum or john and killed himself unit left tile the note cote ro old aid one ona of if them not likely men alen to do not kill themselves leaving a 0 walten to in a crime of which they are anre innocent because of some mere inere I 1 ared vred my conversation converE atlon with hubert hand in ID the hall ball that murn ing what vant was it 1 that hint he had bud thought I 1 had overheard in the lie cabin mid and had bribed me not to tell it was ren rea Borin ble enough to suppose flint nt at that flint time he lind had hoped to keep keel his entire story tile prison records tile his reason for or coming to the desert aloon his relations mrs mra sticker and martha a secret just ns as I 1 I 1 lint hoped to keep the fad fact of finding asnins pipe ashes u secret saina pape ashegh again ni it II somene one had find put them there tit in tin an effort to triplicate implicate sum sam it would have had to be someone who knew gains wit was vs my aly thoughts thong lits were olt oft again you ton cant I 1 told myself get shod shed of a shadow by running awny away from it it you have to turn aill annl face it before you can go the other way I 1 faced it john lie he had left the ranh ut ill two lie he could easily have gotten hack back hv by four or shortly after sup up pose unit that he had left the machine flown down the rond quite fur down tile lie road in the file spot where the lie lire ire frocks showed flint the machine hail had beer apen stopper stopped and started again the spot where we Ill oUght he had changed 11 tire lie ile could have hae climbed the lie fence taken a short cut to the ahe houe e and gotten here in half or three hinr inar lers of an hour ile mold could tune have met biby aoud hove stolen into info the lie house with her lie he could have killed her and stolen out of the house again A short cut amiss across the lie fields and a drive dile to the house would get PI him here heie by six the time thoe he ill did get tier here if he ha could he wick ed enough to murder he could be wicked enough to arrange clews to throw suspicions on his rather and his sis ter if he were low enough to do that he would be low enough to rob nib tier lie of a little money in other words grant flint john Is a blonde and aad you yoi can go along and grant flint he has blue eyes and tow hahr it ft was nil all of it false I 1 told fold niS self front from its I 1 wicked beginning to its Is wicked pool fulse false and unfair rut but I 1 had faced it now I 1 could turn and go in ID an other direction I 1 had not realized how deeply I 1 find been thinking dawdling over my work nork in until I 1 saw that alisis macdonald hud and taken up the pork chops and had them in the warming oven and was wait making gravy its as smooth and tasty looking prin pan gravy as I 1 ever siw saw good landfill lands land sIll 1 I 1 said gold ive certainly come to one conclusion it Is a little early for conclusions isn t it she asked it Is a lot too lato late for tills this one please ilease she began but for onie once agot I 1 gol the best of her my illy conclusion la Is I 1 said that flint by hook or crook sain binn Stil stanley tiley line has got to get me some ellic leni help in tills this house when ann I 1 think of what 11 1 ve e put pill up with all these years to ID tile the way of help and then see the w ay y you pitch in it makes me road mad all over 1 I 1 wish slie she said that I 1 might drop tills case right now and stay here for all time nil and be your sour assis ja taut 11 t and a thoroughly domestic per son and forget that flint there were cir rimes lines anti and criminals in the file world orld miche Mii he I 1 said eagerly but know ing of course thal it was too good to tome come true when youie finished alth ith tills this rase case you could do t hat yol vou d tie he one of our family and sum would pay well ull I 1 guess anything care to ask tso no slip she suil smiled led it Is tempting now low hut that flint desire of mine to give of up my profession Is a phase phabe that I 1 always pass through tit nl the beginning 0 of I 1 each difficult ruse case in n a few das alms liui I 1 beg to in ket gel alid of and when lien bilings begin to anle shape all my lily lue love ol of the work will return it Is only at first I 1 to it ile he in a maze of mystery like this that thai I 1 get su so I 1 always alva do 10 it 11 right tit at first and I 1 alnus think that here Is the case aie of which I 1 I 1 nil am gill to make tin an alisi lule failure lime you ever eich failed bulled on a case I 1 hed indeed I 1 liae have on several it Is iuler lot er though tit in each c aili case that lias ills lina been a failure fi it has seemed that tile the solution vs written fron from tile the start it ans as all wing judging from that I 1 should be un usually successful in tills case ioor floor girl no wonder that site she was discouraged slie she tills ghen tile me leave now low flint it II Is all over to use tiny of bf tier notes that ali it I 1 larf to use in file lie writing ot of tills story fat far lie be it frota from lynn linn Alne Donald slie site said gold when otlien I 1 asked tier her us its ing tile hie notes to refuse advertise inina cut of one of her winner laspa my mr rivals will say sav that I 1 succeeded in tills because as orlen often happens my luck link stood by me but you and 1 I we ne understand about luck dont we vc mary ilary if you arent afraid I 1 said filar your notes may give awny away some ot of file secrets of that luck ot of yours oo co that your rivals will bo be able to lay ablit hands hand on 8 sone of the a e ban brahill bra nill 1111 slie 11 la a g 1 never