The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-12-17
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money! That's the joke. Karlin!
Ms rich, isn't It? And / just want
10 tell you, too, that you had the
will in your own hands once--and
overlooked the bet! That's where
you slipped up, Karlin. It was the
day my uncie died. and we were
going over the papers together II
was in plain, unsealed envelope
and didn't look like anything. You
tossed it on heap OF other stuff
to be looked into later--all you
could think of was counting stocks
and bonds, getting your fingers in
to monoy-tbat you didn't know
was youIs-some Of il anyway |
was looking for something else
and found II. l only had to read
about two words and see that t
vas in my uncle's handwriting,
and--well, since you're executor,
you'll find It enclosed herewith!
"CLAYTON MERXLER. -
Billy Kane refolded the papers,
returned them to the envelope,
restored the envelope and fash
light to his pockets, and leaned
back In his seat. The taxi
lurched end swayed along at a pace
that gave small Difference or heed
to speed laws. Billy Kane stared
out of the window
The letter was viciously face
tious, callous and unscrupulous.
The boy was a self-confessed and
blatantlY unrepentant thief. In that
at least his first supposition had
evidently been justified, and 1t was
quite clear now why Merxler had
not destroyed the will-but other
wise the whole affair had now as
sumed an entirely different aspect.
Instead Of Karlin being in league
with Merxler, Karlin, unknown to
Merxler, 1t now appeared, was
aware of the existence Of the will
and Karlin, II the woman had not
exaggerated, meant murder. And,
since no one else was involved,
meant Merxler's murder.
Billy Kane's face hardened IN
perplexity. But why? What could
Karlin hope to gain thereby? Ger
tainly 1t was not on account of the
little legacy of two thousand five
hundred dOllars-Karlin had only
to expose the fact that the will ex-
listed to obtain that. And that ap-
piled equally to the executorship.
And what good could the executor
ship do karlin? With the stocks
and bonds there open to inspection
and their value known. Karlin's
executorship could afford no op-
portunity for crooked work-he
could simply turn the securities
into cash, turn the cash over to the
various charities, and the cash
must correspond with the valua-
tion of the estates schedule of rs
sets. Why, then-murder? Person
al enmity? No; Red Vallon and the
underworld were interested In this.
and the enmity that had caused
Merxler to preserve the will, an
enmity that no doubt was fully
returned by Karlin, had nothing
to do with Red Vallon and the rest
Five, ten, fifteen minutes went
by. The taxi reached the lower
section Of the city. Billy Kane still
stared from the window, his face
still hard in perplexity. Murder!
No, he did not understand. But
there was still the back room at
Jerry's"- where he was going now!
Did the answer lie there? Jerry's.
safely entrenched in one of the
most abandoned neighborhoods of
the city, was a gambling he'll that
yet boasted a certain eXclusiveness
and it's patrons quite made good
the boast. Ii was an open secret
that men whose names ranked high
in the city's commercial and pro-
fessional world went there for their
fling. Jerry, it was said, was an
ex-croupier, from Monte Carlo. aud
had brought the spirit of Monte
Carlo with him. He, Billy Kane,
had heard of the place often
enough-the entertainment was Law
ish, the play unlimited. Did the an
swer lie therein the back room
at Jerry's? Fl g shrugged his
shoulders philosophically now, ana
a grim little smile came and fllck-
cred across his lips. Well, II there
were any means by which an un-
invited guest could gain access TO
that back room, he would know
within 4 few minutes now!