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About The Bonneville Dam chronicle. (Bonneville, Or.) 1934-1939 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 1936)
T II K R O X N K V I 1 .1 H l> A M C H K O X UNCONFESSED W.VU Service C H A P T E R V II— Continued There were three people, I thought, on whom suspicion might Justifiably rest; there were the Prince and Princess Rancinl and Letty Van Alstyn. but there was ■ot a scrap o f evidence against any o f them. No, there were four. I had to be honest with m y self; I couldn't pre tend. There was Alan Deck. And against him was all the evidence they had. I wanted to see Deck. I wanted to talk with him. Not here, with Clancy at hand— yes, here, even though w e could say nothing that mattered. I f I could see him again, I thought I could find an answer to that w orrying uncertainty In me. The testing was a difficult busi ness. The handkerchief had been so thoroughly washed that I began to despair o f uncertainty In my ex periments. Not about the rust marks; those I did make sure of. Then, In one o f the corners, close under the fold o f the hemstitched hem, I found traces o f stain that yielded a blood reaction. “ That's blood,” I said. In the Intervals o f waiting and drying I walked up and down the gallery. I found myself wishing to get at the records o f these pictures to be gin the real work fo r which I had come. F or a few moments I forgot the nightmare o f that murder. I grinned at a Magdalen, attributed to Titian, analogous to the one at Naples, and then I was caught by a lovely little Virgin whose sup pliant, adoring curves and pure, poignant ecstasy made me yearn to prove her the creation of Angelico that she was labeled. As my mind bit on these fam iliar realities my nerves steadied, and when I went down with the police man to make my report I was feel ing more like myself. Alan Deck was with Monty Mitchell, and when he saw me he came forw ard quickly, with a “ Good morning, accomplice 1” In his mock ing way. Monty said, “ Find any thing?’’ And they both came with me while I had my moment o f Im portance, making my report to Don- ahey. I used all the words and tech nical terms that I thought he would not know but the main facts were clear— blood in one corner, and five marks o f rust Donahey nodded, as If he had guessed It all the time, and I moved away with Deck. Mitchell stayed with the Inspector: I remember see ing him turn the handkerchief about very slowly In his hands. Deck said thoughtfully. “ That blood rather disposes o f the theory that the diamonds might have been put there by some one who just picked them up— afterwards.” And at my assent he said, “ Well, that’s that I” in a hard voice. Grant now appeared before us, announcing that a buffet luncheon was being served In the dining room. As I went to wash my stained fingers I saw Miss Van Alstyn In the hall ahead o f me. As she paused at her door, opposite that closed door behind which Nora Harriden was lying, I saw the maid, Anson atop her, holding something In her hand. “ Yes, I threw It away," I heard Miss Van Alstyn say. “ It’s broken — throw It o u t” “ I t ’s so pretty," Anson murmured. " I f you don’t mind my keeping It— " “ As you like," said Miss Van A l styn indifferently and disappeared Into her room. Out o f an impulse o f friendliness fo r that pretty Anson I turned and asked her what she had. “ I t ’s fo r the hair, miss, only the comb la broken,” she told me. “ May be I could get another fixed on. It s so pretty— " It was pretty—a sharp-pointed crescent about four or five Inches long, glittering with bright brown stones. The comb, at right angles to the crescent, had been broken sharp ly off. I picked It up; It seemed a little large and too heavy for anywhere except the back of the head, above a froth of curls. It was of some solid brown metal and I thought another comb could easily be soldered on. " I t ’s worth It," I told Anson, and she said she had been afraid to carry It away without asking, for fear It had fallen In the busket by mistake. I was reflecting that costume Jewelry, to Miss Van Alstyn. was not worth repairing, and then, star ing at those hard, pointed ends, that solid metal— I f a woman had a thing like this In her hands . . . If she struck out with It, furiously. . . . “ When did yon find this. Anson?’’ Last night, she told me. When she had been arranging the room for the night. “ W ere the broken pieces of the comb In the basket, too." “ I did see some broken pieces. But they went with the trash. They couldn’t have been fixed." “ With the trash? Where did the trash go?" “ Why, In the Incinerator, Miss," she answered, eyes widening at my questions. “ And was the Incinerator going?" “ Last night, miss? I couldn't say. I know It hasn’t been going this morning for that policeman gave orders not to have anything burned.” I turned the crescent about. No sign of a blood film over any of Its brightness— but blood could be su perficially washed off In running water. A blow with It, a Jab with one of those viciously pointed ends, would have broken off the cornb. . . . ri- Q 1\ SP- eZV- m\ The Prince Rancinl Walked By. 8 y M A R Y HASTINGS BRADLEY nothing to do with the actual mur der— It might have been Deck, or ltanclnl or llarrlden for all his de nials. . . . Suppose It had been llarrlden j Suppose he hud gone on down to dinner, and Nora had been In bed, resentful, hysterical, when Letty had dropped In on her way down. Nora might have surmised that Letty had been sOrrlng up Dan’s Jealousy, so there • I s every reusoti for a scene between them. A ter rific scene. In which Lelly. In blind rage or In self protection had struck out with the first thing at hand. . . . 1 had to Imagine her picking up one of Dan’s handkerchief* to wipe off the blood . . . thrusting Nora Into the closet . . . waiting till she was sure the rest were down at dinner, then putting her out the window. Perhaps the blood stained handkerchief had been a crumpled hall In Letty’s brown bag and after dinner she had gone up to wash It out— that was when she bad met me In the hall, outside Mrm. liar- rlden’a door. I’ erhapa the yellow diamonds had been In Letty’s brown bag. too. And late that night—or rather early In the morning—she had torn the Ini tials out of the dried handkerchief and stolen up to my room The pieces fitted together. 1 thought, excitedly. But there was nothing In the world to sustain that wild suspicion but my vivid imagination— nothing unless there should be blood upon the piece of broken comb In the Incinerator. I fairly raced down, then, to the buffet luncheon, eager to poor thla out to Mitchell. Mitchell was busily filling a plate so 1 went over to him. Ills eyes looked darker and more alert than ever; his black hair, which began quite far back on hla forehead, was standing up In an excited creaL We sat down at a corner of the table— he hated eating In his lap, he de clared—and under my breath 1 poured out my conjecture!. Promptly he dashed my hopes I "Incinerator been going for an hour. ! Donahey let them start It up when he saw there wasn’t any raga there —Just trash and garbage. Did you keep the crescent?” When I said I hadn’t, he a dvlaed me to get It and test It for blood. But he seemed a little detached. He even said, "I think you’re burking up the wrong tree.” “ It was your tree," I told him In dignantly. “ You thought she would he a guilty soul.” "Oh, a possibility—yes. But some how— ” He left It In dubiety. IN e went on talking. I remember saying about the Inquest. “ Why don’t they have It today and get It over with?" And he said that Dona hey wanted to do more work on the case, wanted enough for an Indict ment, If possible. And he snld, “ By keeping people herded up like this, In an Isolation camp, he can Induce a state of nerves that may cause a breakdown. Anything may de velop any moment. That’s psy chology." A fter luncheon he had me get my hat nnd coat and, with Dona She might not have thought to wash h s ’8 permission, he took me out off the pieces of the comb. . . . doors and marched me up and down In Imagination I snw Letty Van the landscaped road In front of the Alstyn snatching this crescent from house where cool winds and sun her hair, striking out recklessly. . . . shine had their tonic effect. Anson was staring at me; I hand The shore was being patrolled by ed It back to her, saying some guards to keep reporters and cu thing about my Interest In Imita rloslty seekers from landing and I tions to excuse my absorption In had a feeling of being under mar- It. , . . Letty Van Alstyn came out tlal law in some Internment camp o f her room, passing down to lunch Other members o f the house-partr eon, and in the vague smile she were out taking exercise, too; the swept over us I felt a sharpening of I rlnce Rancinl walked by ver» curiosity. smartly turned out with apa'ts and Scrubbing my stained fingers, ,A ft* r W* >»««<’<1 each brushing out my hair, I tried to fit ^ Hher twice he turned, smiling, to the pieces together In this pat nsk permission to Join us tern. . . . Suppose Letty were guilty Without his w ife’s presence he — how about that scene at the win expanded into gaiety; he seemed to dow? W ell, that could have had me t*e a big, light-hearted pleas 1 C I- F ure loving fellow , with a Conti- nental’s casual cynicism ahojit life nnd euiotlonnl reaponalvenesa to beauty. He stopped to show ua a particularly lovely contrast o f light urn! dark blue In the acn, pointing w-lth hla stick, nnd he told ua o f Ids swimming feats at Capri nnd Ids skiing records at St M erits and o f Ids shooting triumphs In Scot- lumL For a time I was amused at thla distraction; no one could have Im agined that we three |>eople, prom enading up and down those atntely avenues, chatting o f tournaments were three inemlwra o f an Isolated household darkened by death and shadowed by suspicion. Mitchell snld very llttlw— he