The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-07-08
CHAPTER Blk.

CHAPTER BIN.
81 must confess" remarked
Monsieur Lefevre, as he sat with
Mr.. Stapleton and Duvall over
after-dinner cigars the following
evening. that while the case as a
whole appears simple enough,
there are one or two points / fail
to understand"
There are great many | fail
to understand" exclaimed the
banker.
Mr.. Stapleton. remarked Du-
vail. Il understand you have dis
charged Mary Lanahan."
Yes. You say she Is innocent
of any part of the kidnapping, but
| don't trust her. | am informed
she married that fellow. Valentin,
this afternoon. At one time. you
believed this fellow Valentin to
have been concerned in the plot"
"Yes. My early Investigations
showed me at once there was some
understanding between these two.
| thought it was guilt. In reality,
1t was love-"
But tell US, Mr.. Duvall, a little
more about the case, as you now
understand 1t. What, for instance,
was the mystery of the gold
tipped cigarets?"
Duvall smiled. THAT. my dear
sir, is the crux, the starting point.
of the whole affair. But a single
clue existed upon which | could
build the least semblance of a
case. i refer to the half-smoked
cigaret l discovered In the grass
at the scene of the crime. With
out that apparently trivial clue.
the criminals would in all prob
ability never have been captured. :"
But" exclaimed Mr.. Stapleton.
II don't see how you make that
out"
And yet it is simple enough. |
observed at once that the cigaret
was of American make, yet of
such small size as to have been
either used by woman, or by a
man of effeminate taste.
Now, II the eigaret had been
used by woman. either ii was
used by Mary Lanahan herself. or
by some other woman who was
there with her. and who might
have had a hand in the kidnapping.
IF used by man, II pointed
clearly to the chauffeur. Valentin.
He was friend and former
lover of the nurse, and had been
discharged by Mr.. Stapleton for
dishonesty, and was of weak and
effeminate type. The cigaret was
of American make. and he had but
recently come from America. The
fact that the nurse was in love
with him would cause her to
shield him.
Therefore, | confronted her.
and asked her IL Valentin smoked
gold-tipped eigarets. She was
greatly startled. She denied that
Valentin smoked. Fifteen minutes
later, she sent him a message to
destroy the eigarets.
Then came the attempt on the
part of some one-the man with
the black beard, I am told-to
steal the cigarets from Valentin.
| learned that the man was fol-
lowed to Mr.. Stapleton's house.
Some one besides the nurse de-
sired the box of cigarets removed
as evidence: some one who be-
longed to, or had friends in, the
house.
Il did not abandon my suspi-
cions of either the nurse or Val
entin. But l became convinced
Francois. too. was in the thing.
At the first opportunity made a
search of his room, and found the
box of cigarets."
Stapleton and the Project gard
at Dsvall in bewilderment. "Ex-
plain yourself. my friend" ex-
claimed the latter. who, may I
ask. really smoked the eigaret you
found in the grass"
Mary Lanahan."
The nurse, Then | fail to see
tnat the matter is OF Importance
one way or the other"
"on the contrary. monsieur.
Are you. by any chance. familiar
with the properties of an Eastern
drug known as hashish?"
The Project clapped his hands
to his knees. Mon Dieu!" he ex-
claimed. Now | begin to under
stand"
The cigarets we're drugged,
that is ALL" went on Duvall. THE
nurse inhaled a few puffs of the
cigaret. charged with the drug:
without showing. of course. of its
presence. She probably passed at
once into a state of stupor which
may have extended over fifteen
minutes or more. She was uncon-
scious OF what was going on about
her. Tho kfdnaDar. Whom