CHAPTER XIII
a, |
Vance seemed profoundly puzzled
and said nothing for some time.
‘Then he glanced up suddenly.
“How much light was there in the
room?” he asked.
“Only a dim shaded night-light
by my bed.”
“In that case, you might con-
ceivably have mistaken an empty
bottle for one filled with a colorless
fluid.”
“Yes, of course,’
turned reluctantly.
have been the case.
Her voice trailed off.
‘““Tell me, when did you discover
that all the medicine was gone?”
Vance asked.
‘Shortly before Doctor Siefert ar-
rived this morning. I moved the
bottle when I was arranging the
table, and realized it was empty.”
“I think that will be all just now,
Miss Beeton.”’ Vance glanced at the
girl sombrely and then turned
away. ‘Really, y' know, I'm deuced
sorry. But you'd better not plan
on leaving here just yet. We will
undoubtedly want to see you again
today.”
the nurse re-
“That must
Unless , .. .M"
fert and Doremus had departed,
and that Floyd Garden had made
the arrangements for the removal
of his mother’s body.
“And what do we do now, Mr.
Vance?” Heath asked.
“Oh, we carry on, Sergeant,”
Vance was unusually serious. *‘I
want to talk to Floyd Garden first.
Send him up. And call one of your
men; but stay on the job down-
stairs yourself till he arrives. We
may get this affair cleared up to-
day.”
Footsteps sounded in the passage-
way, and Floyd Garden entered the
study. He appeared deeply shaken.
“I can't stand much today. What
do you want?"
“We understand just how you
feel,” Vance said.
ly. But if we are to get at the truth,
we must have your co-operation.”
**Go ahead, then,” Garden mum-
bled.
“We must have as many details
as possible about last night. Did
your expected guests come?”
Garden nodded cheerlessly. “Oh,
yes. Zalia Graem, Madge Weather-
by, and Kroon.”
‘““Was there any one else here?”
‘No, that was all.”
“Which of your visitors arrived
first?"
Garden took the pipe from his
mouth and looked up swiftly.
*Zalia Graem. She came at half-
past eight, I should say. Why?"
“Merely garnerin’ facts,” Vance
replied indifferently. ‘“‘And how long
after Miss Graem came in did Miss
Weatherby and Kroon arrive?”
“About half an hour. They came
a few minutes after Miss Beeton
had gone out.”
Vance returned the man’s steady
scrutiny.
“What time did your guests de-
part?’ he asked.
“A little after midnight. Sneed
brought in sandwiches about half-
past eleven. Then we had another
round of highballs.”
““Miss Beeton had returned by
then, of course?”
“Yes, long before that.
her come in about eleven.”
“And after your guests had gone,
what did you do?”
“I sat up for half an hour or so,
had another drink and a pipe; then
I shut up the front of the house and
turned in.”
Vance lighted another cigarette,
took several deep inhalations on it,
and settled himself deeper in the
chair,
“To go back a bit,” he said casu-
ally. “The sleeping medicine Doc-
tor Siefert prescribed for your
mother seems to constitute a some-
what crucial point in the situation.
Did you have occasion to give her
a dose of it while the nurse was
out?”
Garden drew himself up sharply
and set his jaw.
“No, 1 did not,” he said through
his teeth.
Vance took no notice of the
change in the man’s manner,
“The nurse, I understand, gave
you explicit instructions about the
medicine before she went out. Will
you tell me exactly where this
was?"
“In the hall,” Garden answered
with a puzzled frown. “Just out-
side the den door. I had left Zalia
in the drawing-room and had gone
to tell Miss Beeton she might go
out for a while. 1 waited to help
her on with her coat. It was then
she told me what to do in case the
mater woke up and was restless.”
“And when she had gone you re-
turned to the drawing-room?”
I heard
’
W.N.V. SERVICE
“Yes, immediately.” Garden still
looked puzzled. ‘That's exactly
what I did. And a few minutes
later Madge and Kroon arrived.”
There was a short silence during
which Vance smoked thoughtfully.
“Tell me, Garden,” he said at
length, ‘‘did any of your guests en-
ter your mother’s room last night?"
Garden's eyes opened wide: color
came back into his face, and he
sprang to his feet.
“Good God, Vance!
mother’s room!"
Vance nodded slowly. ‘Very in-
terestin’. Yes, quite I say,
do sit down. Light your beastly
pipe, and tell us about it.”
