Evening star., 1926-10-03

might have been a struggle. Some
body gripped him."
Held his wrist so tight that he
died? Unusual cause of death. And
those lines weren't made by anybody's s
hands. Did somebody tie his wrists
so tight it killed him? Also unusual.
Tie him SO he couldn't struggle and
kill him some way that left no other
marks? That isn't common, either.
And then your somebody went out
leaving the door locked on the inside.
Ingenious fellow"
well, sir, we've only the word Of
these fellows that found him the key
was on the inside"
Mr.. Fortune stared at him. That
Is so. Something possible at last"
| He shrugged his shoulders and
shivered and walked to the window.
Nobody could have got in that way,
sir. Nobody but small child" said
Bell For the big bow window opened
only in little ca sements.
II can't do anything here" Mr.. For
tune said Have the body taken
somewhere where / can examine it.
III tell Inspector Barton. He's
in charge here, sir" Bell opened the
door.
But Reggie stopped on the thresh-
old. II want that door sealed he
said.
j, = X *
THE superintendent nodded to a po-
liceman in chair on the landing.
when the body's gone. seal the door"
Reggie said sharply. Nov, what
about these fellows who told the tale?'
| Insp> ctor Barton was a little man
who had the speech of Manchester
and pugnaciouS sef-confidence. He
had established himself in the morn
! ing room. and was tapping out his re-
port on a little typewriter.
Halo, doctor. done your job?
| What's it come to?"
Supt. Bell asked the inspector
! to give instructions to remove
! the body to a mortuary where a COM
plete investigation could be made,
and then have the room sealed up.
/ The inspector did so and came back.
! Don't want to commit yourself. doc
tor?" he grinned, and tapped away at
! his typewriter.
Just drop that. Barton, Bell
| frowned MIR. Fortune wants your
attention. Who were these fellows
! in the house,"
| Inspector Barton reeled off short
! biographies of the house party They
were six. Four of them business
friends of John Douty men of his own
sort. we'll known, money to burn. hard
cases all. Much too shrewd.
1T isn't a plain crime" said Bell.
How did they take the death?"
asked Mr.. Fortune.
| Pretty tough. they are. They
cleared off quick. We know where
to find EN- if we want 'em. I've got
their evidence. 1t don't amount to
Plenty of liquor going. And they
don't remember any more till the
morning"
That's four out of six. What
about the other two?" said Reggie
They were employees. There was
Douty's secretary. Sandbach, shriv-
eled old stick. come down in the
world. Broke in the war. The
Doutys bought his business for song
Young Douty took him on, partly be-
cause he knows the ropes, partly to
| make a butt of him. He liked to
have some one about him to bully
did Dou;y. And then there was kider-
lin, a youngish fellow, a chemist the
DOutys used as a technical expert
He was in trouble. Remember the
st. Helen's murder? He got clear by
the skin of his teeth. His firm
chucked him and the Doutys picked
him up cheap. No better brains at
his job they say, but decent people
WOulun employ MN. Inc DOuINS
used him in some of the dirtiest busi-
ness"
They were a genial family, the
| DoutyS," said Reggie.
Inspector Barton laughed. II
reckon there's not many crying over
| EN-" He cooked his eye at Bell
wonder if they caught a tartar when
they caught Mr.. kiderlin, the chem
| ist.'
Poor chap" said Reggie "Kider-
lin did some fine work once"
Il didn't take to Mr.. kiderlin my
self" Inspector Barton shifted. But
| it's quite right he had no jam with
the Doutys. No more than old Sand
bach. This last night here was pretty
wet When they got merry they were
ragging Kiderlin and Sandbach. |
reckon that's what Douty had the
| beggars here for. There was a lot of
noise. the servants say. And then
everybody got to bed and the valet
found Douty's door locked in the
morning"
= Have you got anything more about