The Little River news., 1920-03-24
mustratio..s
 by IrwinMyefs

DlclOIS Ol IH!ll. l TeCdllcu lIidt l'eteC- tive German had put Mir. Wick into his circle of suspects along with the bur glars wife. Could it be possible that the superintendent of the building him. self was in connivance with the band of criminals who had been haras&in@ the Bradfords and me? 1 determined to watch his every move.
 "There's no one here" I said, as we completed our round of the various rooms. The murderer has made his escape. Hasn't that boy 'phoned for the police yet?'
 MT. Wick seemed so aversc to carry ing out my suggestic" about fhe police that I think he ms, have senSed the suspicion in my voice.
 "I think I ha better ask Mir. Kent about it first" he said nervousy.
 "Who's Mir. Ncrt?" l demanded.
 My thoughts were so taken up with the unexpected tragedy that the name at first meant nothing to me. Sud denly remeibered. It was to the apartment of SIr. Henry Kent that Miss Kelly had 'phoned last night when she was dining with me. re. called. too, that German had charged me to find out all I could about him.
 "Who's Mr. Kent?" repeated sharply. What's he got to do with itH
 Hes the owner of the building ex- plained Mir. Wick. "He doesn't like the Granddeck to be mentioned in the papers. He says any notoriety is bad for it's exclusiveness. don't believe he'd want the police called in, In fact. sir. Pm sure he wouldn't"
 "Whether he wants it or not" ] said firmly. tits got to be done. You can ! keep murders out of the pager Eithe. you call the police right away or else I will"
 My threat forced him to telephone against his will. I could quite under stand his employers aversion to hay ing crime in the Gianddeck made public. But there was no heln for it.. There had been dastardly crime com. mitted, and the police must be in formed Yet it was not to the police that Mr. Wick was telephonng. II evidently was to Mr. kent's apartment in the building.
 Miss Lutan's been shot by a burglar In her apartment" heard him say. "Mr. Nelson and me just discovered her body. Whats that, sr?"
 Just what Mr. kent's reply oa hear ing the shocking news had been l had. of course, no means of knowing, but whatever it was. over the superintend- ent's face came an expression of in credulity and amazement.
 What do you think" said Mr. Wick, turning to me; "he says for me to call up Headquarters at once."
 "Of course," said, "it is the only thing to do."
 Nevertheless, as MT. Wick waited for the number, he kept shaking his head and muttering under his breath something that sounded like:
 ITO think of his telling me to call in the police
 With the doctor summoned and the police sent for, there seemed to be little else for us to do but wait. so Wick and I sat down together in the rear sitting room with the elevator boy still on guard at the door.
 ''Who was Miss Lutan?" I asked.
 "Why. Daisy Lutan, the actress" said Mir. Wick in surprise. q sup posed every one knew her."
 i've heard about her." hastened to in the Granddeck. Did she live here alOne?'
 "She keeps maid, an old woman that has been with her for years"
 Where's the maid tonight?"
 "Out to the movies, I s'pose. That's where she goes every night when Miss Lutan isn't playing. When she is, she goes to the theater with her.
 'Then Miss Lutan is not playing now?"
 Not for the last month"
 "Had there been any one here with her tonight?'
 "I'll ask the elevator boy"
 "JOhn says she came in alone about fifteen minutes ago." said Mir. Wick when he came back. "She went out about seven. Her own chauffeur was driving her then. but when she came back she was in hired taxi. That's something can't understand"
 "How do you suppose the murderer escaped?"
 I was trying every avenue of ques- tioning to see if I could not surprise Wick into some damaging admission. was beginning to suspect that he knew far more about Miss Lutan's murderer than he was telling. l felt somehow that his whole search for ths man who had killed Miss Lutan had been entirely perfunGtory, a bluff to deceive me. In my growing dislike for the man. felt that 1t would not be beyond the range df probability for Wick to have been sunding guard at the door while confed crate rified the apartment.
 "Pm no detective" ht answered non- cOmmittaIly. "All la,ow is that he has gone. He certainly ain't here in the apartment
 It was on the tip of Amy tongue to