Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-03-06
NNXVIlI.

| biackmull"
NNES. Mrs. Gael. Farley Drew has
i just been taken into custody
and one ut least OF his accompIices
has confessed"
And that poor little fool upstairs
ran away tonight to go TO him?
| should not have waited SO long: !
should have told you before" She
raised her eyes once more supplicat-
| ingly 10 his. oh, Sergeant Odcll
you will let me go? could not bear
the reprOach in her eyes If she knew
| the truth even though 1 am not re-
sponsiblc for her infatuation"
Yes agreed Odcli after a mo-
mcnt's reflection. You may go. Mrs
Gael: but | want you to think well
over the stand you have taken in
regard 20 Withholding the help you
are in position To give me. Re
] member IL another death occurs in
this family you may he Indirectly re-
! sponsiblc"
II cannot help that" Sin" cried .
and Ia" hunted expression came once
are nothing 10 ne; and what little
| could tell you would b. too utterly
prcpcs;erous and Incredible for you
to believe that it was not the ngm.mt
Of u crazed brain. You do not know
what l endured In those fearful three
mouths. | dare not face "a possibility
of the repetition of such suffering
I VIII leave the house at once. within
the hour; and camno, thank you
enough. if-it you should suspec,
what believe 10 he tho truth. com.
TO me; prove that you have the same
pcrson in mind. and | will tell you The
idea which have formed"
With that Odcil waa forced for the
| time being 10 be content: and accept
! ing the address ot her servant. he
saw her depart with one OF the plain
| clothcsmcn who were on duty outsId.
in tow.
He had had a long day after the
siccpless might and the effects of the
blow which tong had dealt him. and
he piodded YEARLY homcward In an
unaccustomcd state Of mental dcprcA-
! sion, Much had been accomplished in
the las, few hours but 1t had been o.
a purely negative nature. save only
which had related 10 Richard I.orae.
and his possible sult was still mere.
~ II matter o! the widest speculation.
Granted the existence OF conceiv-
able motive. there still remained vas,
difficulties III the way % fastening
the series of revolving crimes upon
him; and not the least OF them in the
detectives mind was the hint OF In
| ~ nj ~ fs1,
to convey TO him
IN his own modes; rooms once more,
he slept the sleep OF utter exhaustion.
and awakened to the discordant jan
gle Of the telephone bell trying to vie
with those Of a nearby church. sun
day morning Four days had elapsed
since he was iir., called in upon the
mystery OF the Meade house. and he
was no nearer its solution than when
he had been summoned
lie dragged himself out OF bed and
picked up The telephone receiver.
Is that YOU. Barry? This Is lin
Dixie speaking. I'm sending you
around BY messenger u report on that
matter We were discussing ycs,er-
day"
Yes" The haze OF sleep cleared
/ u.
| YOU lind any dope on how tina, party
managed to recoup his losses and
keep his head above water"
'Surest thing you Know. He's been
working through q dummy company
and simply cleaned up in the last
| three weeks: got back all he lost.
in the last year ana then some.
had him doped all wrong" bikes
/ I'll. s,,t
the detectives ears. "Ie had nerve.
al! right; took the remainder Of his
holdings. got on the right side of the
market ut last and tripled his capital
the first day. Since then there has
been no holding him. lie has been
| specializing on the side under his
own name 10 keep mis- connection
| with the new company under cover
perfectly legitimate. you know--and
lost consistently, but not enough to
even make dent in what he has
! rolled NJ through the dummy con-
ceFh. There rs certain clique OF big
men vino have been out after him for
- year or more, since he broke up
| corner they were engineering: but
when they get on to this new move
OF his they are gong TO be Il pretty
| SAN DuHCH
Thinks. old man" odell tried to
make his voice cordial. 1T wa.
mighty good of YOU 10 take all this
trouble"
No trouble: the messengers on
the way. Don't forget that little re-
Union w. are going to have as soon
as YOU get breathing spell So
! long"
The receiver clicked and Odell sal
down on the side of his bed The mo-
tive which he had so carefully built
up had diasipated into thin air; and
despite the suspicious EXPRESSED by
Miss Rlsby. the detective felt that lie
was back once more at the starting
point of his investigation. The fact
OF the two murders had been proved
TO his own satisfaction. at least, and
the evidence OF the two other at
| tempted ones was incontrovcTtiblc;
but OF the identity Of the slayer no
| slightest trace had been gained, save
! that he must be person of eXtraor-
binary physical strength, great in
genuity and a capacity for careless
Eess gin each case which savored OF
L.. la.