Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-05-06
The
Abandoned
Room
By WADsWoRTH CAMP
AUTHOR OF
"rHE HOUSE OF FEAR"
WARS DARK FRAME" ETC.
CHAPTER vi.
n ham cleared his throat.

~ you nave MI. baCkputu uuuei Stose
preservation. But he has a fair idea
of Paiedes' habits. his haunts. and
] his friends In New York. He might
be able to learn things the police
$ couldn't I've one or two matters to
take ME to town. would make my
self personally responsible for his re-
turn"
The district attorney interrupted.
II see what you mean. Wait a
minute"
He slasped his hands and rolled
his fa: thumbs one around the other.
i The little eyes. surrounded by puffy
flesh, became enigmatic. All at once
ne glanced up with a genial smile.
willy not? haven't said anything
about holding Mr.. Blackburn as more
than witness"
s. His tone chilled Bobby as thor
oughl,y as direct accusation would
have lone.
And" Robinson went ion, "the
]. sooner you go the better. The sooner
you get back the better
Graham was visibly puzzled by
this prompt acQuiescence. He start
torney waved him aside.
Goats and hats are downstairs.
mo n,sed wasting time"
~. Graham turned to Doctor Groom.
'.Xcu1l tell Miss Perrine, doctor?"
The doctor showed that he under
stood the warning Graham wished to
convey. !.
The district attorney made point
/ sof w,llking to the stable to see them
off Graham gestured angrily as
"a they drove away.
Its plain as the nose on your
face. was too anxious to test their
attitude toward you. Bobby. He
! jumped at the chance to run us out
of tile house He'll have several
! hours, during which to turn the place
. upside down, to give Katherine the
third degree. And we can't go back
Well have to see 1t thru"
why should he give me a chance
TO slip away" Bobby asked.
But before long he realized that
Robinson was taking. no chances At
the junction OF the road from Smith
town q car picked them up and chung
TO their heels all the way to the city.
"Rawlins must have telephoned,"
Graham said, ''while we went to the
stable. They're still playing How
'scllss game. they'll give you plenty
r0f rSpesssts, 10 ssasssl-9 s@Ssssre tls.s \
HI, drove straight to Bobby's
apartment. The elevator man ver-
ificd their suspicious. Robinson had
telel,honed the New York police for
q search. A familiar type OF metro.
polican detective met them in the
hall outside Bobby's- door.
I'm thru. gentlemen" he greeted
them impudently.
Graham faced him in burst of
temper. Z
rhe city may have to pay for this
outrage
The man grinned.
Fl should get gray hairs about
that"
He went on downstairs. They en-
tered the apartment to find confu-
sion In each room. Bureau drawers
had been turned upside down. The
desk had been examined with reck4
less thoroughness. Graham was
frankly worried.
Il wonder il he found anything. II
he did you won't get out of town"
what could he find?" Bobby
asked.
II the court was planted" Ora
ham answered, why shouldn't these
rooms have been?"
After last night I don't believe
the court was planted" Bobby said.
In the lower hall the elevator man
handed Bobby the mail that had
come since the night of his grand
fathers murder. In the car again he,
glanced over the envelopes. He tore.
one open with surprised haste.
This is Maria's handwriting" he,
told Graham.
He read the hastily scrawled mote.
aloud with q tone that failed toward
the end.
Dear Bobby:
You must not, as you say, think
ln', bad sport. You were very
wicked last night. Maybe you wers
90 because of too many of thos
naughty little cocktails. Why shoul,i
you threaten poor Maria? And VOL
boasted you were going out to the
Cedars to kill your grandfather be-
cause you didn't like him any more.
So told Carlos to take you home. L
was afratd Of . scene In publi,..
Come around. Have tea with m,..
Tsll mo you forgive me. Tell me
what was the matter With you,"
"She must have written that yes
terdAy morning" Bobby muttere,i.
Good Lord. Hartley! Then It wss
in my mind"
"Unless that letters Z plant too"
Graham said. yet how could she
know there'd be a search? why
shouldn't she have addressed Il 10
the Cedars, where there was a fair
chance Of its being opened and read
by the police? Why hasn't my man
made any report on her? We've a
number of questions to ask Maria :"
But word came down from the
dancers apartment that Maria
wasn't at home.
when did she go out"' Graha m
asked the hall man.
Not since l came on duty at 6
o'clock"
Graham slipped bill in the mars
hand.
We've an important message for
her. We'd better leave it with the
maid
When they were alone in the upper
nall ne explained his purpose to
Hobby.
1--WE must know whether she's
actually here. If she isn't, If she
Hasn't been back for the last twenty
our hours-don't you see? 1t was
yesterday afternoon You thought you
2 saw a woman at the lake, and lust
night woman cried about the Cec
CARS