New Britain herald., 1926-09-01
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Lawrence lnman, distant rela- tive of Myra's and, aside from Perry, her only heir, and
 Bunny Moore. young, golden haired, vivacious. an old friend of Myra's.
 Myra Heath was beautiful but cold She never used rouge. never wore colors. She collected rare bits of glass and her latest was a whiskey bottle, which aroused her artist hus- bands scorn.
 Provoked at a growing intimacy between Perry and Bunny Myra an- nounces she has made her will in favor of Inman, cutting her husband off. That night she quarrels with Perry and alludes mysteriously to his "secret."
 Discovering Myra alone with 1n- man late that night, Perry orders Inman out of the house by morning, but the next day finds Perry Heath gone and his wife's body stretched on the studio floor with candles burning at her head and feet. She is made up with rouge; she is dress ed in gay colors. Near her is card marked, "The Work of Perry Heath
 She has been killed by blow with her cherished whisky bottle. When the coroner comes. Inman and Bun ny are strangely nervous when made to answer questions. Meanwhile, at the Country club the murder Is the topic of conversation among Sam Anderson. Al Cunningham and oth- CTS. Mrs. Prentiss, towing her nephew. Todhunter Buck, goes over to the Heaths and invites Bunny to stay at her hor next door. Bunny breaks out crying and Buck, at sight of her beauty, is her slave. NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
 CHAPTER x
 Toddy felt decidedly out of it. The girl had not looked at him after the aunt's presentation of him, and he resented 1t. To be sure she was near ly frantic with fear and anxiety, but she might at least recognize his ex- istence.
 Nor was Bunny totally oblivious of this eager and would be helpful knight.
 But she was so distracted with her woe. She was still suffering from the grief and shock Of the whole af- fair, and she was distraught at the continued absence of Perry Heath.
 Mrs. Prentiss was determined to see Myra's body, and having said a temporar. G.odby to Bunny, she ap- preached the guardian of the studio door just as Wallace Forbes, on the same errand bent, arrived there.
 His cajolery and her claim as sort of guardian of Miss Moore, won them an entrance, and the pair closed the door behind them and stood almost transfixed at the scene before them.
 The blinds were drawn and the lights shaded, Ut Myra's face shone forth in a startling unearthly beauty.
 She looked SO alive; her careless, relaxed position, seemingly that Of moments abandon to rest.
 You knew her." Forbes asked of Mrs. Prentiss, who was also gazing, as if spellbound, at the strange, beautiful countenance.
 "Yes, but I never saw her look like this! She never used cosmetics and she never wore gay colors."
 No. that's the inexplicable thing. Who fixed her up like that, ana why? Was 1t done before she was killed-or after?"
 "Oh, horrors, Mir. Forbes, before, of course! Nobody, even a :, ghoul' could paint the face of a woman he had murderedn
 Tt would seem so. But why would Mrs. Heath paint up like that or allow any one else to do it?'
 "Oh, that isn't unanswerable. She might have consented to try 1t for once-on a dare, maybe.
 "Yes, that's true. But then, grant ing she did so, and that she donned the scaif and the beads in the same spirit of experiment, who came ln and killed herr"
 You don't think the card means that 1t was her husbands deed, then?"
 Mrs. Prentiss was always straight forward of speech, and she asked the question bluntly.
 But Forbes only replied by saying, Do you?'
 q cont know. I know Perry Heath, and he always seemed to me a good-natured, easy-goinS man, but YOU can't tell what those quiet chaps will do on a sudden wild impulse. You a detective?"
 "No. not real one. but I'm inter- ested in the subject, and especially so in this case, because of it's own strange and bizarre effects and, too, because I know the people implicat- ed"
 "Wen, then I'll tell you something, and you can advise me whether to tell it to the police or not
 "Of what nature Is your secret? Perhaps you'd better take it direct to the authorities
 "No, you listen. Last night, ] couldn't sleep and pretty much all night I was up and around my room, and I looked over here lot. And saw strange goings @nd comings in this part of the Heath house.
 "What sore of goings and com ngs?"
 "Not exactly the people, but the lights. they kept snapping on and off. First. there were full lights here. Then, about halt-past eleven they all went out-tbe lights. I mean-down stairs. and two or three bedrooms were lighted up. Then, about mid night, I saw small faint light in this room--this studio of MT. Heath's. And not more than ten or fifteen minutes after that the full light flashed on in this same room. Well, sir, after 0 time those lights went off and there remained only two small sparks-those candies ~,,t pttr