The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-02-13
~ AND pressed against her
bosom, Clancy stared into
III the dining room. She could

By Arthur SOIners Roche
The Most Popular Author Of Love
And Mystery Tales
not breathe as she awaited Carey's
reply to his visitors charge. So Don
Carey had possessed a key to the
office of Morris Beiner! The the
atrical man had been locked in
his office when Clancy made her
escape from the room by way OF
the window. The door had not
been forced. And Don Carey had
possessed key!
For moment she thought
with pity, of the woman up
stairs, the woman who had be-
friended her, whose life had been
Swallowed by her husband. But
only fer a moment. She herself
was wanted for this murder; her
eyes were hard as she stared into
the room.
Carey's fingers reached out aim
lessly. They fastened finally upon
Q half-drained glass.
who's. going to believe that
kind Of yarn?" he demanded.
ST can prove it all right" said
the other.
.Well, even If you can prove
It, what then?"
His visitor shrugged.
you seemed worried about it
minute ago." he said. "Oh, there
amt no use tryin' to- kid me, I
know what I know. 1t all de-
ponds on you who tell it to. I
amt a mean guy His voice
became whining. 81 amt trou-
ble-maker. I can keep my trap
closed as well as any one. When"
he added significantly, there's
enough in ii for me-"
''And you think you can black
mail me?" demanded Carey. His
attempt at righteous indignation
sounded rather flat. The eleva-
tor man lost his whine; his voice
became sullxily hard.
sticks and stones won't break
no bones" he said. 'Call it what
you please. I don't care-so long
Is / get mine"
Carey dropped his pretense of
Indignation.
well, there's no need of you
shouting" he said. He rose to
his feet, assisting himself with
0 hand on the edge of the table.
my wife's upstairs" he said.
"No need Of screaming so she'll
be butting in again. Shut that
door,
Clancy Ieaped back. She gained
the stairs in a bound. She
crouched down upon them, hop
ing that the banisters would
shield her. But no prying eyes
sought her out. One Of the two
men in the room closed the din.
ing-room door.
For a minute after it was shut
Clancy remained crouching. She
had to think. A dozen impulses
raced through her mind. To tele-
phone Vandervent, the judge? To
run out upon the street and call
for a policeman? AS swiftly as
they came to her she discarded
them. She had begun to CLEAN in
recent days what was meant by
the word evidence" And she
had none against Carey. Not
yet!
But she could get it! She must
get it! Sitting on the stairs,
trembling-with excitement now,
not fear-Clancy fought for clar-
ity of thought. What to do?
There must be some one correct
thing. some action demanded by
the situation that later on would
cause her to marvel because 1t
had been overlooked. But what
was it?
She could not think Of the cor
rect thing to do. The elevator
man knew something. He was
the same man who had identified
her to Spofford, the plainclothes
man. The man assuredly knew
the motive that lay behind the re-
quest for Identification. And
now, having told a detective
things that made Clancy Deane
an object of grave suspicion, the
man was blandly-he was men
tally bland, if not orally So
bIackmailing Don Carey.
Yet Clancy did not disbelieve
her ears merely because what she
heard sounded incredible. Nor did
she. because she believed that the
elevator-man had proof Of an
others guilt, delude herself with
the idea that her own innocence
WAS thereby indisputably shown.
Her first impulse-to telephone
to her now.
But she dismissed it at once, this
time finally.
For a man who brazenly point
ed out one person to the police
while endeavoring to blackinall
another was not the sort of per
son tamely to blurt out COMES
sion when accused of his double
mo