GARDE
MURDER
CHAPTER VIII—Continued
ee De
“By George! I did hear some-
thing, now that you put it that way.
I thought nothing of it at the time,
since Woody was already dead. But
just as I re-entered the stairway
there was an explosion of some kind
outside. I thought it was a car
back-firing down in the street, and
paid no attention to it.”
“That's very interestin’ . . .
Vance's eyes drifted off into space.
“I wonder But to continue
your tale. You say you left the roof
immediately and came downstairs.
But there were at least ten min-
utes from the time you left the gar-
den to the time I encountered you
entering the apartment at the front
door. How and where did you spend
these ten intervening minutes?"
“I stayed on the landing of the
stairs and smoked a couple of ciga-
rettes. I was trying to pull myself
together.”
Heath stood up quickly, one hand
in his outside coat pocket, and
thrust out his jaw belligerently to-
ward the agitated Kroon.
smoke?” he barked.
The man looked at the Sergeant in
bewilderment, and then said: “I
rettes. What about it?”
Heath drew his hand from his
pocket and looked at
which he held on his palm.
addressed Vance.
here.
ing when I came up from
dame’'s apartment.”
demanded of Vance.
ated courtesy. ‘You have done very
well by yourself this afternoon, Mr.
Kroon.
more.”
word.
“A good story,” Markham com-
mented dryly when Kroon had gone.
“Yes, yes. Good. But reluc-
tant.” Vance appeared disturbed.
“Do you believe it?"
“My dear Markham, I keep an
open mind, neither believin’ nor dis-
believin' . . . Prayin’ for facts. But
no facts yet. Drama everywhere,
but no substance.”
following and protesting vigorously.
It was obvious that Miss Weatherby
one could interfere with her.
“What's the meaning of this?”
she demanded imperiously. “You're
letting Cecil Kroon go, after what
I've told you? And I'—she indicat-
ture—*I am being held here, a pris-
oner.”
“The fact is, Miss Weatherby,”
said Vance, returning to his chair,
“Mr. Kroon explained his brief ab-
sence this afternoon lucidly and
with impellin’ logic. It seems that
he was doing nothing more repre-
hensible than conferring with Miss
Stella Fruemon and a brace of at-
torneys.””
“Ah!” The woman's eyes glared
with venom.
“Quite so. He was breaking off
with the lady for ever and ever.”
“Is that the truth?’’ Miss Weath-
erby straightened in her chair.
“Yes, yes. No subterfuge. Kroon
said you were jealous of Stella.
Thought I'd relieve your mind.”
“Why didn’t he tell me, then?”
“There’s always the possibility
you didn't give him a chance.”
The woman nodded vigorously.
“Yes, that's right. I wouldn't
speak to him when he returned
here this afternoon.”
“Care to revamp your original
theory?” asked Vance. “Or do you
still think that Kroon is the
culprit?”
“II really don’t know now,” the
woman answered hesitantly, “When
I last spoke to you I was terribly
upset. . . . Maybe it was all my
imagination.”
Vance looked at the woman quizzi-
cally. “Since you're not so sure
that Kroon did the deed, have you
any other suggestions?”
There was a tense silence. Miss
Weatherby's face seemed to con-
tract: She drew in her lips.
“Yes!” she exploded, leaning to-
ward Vance with a new enthusiasm.
“It was Zalia Graem who killed
Woody! She had the motive, as you
call it. She's capable of such things,
too. There was something between
her and Woody. Then she chucked
him over. He didn't have enough
money to suit her. You saw the
today.”
“Have you any idea as to how
asked quietly,
‘She was out of the drawing-room
long enough, wasn't she?”
“Poignant question. Situation
very mysterious.” Vance rose slow-
ly and bowed to the woman.
“Thanks awfully — we're most
grateful. And we shall not hold you
prisoner any longer."
When she had gone Markham
grinned sourly.
“The lady is well equipped with
suspects. What do you make of this
new accusation?”
Vance was frowning,
“Animosity shunted from Mon-
sieur Kroon to La Graem. Yes.