Garden hesitated a moment. He
laughed harshly and resumed his
seat,
“Damn it! You take it lightly
enough,” he complained. “That
may be the whole explanation."
“One never knows, does one?”
Vance returned indifferently. “‘Car-
Zalia was in
ry on.”
Garden had some difficulty get- |
ting his pipe going again. |
“It must have been about ten |
o'clock,” he said at length. ‘The |
mater rang the little bell she keeps
on the table beside her bed, and
I was about to answer it when Zalia
jumped up and said she would see |
what the mater wanted.”
“And did you yourself go into
your mother's room at any time |
during Miss Beeton's absence?”
“No, 1 did not!” Garden looked
defiantly at Vance.
“And you're sure that no one else
entered your mother's room dur-
ing the nurse's absence?”
*““Absolutely.”
“And who was it,”’ Vance went on,
“that first suggested going home?”
Garden pondered the question.
“1 believe it was Zalia.”
Vance got up.
“Awfully good of you, Garden, to |
let us bother you with these queries |
at such a time,”” he said kindly.
“We're deuced grateful You
won't be leaving the house today?”
Garden shook his head as he too |
stood up.
“Hardly,”
with father.
en up.”
Garden went morosely from the |
room.
When he had gone Vance stood |
for a moment in front of Markham,
eyeing him with cynical good-na-
he said. “I'll stay in |
He's pretty well brok- |
‘Not a nice case, Markham. As
I said.”
He moved toward the window and
looked out. ‘‘But I have things pret-
ty well in hand. The pattern is
shaping itself perfectly. I've fitted
together all the pieces, Markham
all but one. And I hold that piece
too, but I don't know where it goes,
or how it fits into the ensemble.”
Markham looked up. “What's the
piece that's bothering you, Vance?"
“Those disconnected wires on the
buzzer. They bother me frightfully.
I know they have a bearing on the
terrible things that have been. going
on here . . ."” He turned from the
window and walked up and down
the room several times, his head
down, his hands thrust deep into
his pockets. ‘““Why should those
wires have been disconnected?’ he
murmured, as if talking to him-
self. “How could they have been
related to Swift's death or to the
shot we heard? There was no mech-
anism. No, I'm convinced of that.
After all, the wires merely connect
two buzzers . . @& signal . + 8
signal between upstairs and down-
stairs . . . a signal—a call—a line
of communication . . .”
Suddenly he stopped his medita-
tive pacing. He was now facing
the door into the passageway and
he stared at it as if it were some-
thing strange—as if he had never
seen it before.
“Oh, my aunt!” he exclaimed.
“My precious aunt! It was too ob-
vious.” He wheeled about to Mark-
ham, a look of self-reproach on his
face. “The answer was here
all the time,” he said. “It was
simple—and I was looking for com-
plexities . . . The picture is com-
plete now, Markham. Everything
fits. Those disconnected wires mean
that there's another murder con-
templated.”
He led the way downstairs, Heath
yas smoking gloomily in the lower
“Sergeant,” Vance said to him,
“phone Miss Graem, Miss Weather-
say six o'clock.”
“They'll be here, all right, Mr.
Vance,” Heath assured him.
“And Sergeant, as soon as you
have taken care of this, telephone
me. 1 want to see you this after-
noon. I'll be at home. But wait
here for Snitkin and leave him in
charge. No one is to come here
but those I've asked you to get,
and no one is to leave the apart-
ment. And, above all, no one is
to be permitted to go upstairs either
to the study or the garden . . . I'm
staggerin’ along now."
“I'll be phoning you by the time
you get home, Mr. Vance.”
Vance went to the front door, but
paused with his hand on the knob.
“I think I'd better speak to Gar-
den about the gathering before I go.
Where is he, Sergeant?’
‘‘He went into the den when he
came downstairs,” Heath told him
with a jerk of the head.
Vance walked up the hall and
opened the den door. I was just
behind him. As the door swung in-
ward and Vance stepped over the
threshold, we were confronted by
an unexpected tableau. Miss Bee-
ton and Garden were standing just
in front of the desk, outlined against
the background of the window. The
nurse's hands were pressed to her
face, and she was leaning against
Garden, sobbing. His arms were
about her.
At the sound of Vance's entry
they drew away from each other
quickly.
to us with a sudden motion, and I
could see that her eyes were red
and filled with tears. She caught
her breath and, turning with a start,
half ran through the connecting
door into the adjoining bedroom.
