Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-08-18
Continued from our last issue)

had been killed, it seemed such 8
cold-blooeed killing. Was Cayley
equal to it?
Bill would have said mo" because
Bill wouldn't have killed anybody
in cold blood himself, and because
he took it for granted that other
people behaved pretty much as he
did. But Antony had no such illu-
sions. Murders were done: murder
had actually been done here, for
there was Roberts dead body. WIN
not another murder?
Had Mark been in the office at all
that afternoon? The only evidence
(other than Cayley's, which obvi-
ously did not COUNTY was Elsie's.
Elsie was quite certain that she had
heard his voice. But then Bill had
said that it was a very characteristic
voice-an easy voice. therefore. to
initiate. If Bill could initiate it so
successfully, why not Cayley?
But perhaps it had not been such
a ~cold-blooded killing. after all.
Suppose Cayley had had a quarrel
with his cousin that afternoon over
the girl whom they were both WOO
ing. Suppose Cayley had killed
Mark. either purposely. in sudden
passion, or accidentally. meaning
only to knock him down. Suppose
that this had happened in the pas
sage, say about two o'clock. Sup
pose Cayley there. with the body at
his feet. feeling already the rope
round his neck: his mind darling
this way and that in frantic search
for a way Of escape; and suppose
that suddenly and irrelevantly he
remembers that Robert is coming to
the house al three o'clock thai af-
ternoon-automatically he looks at
his watch-in half an hours time.
Antony pictured to himself Cayley
In the passage, standing over the
dead body of his cousin and work.
ing 1t out. How could Robert be
made to seem the murderer, if
Robert were alive to deny it? But
suppose Robert were dead. too?
He looks at his watch again.
(Only twenty-five minutes now).
Suppose Robert were dead, too?
dead in the passage-how does that
help? Madness! But if the bodies
were brought together somehow =.
And Roberts death looked like sui
eide? . Was it possible?
Madness again. Too difficult.
(Only twenty minutes now. Toe
difficult to arrange in twenty min
utes. Can't arrange a suicide. Toe
difficult . . Only nineteen min
And then the sudden inspiration!
Robert dead in the Office, Marks
body hidden in the passage-impos-
sible to make Robert seem the mur-
derer. but how easy to make Mark!
Robert dead and Mark missing;
why, it jumped to the eye at once.
Mark had killed Robert accidental
ly; yes, that would be more likely
and then had run away. Sudden
panic . Gle looks at his watch
again. Z Fifteen minutes. but plenty
of time now. The thing arranges
ITSELF.
wondered. 1t seemed to fit in with
the facts as they knew them; but
then, so did that other theory which
he had suggested to Bill in the
morning.
(Which ?" said Bill.
They were sitting in the copse
above the pond. from which the in
spector and his fishermen had now
withdrawn. Bill has listened with
open mouth to Antony's theory, and
save for an occasional by owe!
had listened in silence. Smart man.
Cayley," had been his only COM
ment at the end.
(which other theory?"
"That Mark had killed Robert
accidentally and had gone to Cayley
for help, and that Cayley, having
hidden him in the passage. locked
the office door from the outside and
hammered .on it."
Eyes, but you were so dashed
mysterious about that. I asked you
what the point of 1t was, and you
wouldn't say anything" He thought
for a little, and then went on, II
suppose you meant that Cayley de-
l~iberately betrayed Mark. and tried
to make him look like a murderer"
II wanted to warn you that we
should probably find Mark in the
passage, alive or dead"
"And now you don't think SOP"
Now I think that his dead body
is there"
Meaning that Cayley went down
and killed him afterward-after you
had come. after the police had
Gomez"
swell, that's what I shrink from,
Bill. It's so horribly old-blooded.
Cayley may be capable of It. but ]
hate to think Of it."
"But, dash it all. your other way
Is cold-bIooded enough. According
10 you, ne SOeS Up " thS ohiSo ohu
deliberately shoots a man with
whom he has no quarrel, whom he
hasn't seer for fifteen years."
"Yes, but to save his own neck.
That makes a difference. And l
think that Marks dead body is in
the passage now. and. has been
there since, say. half-past two yes
terday afternoon. And tonight Cay
ley is going to hide it in the pond"
Bill pulled at the moss on the
ground beside him, threw away a
handful or two. and said slowly,
"You may be right. but it's all
guess-work, you know"
Antony laughed.
"Good Lord. of course it is" he
said. "And tonight we shall know
ii it's a good guess or a pad one
Bill frightened up suddenly.
Tonight" he said. Il say, to-
nights going to be rather fun. How
do we work it?"
Antony was silent for a little.
Lets put ourselves in Cayley's
place" said Antony. putting slowly
at his pipe. He's got the body, or
whatever it is, in the passage. What
will he do next?"
Come out again." said Bill help
fully.
Eyes; but which end?"
Bill sat up with a tart.
"By Jove,' you mean that he VIII
go out at the far end by the bowling
green?"
"Don't you think SO? Just imagine
him walking across the lawn IN full
view of the house. at midnight. with
L. Ao got mn