Queer situation. Logically speakin’,
this new accusation is more reason-
able than her first. It has its points
« + « If only I could get that dis-
connected buzzer out of my mind.
It must fit somewhere . And
that second shot—the one we all
heard.”
Vance again moved to the buzzer
and inspected it with care. “No
indications of a mechanism."
“It could have been removed be-
fore the repair man arrived,” the-
orized Markham without enthusi-
asm,
“Yes, another possibility. I had
thought of that too. But the oppor-
tunity was lacking. I came in here
immediately after I had found the
johnnie shot . . ."” He took the cig-
arette from his lips and straight-
ened up. “By Jove! Someone might
have slipped in here when we all
dashed upstairs after the shot. Re-
mote chance, though.”
“Does the buzzer connect with
any other room besides the den?”
asked Markham.
Vance shook his head.
“No. That's the only connection.”
“Didn't you say there was some-
one in the den at the time you heard
this shot?"
Vance's gaze swept past Mark-
ham.
“Yes. Zalia Graem was there.
Ostensibly telephonin’.”” His voice,
I thought, was a little bitter.
“We might get more information
from the young woman herself,”
Markham put in sarcastically.
“Oh, yes. Quite. Obvious pro-
But I have a few queries
to put to Garden first. Pavin' the
He Sank Limply Into a Chair.
way, as it were. I say, Sergeant,
Garden came into the room un-
easily and looking slightly haggard.
“What a mess!” he sighed, sink-
ing dismally into a chair. “Any
light on the case?”
“A few fitful illuminations,”
Vance told him. “By the by, it
seems that your guests walk in and
out the front door without the form-
ality of ringing or being an-
nounced.”
“Oh, yes. But only when we're
playing the races. Much more con-
venient, Saves annoyance and in-
terruptions.”’
“And another thing: when Miss
Graem was phoning in the den
and you suggested that she tell the
gentleman to call back later, did
you actually know that it was a man
she was talking to?”
Garden opened his eyes in mild
surprise,
“Why, no. I was merely ragging
her. Hadn't the faintest idea. But,
if it makes any difference, I'm sure
Sneed could give you the informa-
tion, if Miss Graem won't. Sneed
answered the phone, you know.”
“It's of no importance.” Vance
brushed the matter aside. “It
might interest you to know, how-
ever, that the buzzer in this room
failed to function because someone
had carefully disconnected the
wires."
“The devil you say!”
“Oh, yes. Quite.” Vance fixed
Garden with a significant look.
““This buzzer, if I understand it cor-
rectly, is operated only from the
den, and when we heard the
Miss Graem was in the den.
cidentally, the shot we all
was not the shot that killed
The fatal shot had been
least five minutes before that.
THE CENTRE REPO
“Only that Miss Graem had a
grudge of some kind against Swift
and detested him thoroughly, and
that, at the supposed time of his de-
mise, Miss Graem was absent from
the drawing-room. Doubts that she
was in the den phoning all the
time. Thinks she was up here,
busily engaged in murder.”
Garden drew rapidly on his pipe
and seemed to be thinking.
“Do you yourself regard Miss
Graem as capable of a cold-blooded,
skillfully planned murder?”
Garden pursed = his lips
frowned.
“Damn it, Vance! I can’t answer
that question. Frankly, I don’t know
who is and who isn’t capable of
murder. The younger set today are
all bored to death, intolerant of ev-
ery restraint, living beyond their
means, digging up scandal, seeking
sensations of every type. Zalia is
little different from the rest, as far
as I can see. She always seems to
be stepping on the gas and exceed-
ing the speed limits. How far she
would actually go, I'm not prepared
to say. Who is, for that matter? It
may be merely a big circus parade
with her, or it may be fundamental
-—a violent reaction from respecta-
bility.”
“A vivid,
and
though not a sweet,
character sketch,’ murmured
Vance. “One might say offhand
that you are rather fond of her
but don't approve.”
Garden laughed awkwardly.
