Evening star., 1922-07-29

TINE turfman met us at the sta
ton.
Tell me just what nap
pened," asked Kennedy.
No one seems to understand Just
what it was" Broadhurst explained
but, as nearly as l remember, Mur-
chic was the lion of the 1dlewild
grillroom all the evening. He had
come back Once, / recall, he was
PACED and the boy told him some one
was waiting outside. He went out
and returned considerably flushed ana
excited.
".By George he said, a man never
raises his head above the crowd but
that there's somebody there to take
crack at It, There must have been
some crank outside, for before could
get a look in the dark l was selzed.
I managed to get away. l got
little scratch with a knife or pin,
though he said, dabbing at a cut
on his neck"
"What then?" prompted Kennedy.
None of US paid much attention to
It," resumed Broadhurst, until Just
as another toast was proposed to
Lady Lee and some one suggested
that Murchie respond to it. we turn
ed to find him huddled up In nj ms
chair, absolutely unconscious. Ihe
house physician could find nothing
wrong apparently-in fact, said 1t
was entirely a case of heart 1allure.
I don't think any of US would ques-
ton his opinion If 1T mad not psen
he came back to the room that time.
Murchie's body had been removed
to the local undertaking establish
ment. AS Broadhurst drove up there
and We entered Kennedy seemed IN,
tsrested only in the little jab and
sort of swelling upon the neck or the
dead man, Quickly he made a little
incision beside it and about ten or
dozen drops of what looked like
blood-serum oozed out on piece Oh
gauze which Craig held!
AS we turned to leave the under
takers a striking, dark haired girl
with the color gone from her cneehs'
hurried past us and fell on her Knees
woman who had congratulated him
the day before. the woman of the
panel-Amelie Guernsey.
1 had not noticed. up to this point.
apart in the crowd. but now 1 hap
pened to catch her eye. 1t was the
woman whose picture with the two
children hung in Murchie,s apart
ment Kennedy drew me back into
the crowd, and there we watched the
strange tragedy of the wife that was
and the wife that was to have been
Craig hurried back to the city after
that and, as we pushed our way up
the ramp from the station, he looked
hastily at his watch.
walter" he said. Il want you TO
locate Cecelie Stafford and let me
know at the laboratory the moment
you find her. And perhaps 1t would
be we'll to start at the police station.
1t seemed to me as though the girl
whom we had found so easily the
evening before had now utterly dis
appeared At the police station she
had not been held. but had given an
address which had proved fictitious.
At the cabaret saloon no one had seen
her since the incident of the fight.
AS left the place. / ran into
Donovan, of the Tenderloin squad. and
nut the case to him. He merely
laughed.
7 wanted to-" he said 'I knew that
was a fake address"
He gave me the real address. and I
hurried to the nearest telephone to
call up Craig.
as soon as he can find her., he called
When I arrived at the laboratory, I
found Kennedy engrossed in his tests
Have you found anytnlns oe.-
He nodded. but would say nothing.
"I've telephoned Broadhurst." he re-
marked a moment later. you re-
member that the former Mrs. Murchle
was at Belmore Inn. 1 have asked
him to stop and get her IN the way
down here in the car with McGee, and
TO get Amelie Guernsey at the Idle
wild too" He continued to work.
and, oh yes" he added:
"I have asked Inspector OConnor
IN take up another line, too"
1t was strange gathering that as
sembled that forenoon. Donovan ar
rived soon after did. and with him,
sure enough. was Cecelie Sanord. A
few moments later Broadhurst,s car
swnng uu to the door, and Broadhurst
entered. accompanied by Amelie
Guernsey. McGee followed with the
former Mrs. Murchie.
IT don't want another job like that,
whispered Broadhurst to Kennedy
Pm nearly frozen. Neither of those
women has spoken word since we
You can hardly blame them," re-
turned Kennedy.
woman. She now carried herself with
an air of assumed dignity. Amelia
Guernsey had regained her color IN
the excitement Of the ride and was, II
anything, more beautiful than ever
But, as Broadhurst intimated, one
could almost feel the frigidity OF the
atmosphere as the three women who
had played such dramatic parts In
Murchis's life sat there, trying 10
watch, and, at the same time, aVolo
each others gaze.
The suspense was relieved when,
O'Connor came in IN department
car. with him were the young man
who had been seated with Cecilie at
the table the night of the fight and
also the gunman.
.sThe magistrate in the night court
3 settled the case that night" informed
O'Connor. under his breath. laying
down two slips of paper before Ken
nedy, "but have their pedigrees. The
fellows name Is Ronald Mawson, he
said. pointing to Cecilies companion
then Indicating the gunman. that's
crank Giani-Frank, the Wop."
watched Mawson and Cecilie close.
Iy. but discovered nothing. They
scarcely looked at each other.
Mc3ee however. glared at both
Mawson and the gunman, though none
6f them said q word.
sThey used, to be out there as stebie
boys at Broadhurst's." heard OCon-
= nor. continue, in whisper. 1 think
they had <run-in and were fred
Each says the other got him in wrong.
A moment later Kennedy began;
when you came to my Laboratory
the other day, Mr.. Broadhufst, nc
said, syou remarked that perhaps thls
~ Ittfla ont of nv. lin q