Evening star., 1927-12-03

AND NOW IItE fLAS1tlAlGt1I >
- RAY PLAYED UPON IT-UPON
A TWISTED CRUMPLED FORM.
ribly regular lines of round, lurid
marks, near purple now against the
bloodless skin.
And Runnells with a scream shrank
back and covered his face with his
hands.
MY Gawd" he screamed out in
terror. Its Paul. he screamed. It's
Paul Cremarre"
Paul Cremarre,
And the man was not a pleasant
sight
The slime. the water and the mud.
The Stygian blackness that seemed to
mock and jeer at the puny ray of the
flashlightl The lap-lap-lap of the
wavelets that echoed back in hollow
ghostly whispers from the flooring of
the boathouse above. And, Runnells
groveling. drawing in his breath with
loud sucking sounds. Noises of sea
and ir--indefinahle--all discordant-
like imps in jubilee. 1t was ghouls'
hole,
But Capt. Francis Newcombe
smiledEwith a thin parting of the
lips He knew a sudden elation, Il
stupendous uplift. He found JOY in
each of those abominable marks on
the face of the Thing that lay at the
end of his flashlights ray. They were
not pretty-but they were all too
few,
Got your wind up. has it. Run
nells?" he sneered--and thereafter for
a moment. though he never let Run
nells entirely out of the lights focus,
gave his fuller attention to Paul Gre.
MARIE.
The man was dead, wasn't he? II
was a matter that could not be left in
doubt-even where doubt seemed to
be dispelled at a glance. He bent down
over the other. An instant's exam
ination satisfied him The man was
dead. HIS eyes rolled over the body.
and held suddenly on one of the mans
hands. Rather peculiar that, The
hand was tightly ,clenched One did
not ordinarily die with one hand
clenched and the other open. Some
thing fell to the ground. He picked
it up. 1t was a large bronze key
about three inches in length. Cup
ping it in his hand so that Runnells
might not inadvertently see it, he
stared at it -speculatively for mo
ment. then dropped it into his pocket
This was interesting, decidedly in
teresting-and suggestive. His fash
light became more inquisitive in re
spect of the immediate surroundings
Those footprints, for instance, in the
half mud and sand. deep. irregular
which. leading up to the edge of the
water some four or five yards away,
ended where Paul Cremarre now lay
and annthnr Cprinc nf mt o
little to the right, quite regular
which, though they also started from
the waters edge, lost themselves in
the direction of the beach in front OF
the boathouse.
Capt. Francis Newcombe worked
swiftly now. He searched through
the dead mans pockets, transferring
the contents, without stopping to ex-
anime them, to his own pockets--an!
then abruptly and without ceremony
swung upon Runnells,
Wen finish this up in the boat
house, he snapped
Runnelis' reply was inarticulate.
Capt. Francis Newcombe, with his
revolver again at the small of Run
nells' back. drove the man before him
out from under the veranda, up one
of the ramp-like bridges and into the
little lounge room Of the boathouse
Here he switched on the highland
with Il sudden savage grip around
Runnels' throat. flung the man
sprawling into one of the big easy
chairs.
Now, my man." he said, well
have our little settlement, since Paul
has already mad his. / congratulate
you-both! And perhaps you may
have a very early opportunity of let.
ting him know that | did not over
look him in my Fluctuations. Very
neat--very clever of you two to play
game like this l must confess that
| did not think of Paul Cremarre in
connection with what has been going
on. / fancy that the very fact of you
being here-the three DIVIDED, as it
were-must have helped to act as a
sort of mental blanket upon me in
that respect And even you | was
forced To elleinate until tonight be-
cause | could not arrive at any logical
reason that would explain your mo.
tive-for if left the island here you
would leave too. The combination
however, would be very effective,
Paul Cremarre would be left behind
with free hand. eh?" Capt Francis
| Newcombe's voice rasped suddenly.
Now, then, you cur, what happened
Under the boathouse here tonight?
What killed Paul?"
Runnells' face was pasty white
He shrank back into the farthest re
cess of the chair, and licked nervous
ly at his lips. He tried twice to spea k
Intellectually. His eyes seemed fas
cinated, not by the revolver that Capt
Francis Newcombe had transferred to
his left hand. but by Capt Francis
| Newcombe's right hand that came
creeping now with menacing, half
| curled fingers toward his throat.
Answer me--and answer quickr'
snarled Capt. Francis Newcombe.
| II don't know" Runnells forced
shaken whisper. so help me.
Gawd. don't! l don't know who
killed him."
| II didn't say who; I said whatr
Capt Francis Newcombes IS hand crept
still closer to Runnells throat. Don.
: try any of that game--youre not
} brainy enoughl 1t wasn't anythin-.
! human that killed Paul Cremarre.
i No" mumbled Runnels, mo; 1t
a. ~