Charlevoix county herald., 1920-04-09

you WIZ taihiiib " nCI.
"But how did you know who she
was?"
81 saw the other one this morning.
They look alike"
But how did you know which sister
II WASP"
"You didn't seem to get along well
enough In your talk for II to be Bar
bara," he answered with another grin.
1t had not been my intention to re-
veal even to him Claire Bradford's
second visit to my, Apartment, but I
saw how foolish 1t would be Of me to
attempt to deceive or to withhold any
information from such q shrewd OBJ.
server.
Without reserve. and with the ut.
most detail proceeded to relate ev'
erything that had happened since
had seen him the afternoon before.
l told Of my discovery of the secret
panel In my room and of the blind
passageway into which 1t apparently
led, of Barbara's having made the
perilous journey over the window ledge
to inspect my find, of the screams We
had heard. followed by the shot. Of
how Barbara had fed back by the way
she came, and i had run downstairs
and with Wick had discovered the
body. / told him every detail so far
as / could remember 1t, winding up
with my catching Claire Bradford leav-
ing my apartment, just before my ar
rest and the finding of the revolver.
"You don't think the detectives
themselves planted the gun on your
he asked. "I've heard of them doing
things like that"
He spoke with such an air Of inno-
cence that had to smile. doubt II
there were many tricks Of detectives
that German did not know all about.
''They had no opportunity whatever.
Neither of them had been near the
dresser before, and was watching
their every moment"
swell, who did hide the revolver
there, IL they didntT
II don't know"
Couldn't Wick have done TT"
81 was with him every moment after
we discovered the body"
Maybe 1t was Claire Bradford"
1 shook my head.
81 thought at first II might have
been she. but I'm convinced since talk
ing with her that III was not. She's
either entirely innocent or, else the
most wonderful actress In the world"
Il think we caneleave her out Of II"
ventured German.
"That leaves only Wick"
German shook his head positively.
mo, Wick didn't do It. He's bad
one all right, and he has done time,
but he's only a. tool"
wick has done timer l exclaimed.
How did you find that out? What
have you learned about him?"
German grinned at my eager Ques-
tioning.
II don't know much about him yet,
but I'm sure he's an ex-con. While
you were in court this morning." he
explained, II went up to the Grand
deck to take a look at things for my
self. Wick showed me through the
Lutan apartment thinking was from
the colDner's Office. / spotted him at
once. A crook that has done time
is always sure to give himself away"
"How?" asked.
"Well," . said German judicially,
mems businesses leave their marks
on them. A clergyman don't have to
be wearing high vest for you to spot
him, and nobody ever took dancing
teacher for pugilist A,man that has
looked at as many crooks as l have
knows them by instinct, and then
there's little ways you can tell. As
was going up to the apartment with
Wick he just naturally fell into step
with me, showing he had been used to
marching with other prisoners. He
talks, too, without moving his lips.
That's assure sign. They learn that
I'm prison SO they can talk without
the guards knowing It."
That's So" I cried. hIt struck me
that there was something funny about
the way Wick talked, but 1 couldn't
have told just what II, was"
"Wick's a crook, all right, "but
think he comes from somewhere up
state or maybe out West, but he
hasn't intelligence enough to be any
thing more than q runner for the
gang"
swell, what's your theory? 1 asked.
IF Wick didn't murder Miss Lutan,
who did2"
81 don't know yet. Wick amt big
enough. Big Jobs take big men to
plan them. This whole thing Is
big affair, carefully planned out. 1t
takes more brains than Wick ever
dreamed of having to plant anony-
nous notes and terrify people nearly
out Of their senses with mysterious
whispers and then to steal the Brad
ford papers and the CASTOR pearls and
then when things get hot to have you
already framed as the goat to blame
things on"
Then you think my discharge from
the Office was part of the plot?"
"Sure Il was. You butted In on
their blackmail MANS and thew want