Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1923-02-09
CHAPTER ~
The Dead Mans Eyes.

For several moments we were all
so startled that none of us spoke. For
myself. / could only look at the hand
that had, So short time before, held
the revolver. could not imagine
who could have taken it, and what his
purpose in doing so could be.
glanced at BARLEY. His face was set,
a white line showing around his tight
ly closed lips. He was angry, very
angry.
AS he turned TO Roche, who stood
with ewes bulging, his voice shook a
little 'Roche. go and get Miss Pot
ter at once. Tell her to call all the
servants and have them assemble in
the living room. / viii be down in
a moment"
Roche hurried out without speak
ing. Immediately BARLEY bent again
over the bed. studying the position Of
the hand that had held the revolver.
When he straightened up he told the
photographer that he would not need
him any longer AS soon as the young
man had left the room, BARLEY turned
to me with a ruefu little smile.
"Wen, Pelt, / certainly slipped up
this morning. We left this room with
out locking the door. True, there
was no key but l should have left
either Roche or you on guard. In
stead of that we have given someone
a chance to Sip in here and remove
the revolver He thought he was re-
moving q valuable piece of evidence.
The joke is that the removal Of the
revolver does not make much differ
ence. We all saw the gun, and we
all heard Miss Potter say that it had
belonged 10 Slyke.'
But" I asked, "who could have
known about i'll mean that it was
murder? You were the only one who
suggested it, Every one else who
knew about the crime thought it was
suicide
That's the queer thing about it,
Pelt. Only those that were in the
room with us are presumed to know
it is murder That is, unless Miss
Potter told others when she left here
The strange thing Is that it was first
made to appear to be suicide by plac-
ing the gun in Sykes hand. Now
that evidence is removed l hardly
know what we are expected to believe
/ had an idea, even before we came
into this room, that Miss Potter knew
that her brother-in-law had been muir
dered."
What more he might have said
do not know, for at that moment
Roche returned. He looked sheepish
and rather i'll at ease. He told us
that Miss Potter had refused to call
the servants, saying that BARLEY had
no authority to compel her TO do so,
and-he paused a moment, his red
face flushing a deeper red--she had
added that she considered Roche was
the only one who had any authority
to give orders here. For herself, she
was convinced that Slyke had com
mitted suicide, and that BARLEY did
not know what he was talking about
when he said that he had been muir
dered.
BARLEY gave a low whistle. Does
that satisfy you, RocheY' he asked
"No, it doesn't" Roche replied,
shaking his head vigorously. at
doesn't, not by one little bit l am
frank enough to say, Mr.. BARLEY, that
though / don't see any light in this
all, know you can. Your experience
and reputation are both greater than
mine. l am, Of course, the head of
the local police and shall have to put
up some kind of a bluff, but l wish
you would take charge of the case"
"YOu say Miss Potter doesn't wish
to give US any aid at allT
Roche nodded
"Well, then, Roche, we will have to
go down and see what we can do
with her together. You tell her I am
your assistant. You might also add
that If she refuses to give us the in
formation we need, we can arrest her
on the charge Of obstructing an officer
In the discharge Of his duty"