“lI can't say that I dislike Zalia.
her. I know I don’t.
impenetrable wall around her. She's
which. As to her status in this
present situation . . .
know.
her. Zalia has staggered me a
plain it.
asked me about father's revolver,
with it in this very room. Well,
Vance, my blood went cold at the
time, There was something in the
way she did it, and in the tone of
her voice, that made me actually
fear that she was fully capable of
shooting up the party. I was re-
lieved when she put the gun back
and shut the drawer . . . All I can
say,” he added, “is that I don’t
wholly understand her.”
**No., Of course not.
wholly understand another person.
erything. Not a comfortin’ thought
. «+ » Thanks awfully for the recital
of your fears and
for a while, won't you?"
freely on being dismissed, and with
ward the door.
after him.
I wish to ask you about.”
Garden waited politely.
“Why,” asked Vance, blowing a
ribbon of smoke toward the ceiling,
Equanimity?"
CHAPTER IX
The man gave a start, and his jaw
dropped. He barely rescued his
pipe from falling to the floor.
“You didn't place it,
know,”
lect the wager, even if Equanimity
had won. And in the circumstances,
had you placed it, you would now be
Swift is no longer able to settle.”
“God Almighty, stop it, Vance!”
Garden exploded. He sank limply
into a chair. “How do you know I
didn’t place Woode's bet?”
Vance regarded the man with
searching eyes.
“No bookie would take a bet of
that size five minutes before post
time. He couldn't absorb it.”
“But Hannix-—"'
“Don’t make a Wall-Street finan-
cler of Hannix for my benefit,”
Vance admonished quietly, “And
another thing: I happened to be sit-
ting in a strategic position near your
table when you pretended to place
Swift's bet. You very deftly pulled
the cord taut over the plunger of
the telephone when you picked up
the receiver. You were talking in-
to a dead phone.”
Garden capitulated.
“All right, Vance,” he said. *1
didn't place the bet. But if you
think, for one moment, that I had
any suspicion that Woody was going
to be shot his afternoon, you're
wrong.”
“My dear fellow!” Vance sighed
with annoyance. “I'm not thinkin’.
Higher intelligence not at work at
the moment. Mind a blank. Only
tryin’ to add up a few figures. Ten
thousand dollars is a big item. It
changes our total—eh, what? , . .
But you haven't told me why you
didn’t place the bet.”
Garden rose angrily.
“l didn’t want him to lose the
money,” he asserted aggressively.
“l knew what it would mean to
him.”
“Yes, yes. The Good Samaritan.
Very touchin’. But suppose Equa-
nimity had won, and yeur cousin
had survived—what about the pay-
off?”
(TO BE CONTINUED)
RTER, CENTRE HALL, PA.
Ask Me Another
& A General Quiz
© Bell Syndicate. ~WNU Service,
Quaker State
when we were
Arst engaged!”
J
1. Where was the first session
of the United States Supreme
court held, and how many justices
were present?
2, Are the authorized version
and the King James Bible the
same?
3. What animal is the fastest
runner?
4. How big is the standard par-
achute?
5. When was the federal income
tax first imposed?
6. What state has furnished
more Presidents than any other?
7. How many counties in the
state of Delaware?
8. How many kinds of time in
use in the world?
GO FARTHER
BEFORE YOU NEED A QUART
1. The first session of the United
States Supreme court was held in
the Royal Exchange in New York,
February 1, 1790, with three of
the six justices present.
2. They are. The King James
Bible became known as the au-
| thorized version, probably be-
| cause it bore the line “appointed |
| to be read in churches” on the
| title page.
3. The cheetah in short distance
runs. It can run down a deer or |
antelope for a short distance. |
|
Always adding oil? Then make
the “First Quart” test. It's easy. Just
drain and refill with Quaker State,
Note the mileage. You'll find you
go farther before you have to add
the first quart. That's because
there's an “extra quart of lubrication
in every gallon.”’ The rewil price is
35¢ per quart. Quaker State Oil
Refining Corp., Oil City, Pa.
4. The standard airplane para-
| chute has a spread of 24 feet when
{| open.
5. In the year 10186.
6. Virginia.
7. There are but three counties
in the state of Delaware.
8. Sixty-three kinds of standard
time are used in the world.
Keep a Secret
Everything that is mine, even to
my life, I may give to
|
one I love, |
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