New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1926-09-02

myself held the bottle and exam
ined it during the evening
But Mrs. Heath wiped the glass
clear with her handkerchief. Did
you two handle it again after
/ that"
Why - - we must have done
So" Inman said, hesitantly, 'else
how could our finger prints get on
the pieces? You are sure of your
facts, / SUPPOSE"
Yes, Mr.. Inman, we are posi-
tive. Now. to put the matter plain
ly, we are of coruse, searching for
the hand that welded that brutal
weapon, and thereby ended the life
of Mrs. Heath. We know that the
prints of two people are in evidence
on the glass, and no others. We
hold that if the murderer grasped
the bottle after your prints and
Miss MOorc's prints were on it, his
own would have been superim-
posed also"
Il have been told that the mod
Vlll VI illiilitii utii h' tAsot'iiiSN ittAS -
prints and protects his hands with
gloves or with a piece of fabric"
You are right" the coroner
looked at him gravely, but If, in
this case, the murderer had done
so, even the gloves he wore, or the
bit OF cloth he used would have
blurred and smearcd the previous
prints. On the contrary they are
clear and plain
Then I can give you no eXplana-
ton of these conditions. ], myself
left the room only a few minutes
after Miss Moore's departure, and
at that time Mr.. Heath and his
wife were there alone, and the old
bottle stood on the table. AS / said,
if my finger prints were found on
it. or Miss Moore's, they must have
been put there earlier in the eve
ming, and the murderer who took
up the bottle later, failed 10 dis
turb them"
You are relative of Mrs.
Heath's"
oul IllUllltlo "Nlt NuuSlHSs
That is not a very close relation
ship, but Mrs. Heath had no near
er kin"
And you are her heir?"
"She gave me to understand
that"
Then she was not devoted to
her husband"
"Oh, they were good pals" Lar
ry shrugged his shoulders. But
they were so unlike and their
could scarcely call them devoted"
Was Mr.. Heath jealous of youo
OF your attentions to his wife,"
Jealous is too strong a word.
think it piqued him to have his
wife appear interested, even to a
slight extent, in any other man"
Dog in the manger type. then?"
! Exactly that. Perry Heath was
proud of his wife, but he was IT.
ritated by her unwillingness to do
as he wanted. Mrs. Heath was
strong willed. and Heath resented
! her independent attitude"
! where do you think Perry
Heath now is"
( Il have not the slightest idea,
! but the man is quite clever enough
be found"
! You think then, that he killed
his wife,"
What else can / think? | left
the pair here alone. Next thing ]
hear of them, she is dead and he
is missing. In default of other evil
dence what other theory is posi-
ble?"
True enough, but how did the
man get out?'
Surprising some other murderer,
how did he get in?"
That is aside the issue. I hold
that Perry Heath could not get out
of this house last night, unless
some one inside had let him Out
and locked the door after HIM"
"Of course that is So" Larry
spoke thoughtfully. But where
does that lead us?"
ITO the presumption that Heatl
did go away, on some legitimate
Grand That Mrs. Heath let hin
out ard locked the door after him
That later, some one entered the
studio and in sudden fit of angr,
passion Drained Mrs. Heath with
the murderous bottle"
! Then and Larry smiled dryly
how did that man get out?"
He didn't" said the coroner.
He is still in the house then p
Perhaps So"
II will not pretend to misunder.
stand you. Doctor Osborn. Vol
mean that the murderer was {
regular inmate of this house, ethel
family guest or servant"
you have stated the assumption
accurately, Mr.. Inman."
CHAPTER XIII
Had Larry been less perturbed. h.
must have laughed at the pompou
air and stilted diction of the coroner
But he was =, mayed at the turl
things had taken. He had had n,
doubts but the coroner would at ono
assume. Perry Heath guilty an'
forthwith institute a search for him
Your assumptions are not with
out interest" Larry said looking a
the coroner. But what, then, is tn
. meaning of the eccentric act o
J painting Mrs. Heath's face and add
ing colorful ,rches to her costume
, This point was an obsession with MI
Heath, but no one else would hav
' done such a thing"
"As | understand 1t, nearly all o
{ Mrs. Heath's friends and acquaint
ances urged her to use a touch O
| makeup, and, too, we have no rea
' reason to assume that the rouge wa
applied to Mrs. Heath's face afte
she was dead. 1t may we'll be tina
n she consented to the experiment
l. L. - ~