The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1923-06-08
CHAPTER xIV-continued.
III

interrupted.
Yes, he was cool enough. He went
downstairs into the room where the
dog was"
But" Roche commenced.
BARLEY did not let him finish. "Yes,
know. The dog should have parked.
The reason he did not was because
the man was no stranger to him.
The doctor spoke once more, But
you have not proved any of these
things are SO; you are just suppos-
ing"
"No," came the answer, 81 have not,
but let us consider some of the points
that have been proved. Slyke tried
to telephone several times during the
evening and failed to get his party
each time"
Roche and Black were astonished.
This was the first time they had
heard anything about the telephone
calls.
"When he failed again and again to
get the person he wanted" BARLEY
continued, "he asked central to try
I and locate him for him. All calls
from here go through the Saratoga
exchange, and it was very easy to find
out whom he wanted. But that is not
all. On magazine found on the
table beside the whisky glasses were
number of little circles drawn with
pencil, circles that ran into each
other
What has that to do with it?"
asked Black, voicing his wonder.
"A great deal. Those same circles
were on the handle of the knife with
which Briffeur was killed. have also
a little piece Of paper with similar
circles drawn on it, and l know the
person who drew them. 1t has been
proved scientifically that If person
is playing with a pencil and begins to
make figures unthinkingly on any
thing. his subconscious mind will trick
him into always drawing the same de-
sign. found the circles on the maya
zine in Sykes room, on the knife
that killed Briffeur, and again on the
piece Of paper. / know to whom
I Slyke telephoned, and / know also a
person who saw the murderer enter
= the house to call on Slyke the night
he was killed"
We leaned forward breathlessly to
catch his words, which came with a
cold, cutting edge, as he added crisp
". "Now, knowing all this, don't you
think the person that drew the
circles, that was telephoned to. that
was seen going into Sykes, has some
thing to explain? Don't you think so,
Doctor King?"
There was no answer, and BARLEY
demanded sternly, Doctor King, you
are not going to deny, are you, that
you killed those two men"
The question was so unexpected
that sat stunned. He was the last
man should have suspected. Currie
cried, my Cd, john" and fell silent.
The doctors face. had gone a dead
white, and he sank Imply back in
his chair. Without raising his eyes,
he stammered, scarcely above a whis-
per, the words drawn from him
against his will, "No-o--no-I killed
them BOTH"
The next instant he realized what
he had said and half rose from his
chair, then fell back, clasping his
head in his hands. / could not be-
lieve my ears. That BARLEY should
suspect the doctor of the murders
seemed incredible enough; but that
The doctor himself should admit that
it was true was beyond belief. Roche
looked first at the doctor. then at
BARLEY, his eyes bullying with aston
ishment. Black alone seemed to real
ize all. that the doctors admission en-
tailed. Currie was still too dazed to
understand. for King had been good
friend of his.
BARLEY broke the silence with, 1--WE
have proved that the doctor is the
guilty party. He himself has admit
ted 1t. I have suspected him for
some time, but when he gave that cry
as Sykes figure appeared, knew
that was right"
The doctor was still sitting with
his head in his hands, and Barley
glanced down at him pityingly before
he continued to the rest of us, From
the first, suspected that whoever had
killed Slyke had some knowledge of
medicine. The average ayman would
not have known how to place the re-
volver in Sykes hand in such a way
that 1t would appear to be suicide
The point that puzzled me was that
the eyes were almost closed. If the
guilty person knew enough to place
the revolver in Sykes hand before it
stiffened, he should have known that
the eyes ought to be open. Miss Pot
ter explained this discrepancy by say
ing thay she had closed the eyes her.
self. frightened by their stare Then
was baffied. True, there were the
on the magazine, but I did not
who made them and there
M way Of finding out. Then