The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1912-08-02
The Window at
the White Cal
Continued from Page 6

again. probably half dragging ner.
Once she catches hold of the stair rail
and holds desperately to it. leaving the
stain here"
But why did he bring her down" l
asked why wouldn't he take what
he was after and get away?"
''She probably had to get the key of
the iron door. 1t was hidden. and time
was valuable. If there was scape-
grace member of the family. for in
stance, who knew where the old lady
kept money and who needed it badly.
who knew all about the house and
who
Fleming" l exclaimed. aghast.
"Or even orr young friend Wardrop.'
Hunter said quietly He has an hour
to account for. The trying to get in
may have been a blind. and how dc
you know that what he says was sto
len out Of his satchel was not what he
had just got from the iron box over
the mantel in Miss Maitland's room:
One thirty. Miss Margery says, when
she heard the noise. One-forty-five
when you heard Wardrop at the shut
ters tell you. Knox. it is one of two
thugs. either that woman is dead
somewhere in this house or she ran out
of the hall door just before you went
downstairs. and in that case the Lord
only knows where she is. If there is
room anywhere that we have not ex-
plored"-
81 am inclined to think there is l
broke in. thinking of Wardrop's face
few minutes before. And just then
Wardrop joined us. He closed the door
at the foot of the boxed in staircase
and came quietly up.
You spoke about an unused room or
a secret closet. Mr.. Hunter" he said.
without any resentment in his tone.
I'VE have nothing 50 sensational as
that. but the old house is full of queer
hooks and crannies. and perhaps in
one of them we might find''- He STOP
ped and gulped Whatever Hunter
might think. whatever l might have
against Harry Wardrop. determined
then that be had had absolutely moth
ing to do with little Miss Maitland's
strange disappearance.
The first place we explored was a
closed and walled in wine cellar long
unused and to which access was gain
ed by d small window in the stone
foundation of the house. We moved
every trunk in the storeroOm. The
grounds had been gone over inch by
inch without affording any clew. and
The day was almost gone. and we
were exactly where we started. Hunt
er had sent men through the town and
the adjacent countryside, but no word
had come from them. Miss Lett. ia had
at last succumbed to the suspense and
had gone to bed, where she lay quietly
enough. as is the way with the old.
but SO mild that she was alarming.
At o'clock Halves called me up
from the Office and almost tearfully
implored me to come back and attend
to my business. When l said it was
impossible l could hear him groan
Halves is of the opinion that by keep
ing fresh magazines in my waiting
room and by persuading me to the ex
travagance of Turkish rugs he has
built up my practice to its present
fourishing state. When l left the tele
phone Hunter was preparing to 60
back to town and Wardrop was walk
ing up and down the hall. Suddenly
Wardrop stopped his uneasy prone
made and hailed the detective.
by George" he exclaimed. II forgot
to show you the closet under the attic
stairs!'
To be Continued