Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 112: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

582 The doctor listened with averted face, but Geoff sat twisting his cap in his work-worn hands and gazing steadily through narrowed lids at their visitor. After a moment she went on: “T hadn’t any thought of reprisal; I was simply stunned. When that passed I went nearly crazy. It was then that I could have killed him, only Ivstill cared. Then gradually I came to see him as he was—a petty, thieving schemer. I despised myself, but I hated him, and when Stoneham Lane came to me last Wednesday night and pro- posed that we work together to ruin him | fell in eagerly enough with his plan. ‘““ Alone I could never have accomplished it, nor could Lane. But together, with my knowledge of Joe Benkard’s innermost pro- cesses of thought and unscrupulous methods of manipulating the market—he had con- fided his secrets to me boastfully down to the smallest detail—and with Lane’s own practical experience and mastery of the same game, we stood a fighting chance. Success would mean a fortune to Lane. He agreed to divide with me. Oh, I don’t mind being frank about it—when love went out of my life men had become just what they were before, creatures to be used! ‘“ Early next morning, though, Lane tele- phoned me the news of Joe’s death, and the suspicion that it had been murder. He cau- tioned me to do or say nothing until I had heard from him again. On Sunday evening he came, and said the police had learned of his quarrel and break with Joe, and were looking up his whereabouts on Wednesday night; that he had refused to give an alibi till he had an opportunity to come to some agreement with me.” She hesitated, and Geoff nodded. ‘““O? course, with Mr. Benkard dead and gone, there was no reasen why~you should git into fresh notoriety after livin’ quiet all these years.- But if the folks who were in- vestigatin’ the case dragged you into it, any- way, you hadn’t no call to protect Lane’s name so’s Wall Street wouldn’t git on to his double dealin’, unless he paid you well not to tell about his plan to ruin the feller he’d been workin’ hand in glove with for months. He told you what to say if the police should come to you, didn’t he?” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. Dr. Hood made an odd, choking noise in his throat, but Zoe Dawn replied can- didly: “Yes. He knew I could tell the truth about his proposition and still save my own face by declaring I had refused to entertain it. Jt was worth the hundred thousand he promised me to shield him, for such a story would have put him out of the Wall Street game for good and all. It will, too, for if my name is even mentioned in the press in connection with this case the past will all be raked up again and this time I can never live it down. I mean that he shall suffer also, for he has double-crossed me! He told me, too, that he had been left cer- tain stocks and bonds under the terms of Joe’s will, made of course when they were secret partners, and that when it was pro- bated he would sell them and give me one- quarter of the proceeds for my continued silence. ‘IT made my compact with him, and when a detective did come to me yesterday after- noon I kept my word. I gave the explana- tion of Lane’s late visit to me on the night of the murder which we had concocted be- tween us. To-day I discovered that he had been making a fool of me all the time, that he never intended to pay the price of my silence after I had once committed myself and that he had lied about Joe’s will, too. He’d been left the bulk of the estate. ‘I would not go to the detective bureau in New York with the true story for after the trumped-up version I had given them yesterday I knew they would never pro- tect me from publicity. But when I found out that Lane was laughing at me in his sleeve I made up my mind to tell all I knew to some one who might find it useful in the investigation. I thought of you, doctor. You or your deputy may ask me any ques- tions you like and I will answer. Please let me say first that my resentment against Lane is not my only motive in coming here. Iver since it was settled beyond doubt that Joseph Benkard was murdered I have not slept, feeling that I should come forward and tell what perhaps only I knew. I could have seen him ruined, beggared, driven to despair, but, oh, not dead! Not dead!” She sank back once more in her chair, Gomichbooks.com