The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-06-30


}ck silly"
Brendon admitted the truth of this
experience.
There can only be two possible
iituations,'' he said; either this was
motiveless murder-anG lack of mo-
i've means insanity-or else there was
j deep reason for 1t and Redmayne
killed Pendean, after plotting far in
| advance to do so and get clear him
self In the first case he would have
been found, unless he had committed
suicide in some such cunning fashion
that we can't discover the body. In
the second case, he's a very cute bird
indeed and the ride to Paignton and
disposal of the corpse-that all looked
so mad-was supercraft on his part.
But, If alive, mad or sane, I'm Of
opinion he did what he said in his
letter to his brother he meant to do,
and got off for French or Spanish
port. So that's the next step for me
to try and hunt, down the boat that
took him."
He pursued this policy, left Prince
town for Plymouth on the following
day, took a room at a sailors inn on
the Barbican and with the help of
the harbor authority followed the
voyages Of a dozen small vessels which
had been berthing at Plymouth dur
ing the critical days.
A month Of arduous work Mark de-
voted to this stage Of the inquiry, and
his investigation produced nothing
whatever. Not skipper OF any Yes
sci involved could furnish the least
information and no man resembling
Robert Redmayne had been seen by
the harbor police or any independent
person at Plymouth, despite sharp
watchfulness.
A time came when the detective
was recalled to London and heartily
chaffed for his failure; but his own
unusual Disappointment disarmed the
amusement at his expense. The case
had presented such few apparent diff
f1culties that Brendon's complete I'M
success astonished his chief. lie was
content, however, to believe Marks
own conviction-that Robert Red
mayne had never left England, but
destroyed himself--probably soon aft
er the dispatch OF his letter to Ben
digo from Plymouth.
Much demanded attention and
Brendon was soon devoting himself
to diamond robbery in the Midlands.
Months passed, the body of Michael
Pendean had not been recovered, and
the little world Of Scotland Yard
pigeon-holed the mystery, while the
larger world forgot all about it.
Meantime, with a sense Of secret
relief, Mark Brendon prepared to face
what had sprung out Of these Incl.
dents, while permitting the events
themselves to pass from his present
interests. There remained. Jenny PEN
dean, and his mind was deeply pre-
occupied with her.
Indeed, apart from the daily toll Of
work, she filled it to the exclusion
Of every other personal consideration.
He longed unspeakably to see her
again, for though he had correspondent
during the progress Of his inquiries
and kept her closely informed of
everything that he was doing, the
excuse for these communications no
longer existed. She had acknowledged
every letter, but her replies were
brief and she had given him no in
formation concerning herself, or her
future Intentions, though he had asked
her to do so. One item of informa-
ton only had she vouchsafed and he
learned that she was finishing the
bungalow to her husbands original
plan and then seeking a possible Gus
toner to take over her lease. She
wrote:
81 cannot see Dartmoor again, for
1t means my happiest as well as my
most unhappy hours. I shall never
be so happy again and. hope, never
suffer SO unspeakably as I have dur
ing the recent past
He turned over the sentence many
times and considered the weight Of
every word. He concluded from it
that Jenny Pendean, while aware that
her greatest joys We're gone forever
yet looked forward to a time when
her present desolation might give
place to a truer tranquility and con-
tent.
The fact that this should be so,
however, astonished Brendon. He
Judged her words were perhaps ill
chosen and that she implied a swifter
return to peace than in reality would
occur. He had guessed that a year
at least. instead Of merely these four
months, must pass before her terrible
sorrow could begin to dim Indeed he
felt sure Of 1t and concluded that he
was reading an implication into this
pregnant sentence that she had never
intended it to carry. He longed to
see her and was just planning how to
do so, when chance offered an oppor.
tunity.
Brendon was called to arrest two
Russians, due to arrive at Plymouth
from New York upon a day in mid.
December; and having identified them
and testified to their previous actiyi.
ties in England, he was free for
while. Without sending any warning.
he proceeded to Dartmouth, put up
there that night, and started, at 8
o'clock on the following morning. to
walk to Crows Nest"
His heart beat hard and two
thoughts moved together in it, for not
only did he intensely desire to see the
widow but also had wish to surprise
the little community on the cliff for
another reason. Still some vague
suspicion held his mind that Bendigo
Raedmayne might be assisting his
brother. The Idea was shadowy, yet
he had never wholly lost it and more
than once contemplated such a sur.
prise visit as he was now about to
pay.