The Washington times., 1913-04-15
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I her with a pin What did she mean By
that? The girl in the ice had been
| shot"
"Raving," said I. You can't epxect
a maniac to be logical
! And then" he went on. who put
the boat in the river? Who unlocked
the boathouse and launched the boat
| rent?'
Insane people are pretty strong
sometimes" said /. Miss Meredith
might have done it."
oh, she's strong enough to do it to-
dag said jeffrey. But that wasn't a
| maniacal act" .. ..-..
| "Maniacs are cunning, too" said /.
1T wasn't a cunning act" retorted
Jeffrey. IAN insane person would be
too clever. once he started out to dis,
pose of a body, to make such bad
| job of it. If the body was to be put
| into the water why wasn't 1t weighted
| so it would sink? Why wasn't the boat
returned to its proper place In the
''The person who disposed OF that
| body was acting under the logical ter
ror of the consequences of his act--a
thing a maniac isn't hampered by. And
| then there's DR.. Crow. How do HIS
actions fit into the story? No, there's
haven't even got a glimpse, Of yet"
It has grown late. It was long after
anybody's office hours. and the big
building where I had my office was
strangely still. as such buildings are
In the silence that fell between us
We heard the clash Of the door to the
single occasional elevator that served
the whole building during Ing the evening sran
some the soft purr of its rise. and
then the clash Of another door as 1t
stopped at our floor to let. some one
out. Then there came the hollow ring
of foofyeeps down the corridor, and. to
my surprise, a knock at my outer door.
Il don't know who that can be-"
said L
had disappeared from Jeffrey's atti-
tude He stood erect and tense. His
eyes were bright and his lips curved
into a hard smile.
Let him in." he said softly.
Nv office boy had gone long ago,
springing the catch Of the outer door
behind him. SO that It was there that
went to admit my visitor. He was the
man we had Just been talking about.
''oh! DR.. Crow" said 1. Wont you
come in?'
He stepped into the outer office. II
tried to get you at your house" he
said. land they told me I might find
you here. I'm sorry to call at such an
hour. but it's important"
His face and his manner were grave
and rather oppressive. The only fault
! had found with him on the occasion
of our other interview had been his
smile, which he turned on rather too
often and suddenly. There was no trace
Of that smile now.
Il had a note yesterday from Mr..
jeffrey" he went on. ''statinp that he
had sent US the portrait Of Miss Claire
Meredith, and asking for an appoint
ment with Miss Meredith herself. L
made that appointment and waited in
all the afternoon. But Mr.. Jeffrey didn't
keep 1t. His note was urgent. and
hoped that possibly. you might give me
some information about him.
MY impression is" said !, that Mr..
Jeffrey did keep the appointment. But
he's here in my office at this moment
Won't you come in and talk with him.
His face was perfectly expressionless
for a full five seconds. He didn't move
in the direction of the inner door I in
dicated. But. at the end of that time,
he said in a rather level voice: I'm
glad he's here. I'd like to talk with
him very much
jeffrey turned away from the window
as We came into the room. His man.
ner, to a casual stranger, would have
seemed languid. almost Indifferent. But
my close knowledge of him gave me
one or two signs that betrayed the real
truth-the slightly narrowed, almost
rigid eyeIids, and the hardly percep-
tibe auiver of his sensitive nostrils.
DIR. Crow was under the impression
said I. that you hadn't kept your ap-
pointment with Miss Meredith today. 1
told him that you had"
''Oh. yes.' said Jeffrey in a matter-of-
fact tone. II went up On the night boat
to be there bright and early. I had a
very pleasant visit with her this morn
ing"
1T was for Miss Merediths town
house that / made the appointment"
said Crow. 1T never occurred to me
that you would go to Beech HILL"
II don't think either one of US men,
toned her town house in our exchange
of notes" said Jeffrey. Il went TO
Beech Hill as matter of course But
take II from your explanation that
you didn't intend me to see Miss Mere
dith, after ALL
Crow shook his head. The Inisap-
prehension has rather forced my hand"
he said with sort Of rucful frankness
nI q nhliDed Confess ha