Evening star., 1921-08-03
Continued from Yesterdays star.)


| else till I came to the housekeep-
er's room again." McCarty continued,
| unheeding the interruption. THE
locks on the desk there were shiny
and dripping with fresh oil, and
when I lifted it it was lighter and
nothing slid around inside. Some
body had slipped up behind us and
| opened the drawers of both of the
desks, taking out whatever was in
| side; somebody who knew how to
| work that spring lock.
Il didn't find hide nor hair of him,
though, and I'd upset and broke a
| bottle of perfumery in Mrs. Creve-
| ling's room, bad luck to it! When I
got back down to the study Clancy
sniffed it on me and l doubt that I'VE
lost the smell Of it yeti"
He went on. telling of the arrival
of George Alexander. the valet Hill.
his own discovery of the bloodstained
card thrust under the tapestry on the
table and the return of Mrs. Crevel-
ing and finally the cook and butler.
Dennis summed UP for him, 'is the
bit of amber mouthpiece the other
! man had smoked with, the lone card
and the marks Of gloved fingers on
the desk UPSTAIRS
Not quite. I'm asking myself a lot
of questions, Denny, for there's more
in look sometimes or a chance word
than in all the fingerprints in the
world. For instance. what's there be-
tween that valet and Mrs. Creveling s
| uncle. George Alexander? They tried
their best to slip away for a little
confab together. but I kept my eye
on them; there's something they both
know and each of them was afraid
that the other would let it out. Why
did that valet. Hill. say he had just
If he had nothing TO conceal either
on his own account or on Creveling's g
why did 1 have to drag out of him
the little 1 learned? Why wouldn't he
tell where he'd been all night? When
| the inspector asked him If he knew
last evening twas on the tip of his
| tongue to deny it when he remem-
bered that he'd taken the things from
| the caterers men himself for the sup
per and they'd say SO il they were
! questioned. Its plain. of course. that
| for the night so that none of them
! should see who his company was. but
I've an idea that Hill knows. all the
same"
You don't think" Dennis chose
| his words with evident care. You
| don't think maybe it was "a lady he
had to supper and she shot him after
in a fit of jealously?"
with IA that has a kick to it
like an army mule?' McCarty snorted.
inspector Druet asked Hill If Crevel-
ing ever entertained ladies in his
home during his wife's absence and
the valet said no. that they were
strictly stag suppers. and he didn't
seem any too much anxious to give
the names of any of the gentlemen
who'd been present. He said they just
ate and drank and smoked and chin
ned. with never a little game to while
away the hours; that Creveling hadn't
touched a card in years.
Then how did that nine of dia-
mons come to be there on the table?
demanded Dennis.
There was a pause, and then Nc
Carly replied slowly:
Il don't know, unless some way it
was part Of the grim game that was
played out to a finish between the two
of them in the study after supper"
"A game of life and death. with
Creveling losing the odd trick Den
mis- nodded. IF you did not find the
rest of the pack lying around maybe
the one card was brought by the man
that killed him as sign or re-
minder. Oh. you needn't be looking
at me like that. Mac! Stranger things
than that are going on behind those
white marble fronts. for all you know.
But what was that nigh blank wall
built for at the back?"
That's one of the questions I've
been asking myself. like 1 told you"
w
shrill call down the street and shook
his head. mo. It'll be too early for
| the papers to get hold Of it yet. It's
funny how they were all so sure. even
his wife, that Creveling had been MUIR
dered. and him with the pistol lying
beside him. 1t was only when Mrs.
Creveling spoke of calling in Terhune
that her uncle backslid and pretended
that he thought it might have been
| suicide, after ALL"
| the love Of the saints. is he in on this
| too?"
with both feet. and I misdoubt a
! couple of his little scientific recording
| machines up his sleeve" McCarty
| chuckled.
| than a drop of the best to have seen
his face when came back after talk
| ing to the cook and butler and found
him in the hall."
so twas Mrs. Creveling called him
in and her uncle didn't want him. -
| do you think this Alexander and the
valet were in cahoots? 1t looks as
though the both Of them were trying
to shield somebody. all right"
! II don't understand the attitude OF
the whole lot of them" McCarty
| shook his head once more. From the
minute Mrs. Creveling put her foot in
| the house there seemed to be kind
of silent battle going on between heI
| and her uncle; you could feel 1t in the
air. He was trying to run the whole
| affair to suit himself and she defyine
him and getting her own way. too
| inc the end. Say. Denny, there was a
| fire in the neighborhood last night
| wasn't there?"
| Dennis stared.
| "Sure, what night isn't there. with
the people packed in fats like sardines
| in a hOYf Rut what are Won fins
at. Mac?"
when was the fire and wherer'
| "Along about 2. on the next block
| Dennis replied. "An upset kerosene
place on the ground floor, where she
was working late, and 1t spread to the
basement before we could get it un.
der control. but it didn't get upstairs
| though the tenants were pretty well
smoked out. How did you know abou,
| it?"
That's where the buffers sister
Mrs. Carroll, lives: where he and his
| wife spent the night" McCarty drew
a cigar from his pocket and chewed
the end ruininatively. They're queer
birds. The cook would have talked
I'm thinking, but her husband shut
! her up, though at that 1 caught them
| in one lie. Before Sarah got sight OF
me standing behind Hill she said to
him that she wished Mr.. Creveline
would have his parties somewhere else
and leave them in peace. but when ]
told them Creveling had been shot
| the butler denied that neither OF them
knew he expected any one last night
In the next breath after Sarah learned
that Mrs. Creveling had already come
| home she bewailed that the rooms
| were not in order and she had all the
| lobster and stuff from the caterers to
clean up. How did she know there'd
|11sed in Million