“I'm frightfully sorry,”” Vance
murmured.
alone.”
turned,
evident the man was embarrassed.
misunderstand. Everything, you
know, is in an emotional upheaval
here. I imagine Miss Beeton had
all she could stand yesterday and
today, and when I found her in
here she seemed to break down,
and-—put her head on my shoulder.’
Vance raised his hand in good-
natured indifference.
“Oh, quite, Garden. A harassed
lady always welcomes a strong
masculine shoulder to weep on.
Most of them leave powder on one's
lapel, don’ y' know; but I'm sure
Miss Beeton wouldn't be guilty of
that Dashed sorry to inter-
to have all your
guests of yesterday here by six
o'clock this afternoon. Of course,
we'll want you and your father here,
too. If you don't mind, you might
help the sergeant with the phone
“I'll be glad to, Vance,” Garden
returned. “Anything special in
mind?"
Vance turned toward the door.
“Yes. Oh, yes. Quite. I'm hop-
in' to clear this matter up later on.
Meanwhile I'm running along.
Cheerio."”” And he went out, closing
the door.
As we walked down the outer hall
to the elevator, Vance said to Mark-
ham somewhat sadly: “I hope my
ar.
But I don't like injustice,
either . .
We had been home but a very
short time when Sergeant Heath tel.
to answer
the call and closed the door after
him. A few minutes later he re-
joined us and, ringing for Currie,
ordered his hat and stick.
“I'm running away for a while,
fact, I'm joining the doughty ser-
geant at the homicide bureau. But
I sha'n't be very long. In the
meantime, I've ordered lunch for us
here."
“For Heaven's sake, Vance, what
are you planning?"
“I'm plannin’ to entice the mur-
derer into making one more bet—a
losing bet .
was gone.
when Vance returned to the apart.
ment.
“There
nounced as he came in.
course, but nevertheless I'm looking
this evening.
we're in for it, Markham. Every-
one will be present, however. The
sergeant, with Garden's help, has
got in touch with all those who were
present yesterday, and they will
foregather again in the Gardens’
drawing-room at six o'clock . . .”
He glanced at his watch and, ringing
for Currie, ordered our lunch.
“If we don't tarry too long at
table,” he said, “we'll be able to
hear the second half of the Phil
harmonic programme. Melinoff is
doing Grieg's piano concerto.”
But Markham did not go with us
to the concert. He pleaded an ur-
gent political appointment at the
Stuyvesant club, but promised to
meet us at the Garden apartment
at six o'clock.
Sergeant Heath was waiting for
us when we reached the apartment.
“Everything's set, sir,” he said te
Vance; “I got it here.”
Vance smiled a little sadly. “Ex-
cellent, Sergeant. Come into the
other room.”
Heath picked up a small package
wrapped in brown paper, which he
had evidently brought with him, and
followed Vance into the bedroom.
Ten minutes later they both came
back into the library.
shaking hands. “Good luck to you.”
And he lumbered out.
We arrived at the Garden apart:
ment a few minutes before six
o'clock. Detectives Hennessey and
Burke were in the front hall.
Vance nodded to them and started
up the stairs.
“Wait down here for me, Van,”
he said over his shoulder “I'll be
back immediately.”
(TO BE CONTINLEIV
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STAR
DUST
Movie + Radio
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%k%k By VIRGINIA VALE kkk
yen DAW is going to
play the lead in her very
first picture, and as if that were
not enough to make her Holly-
wood’s Cinderella of the week,
she tops it by being a girl who
can keep a secret.
For six months she has known
that she was going to be given a
big screen opportunity and she
hasn't told a soul. Even so, when
she learned that her big chance
was to be nothing less than prima
20 20 20 2 20 2 2 2 6 2 2
20 20 20 20 2 2 2 2 0 2
Grand National's “Something
Victor Schertzinger, well-known
Pe
or two, but she isn't
using them much
these days. Every
afternoon when she
finishes work at the
studio, up drives a
station wagon all
filled with fishing
paraphernalia and
driven by Clark Ga-
ble off go the
two most irrepressi-
and
merrymakers
She
claims she likes
better
Carole
Lombard
station wagon
than the limousine and she'd rather
attend a fashionable
lark agrees with her.
i Te
Two newcomers to Hollywood are
setting Hollywood fashions and ev-
eryone is wondering just how far
these new trends will go. Sigrid
Gurie, the exquisite young Norwe-
gian actress whom United Artists
imported to play opposite Gary Coop-
er in “The Adventures of Marco
Polo" goes in for simplicity. Louise
Hovick, most famous of striptease
artists in her burlesque days when
she was known as Gypsy Rose Lee,
goes in for conservatism. She won't
pose for pictures in bathing suits,
shorts, or even negligees.
