The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1920-05-22
CHAPTER VIII-continued.

ueIe al tLle brandueCk Il few days. /
don't know much about him."
And that's all you know about it?"
said the detective, turning TO me again.
l hesitated- Should i or should |
not tell them Of the wall safe thar I
had seen Mr.. Wick closing? There was
no way | could prove ii. Undoubtedly
Wick would deny having done so. 1t
would be his word against mine. As
superintendent his word would I'M
dOubtedly carry. decided II would
be best to withhold my information to
a more propitiOus time.
That's all I know, except what Mr..
Wick has told you" 1 said.
Very WELL" said the detective in
charge. You can go now, and you,
too, Doctor"
Mr.. Wick was eScorting the doctor
TO the door. The detectives had with
drawn TO the room where the body lay
and were holding Il whispered confer
ence. l stepped quickly to the wall
safe, and making sure that l was I'M
observed, tested the knob. It was Sc
curely fastened. | congratulated my
self on having said nothing about it,
Wick. l felt certain, would deny hav-
ing shut il. and there was no proof
that it had been opened when we had
entered
As | returned to my own apartment
upstairs. nearing the top Of the short
fight of steps between the floors
was astOunded to see Il female figure
fitting across the hall and entering
the Bradford apartment. Though had
opportunity for only a brief glimpse,
Bradford.
The door Of my apartment was
standing wide open. remembered that
as l had run downstairs a few mo-
II after me. From the direction in
which she had come, it was plain that
Claire Bradford had been paying an
other surreptitiOus visit To my quar-
tiers. What could have been her pur-
pose? There must have been some
strong impelling motive to make her
dare the perilous journey along the
window ledge, and now, at the i'm
minent risk of discovery, to pay me
a second visit. 1 began seriously TO
doubt whether the explanation she
had offered me was the true one. l was
beginning To feel that there was more
than a possibility that she was again
IN the clutches of the INSCRIPTIONS
rascal who had once been her hus-
band.
Greatly puzzled, made a hasty sur
vey of the apartment, but could find
nothing that appeared to have been
disturbed. Going back TO my own room
| FASTENED TO place handkerchief out
of my window as q signal to Barbara.
for I knew she would be anxious 70
know the meaning of the sounds we
had heard below. In very few mo-
ments l heard the tap of her riding
crop on my sill and hurried to answer
"What was it?" she asked in an
excited whisper.
DAISY Lutan, an actress. who lived
on the floor below, has been murdered
shot"
"Who did it?'
81 don't know. Mr.. Wick and I went
into the apartment together There was
no one there"
"How terribler' she exclaimed.
ut is. indeed" answered, but ii
may help u.s."
"What do you meanT'
with the police in the house max
ing investigations, there'u be no more
threats from the blackmailers for a
while. They won't dare bother you
for the present"
''Do you really think SOP" she ques-
toned with little sigh of relief.
"rm sure Of it."
"Have the police been called inT
"Yes; two detectives are downstairs
now"
"rm glad" she said. "With the de-
tectives here, they won't dare modest
us, will they?"
"Of course not" I answered. as
your sister ut homer"
"Yes." she answered. "Our guests
have just gone. Mother has retired
and Claire Is in the living room writ
ing a note. They heard nothing. so I
did not tell them anything about IT."
THAT was wise. They'll hear it soon
enough. Has your sister been in the
apartment all evening"
"She hasn't been out all day unless
she went out Just TO drop the letter
she was writing down the mail chute
in the hall. Why do you ask?"
II was merely wondering If there
was any way she could learn of the
murder"
"HOw could she? Isn't that too ter
rible about Miss LGtan? But I mustn't
talk any longer. Good night
wait a moment" / cried. There
are some things I must discuss with
YOU before I meet German. How about
meeting me at the Astor at eleven ?"
Il can't promise. but I'll try. Good
night
There was nothing further that I
could do, and felt sadly in need of
rest. Throwing Off my coat and waist
coat began making preparations for
bed. The notion took me To once more
Investigate the secret passageway. |
pushed sharply on the panel as l had
done before hut this time I could not