aver arilo do down a se scent cr et ilu ihna Is 18 a eiffe enough rute rule for an honest person who plans to re infill honest for ri dishonest person or for one who contemplates any sort of evil ell or admits the flit possibility of such a course tile hie safe B fe rule would lie be never under tiny ani circumstances put pen or penell to paper 11 As sam would say it Is a poor rule that wont work ork both ways was the notis notes that miss bliss hinl had ainee before tills conversation of ours milt day in the kitchen and on the evening of hint flint sunie same day d ly july elev anth ore are ns its follows july 7 saw body in crenin tory late tonight cause of death str ungula don probably work norh of on nn expert look I 1 onh for japanese on ranch broken fingers on right hand costly cosily gown eown lingerie gllnn arle etc indicating wealth and enod custe july 8 itose my assistant who lansi shadowed twin sister sl ter reports nothing merging verging on suspicion site she attended serl cs at crematory evidence ot of genuine grief ferlet hi Itu turned to hotel one telegram sent to demeti mm moan n ranch deceived no company milled no let hid did no shopping I 1 received telegram from desert desen moon ranch engo engaging gIng cai in un on case use ex Bs directions concerning train ashly tile due to inconvenience of meeting meet ni trains trains in rural community and not dui dua to it desire to hue have me on title llie same arall anilu will miss bliss 0 however note 1 telephoned to boroner and undertaker them to khe give tile me in telko lelko als also t hort of coro tier ner verify list ot of names a p published k good landel I 1 said ive certainly come to one conclusion in ID of nil all persons present on ranch ut tit time of murder note absence ol of all ranch employees nt at the file time note extreme reluctance ot of both boh coroner aroner and undertaker to gle ghe information or to nicel meet me I 1 in n te telko I 1 ko july 11 9 spent day in shadowing miss bliss 0 myself observations ns as us usual u 11 1 excellent noses closes research through back flies files of nevada provided following stanley ranch owner vera er weal wealthy hy exemplary character ailigh F funding throughout state of nevada philanthropic john stanley bin nley adopted sun son ot of S himself on university universia sit of benda football 1017 enlisted in air service for war ar 11 1 hed when lin armistice was declared li hubert tibert iland hand winner ot of chess tournament held in lieno 1114 1014 1115 1915 mrs ollie ll ller no report chadwick Cautle ld no report ex capt mention as guest at al desert moon ra nar mary magin no report danielle Dan lelle no report except mention of her hei arrival will sister gabrielle at al ranch last lebl may inspection 0 or miss bliss U s room in hotel after site had turned to ID her ber key ka revealed no clew unusually neat neal rind orderly person wastebaskets empty newspapers folded on table M anga it g zino lodle home lour lo urual nill on 1 table n 1 17 so no henvy henry per perfume fume hotel soap ill iiii wrapped fastidious silver dollar left on table for chambermaid lose hose reports miss 0 went from hotel to ferry building in taxi call crossed alone on ferry spoke to no one hoarded boarded train at eight thirty and went nt at once to tier lier berth july 10 afternoon 11 I 1 sted with miss C tills morning no con vermilion ver willon all the evidences of good breeding tind ond conference with coroner and undertaker think elial they strongly suspect john stanley reri uise of their repeated repealed to keep keel me from frodi sli alIng the suspicion information gained from them girl murdered on ottle stairway position of body ano and on thront prove nn an attack from the rear members of household declare that rigor was complete when hody was dis discovered emerell at eight lie hie night of the fourth of july amateur testimony however it 1 fact death must leive occurred at least three hours before discovery covery ot of body july to 10 night allowed sudden hunch to tc betray reason and common sense usual silly mistake tit at beginning of case set a trap to catch hawk got caught myself luckily no harm do done n c met members of household first impressions before hearing history of rose case other oilier than gained from newspapers coroner and undertaker danielle pai ilelle Canne ziano impressions previously noted sustained charm lug ing lovable diameter character innocent Soni samuel tiel stanley honest likable kindly there Is a slight chance that he might be involved unwittingly ue he Is not stupid i but decidedly he be Is not clever alary magin intelligent imagine the li honest onest innocent Inno tent john stanley too handsome but bashful Ll likable hable judgment suspended sur eiklid klubert hand egotistic re clever cleer judgment suspended ollie Il lil lher life has treated her hi lIly she tins lias put on armor against it II at stupid uple Perlin pi sly judgment daniel C inne zinno criminal type alibi proves hill not guilty of 0 the murder lint but he Is probably involved chy I 1 did tie ile come here july 11 evening Uie aicard case history today from mr S nil in mis alls attempted to destroy all first imbres ns is recorded led how eier the value of mistaken imbres alons sl ins Is usually important ot of clews most ins ing in my entire entile experience would bai in to indicate that many of them ore arc folbe clews host alost important clews 1 jolin johns s unnecessary errand length on of time hine gone 2 victims evident fear as she wit bulked blied through room unusual me cos tunie for short walk on the place 3 miss bliss C s |