bud small chance ngulnst the prince e x cept through Interruptions. But he created a diversion by suddenly tripping over a root and em itting a succession o f fervent danma aa be hop|ied about distressfully. “ It's this confounded ankle— strained It a year ago. May I borrow your atlck?" he naked the prince. I thought Rancinl passed It over rather reluctantly. At the time 1 Im agined be fancied It aa part o f hla own costuming. M itchell leaned on It as he walked along with ua. re fusing to return to the bouse. “ He all right In a second.” Then Rancinl began telling about hla palace In Home that he wan do ing over and about hla efforts to collect the tapestries and furniture that be hnd previously Bold. 1 gath ered that he was doing all this with his wlfe'a money. It w*s when we returned to the house, and Mitchell was passing back the cane, declaring himself completely recovered, that he made a casual sounding observation. “ This la one o f those trick things. Isn’t it, prince? Isn’t there a spring I f.-.-l here— ?" "But yea.” said Rancinl, without the slightest hesitation. "Y ou press thla— please take your hands away. I do It— I know thla thing. So— like that. And out comes this little toy." What cu.ne out was the point o f a substantial looking knife, quite a stabbing tool. "Another press and a bayonet,” said Rancinl, laughing. "Quite a toy." Mitchell comment ed, eyeing It qulzxlcally. “ And not auch a toy at th a t In Rome now. the afreets are safe, but In Paris, when one la late— in the quarters o f a little milliner, per haps— " “ With a Jealous lover around the corner." Monty Mitchell suggested. "HI. si I” Rancinl laughed, then under hla breath to me he mur mured In sw ift Italian, “ When the h« art la empty one m uit pass the hours," nnd I smiled up at hla smile and asked to nee the knife agnln. I l<«.,k*-d hard at It. T h ( sharp, strong point aeerned bright, un stained. C H A P T E R VIII bridge. *• WH *1 don’t Mdnk thsj tlksda«' Ing ln on thrm, anl u;„ , ■ ')» ...... .. frankly , * *».en ! n»ki-d f„r llw Cf^ Bh® ,,ui1 «»ken lt back, »h, ber eyes rsvrrtlng to the cmrA- rallier thought she'd get Un* otlier nue ur».l 10 dldn’t pllcnte about Certain], | look at lt If J wlihed; lt m w liera lu ter room ■>,' vaguely. • J,,«, i.k Auoi', lt. I rb"o-,| the door upttha ly breathed but perfectl, , “Kxtraordlnary." But Anson could Bot ta, créèrent H lie prnmlsed ta | up to me w lien ali« did, -m locked lt up wlth ber > n SUggented. I drclded to sralt for tu o f Anaon's s<-nrrh, tnd | •le e p y , n fte r tl.e wakefgj ai J *W m ► % V tû H I * E y e s L o o k e d Me Thrw# Through. the walk In the op « air curled up In my row t*- chalr f»r ten minutes *nd forty. I v- ke to find IUC my room, sitting atolldly tkm fronting me with sn »if ^ scrutiny. I sat tip quickly, pduj' my rumpled gray frock **< Ing my hair out of my eyd at him with somethin* rey like fright. Behind Mm til was closed. , J ••you needn’t try to ran. * me. nnd I flung back. -> run? What do you *»<»• * rlden?" — " I want to know -T, about all this." he povW*! “ You’re In with Deck- know w hat nil th,t roW,W — that row with Klklo»- Ills voice fum bled»»! that I felt a pang of spite of all my other f t * ' “ I never saw Alan De» IT C H E L L said very naturally, " A useful thing, that I A pity Nora llarrlden didn't have one at hand when that fellow net on her.” enme here,” I *“ 1J ‘ n. f* Not a quiver o f Itanclnl'a face, as quietly and gentlj » « ' far as I could see. Perhaps the fnct don't know unythlng that there wasn't a quiver, that his fairs." ,] voice was blandly expressionless "T h a t’s your *,07 ’ nlhtrl meant something. Smoothly he •tick to It before the agreed, “ It might have made all the want the fuels. .»J difference." to pay for them. * W e were back In the house ngnln. off— I ’ll l‘‘t you <>ff Its walla shut upon ua. closing ns those stones have t In to tension and uncertainty and you’ll tell me everything I the strain o f our own thoughts. “ I know nothing- ffrtt “ You know why J , Mitchell went off to Donuhey, coming back Just for a moment to my w ife’s room lu®t n / o0a- J # report that no trace o f the pendnnt ■ome reason-even had been found. When I went to slapped you wouldnt l Anson to get the crescent, with a that— ” , . «k-otlcal.' Ills eyes. i rl®lyb,rJ ib. little made-up apoech about my In terest In Imitation atones, she told mo through * n<J. an- wool -You can t l*u» ■"* j- me that Miss Van Alatyn hnd naked for It back, giving her Instead a eyos. You were ™ ,o kae* fore dinner. I * * ' star o f brilliants. She was Immensely pleased and I be and-w hat he my w ife «hoot- „ Immensely puzzled. from her—w «*n 0 j* Letty Van Alstyn had been In d if J i« #£ ference Itself before me as to the never net 111® ^ he’s Interested eooUg fate o f that broken ornament. Why the sudden, surreptitious chnnge? I tried, on the impulse, to find her but ahe wasn’t In her ro o m ; my maid at last located her la the M
