San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-15

4
Mark Brendon, famous criminal in
vestigator, is taking holiday on Oar:
moor and is engaged by Jenny Pen
| dean to solve the mystery of her hus
bands disappearance. Michael Pen
| dean is last seen in the company o
| Jenny's uncle, Robert Redmaync
| when the two go to work on n new
bungalow for the Pendeans near Fog
gintor Quarry.
Blood is found on the floor of th'
! cottage and several witnesses testif!
| to having seen Robert ride away OF
| his motor bicycle with heavy saci
| behind the saddle.
A report comes that Redmayne ha:
visited his boarding house since tn,
disappearance of Michael. A, cemen
sack from the new bungalow is fount
in rabbit hole at far distance from
the scene Of mystery. Now go on witt
the story.
An hour later Mark Brendon had
packed bag and started in police
motor car for Paignton.
He called at Robert Redmayne's
lodgings after he had eaten some sup.
per at the Singer Hotel. There he had
taken room. that he might see and
hear something of the vanished mans
future wief and her family. At No. Z
Marine Terrace the landlady, a Mrs
Midway. could say little. Captain
Redmayne was a genial. kind hearted
but hot-headed gentleman, she told
Mark.
BrendOn examined the motor bicycle
with mat i.t,1nus, nora frbaro ,,-o.. ,a.,t
behind the saddle made of iron bars
and here he detected stains of blood
A fragment of tough string tied to
the rest was also stained.
Later in the day Brendon returned
to his hotel and introduced himself to
Miss Reed and her family to find
that her brother. Robert Redmayne' S
friend. had returned to London. She
and her parents were sitting t6gethe
in the lounge when he joined them.
All three appeared to be much shocked.
and painfully mystified. None could
throw any light. Mr.. and Mrs. Reed
were quiet. elderly people who kept a
draper shop in London; their dRugh-
ter revealed more character.
Did you eevr heard Captain Red
mayne speak of his niece and her hus-
band" Brendon inquired, and Flora
Reed answered:
He did: and he always said that
Michael Pendean was n 'shirker' and
a coward. He also assured me that ne
had done with his niece and should
never forgive her for marrying her
husband. But that was before Bon
went 10 Princetown. six days ago.
From there he wrote quite a different
story. He had met them by chance
and he found that Mr.. Pendean had
not shirked nut had done good work
in the war and got the o. Il. e"
You have neither seen nor heard
of the captain since?'
Indeed. no. My last letter, which
you can see. came three days ago. In
it he merely said he would be back
yesterday and meet me toe battle as
usual. l went to battle and looked out
for him, but of course he didn't come.
Tell me little about him, Miss
Reed" said Mark. Captain Red
mayne. ] hear. had suffered from shell
shock and a breath of poison gas also
Did you ever notice any signs tina.
these troubles had left any mark upon
him."
Yes" she answered ave all did.
My mother was the first to point out
that Bob often repeated himself
Was he man you can conceive
of as capable of striking or killing a
fellow creature"
The lady Lesitated.
Il only want to help him." she an.
swered. Therefore | say that. given
sufficient prOvocation, can imagine
Bob's temper flaring out, and | can
see that it would have been possible
to him. in a moment of passion, TO
strike down a man. He had seen muc1
death and was himself absolutely in
different TO danger. Yes. / can imas
inc him doing an enemy. or fancied
enemy. hurt; but what 1 cannot
imagine him doing is what he is sup
posed to have done afterward-evade
the consequence of n mistaken ac.
And yet we have the strongest
testimony that he has tried to concea'
a murder-whether committed by him.
self. or somebody else, we cannot ye;
say"