Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 88: what you’re looking at

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

--array of facts for her, —_ -preciative words. < _Jenkins should use the medium’s consulting ~en had had time to hatch up such a story, for the redoubtable Jenkins had been guard- ing them ever since they had been to- gether. Of course, however, there remained — the possibility that the two had previously arranged upon the story at the very out- set. ~ So Nancy was as much at sea as ever re- ‘garding definite proofs concerning the hat- — pin. , Logical reasoning pointed to an equal if innocent, and ‘against her, if guilty. —— - Jenkins now declared tersely from the “Kent private office: “ Nothing at all, Dr. Dayland.” Then in accordance with his whispered “instructions the officer accompanied the - highly resentful Shoreham to the outer “door. Again the police matron announced no clews, At last the next of kin of the dead : ‘man were permitted to call a taxi and leave __ the grim building with its somber shadows “and its growing mystery in which they were’ destined to play no little part. 2 maar some slight progress in eliminating her question-and-search suspects until fur- ther notice, Nancy returned to the medium’s gold and black room. She had already dis- missed the efficient matron with a few ap- And she had decided that room in the same capacity for his search ‘of the men. Things would now go on with- ~_out-so many interruptions. Before interviewing the long-delayed ‘Winters, Nancy realized at once the neces- sity of cross-questioning the unnamed man of the horoscope seeking. When summoned, he declared that his name was Benjamin Rollins, that he was a grocer at 129 Cleever Street, and that he had been in business there for ten years. He was just an honest, plain spoken man, he was, who conducted his business, paid his bills, and minded his own affairs. No- body could say a word against him, Ben- jamin Rollins. ‘Why had he come to consult a medium? ae Well, there wasn’t anything criminal in that. = Better. spore than him ‘believed in the \ ARGOSY-ALLST ORY WEEKLY. “stars! He wanted to find out whether a ‘certain business deal he was considering ‘seemed safe and worth while. Questioned as to the nature of this deal, ‘Rollins declared frankly that he was think- -Ing of buying shares in Mexican oil. His testimony otherwise corroborated every- thing that Mlle. Mignonne had said. Very thoughtfully Nancy passed him through to Jenkins, who had just reported nothing suspicious on Mr. Cunningham. “With her consent he now accompanied the latter to the door after bringing his wraps. Somehow, she gave an inward sigh of relief when these personal searchers revealed no fresh evidence. The case was altogether complicated enough without the momentary addition of new and perplexing things. As for Rollins, his story could either be straightforward, or cleverly rehearsed to ap- “pear aboveboard. Certainly if the man were a deep-dyed one, working carefully with the mysterious Mile. Mignonne, he would give just such a story by previous arrangement. “Mille. Mignonne had already proved herself quite clever enough to have roped in just such a seemingly commonplace and respec table person. Rollins had already shown that he was anxious for money. Perhaps his desired fortune from Mexican oil wells had al- ready been realized, not from the portent of the stars, but from the star reader in the form of a substantial bribe. The thing was possible. For Mlle. Mignonne was, beyond doubt, bound up with the Cavendishes. Had her sudden leasing of rooms in the building, in so highly mysterious a way, been part of a far-sighted, deep-laid plan? It was self- evident that the woman wasn’t what she pretended, that the business of necromancy and mysticism was only the merest cloak. For what? The woman had money. Every- thing in the room breathed it. And money would buy much—even unto silence and the taking of lives. But motive? — motive? — kept running through Nancy’s mind. Sooner or later she knew that she would unearth the spot where the mysterious medium’s life became tan- gential to the lives of the Cavendish family. Even had the mystic been without material =Comicbooks.cor