New Britain herald., 1926-09-11

so securely bolted and barred, that
 the murderer couldn't get out after his crime. Unless, of course. he was
 let out by some one inside, who
 holted the door or window after
 him. Got that?'
 "Yes," said Sam Anderson, a ht-
 tie impatiently, go on.' Well, they are still sitting the evidence, but Mott says that he has no doubt about Miss Moore being the criminal. He says the young sters of today stop at nothing, not even at crime. He says she is mad ly in love with Heath, and he agrees with a suggestion of mine, that may be Bunny Moore and Perry were in cahoots, and planned the crime to- gether. Then, either Perry did the killing and Bunny let him out the door, or he went away earlier and left her to do it."
 "Oh," Sam Anderson said, in a tone of utter disgust at the idea, you know, Cunningham, you know, that infant in arms couldn't simply couldn't do such a thing."
 That's where you're wrong, old boy. The infants in arms of today are not in their parents arms, by any means And a fat lot you know about girls, anyway! I doubt if you've ever so much as spoken to a girl of the current issue! They are Oh Lawks: for sure!"
 Stuff and nonsense" Anderson remarked. coldly. You're pig-head- ed, Al. You've got that Mott mans views in your head, and you shape everything 10 fit them. Now, if you're going to carry on. you hunt down Heath. That's the first thing to do. Am I right, Black?"
 Why, yes, Sam. You see. I think myself that Heath is the criminal. I don't care what you all say. think Heath killed his wife because he found her with Inman. Then he yam oosed. I don't care about clues and evidence. my knowledge of hu- man nature tells me that, given a man and wife and Tertium Quid, there's bound to be domestic trag- edy."
 Well, there's been a domestic tragedy all right" Anderson smiled, grimly. But your great knowledge if human nature is not infallible, suppose"
 "Oh, Lord, Sam, talk about pig headedness! If you get a notion into 1 that old bald head of yours, a Iapa- nese earthquake couldn't dislodge | it."
 But Al Cunningham had respect | for the judgment of Anderson, and he went away to ruminate over his | advice as to finding Perry Heath. It ought not to be difficult. A l man can't drop out of existence l without leaving some sign, some | clue as to his whereabouts
 Heath was not man of affairs. l his business was eimple-merely the 1 disposing of his pictures through l dealers, or. occasionally to private buyers. |,
 A list of saeh buyers and dealers must be easily obtainable, and it 1 could not be a very arduous task to interview some Of them. And some | of them must have knowledge of Heath.
 Yet Cunningham was by no means sure of this. A business mans associates would know about | him, but an artist is different pro- position. If for any reason Perry l Heath chose to absent himself for a time or forever, it did not seem to Cunningham that he could be easily found.
 Why Heath wanted to disappear. he did not know, but he felt sure the disappearance was voluntary and would be prolonged.
 He tried to delve into the mystery of the identity ot the criminal. i There was that strange card to be considered.
 If the makeup was the work of an artist or 8 woman, surely the | card was the work of a woman or l an imbecile. No man would do such | a thing as that. But woman would be quite capable of thinking the | placing of that card would throw suspicion on Heath.
 Oh, pshaw, all clues seemed to | point to Q woman. The lighted can dles the crimson scarf-it was all very we'll to say an artist, but 10 | Cunningham's perturbed mind. they all seemed to scream, Bunny"
 uo al Iift1n roSantfn1 yuo all very we'll for those chaps to put him on the job of detecting. He was glad enough to be promised pay for | tiff he could put up the goods. But he didn't think 1t was fair to pooh-pooh all his theories and dis coyeries, because, with natural chivalry, they hated to suspect g woman-a girl.
 So did he. He was not enjoying the prospect of seeing that lovely morsel of femininity brought to the bar of justice.
 But if he was doing sleuth work, he must follow up the avenues that opened to him, and see where they led. And he couldn't help seeing that they led, apparently, at least, to Bunny Moore.
 So the case of Bunny Moore must be looked into. And old Anderson could say what he chose, he had no idea what little devils flappers were! Cunningham himself had a sister, and he knew she was the despair of | his parents, and was almost incor- rigible. He had tried, himself. to lecture her, but he found he might | as we'll talk to a self willed monkey. | She snapped her fingers at him and 1 laughed in his face.
 She pretended & sort of mock obe- dience and then ran away and act