Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 124, No. 2 — page 164: what you’re looking at

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

346 . non-committally. ‘“‘ Did you find that pair of gloves on him that I asked you to look for when you got him down here?” “ They were taken from his coat-pocket at the station-house and that’s another strong bit of evidence against him, for they are stained and reeking with oil. Ou from the pistol that killed Creveling!”’ ‘“‘ Perhaps the same kind of oi] that was used to clean the gun if it was Crevelimg’s own, sir, and the can left lying around handy,” McCarty suggested. “The oil might have been used on those desk-locks. Anyway, what has the girl Dsa and the jewels to do with a playing-card?”’ He produced the bloodstained nine of diamonds and laid it before his chief. ‘Where the devil did you get this, Mac?” “Under the edge ef the strip of cover on the table right beside where the body | was lying, sir,” McCarty explained the cjr- cumstances and added: shot whatever would he be doing with that lone card, and why woyld George Alexan- der be in league with him? Didn’t you see the looks that passed between them and the way they tried to get away for a quiet word together? The old man wants te keep something dark, and ‘tis not to save Hill from punishment for naurdering his own partner and meal-ticket!” “No. It was to prevent notoriety, if anything,” the inspector remarked. “ You must have noticed how ready he was to accept, the suicide theory which he had first rejected, when he saw to what lengths his niece was prepared to go to learn the truth. If he doesn’t actually know of any scandal in Creveling’s immediate past he must sus- pect it, and rather than have it unearthed, as it was bound to be if we hadn’t so | promptly discovered the identity of the _ murderer, be preferred to let sleeping dogs lie.” ‘So do the rest of them, it seems! Wait, sir, till you hear.” McCarty gave the gist of his interviews with Douglas Waverly, Mrs. Kip, Miss Frost, the Fords, and Nicholas Cutter, but when ‘he had concluded the inspector shook his head. “Whatever reasons they may have for “If Hill fired that — ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. holding out on you as you suspect, Mac, it isn’t becaff&Se of a guilty knowledge of the murder. By your own showing the Fords, Cutter and Wayerlys have _ established alibts which no possible circumstantial evi- dence could shake, and you haven't a thing to connect Mrs. Kip with the affair. You can take what that ex-chaperone of hers said about her with a grain of salt; the old woman was mad enough at being sent pack- ing to have sworn Mrs. Kip’s life away, I'll wager, and at that she couid tdi nothing incriminating. ‘You'll find that Mrs. Kip’s little mystery, whatever it may be, is her own affair.” “ Well, sir, ‘tis your case and you know best.” McCarty rose. .“ I’ve had no sleep since night before last and ‘tis getting on to morning. If so be you’ve no further in- structions for me now Ill go home and rest and be an the job again bright and early.” * CHAPTER XXiV. THE CURSE OF SCOTLAND. NSPECTOR DRUET laughed somewhat mneawey- “ Which means that I haven’t con- vinced you and you’ve taken the bit m your teeth again! I’ve'no mstructions for you, only suggestions; you know well that J have always given you your head in every case -you’ve worked on with me since you re- signed from active duty and I’ve never re- gretted it, especially the last instance, Mac!” His face sobered. “Go ahead your own way and. if you can prove to me that I’m wrong Il be only too giad to ac- knowledge it, but I teil you now that you haven't a chance! The guilty man—” ‘Does that mean, sir, that you won't take in Hill right away?” McCarty mter- ‘No. We can afford to wait a bit and I teld you we would do so to see if the woman tried to communicate with him; we might as well kill two birds with one stone and we’ve proof now that she was an ac- cessory both before and after the fact. We'll give her two or three days to try to get in touch with him and Ill notify you, anyway, before we decide to rearrest him.” GON GOO G Ss (CO ww