New Britain herald., 1922-01-24

boudoir ana bedroom.
 Big Doane, seated upon the lowest
 step of the staircase, rose hastily and
 salutcd
 "One of the boys came up, sir, to
 find out about the light in that studio, but fixed it with him. he remarked. Did you find the answer to what was
 puzzling you, sergeant?'
 'If I've found the answer to what
 was pnzzling me. Doane," he replied
 I've stumbled on bigger mystery
 yet, and n blacker one"
 He found at headquarters that Craig had aread turned in his report, and the chief was awaiting his own appearance with ill-concealed mpa- tience
 , What do you think?" the chief asked.
 AS to the identity of the murderer,
 sir?" Barry asked, cautiously. I'm
 quite certain that several people who might conceivably have killed Mrs. , Vane did not do it. and that lets me out for the moment. However, took it upon myself to do n little unofficial investigating
 "Of course! That's what l expect , ed you to dol" the chief interrupted eagerly. "Thc medical examiner hasn't performed the autopsy yet, naturally but from his account of the affair as well as the reports of the boys from the local precinct, and Boyle and | Craig 1t apears that the Nane woman
 was shot by some visitor. someone she f knew well, and that she had no pre- monton of the attack There's one queer point about the murder that the I press is bound to bounce on and play } up big, and yet ] cant see any eX- l p'anaton; l thought perhaps you
 might have some idea" What is that, sir?" Barry's tone was guileess.
 ; There were no powder marks on s'| the woman's smocli. and the medical 5 examiner says that the shot must have t been fired from a distance of several l feet at least"
 F The chief paused Now. accord ing to Boyle's report, Professor Sem f yonov stated that when you and he D heard the sound of the shot and opened his door he heard footsteps on the stairs"
 Sergeant Barry smiled , "The professor and I have q slight
 difference of opinion about the direc-
 ton of the sound of those footsteps;
 he believes that they were coming up
 while 1 am quite as certain that they
 were descending" he said. However
 that's not the main point. You are
 wrong, I think, sir, though not in the way you mean. That step on the stairs had everything to do with the
 murder."
 "What-t.." The chief sprang from
 his chair. Has anyone given you a descrip- r ton yet of the portrait which Miriam Vane was painting when she met her , death, sir?" asked Barry.
 "Only that it is a picture of Mrs. , Theodore Nansittart" f Coming down a staircase, Barry a finished. "The THIRD STEP OF THE : STAIRS is just on level with the art
 ist's breast as she sat on a stool be- fore the easel, and there is bullet 7 hole in the canvas. Miriam Nane was l shot through the heart by someone on : the other side of the portrait" , VII.
 For moment the chief seemed about to explode with the mingled . emotions which consumed him. The
 hext he sank back in his chair and
 raised his powerful hands, to let them fall with a slam upon his desk. I "A bullet hole through the DOT
 trait." he exclaimed. And none of
 those no-account fatfoot dicks, not
 even the medical examiner himself, had eyes to see 1t! The reporters would have smoked it out and had fine laugh on the department if 1t hadn't been for you, John.'
 "No woman deliberately destroys :, all signs of her former identity un-
 less she has secret to hlde, said
 Barry "and l am not certain that
 previous tragedy was not linked m F. some fashion with her life. The shot l which killed her was not the hrst to , be involved in her destiny. ",rhe ribbon, dried flowers, lace,
 and the hair and the lochet-Wry' sunpose every woman treasures lust 7 such things the world over,' com mented the chief "rhat empty cart ridge. though. It must have meant r. something mighty serious to her, ana , we've got to find out what that some thing is. The photograph is too rad, s ed to be of any use as evidence, anu :, whatever was written on the back mas f been scratched out long ago
 Look at it through thls' SIT