sing Yn
Nick Foran's brother 3
graduated from Princeton medical
school just a few weeks ago and
walked right into a contract to act
in pictures for Universal. Buddy de
Sylva, who is producing a musical
extravaganza called “Merry Go
Round,” saw Jimmy doing some im-
personations of - Washington politi.
cians and was so amused he per-
suaded him to postpone his career
in medicine for a while. Jimmy
will certainly be welcome on the
Universal lot.
party. C
wit
Grown-ups in Hollywood may
plead for a chance to watch Robert
Taylor or Joan Crawford or Luise
Rainer at work, but children unani-
mously beg to be allowed to visit
the Grand National lot. There is a
reason, or rather a lot of them.
Grand National is rapidly acquiring
a z00 made up of the most talented
animals in Hollywood.
en
All over the country picture fans
bert's grand comedy, “I Met Him in
Paris.” but in Hollywood it looks as
the same people come back to see
night you can find in the audience
lor, Marlene Dietrich, her husband,
a
Opal Craven, known to radio lis-
Lullaby Lady’’ of the
Contented Hour, has
been appearing pro-
fessionally in the en-
tertainment world
since she was seven.
With Frank Black
and the Continentals
program that has
tion for more than
five and a half years.
In private life Opal
Craven is the wife
real earnest about a year ago when
her husky son was born.
smn
ODDS AND ENDS—Joan Crawford's
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H
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ERE is something
practical, something
sweet, and something or-
namental for your mid-
summer wardrobe
Simple As Toast and Coffee.
At breakfast time you need the
crisp
model at the
that ei
and fervor when you greet you
hubby in this pleasant
Make it of a gay tub-well «
for greatest us :
Lines That Live.
ncheon in town,
shipshape style of the
left. He'll prof
tht o'clock kiss with alacrity
fry
4 one
It
hala N
icnaiance ing
combines sweet
with nor
signer given
der and lines
“And what about the skirt?’ you
ask. Obvious it has the
finished flare in town. Chi
etate, or sports silk will
to both the flare and you, M
And If Autumn Comes.
It's a help to have
the the
it gives that feeling
[ Howehold &
\® Questions
The Measuring Cup. — Grease
the re meas-
uring sirup
ngredients will not
ver has a
more flattering shoul-
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waist
one at
measuring cup bef
or molasses and the
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cup.
» > »
snap-
Sauce for Meats. For a
py and serve
with meats, mix one cup apple
up horseradish and one
delicious sauce to
sauce, %
cup whipped crean
» » -
Burnt Saucepans. — If the bot.
tom of a sau
sprinkle salt over it and leave for |
an hour or two, Then add a little |
water, rub well, and when washed |
out gone. |
Ek #3 i nt 22°12 §
epan 1s burnt,
the marks will have
- » *
For Washing Brooms. — Allow
two tablespoons of ammonia to |
half a gallon of water. which!
should never be too hot. Speed |
is essential as the glue which |
holds the bristles place will |
melt if allowed to rest in the wa- |
ter for long. Rinse the brooms in
clear cold water and hang up to
dry. Never allow a broom to rest
on its bristles on the floor. Hooks
should be high enough for the
bristles to clear the floor.
WNDU Service.
in
» fashion sun for
The Patterns.
1354 is designed
for
p 36 requires 4%
designed for
to 40 bust).
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yards of
g as pictured.
jesigned for
yust). Size
16 requires 3% vards of 39 inch
material ph yard contrasting,
ds of ribbon for the
and bow at the neck.
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Pattern Dept., 247 WW,
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[. Price of patterns, 15 cents
8! eac!
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gizes 12
Size
inch material
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ribbon
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-WNU Service.
Ab hoc
this and
Per aspera
Through trials
Maintiens
tain the righ
Lucri causa
gain,
O tempora!
the times!
G | ascent oy
et ab hac From
hat
nat;
(L.)
Main-
“or the sake
of
absent are in the wrong
Ignosce saepe alteri, nunquam
tibi. (L.) Pardon another often,
thyself never.
Il sent le fagot. (F.) He smells
of the fagot: that is, he is sus-
pected of heresy
Beneplacito. (L.) At pleasure.
dulce lenimen. (1L.)
The sweet solace of our labors.
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